Part 13
Madhu entered her home. She found Padmini clearing the table. "Ma.. you are home tonight... wow... Chhotu went to stay with papa?"
"Yes beta... Riya didnt listen to me and sent me home..." padmini smiled at her daughter "and she did good... you should rest in between"
"How did you come home at this time..." Padmini asked worried.
"wo ma.. RK came to drop me home" Madhu replied assuring her mother.
Padmini felt relaxed. "And how was your party?" She asked casually. Madhu remembered the events of the evening. RK's song... Her questions.. Rishabh's confession.. she was lost in thoughts.
Rishabh was still confused. Though Madhu had given him some relief, but still he had a storm going on inside him. He wanted never to tell Madhu of his feelings but when Madhu accused him of playing with her, he couldnt control. When he didnt want Madhu to know that he loves her why he got so restless when Madhu thought that he didnt love her. His tension was now growing into frustration. He wanted to go to Madhu... take her in his arms.. but he didnt want to be with her.
"Arey Madhu... where are you lost? is Everything okay beta?"
"Yes ma... everything is fine..." Madhu replied quickly. But padmini felt the restlessness in her.
"Is there something you should tell me?" She asked
"No ma.. its nothing like that... you are thinking a bit too much" Madhu smiled at her assuringly.
"Madhu.. i know beta i am not at all supporting for you and Riya.. i am busy in other problems.. i am not able to give you both enough time... and i am really sorry for being a bad mom" she said guilty of herself.
"Its nothing like that ma... you are our inspiration... we gain strength from you" Madhu sat down near her mother's feet who was now sitting on the sofa.
"Madhu... please feel free to share your problems. I maybe lost most of the times but I can always understand when my daughters need me..." she caressed her head.
Rishabh decided to talk to Dadi... he decided to tell her everything and also his own situation that he dont want to pain Madhu and cant be with her because of that. He was getting restless and frustrated.
Madhu looked up at her mother. She was nervous. She didnt know how to start.
"Is it related to RK?" Padmini asked her. Madhu looked at her in shock. How does she know that...
Padmini laughed a little at her expression. "I told you Madhu... I maybe busy with other problems but I am never unaware of my daughters.. Now tell me what is it?"
"Ma... what should I tell you... I myself dont know anything... what is going on... how its going on this way... I have no idea" Madhu said blurting out her confusion.
Rishabh entered his house and walked fastly towards Dadi's room. Just then he heard a thud and turned back. He saw Balraj standing at the door of his room. He looked drunk. Rishabh looked at him in disgust and turned back to Dadi's room.
"Again in a hurry..." he called out from behind. 'he had to come at this time only...i was already so tensed.. now i will have to stand this man' Rishabh thought to himself.
"Enjoyed the party...? Must have enjoyed my downfall."
Rishabh's lips broke into a wicked grin... he turned back " u bet... i never had better time... planning for an even bigger party.. Of your DESTRUCTION" Rishabh grinned at him.
" Tell me what happened? Did he say something to you? " Padmini asked her daughter politely.
"He said but still he didnt. He is so complex... and i am not able to understand. I never felt weak in my life but this thing is making me afraid. I dont want to loose him ma..." She looked at her mother teary eyed.
"Dont worry Baby... you wont... but please tell me.. why are you afraid? Does he love somebody else?"
"No ma... not at all... he loves me but still he doesn't love me.. It seems as if he loves me but he doesnt want to love me... how is that possible ma... i have been asking myself that but i am not getting an answer"
Balraj had an angry face on hearing Rishabh's words. He wanted to give it back to him he wanted Rishabh to suffer. but rishabh turned back to Dadi's room. "Just like I enjoyed your father's destruction..." Balraj smiled wickedly. Rishabh got furious. And Balraj knew he hit the right point. Rishabh turned around enraged. He wanted to strangle him up... he ran and held his neck with one hand. "You may kill me if you dont want to know how your parents DIED" He said evilly.
