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Daksh walked to his cabin not caring about Rohan who had been yelling his name for the past 10 minutes. Rohan, agitated by Daksh's ignorance, marched into his cabin angrily. Daksh glanced up from his file for a brief moment before going back to his work, ignoring Rahul yet again.
"Daksh, now it is getting too much!" Rohan pulled away the file from Daksh making his red eyes glare at him. Rohan shuddered in fear looking at the anger in Daksh's eyes. His eyes were weary, with dark circles but his glare was intense.If looks could burn, he would have turned into ashes by now.
"Give the file back, Mr. Khanna. I am in no mood to entertain you," Daksh seethed in anger but Rohan ignored his warnings and plopped in the seat opposite to Dakhs. What he doesn't know is that the man sitting in front of him was not the Daksh he knew. He's a changed man now. Or more like his family forced the change in him.
"Stop it, yaar. It's already been 3 months of me begging for your forgiveness. I really wanted to take a stand for her but it was so sudden and Maitri had already slapped her before I could reach them. Abhi's anger and Akshya's slapping Maitri back made the matter worse. He was about to slap my sister and Dad got involved in the matter making it worse," Rohan tried to explain himself for the nth time. He was stuck between his family and his friend's wife whom he considered no less than his sister that day and the damage was already done before he walked into the room. Nithi, his father, and Mithri were blaming her and the matter escalated before he could say something to stop them.
Maitri slapped Chaitra in anger, making Abhi raise his hand at her, but Akshaya slapped Maitri before Abhi could reach her. That made Rohan's father angry and the matter escalated when Rakshith announced his break up with Mithri and the brothers walked away taking their Bhabi Maa when the family stayed silent when Rohan's father demanded Chaitra's banishment from the Palace.
"Be happy that my sister only slapped her. If it was me, I would have buried her alive for daring to slap my wife," Daksh declared with anger bubbling in his nerves when he imagined how his Jaan would have felt when Maitri slapped her, how painful it must be. Daksh's words made Rohan angry. Though his sister was wrong that day, he couldn't hear such words for his little sister whom he loved like his first baby.
"Daksh. Mind your words! The person you are talking about is my sister!" Rohan roared, clenching his fists but his anger did not affect the husband who is madly in love with his wife and can't see a tear in her eyes.
"And the girl whom she dared to slap is my wife, my Jaan! The only reason your sister is still alive is because I once considered her my sister. But she will not be spared. She will get her share of punishment once I get my Jaan back," With that being said, Daksh stomped out of the room not sparing a glance at Rohan who fell back on his chair not understanding what was happening with him.
His father has gone crazy and is asking him to demand Nithi's shares in Chauhan Groups, his sister went on a trip and they had no idea about her whereabouts, and his wife is dying of guilt for the harsh words she said to her sister-in-law, both his best friends are not talking to him and the girl he considered his sister, he doesn't even know how she was because the people with her are thinking him as one of her tormenters for his silence on that day.
Rohan glanced up when he heard the door open. Ronak walked straight to Daksh's table and picked a file from the pile. He didn't look at Rohan as if Rohan was invisible. Rohan got frustrated with the things happening in his life.
His wife is not ready to share why she did what she did. She either ends up crying or shouting when he brings up the topic. His father, on the other hand, is adamant about separating from the Chauhan groups, with Nithi's shares along with their own shares from the time when they merged both companies and his sister, no one knows about her.
"Ronak!" Rohan held Ronak's hand yanking him back when he was about to leave. He is fed up with everyone ignoring him and blaming him. Today, he is determined to get his answers from everyone.
"Do you also think it was my mistake? Do you think I would have let it happen if it was in my hands?" Rohan demanded. Ronak finally turned his attention to Rohan, his jaw clenching in irritation.
"You didn't understand yet, did you Bhai?" Ronak asked in a stern tone. He never used such a tone against Rohan but after seeing his brother, whom he admires the most, whose happiness matters the most to him, and his Bhabi maa, whom he respects with all his heart and whom he always wanted to see smiling, suffer because of their own people, he turned harsher towards them, expressing his helplessness and frustration in the form of anger.
"What didn't I understand, Ronak? Please explain to me today," Rohan yelled frustrated.
"We are not angry at you or hate you, Bhai. We are just on different sides," Ronak uttered in a little softer tone. He misses his masti time with Nithi and Rohan's teasings but he wants them to realize their mistakes before forgiving them. Nithi's stubborn behavior about not disclosing her behavior that day intensified the tension between the cousins.
"You think I am not on your side because I stayed silent when they walked out?" Rohan asked pressing his temples.
"You are still doing the same, Bhai. Everyone knows what your father wants. What are you doing about it? And your sister slapped our Bhabi maa that day. Did you berate her? No! Are you still defending her whenever anyone brings up that topic? Doesn't it mean you are on their side?" Ronak's question left Rohan tongue-tied. He looked down not having any explanation for Ronak's questions.
"I..." Rohan couldn't speak further.
