The Promise of Forever

CHAPTER 27

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Arushi's POV

Turning a few photos in the album he stopped at a photo that had Dad hugging a pregnant lady in it.

"She is my biological mother."

Shocked would be an understatement because I really could not register his words in my mind.

"I know you might be shocked but that's the truth." he said letting out a faint smile.

"Jai Shergill and Nandini Rathod were the two love birds of their college days and eventually they got married. After 2 years of their marriage I was born but unfortunate to my fate she died on the very next day of my birth. My grandparents termed me a bad omen that very day because my mother was the only one who was earning a living for them. Priya maa is my mother's sister she had just graduated when my mother passed away. Back here at home there was no woman who could take care of a new born because Dadi had died already. Against the wish of her parents Priya maa stayed with Dad taking care of me. Eventually the so called society started raising fingers on her for living with a man without being married. So Dad decided to marry her."

He looked up at me with a tear in his eye. His quivering voice was enough for me to know that he needed some support. I held his palm in mine and wiped of the tear from the brim of his eye. I just blinked my eyes asking him to continue because I really wanted to know everything. Everything that troubles him day and night.

"Though my maternal grandparents hated me and never showed even a little love or care they kept in contact with us because of Priya maa. Sometimes their behaviour hurt me but Dadu was always there by my side he loved me like no one else did."

"How did you get to know all of this?" I questioned him because he was an infant back then he wouldn't remember any of it right?

"I had not known any of it until I was 8. That's when Naina and Namik, the two twins were born to mom. I was so overjoyed with their birth. I loved playing with them and having them in my arms.... having those tiny little babies."

I never knew Naina had a twin. Maybe he was the brother Vikrant was talking about. But where is he now?

"One fine day Dad and Dadu were out for some business work. Mom was out to buy some groceries. I was left at home with the twins and my maternal grandparents who had come to visit us. I was carefully climbing down the stairs with Naina in my arms but I don't know how I tripped down the last 2 stairs. I hurt my leg a little but I had made sure nothing happened to Naina. Still my grandparents hit me and were screaming at me. They kept saying I ate up my mother and would hurt the babies as well but I did not understand anything they said because I had always known Priya maa to be my mother.

Their hatred and rudeness kept increasing day by day though Mom always fought back with them for me they never stop speaking out their hatred. Ever since that day I had kept questioning everyone about why they hated me while they loved Naina and Namik so dearly. Why they always said I ate up my mother and will hurt my own siblings. Why they always said I should be killed.

Dadu always tried to deviate my mind maybe because he knew at that age I wouldn't understand anything but that small child's brain wouldn't stop questioning until it received an answer. My maternal grandparents behaviour had started affecting me I had started being very quiet always thinking about why they treated me differently.

When I was 10 I could not take things anymore. I started threatening Dadu to tell me what I had done to deserve so much hatred. That's when he started telling me everything bit by bit. When I knew everything I still did not understand why would they blame me for everything. But as I grew up I realised that they had lost their daughter because of me so somewhere I started justifying their hatred towards me but not for once did Dad Dadu or Mom blame me for anything they always loved me. Dadu loved me so much that I had started ignorning the hatred of my other grandparents."