Chapter 49
My hands were rested on my lap, my fingers were fidgeting with each other in fear and anxiety.
I was so stupid to even do that but now I was regretting every moment.
I don't know why I had to go out today. I feel like there is something weighted placed on my chest maybe.
.. guilt, whatever but I wasn't liking this feeling.
I wasn't afraid of bhaiya's beating, I was dreading his reaction, his disappointed face was not leaving my mind.
I was looking out of the window and my pulse was hammering fast with every passing minute.
I was deep in thinking when a voice dragged me out from drowning in my fear.
"Are you okay, Sir?" The bodyguard who was just sitting beside me asked, his face was cold but his eyes were showing a little concern.
I nodded silently and another guilt clawed to my chest when I remembered how I behaved with him outside the cafeteria. Now I was feeling terrible.
Arghh
I cleared my throat and hesitantly called out for him, he snapped his head at me in an instant with the attentive look.
"Sorry."
I hesitantly apologized feeling slightly embarrassed but I had to otherwise I won't be able to sleep at night with this guilty feeling.
He frowned, "Why are you saying sorry, sir?" He genuinely asked.
I scratched the back of my neck not directly looking at him, "About my behavior." I meekly confessed.
"Sorry, I took that tone with you." I added finally looking directly at him.
His features softened for a moment, "No need to be sorry sir, that was absolutely fine." He said, his tone was robotic but his eyes held a hint of warmth.
I returned a small smile in response before again focusing my eyes out of the window.
I had decided to tell the truth to bhaiya, last time he clearly warned me to not to hide anything from him and I promised him.
I entered the house and there stood the person I wanted to see last on this earth. I gritted my teeth when bua ji smirked at me.
I looked around in the living room, dadu and dadi were sitting on the sofa. They were not in their casuals, might have just returned from their short trip.
But what was bua ji doing here?
Doesn't she have any self respect?
Bhaiya had literally thrown her out of the house and here she was standing smirking at me like she owned the place.
And Wait!! Why didn't she return to the Chandigarh yet?
"Kaise ho, Abhishek?" She asked me with her extra sweet voice grabbing dadu and dadi's attention.
I just ignored her and looked at the dadu who was smiling at me. I smiled at him in return, I don't like him as he knows about his son's doings and still defends him every time but I don't hate him either as he was always sweet towards us. He didn't hate us or blame us like dadi aur bua ji do.
Anyways, I didn't have time for her bullshit so I just passed by her side when my gaze went to upstairs from where bhaiya was stepping down. I wanted to talk to him now, I wouldn't be able to bear that guilty feeling anymore.
His eyes were showing...pure rage, he stepped down the stairs with long, purposeful strides. Bua ji should consider herself lucky to be a woman as if she wouldn't have been, bhaiya would've punched her face till now.
I stepped in front of him when he was on the last stair, he raised his brow at me silently asking the reason for the intervention.
"I want to talk to you." I mumbled.
He glared over past my shoulder at bua ji, "Let me deal with her first." He said through gritted teeth.
I pleaded through my eyes but backed off as I didn't want him to pour out bua ji's anger on me. My actions were enough to made him mad.
"With whose permission you entered my house?" He seethed.
The smirk was still glued on her face but a hint of fear crossed over her face listening to his tone.
"Calm down beta, this much anger is not good for your health." She said with a fake concern.
"Worry about yourself, bua ji." He gritted his teeth.
Dadi and dadu stood up from their places, "Kyun itna gussa ho rahe ho Advait bua hai tumhari uska hak hai iss ghar me aane ka." Dadi said defensively.
Does she also have a share in the property?
Bhaiya turned his piercing gaze to her, "Inhone Abhi ke saath jo kiya uske baad inke saare hak khatam ho gaye, inse kahiye yahan se jaane ke liye." He raised his voice.
Adi and Aru emerged in the living room running and stood beside me.
"Shaant ho jao beta, Sulekha jao yahan se." Dadu said trying to ease up the tension.
