45

                                    

                                          
Khushi gazed at Aradhya's ashen complexion. In her daughter, she saw a reflection of her own past suffering. Memories of her own helplessness after the assault flooded her mind, reminding her of the devastation that followed that traumatic experience.
"Did they touch her?" Khushi inquired softly. Rishabh inhaled deeply, yet no words escaped his lips.
"I warned you that we should leave this country. You couldn't even protect our daughter? You have broken your promise," Khushi exclaimed, her voice rising as she clutched Rishabh's collar.
"I am sorry," Rishabh murmured.
"Apologies will not change anything. I need to know what happened. Rishabh, we have ruined her life. She is not even eighteen. She is our child, Rishabh. She will never forgive us. How can she trust anyone now?" Khushi wept, embracing Rishabh tightly.
Rishabh rested his head on her shoulder, seeking some comfort in her presence.
"Rishabh, our daughter... I do not want her to live in fear as I have. I do not want her to feel disgusted or endure such pain. Why was my daughter taken? If they sought revenge, they could have targeted me instead," Khushi sobbed.
"Khushi, she needs us. Please, stop crying and be strong," Rishabh urged, breaking the embrace, his eyes widening in horror as he noticed her unconsciousness in his arms.
"DOCTOR!" he shouted urgently.
⋇⋆✦⋆⋇
"Dad, I want to see Aru," Abhi stated. Srisha sat quietly beside him in the chair.
"Not now; you need to focus on your recovery. You just woke up an hour ago," Rishabh replied before checking on him and exiting the room.
Abhi turned to Srisha and patted the side of his bed.
"This is all my dad's fault. I am so sorry. He brought Mom here for Aru, but she fainted after hearing about her... Did my dad really assault her? She is so young," Srisha lamented.
"My dad is responsible for all of this. I am truly sorry."
"Your dad?" They both heard Khushi's voice from behind them.
Abhi looked at his mother and shook his head. 
"Your dad kidnapped my daughter? He shot my Abhi?" Khushi asked, quickly approaching them. The tone in Khushi's voice made Abhi feel uneasy, prompting him to draw Srisha closer to him.
"She is the reason my daughter will endure suffering for the rest of her life," she shouted. 
"Mom, she is not the cause," Abhi interjected.
"I'm so sorry, Mom," Srisha wept. In a sudden outburst, Khushi slapped her, causing Srisha to stumble from the force. Srisha grasped Abhi's arm but quickly released it.
"Mom, please stop this!" Abhi shouted, his heart started beating fast, which triggered the beeping of the monitoring machine.
A nurse and a doctor entered the room.
"Sir, please calm down," the doctor urged.
Srisha kept her gaze lowered, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Experience the pain of being violated, and then you will understand how it feels. You have no place in our home. You are no longer my daughter-in-law. Keep your distance from my family. Because of you, my daughter will suffer for a lifetime," Khushi yelled, raising her hand once more, but someone intervened and restrained her.
Rishabh enveloped her in a tight embrace, then his gaze fell upon Srisha, who had a fingerprint mark on her cheek.
"What are you doing, Khushi? She has done nothing wrong," Rishabh whispered.
"Rishabh, my baby... Her life... Everything has been shattered because of her father. How will my baby heal? Her father violated my child. I can only imagine how much she must have cried. I know that feeling all too well. I still remember struggling to walk for a long time. Nightmares haunted me. I began to despise myself and avoided mirrors. When you left me alone even for a day, those memories resurfaced. Why couldn't her father have taken me instead of my baby? I will never forgive her. Please, kill her, just as you did them. Kill her father, kill everyone. I no longer care. I am willing to be seen as the villain. Destroy everyone who harmed my daughter, destroy their families. I truly do not care," Khushi sobbed.
Abhi gazed at his father with an expression that was difficult to interpret. From Khushi's words, he understood that his mother did not possess a particularly pristine past. 
He then turned his attention to Srisha, who also had a troubled history, and now his sister was implicated as well. 
"Mom," he whispered, but Khushi continued to weep uncontrollably. 
"I do not want this girl, Rishabh," she cried even more fervently. Abhi grasped Srisha's hand. 
"I'm sorry ," Srisha murmured softly. Rishabh glanced at Srisha and shook his head in disapproval. 
"Khushi... Aru will be alright," Rishabh whispered reassuringly. 
"Mom," Abhi called out a bit louder. Khushi broke free from her husband's embrace and turned to face her son. 
"Mom," Abhi repeated in a whisper. 
"I will find someone more suitable than her. You will leave her, won't you? She is not right for you. Her father assaulted your sister," Khushi lamented through her tears. 
Rishabh looked from his son to his wife. 
"I made a poor choice. However, Aru was crying for her mother," Rishabh stated, eager to exit the room as quickly as possible. 
"I do not want this girl near our Aru. She is not part of my family now. Tell her to leave my son's hand. She is not coming home with us," Khushi continued to shout. Srisha looked down, uncertain of how to respond. 
"Mom, please at least listen," Abhi pleaded as he began to rise from the bed. 
Khushi immediately stood infront of him and pushed him back onto the bed. 
"You are injured, Abhi. Do not stand up. You need something," Khushi insisted, her behavior started getting more abnormal making everyone worried. 
Rishabh approached her from behind, his finger moving toward her neck, and in the next moment, she collapsed into Rishabh's arms. 
"I realize that revealing everything was not wise. However, Aru keeps expressing how much Khushi despises her now and wishes for her absence." 
"Dad, what has happened to Mom? Was she..." Abhi hesitated, and Rishabh lifted Khushi, exiting the room without addressing Abhi's unspoken question. 
Abhi gently pulled Srisha closer to him. 
"I am sorry," Srisha sobbed. 
"It is not your fault," he murmured, tenderly stroking her cheeks. 
"I am so very sorry," Abhi repeated softly on the behalf of her mother, placing a light kiss on her cheeks. 
"She is not in the right frame of mind." 
Srisha nodded in agreement, recognizing that Abhi's mother was indirectly referencing her own experiences rather than focusing on Aradhya at that moment. 
"I am truly sorry," Srisha sobbed, wishing to embrace him, but refraining due to his injuries; instead, she focused on calming her tears. 
"Come here, please do not cry," Abhi whispered, drawing her beside him. 
She cautiously wrapped her arms around him, being mindful of his injuries. 
"I am so sorry," she whispered once more. 
"One more apology, and I will forget my injury, and you will find something in your mouth to silence your apologies."