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~36~
He reached out his hand and held her pallu tight in his hand.
"No..."
She turned around and looked at him, her eyes demanding answers.
"Why?"
He opened his mouth to say something but she interrupted him.
"And don't you dare tell me that we have this conference, that meeting or this visit... I have had enough of excuses... I want the truth, the absolute truth... else I leave this minute..."
"Are you really ready to know the truth?"
Something in the tone of his voice suddenly created a lump in her throat. She swallowed it and nodded. He dropped her pallu and took her hand in his and gently pulled her towards him making her sit right next to him. He clutched her hand tightly as if holding on to her dear life.
"The truth?"
He took in a deep breath.
"The truth is you still think thats your home."
"Anuj? What are you saying? I left that place.."
"Yea... You have been in our home for sometime now too... yet I feel a part of you is always there at that toxic place..."
"Anuj, my children are there... a part of me will always remain there..."
"Oh I don't mean the children... Pakhi, Samar, Toshu and Kinjal will always be in my life too... I am talking about the rest of the people..."
"Mr. Shah and Kavya don't mean a thing to me..."
"But his parents do... don't they?"
She raised her eyebrow shaking her head slightly.
"They have done a lot for me... they are like my parents..."
He removed her hand from his and looked away from her.
"See... this is exactly what I am afraid of..."
"Anuj...?"
His voice a little louder, he said
"Those people manipulate you, play with your emotions and get what they want... yet you never seem to want to draw any boundaries.."
"They don't manipulate me... why would they do that? They love me..."
"Love what love? Oh they say they love you... Really, Anu... then why is Bapuji calling you to stay there when he knows that his dear son tried to play mind games on Christmas Eve?"
"He said he will talk to his son not to trouble me."
"But that didn't stop him from sending Pakhi... Is he oblivious of that too? And Why is Baa calling you there only when there is too much work to be done or when people come over? Can't she hire a maid or ask her daughter in law for help? She taunts you and disrespects your decisions yet she claims to love you and calls you whenever it's convenient for her. How selfish..."
Anu shut her eyes as her brain told her he was right and her heart refused to believe in him. She mumbled 
"It's not like that... they love me..."
His voice now rough and harsh, a tinge of irritation in it, he said
"Come on, Anu... why are you being so blind? Love? What love? 26 years... 26 years you obeyed them, served them and cared for them... but they were never there when you needed them."
"They were there... Bapuji..."
"You often say that Vanraj respects his mother and father the most... Had they stood up for you... do you really think that Vanraj would have abused you all these years? Just saying a few words of assurance after being quiet throughout the abuse... you think it's love? Will you stay quiet if Aarav says a word against Mukku...?"
"No how can I?"
"Exactly my point... the day he came back you were ready to raise your hand at him when he wanted to touch her after she said no... you didn't even know what she meant to him and it had been hardly 10 days since you had met her... all you knew then was that he was doing something she didn't like and you stopped him... all those years, the man had hurt you yet you tell me they didn't stop him once..."
"That's different..."
"How different? You said 17 years ago Baa was also against you going to the dance competition... How sure are you that she had not planned with Vanraj to stop you?"
The missing passport flashed in front of her eyes.
"She wouldn't have..."
"Okay, even if she didn't, she didn't support you did she?"
"She was scared of people talking bad about me... that's why..."
"What nonsense... Stop it, Anu... why don't you see the plain fact... they are not your parents... they never were... you know deep down that is the truth... you just don't want to accept it because if you do... your little pretend happy family will break... just once... just once remember how your life was and then think... this time don't pretend... you don't have to live there anymore... no use in pretending everything is rosy posy... it's not wrong for once to see the truth as it is..."
She trembled remembering the loneliness she had felt over there while he continued without noticing her.
"All these years they never said a word when he kept abusing you... they either added to the insults or stood silent letting you get abused to the point that you still carry scars..."
As the conflict between her brain and heart intensified, she whispered.
"Anuj... stop..."
He turned and looked at her trembling figure and wrapped his hand around her holding her tight. His voice soft and gentle a complete contrast to the rough tone he had used till now, he said
"I am sorry, Anu... but you needed to know the truth... if not today... someday you would have known it..."
She pushed him away and released herself from his embrace. Standing up, she turned to leave. He gave a defeated sigh.
"So you are leaving..."
"I will come back..."
He said nothing as she walked out the door.
***
A/N 1: Please don't be mad at Anuj for being harsh. The man is already restless because he feels he is losing his sister to Vanraj. Now his love is also going back there. His excuses didn't work. It's a moment of weakness where he spouts the harsh truth. He is being a human.
A/N 2: Please don't be mad at Anu for not staying back. For 26 years she believed that whatever she got was love. A single word from Anuj would not make an immediate difference specially when she is already mad at him. She has seen what a family is at the Kapadias. She knows now yet she is hanging on to the old dream castle she built. She is being a human.
Please be kind to both of them🙃 as the story progresses you would know more of their perspectives. Thank you.
Edited by ...Tiana... - 3 years ago