"Ye chudail phir se aa gayi?" Adi whispered beside me.
"Chup reh abhi." I hushed him for his own good.
Bua ji glanced at me before looking at bhaiya, she wiped off the corner of her eye.
"Agar tum chahte ho to chali jaungi beta, mai yahan apni beizzati karwane nahi aayi thi wo to tumhe kuch batan... dikhana tha isliye aana pada." She said dramatically in a sad voice.
Bhaiya didn't buy her excuses and just kept glaring at her until she took out her phone from her bag and showed it to him. She was looking at me with the vicious smirk.
I shifted my attention to bhaiya, his hand was clenched around the phone so tightly that it would've cracked if it was a glass. His jaw was clenched so tightly that i had seen a slight tremble.
He finally looked up... at me and without wasting any moment, he marched towards me and a tight, punishing slap landed on my right cheek with the intensity that I lose my balance and fell down on the floor. The hot sting spreaded on my face, my vision blurred as the tears made it's way in my eyes.
I could hear the loud gasps but didn't dare to look up, I sat there pressing my palm to my cheek, I could feel his piercing gaze pinning down at me.
I didn't even know the reason behind the slap but I knew this must be something terrible because bhaiya never hit me on my face, he had just slapped me once that too out of anger.
But this slap, it felt... as it was not out of anger, it was out of hurt.
Two small hands gripped my both arms and made me stood up, "Bhai, aap theek ho?" Aru muttered looking like he was on the verge of crying.
I didn't reply anything. I couldn't.
"In your rooms. Both of you." Bhaiya ordered looking at them.
Adi opened his mouth to say something but closed it when bhaiya pinned him down with a stern look. They both reluctantly went away from there after giving me a sympathy look.
"What is this, Abhishek?" He shoved the phone in front of my face.
Shit.
He got to know.
But not how I wanted him to.
My blood ran cold after looking at the video and a wave of shame churned on my stomach. I was shamelessly inhaling the smoke, my eyes were closed in the relaxation. I was feeling so humiliated after looking at myself in the video.
My hands shivered at my sides, I didn't have anything to say.
"Kya hua Advait aisa kya ho gaya?" Dadu asked coming to his side.
Bhaiya just handed him the phone not moving his gaze off me.
I heard a gasp left out of dadu's lips, dadi followed him behind. My eyes were glued to the floor but I could sense the disgusting look dadi was throwing on my way.
"Yahi sab karte ho tum bahar?" Her tone was rude.
"Dekh kar to lag raha hai jaise roj ka kaam hai, dekhiye na maa kaise maje le-le kar cigarette pee raha hai." Bua ji taunted.
I dugged my face between my shoulders in shame, the tears were not stopping flowing from my eyes and I didn't care to wipe them.
Bhaiya was silent, he didn't utter a single word and I was hating the every moment of his silence.
I slowly lifted up my gaze and met his eyes. I broke into sobs because there was not anger in his eyes. His eyes were filled with the hurt and disappointment.
"Bhaiya, s-sorry." I whispered pleadingly.
"Kab se chal raha hai ye sab?" He asked without any hint of emotion.
My eyes widened and tried to defend myself, "Bh-bhai.. "
"Ye bhi kya sawal hai Advait dekh kar hi pata chal raha hai ye iska pehli baar nahi hai." Bua ji said in between.
I vigorously shook my head, "N-Nahi bhaiya, maine first time kiya wo bhi influence ho kar, isse pehle ka-kabhi socha bhi nahi smoking ke baare me." I forced out the words, stumbling on it.
He was blankly looking at me without saying anything.
"Jhooth bolna band karo wo to Sulekha ne tumhe aaj dekh liya to pakde gaye warna pata nahi kab se iss gandi aadat me pade huye honge." Dadi said bitterly.
I pleaded through my eyes, "Please trust me, bhaiya." I whispered.
"Trust to tod diya tumne apne bechare bhai ka kitna bharosa tha usey tum logo par aur tumne kya..." Bua ji provoked.
