70. Too Much To Carry #2
"You said you had a miscarriage. You said you lost your baby." Her voice shook. "Then who is that daughter you're raising now?"
A dangerous silence settled over the room.
"Who is she? Did you-"
"DHWANI. STOP."
The words exploded from my mouth. I covered her mouth with my hand before she could finish that sentence. Her entire body stiffened.
I had never spoken to her like that before.
Never. But I knew if she completed that thought, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
She wasn't thinking. She was hurting.
And hurt people often aimed for the places they knew would wound the deepest.
"No, Yugant." I turned. Ms. Arora stood completely still. Her eyes hadn't left Dhwani. "Let her speak." Her voice was terrifyingly calm. "Let her finish."
Slowly, I lowered my hand.
Dhwani's chest was rising and falling rapidly.
Ms. Arora took a step forward. "Tell me."
Her eyes glistened. "What were you about to say?"
Another step."Were you about to question my character?"
" No-" Dhwani mumbled, though it was not clear.
"Were you about to question your mother's character, Dhwani?"
The word mother made Dhwani flinch and fueled her anger at the same time.
"You're not my mother." The answer came instantly. Sharp. Merciless. "You never were."
For the first time, I saw acceptance in Ms. Arora's eyes. Acceptance for what Dhwani just said.
"We have nothing to do with each other."
A hollow laugh escaped Ms. Arora. "Right."
She swallowed. "Not your mother."
Then, without another word, she walked towards the locker fixed into the wall.
Everyone watched silently as she punched the password and pulled out a thick file.
When she turned around again, her eyes were red.
"You said I'm lying?" She walked straight towards Dhwani. "About the miscarriage?"
Another step. "About your father's affair?"
Another. "About the accident?"
And another. "About the evidence I gathered to save you?"
The file landed against Dhwani's chest.
Dhwani instinctively took a step back. "Read it." Ms. Arora's voice cracked. "Read every page." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Cry over it. Do whatever the hell you want."
Then she took a step back, before the file, Dhwani held it. "I won't stand in your way, again."
Without waiting for a response, she walked back to her desk, gathered her files and laptop into her tote bag, and headed for the door.
She was gone leaving behind nothing except The Royal Silence... and the file trembling in Dhwani's hands.
Dhwani pushed Samarth's hand away before taking a step towards the desk.
She placed the file on it and dropped into the chair as if her legs had finally given up supporting her.
I could see her hands trembling. This was too much. For her. For Ms. Arora. For all of us.
Seven years of pain had just been dragged into the light within a few minutes.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the file. The same file that probably held answers she had been searching for all these years. And maybe answers she never wanted to find.
Samarth took a step forward. Instinctively wanting to comfort her. To stand beside her. To make things easier. But I stopped him, extending my arm in front of him.
"Let her handle this alone."
His brows pulled together. "But she's hurting."
I looked at Dhwani. "I know."
"Then why are we standing here?"
"Because some pain can't be shared, Samarth." He fell silent. "Sometimes the only way out of a wound is through it."
My eyes moved back to Dhwani. Whatever is inside that file has been waiting seven years to be opened.
????
"Where is Dhwani?" I asked as soon as I entered the mansion.
It's been two days since that incident.
Two days since I had properly heard Dhwani's voice inside this house.
"She is in her room," Vedika answered while feeding a spoonful of rice to Pihu. "She hasn't come out properly in the last two days."
I exhaled, loosening my tie before throwing my laptop bag onto the couch.
"And Dhrithi?"
This time my voice came out lower. I didn't want anyone to know I was worried about her too.
"She is in her room as well. Didn't come out since morning."
Frustration burned inside me. These two women were the most important people in my life, yet I hadn't been able to have a proper conversation with either of them for days.
I hadn't gone to Dhrithika because I was waiting for her to come to me herself. To talk. To explain. To tell me what she was feeling. To explain her side without me having to drag the words out of her.
But she never did.
Maybe because I had scared her that day.
Maybe because I had failed long before that. What hurt me the most wasn't what Ruben Kingsley did.
It was realizing that I wasn't the person Dhrithi trusted enough to share her life with.
Dhwani told Samarth almost everything.
I always thought Dhrithi and I had something similar. Apparently, I was wrong.
For two years she loved someone, dated someone, trusted someone enough to build a relationship with him, and I didn't have the slightest clue.