"How can you say that he doesn't want to love you?" Padmini asked thoughtfully.
"He makes me feel that... Actually today he came to my cabin and I decided to tell him my feelings. I was nervous for it so I closed my eyes. But when I opened them Rishabh was not there... i went to ask him and he said i must be dreaming as he didnt come. But tonight in the party he was singing a song" Madhu told padmini all about the song and RK's look towards Madhu... His eyes.. his words...
"Madhu it could be just a song"Padmini told her assuringly.
"I thought that too ma... and i asked him straight. But I was right. He wanted to hide his feelings but my anger and questions made him confess his true feelings in that impulse... but he was so upset after that... as if he had done some great wrong."
Padmini looked at her but lost deep in thoughts
Rishabh was struck with shock at Balraj's words. He loosened his grip and realised that Balraj might spill out those long gone secrets as he was consumed both in alcohol and his misery. Rishabh looked at him with a disgusted yet painful look.
"Yes... I killed your parents... RISHU..." he said as he bent closer to Rishabh's face. Rishabh felt a pang in his heart as only his mother called him Rishu. He knew Balraj very well knew how to crush him.
Balraj laughed out loud evilly. "That man he thought I was his bharat... I will let go of everything for him... But I am not that stupid Rishabh... He was... He was stupid to think I will help him out to take away from me what belonged to me... "
Balraj spread his hands in his own glory. "And he will give everything to you... You... who never even bothered to come to office. Who didnt even know how many branches we had.. you were all into sports, games, friends and girls..."
"Madhu... sometimes people are entangled in their own lives so much that they are unable to put ends together... may be RK is going through that kind of phase in his life. He must be so entangled in some other things that he might not be able to place these new feelings in the puzzle correctly." Padmini tried to explain her daughter. Madhu also listened to her intently.
"Well no doubt he has a lot of problems..."
Balraj now was standing behind Rishabh... he was walking aroubd him in circle " so careless u were... you had nothing... you cared nothing... i was the one who made this business stand... i was the one who went to so many cities and dealt with all kinds of people to make this business stand. and he wanted to give his share to you..." Rishabh was listening to everything with eyes full of sorrow and heart full of grief.
He came to face Rishabh " He knew you are careless spoilt brat... thats why he had made that will... that until your marriage everything under his name would go to me... and when you get married you would inherit his share.. for a long time I had managed to keep it away by rejecting all your marriage proposals. But then... that stupid friend of his came along."
"His parents died in an accident 6 years back. And he is still trying to cope up with his loss." Madhu said as she didnt want to reveal about RK's uncle because she thought he had told that to her as a secret which should not be revealed without his consent.
"Ohh... thats bad... see he must just be afraid of loving someone once again. By the way... who does he live with then?" Padmini asked feeling RK's sorrow.
" He lives with his uncle's family and his Dadi... she is a sweet woman. and he says that he stays there only because of her. Really ma... You are right... RK's life is really a puzzle..." Madhu was wondering to herself the kind of life RK lives, she felt the anguish RK must be going through living with his parents killer.
"What are you always saying RK RK... It doesnt seem proper... His parents must have kept a good name for him i am sure... whats his proper name..."
Madhu laughed at that. "Actually ma he used to like being called that way... he used to be the hunk of our college and this addressal made him more like one... i mean he believed that" Madhu said giggling while Padmini also laughed hearing that.
"By the way... His name is RISHABH KUNDRA..." Madhu told her mother.
Padmini was SHOCKED at that. And she looked at Madhu wide eyed...
Here Balraj continued with his story "They were old business friends and then Mohan decided to marry you with his daughter. He had told that only to me.. I tried hard to somehow drop that idea from his mind but he was determined. Thats why... thats why ultimately I had to finish him off... him and also his friend.. who might have jumped in after his death. He had so much trust in that Malik and his daughter... what was her name... amm... some filmy name it was... Yeah... MADHUBALA... MADHUBALA MALIK..."
Rishabh's world stopped at that. He was knocked out of his wits.