"Dikha diya aapne jo dikhana tha?" Bhaiya cutted her off in between.
She quickly composed herself, briefly glancing at dadi.
"Haan beta par... " She again tried to say but he cut her off again.
"Jaa sakti hain aap ab yahan se." He said pointing at the door.
She looked at dadi for help and she did.
"Isey iski galti ki saja dene ki jagah tum apni bua ko ghar se bahar nikal rahe ho." Dadi said, her tone was filled with anger and despise.
"Mujhe mere bacche ke saath kya karna hai mai dekh lunga, aap mujhe mat bataiye." He said in a dangerously calm tone sending shivers to my spine.
But I felt a little relaxed at the familiar name. I know he was hurt and disappointed by me but he could never left me alone.
He turned to looked at bua ji, "Get Out." He said pressing each word.
"Papa aap to kuch bolo." She said glaring at dadu.
He shrugged. He didn't say anything in between unless the situation was in control.
She gritted out her teeth and stomped away glaring at everyone but honoured me with the harder one.
Bhaiya turned at me as soon as she left, he held my hand and dragged me to the study room. I knew, I was doomed.
"Advait, kahan le jaa rahe ho usey?" Dadu said from behind.
But he didn't answer and pushed me in the room, he locked the door. I was standing in the middle of the room trembling, his tall figure was looming over me.
"I want to hear only truth." He said calmly... his voice was deadly calm.
I didn't dare to look up, my head nodded without my will.
"Kab se smoking kar raha hai?" He asked, his tone was icy.
I immediately shook my head, "Aaj fi-first time tha bhaiya sacchi." I said and prayed to God to make him believe me.
He just gave a slight nod. Just a nod.
But then he took out the polished cane off the wall and I froze in fear. I never got beaten up by the cane before.
My blood ran cold but before I could say or do something. "Fold your trousers up." He ordered and I shuddered in fear.
I wanted to plead but I knew, I deserved it. I reluctantly bent down and folded my trousers up from the ankle to the knee, my hands were shivering but I managed to do it.
I stood back again trembling in the anticipation, my eyes were already filled with unshed tears.
The lingering tear rolled down of my eyes when a sharp hit landed on the calf of my right leg. I squeezed my eyes in pain, letting out a loud hiss.
He again raised up the cane and this time it landed on my left leg, I fisted my hands to gulp the sting. The pain shot up in my legs making me scream loudly in my mind.
A loud scream escaped off my lips when the cane struck me on the same spot again and I hurriedly bent down to rubbed the sting. But bhaiya firmly tapped the cane on my hand to forbidden me from rubbing.
This continued for three times and by the end of it my knees buckled. My eyes were red with the tears and my legs... they were burning and throbbing from the pain. Each hit was calculated and punishing left the burning ache in my legs.
He didn't scold me while hitting like he always did. He just silently landed the strike after strike.
My eyes were raining, I looked up at him in the hope of some comfort but I only got a cold, stoic look in return. His arms were draped over his chest and he was simply staring at me before saying the most hurtful thing to me,
"I didn't expect this from you."
I casted my eyes down, he always called me his best boy. But now hearing these words coming out from his mouth felt like a dagger in my chest. If it were Adi or Aru in my place, he would have been disappointed but not this much hurt. He expected better from me and I failed him.
"I am sorry." I whispered feeling ashamed of myself.
"You're grounded for two months. No going outs but if you want a cigarette, I'll let you go for a stroll and you can come back after smoking as many as you want." He taunted with the straight face making me feel more humiliated.
"I am really sorry, bhaiya." I pleaded through my tears.
"Keep your phone on the desk and leave." He said coldly.
I took out my phone from the pocket and placed it on the desk behind him.
I stepped towards him with watery eyes to get some comfort but he backed off pointing at the door.
"Get out." He said calmly before going to sit down on the chair behind the desk.
I looked at him for a few minutes for any kind of reassurance but only got his cold look in return. I left the study and ran to my room with my exploding emotions.
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