Not because I didn't notice. Because she never wanted to tell me willingly.
She lied. Again and again. Kept things hidden.And somehow that hurt more than I wanted to admit.
Not because she dated someone. Never that. I wasn't some overprotective brother who believed his sister needed permission to live her life.
If she had come to me and told me she liked someone, I would've listened.
If she had told me she was in love, I would've supported her.
I only wanted one thing.
To make sure the man standing beside her deserved her trust. That he was good enough for her. That hewouldn't break her the way Ruben did.
Dhrithi always believed she was clever enough to handle everything on her own.
But she wasn't. She was still painfully naive when it came to people she loved.
And Ruben Kingsley saw that.
He took advantage of it.
The thought alone made my jaw tighten.
I just wanted someone who would truly value her.
Someone who would understand her without judging her.
Someone patient enough to deal with her stubbornness and gentle enough to protect her heart.
Someone who would make her feel safe instead of making her afraid.
Someone like Ishaan.
The realization came so naturally.
Maybe because if there was one man I trusted with Dhrithika's happiness, it was probably him.
Ishaan Awasthi.
While on the other side, it was Dhwani...
I had tried everything to reach her. She either gave one-word replies or none at all.
The rest of her time was spent in front of that canvas, quietly painting for hours as if colors understood her better than people did.
"Have Daadi and Daadu had dinner?" I asked.
Vedika sighed."Dinner? Probably not. But I somehow managed to feed them a little and give them medicine."
I dropped onto the couch and pressed my fingers against my forehead.
My head felt like it was splitting apart.
After three days would be the final hearing of court.
The forensic reports had already confirmed the authenticity of the evidence.
Ms. Arora's assistant had called and informed Ishaan.
Not her.
From what I understood, her assistant would probably appear in court as well.
Ms. Arora had stepped away from everything connected to us.
Even the case.
For the first time in years, I genuinely didn't know how to fix all this. Even Samarth had returned to Rajasthan because of some urgent work.
I had secretly hoped he would manage Dhwani. But this time even he couldn't.
"Yugant..." Vedika's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
I looked up. "I don't know how you'll take this, but I think you should put your anger aside and talk to Dhrithika."
Her expression turned serious.
"It's been days since anyone in this house heard her voice. I saw her sitting alone in the garden last night."
Vedika lowered her gaze towards Pihu before continuing.
"She's slipping back into depression."
The words landed heavily. "You remember how bad it got last time."
I did.
Unfortunately, I remembered every second of it.
"This time she's different," Vedika said quietly. "Instead of letting her pain out, she's locking it inside herself. She's swallowing every emotion and we both know that's dangerous."
I closed my eyes briefly. She was right. I had punished Dhrithi enough. More than enough. I couldn't lose her. Not after losing Mom and Dad.
She had made a mistake. A terrible mistake. But it was still a mistake. Not a crime.
"Yeah..." I nodded slowly. "I'll talk to her."
Rubbing my face, I stood up to go upstairs but stopped as my eyes landed on Pihu.
She was quietly eating while listening to everything.
"How is Pihu doing?"
Vedika's face softened instantly.
"Healing."
She kissed the top of her daughter's head.
"My baby is very strong."
A small smile appeared on my face.
At least they were safe now.
Vedika had practically held this family together during the last few days. She had taken care of everyone. Even the house itself.
Picking up my laptop bag, I walked towards them and reached out to ruffle Pihu's hair. But before my hand could touch her, she flinched.
The reaction was immediate.
She buried her face in Vedika's chest and wrapped her tiny arms around her mother.
I froze.
It was as if some memory had suddenly returned to her, triggered her.
My hand slowly dropped back to my side.
"Sorry," Vedika said softly. "She's still scared of physical contact from men."
"You don't have to apologize." I shook my head. "I understand what she went through."
My gaze remained on the little girl. "Are you taking her to therapy?"
"Yes."
Vedika stroked Pihu's hair.
"The doctor says recovery will take time."
Her voice turned heavier.
"Whatever happened left a deep impact on her because it all came from her own father. She gets anxious around men, avoids eye contact, and panics if someone raises their voice unexpectedly."
The helplessness in her voice was painful.
"The doctor said trust is the hardest thing to rebuild. Especially when fear enters a child this young."