"Bhai, you said Bhabi maa is no less than your sister, right? Did you really mean it?" Ronak freed his hand from Rohan's hold and pulled him into a tight hug which he needed badly. Rohan let his tears flow as he cried on his brother's shoulder for his helplessness.
"Bhai, I know whatever is happening is not easy for you or any of us, especially for Bhabi maa and Bhai sa. But this is high time we make our choices and set everything right. Please choose your side, Bhai. We will always be waiting for you," Ronak left giving Rohan much-needed space to think.
He could no longer keep his feet on both the boats. He must choose a side and he would be hurt with either of the choices. This single decision can change a lot of things but the decision must be made. With newfound determination, Rohan drove home to get answers from his wife.
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In Hyderabad
As she stared at the photo frame lying on my table, her brothers and husband, handsome as ever with bright smiles on their countenances, tears started to well up in her eyes. She still remembers capturing their photo on that night, and those laughs and memories are still fresh in my mind.
"Bhabi maa, let me help you," Ronak took the bags from her hands. She smiled at him gratefully, taking out more bags from the trunk. They kept the bags in the kitchen and walked out talking about random things.
"Where are others, bhai?" she asked, finding the surroundings weirdly quiet.
"They are setting up a picnic in the garden," Ronak answered with a laugh remembering the mess the cousins were creating in the garden.
"What?" Chaitra gasped dramatically. "They dared to plan a picnic without informing me? ME? How dare they?" Chaitra pouted cutely making Ronak chuckle at her dramatic self.
"They wanted to surprise you, my cute Bhabi maa. Now, let's go," Ronak held Chaitra by her shoulders and took her to the garden where Abhi and Ronak were trying hard to make a tent. The girls were trying hard to make a tower from fruits.
"What are they trying to do?" Chaitra frowned at the girls who were huffing every few seconds.
"We are trying to make a tower with fruits like in those cooking shows, Bhabi maa," Akshaya replied, her concentration not wavering from the tower.
"But why?" Ronak exclaimed not getting the idea behind making the fruits so presentable. They are finally going to end up in their stomachs, isn't it?
"Don't disturb, Bhai. Let us concentrate," Akansha chided at Ronak. He raised his hands in mock surrender and walked away from there to help his brothers, who are now tangled in the tent-cloth.
"Yeh gadhe!" He shook his head at his brothers.
(These donkeys,)
"Where are Vadina and Nithi Di? Did they eat something?" Chaitra enquired, picking an apple from the basket, and getting a squat from Ishika on her hand.
"We are trying to create an art, Chaithu," Ishika chided. "And they had their fruits a while ago. They are watching Doremon in Bindu's room. They said they would come here once we are done with arrangements," She added further.
"And where are my brothers and husband?" Chaitra's eyes wandered, taking in the surroundings, trying to find them.
"They are on the patio. Go call them," Ishika nudged her. Chaitra walked away to call the men. They were sitting on the patio playing UNO.
"Arey Jiju, looks like Chaitra is turning you like her. You are cheating," Daksh's ears turned pink on hearing Hithen's comment while Dev and Akash laughed out loud. Chaitra gasped at her cousins' audacity and went to them with a scowl etched on her face.
"I don't cheat in the game, you idiot. Don't blame it on me, you loser," she yelled tugging at Hithen's hair.
"Ahh! Monkey! Bava, Bhai, Jiju, save me from this monkey! I will give you bananas, leave me monkey!" Hithen exclaimed making Chaitra tug on his hair harder. The cousins started to fight, pulling each other's hair yelling like monkeys.
"Now that's enough," Daksh freed Chaitra's hair from Hithen's grip and set her hair style. He kissed her forehead making Chaitra smile and Hithen roll his eyes. But inside he was very happy for Chaitra like her other brothers who admired the couple with smiling faces.
"Is it painful?" Daksh enquired, softly caressing Chaitra's hair.
"I'm fine," Chaitra assured him with a kiss on his chest and he nodded, wrapping a hand around Chaitra's shoulders. The youngsters spent their day, playing games, teasing each other, and enjoying the food cooked by the boys. They took many pictures, wanting to capture their happy moments, to reminisce in the future.
"I am waiting for you," Chaitra whispered, caressing Daksh's face through a photograph with a small smile on her lips.
"It's time to take the ball into our court. Bhai, you know what to do, right?" Chaitra asked Angad who nodded firmly in reply. Abhi and Ronak rushed to their Bhabi maa in happiness, pulling her into a hug.
Chaitra broke the hug when she felt Abhi's tears on her shoulder. She cupped his face and wiped his tears nodding her head in negative.
"We cried enough. Now it's time to make our enemies cry," Her voice was filled with anger. Abhi nodded in reply. They all shared a look and the men walked out one after the other to do their part of the job while Chaitra sat back, caressing the bracelet her husband gifted her.
"I love you, Akshu!" she chuckled, remembering how Daksh whined when she called him Akshu, saying it sounded girly.
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