Two Brothers: Shadows of Deception

Chapter 53

A Journey of Redemption

(Vedant)

Sid ran his trembling fingers through his disheveled hair, his face contorted with a mix of shock and disbelief. He paced back and forth, the weight of the truth settling heavily upon him. Finally, he turned his gaze towards the woman before him, his voice quivering with a mixture of pain and anger. "Is it true?" he demanded, his voice laced with desperation. But she remained silent, refusing to meet his eyes.

"I'm asking you, Mom," he pressed, his voice breaking. "Is it true what Ved said? Is that how Dad died?" The room hung heavy with silence, amplifying the torment in Sid's heart. She closed her eyes tightly, tears streaming down her face, as if unable to bear the weight of her own guilt. It was in that moment, Sid knew the answer without her uttering a word.

A wave of disbelief washed over him, causing him to stumble backward, his head shaking in denial. "No. No. No," he muttered, his voice barely a whisper. His trembling hands clutched at his hair, his face etched with pain. "This can't be real. It can't be true," he protested, desperately grasping onto the fragments of his shattered reality.

But the realization crashed upon him like a tidal wave, shattering any semblance of hope or innocence. A guttural scream of anguish escaped his lips as he collapsed to his knees, the weight of his father's death crushing his spirit. The pain that coursed through his veins was unbearable, threatening to consume him whole.

In the midst of his agony, he saw the woman approaching him, her hands outstretched in a feeble attempt to comfort. "Sid," she called out, her voice pleading for forgiveness. The fury that surged within him erupted like a volcano, fueling his words with unbridled rage. "DO NOT TOUCH ME. STAY AWAY FROM ME!" he screeched, his voice piercing the air. He forcefully pushed her away, his eyes brimming with tears and raw indignation.

"All these years, I believed my father was weak. I thought he couldn't handle the burdens that plagued him, but I was wrong," he spat, his voice filled with venom. His words dripped with the anguish of a son betrayed. "It was you. You made him weak. You made him suffer, shattered his heart and trust. And now, he's gone because of you. And what did you do? You cried and played the role of a grieving widow, deceiving us all!"

The pain etched deep into Sid's eyes as he continued his tirade. "I hate you," he declared with searing intensity.

She pleaded with him, her eyes filled with profound regret, the weight of her actions etched on her face. "Sid, please," she implored, her voice trembling with desperation. "Please don't say that. I know I have done wrong, and I carry the burden of my actions in the depths of my heart every single day. I have been living with the pain of my son's ignorance and his unwavering hatred for the past ten years. Please, I beg you, I can't bear it if you turn away from me too. Please, Sid," she pleaded, her voice breaking.

But Sid's face hardened, his eyes filled with a mixture of anguish and fury. He gritted his teeth, his anger burning through his veins like molten lava. "And you think that's enough?" he spat out bitterly, his words laced with searing resentment. The shock of his words washed over her, leaving her stunned and speechless.

"No," he continued, his voice trembling with the weight of his emotions. "You, my own mother, turned a blind eye to my brother's existence, allowing your secrets to corrode our family from within. You have inflicted wounds upon his soul that still bleed, that still ache with every breath he takes."

The room reverberated with the intensity of Sid's words, each syllable striking like a blow to her conscience. "You drove Dad to take his own life," he continued, his voice cracking with the raw pain of the revelation. "You pushed him to the edge of despair. You suffocated him with your actions, drowning the very essence of who he was. And the company... you buried it under a mountain of debt, extinguishing years of his hard work and sacrifices. And what about Ved?"