*MG-Tujhe Bhula Diya-2* Ch28 Pg140 Dec30 - Page 41

Maan complained, "Come one Geet! How much more shopping do you want to do?!"

They had been in the mall since the past three hours and Geet was enjoying the vain on his face. She giggled and pulled him into a jewelry shop. She went looking around as Maan stayed by the entrance. Finally he went near Geet as he saw her stop in front of a particular bracelet.

She was admiring it and took it out of the glass box. Maan smiled slightly looking at her choice. It was indeed beautiful. The shine it gave was magnificent. The carving of the word 'A' made it more appealing to her in a special emotional way. She felt attached to it as she ran her fingers on it.

She whispered, "Araina," thinking about her sister. For the first time in the past months they had known each other, Maan had heard her speak that name. He wondered who it could be.

"It's beautiful. Isn't it?" Geet asked Maan still looking at it. He nodded and whispered, "Yea." Then continued a bit loudly, "Who is it for?"

"Why? I can't have it for myself?" she asked to add humor.

"You can' but then you would be looking for something with 'G' on it. Not 'A'." he said as a matter of fact.

"Uh, yea. Not for me. It's - it's for Annie." She lied. But the she thought, it wasn't technically a lie. She was looking for a bracelet keeping Annie in mind. But unknowingly, had whispered Araina's name.

He knocked it right brow up knowing she was lying. But not knowing why she was lying. She turned around.

"Ok, let's go. I got what I wanted." Just then her eyes fell on a chain. She continued a bit distracted, "Um, how about you go pay and I'll be right out?"

"Yea, sure." He said and went off. She went near the chain and picked it up instantly liking it. A thought came in her mind and she picked it up and towards the register once Maan left the store.

She made the payment fast and left. What perfect gift for Maan on his birthday! She had thought. The birthday that was a month away but nothing wrong in getting a gift already!

***

Geet entered the parking lot and spotted their car in the other end from where she was standing. "Great! Why does there have to be many exits?" she muttered not liking the fact that there was an exit way in each of the direction. They had entered the mall from west side and thus the car was parked on the west side.

She started walking and from the distance, she saw Maan turn the front lights on. She heard movement behind her and stopped short in her tracks to turn around and find no one. She brushed the suspicion away and continued walking. After taking two more steps, she felt that again. This time she didn't stop but continued walking staying alert.

The next moment, she had a gun pointed to her from the back. Even though she was alert, she didn't see that coming. She got scared and turned putting her hands up in air showing she was harmless. Maan was reversing the car and had no idea what was going on.

Geet stood there shocked as she saw two dangerous looking guys in front of her. She instantly made an inference in who could have sent them. Dad!

"What ' what do you want?" she asked.

"Just shut up and follow. If you make a single sound to alert your little friend over there, then both of you will be dead." One of them said.

Her eyes widened with fear. She looked back hoping Maan had seen her. But he hadn't. there was nothing she could do then. She felt helpless. She sure wasn't strong enough to beat them to pulp. Where are your body-guards now Maan?! Geet thought.

She let them grab her hands but she thought quickly. As soon as she was close enough, she kicked them in their leg and shouted, "Maan!"

Maan stopped the car hearing the yell and instantly looked back. As a reflex, he stepped out the car and by this time, they had gotten hold of Geet again. She was trying to wriggle free but they held on to her.

He ran to them and said with a deathly look, "Let-Her-Go."

One of them said sarcastically, "Oh look! The lover boy is here." They both then laughed at their own comment.

Something inside of Geet yelled out to her hearing the word. But she kept mum. Maan's look didn't change a bit and he continued giving a stern look. Once, he looked at Geet and caught her eyes. In a trance, he spoke through his eyes which calmed Geet down.

They were busy enjoying a laugh and they never saw the blow coming. Maan acted fast and punched on of them right on his cheek bone making it go purple. He flinched back and winced in pain when the other one got a bit alert. But not fast enough for Maan to kick him back and throw him flying. He crashed into a car bonnet and fell down clutching his leg in pain.

Protectively, he grabbed Geet's arm and hugged her close. "You ok?" she nodded taking a handful of his shirt and breathed heavily.

As he saw one of them get up, he pushed her back behind him and stood in between the goons and her as a wall. He struck him again as the person came to hit him. This time twisting his hand, turning him around, and kicking his spinal cord to push him forward.

Geet was struck with violence and she hated to see Maan for having to do that. Even if it was to protect her' she murmured, "Maan'"

He stopped and turned to look at him. She made a sick face and shook her head slowly. He understood and warned them, "Tell your boss to find someone better if he wants to lay a hand on her."

Putting his hand around her, he led her to the car and made her sit in and drove away leaving the goons to wince to themselves.

***

Annie was getting frustrated. It was early in the morning but was highly mad due to mood swings. She snapped at her friends first but the calmed down and said sorry. They just nodded understandingly, though they didn't understand what made her snap. They entered the class together and Annie preferred to sit alone so went to the very back of the class and put her hand down.

A while later, Arjun and his friends came in too. As usual, they went to their seat in the back. Arjun slipped next to Annie unaware that she was Annie as her head was down. She felt a presence next to her and looked up to her side.

He looked at her as the professor came in. he was surprised but didn't know if he should be happy or not as he say her eyes red. From the look of it, it seemed to him that it was recent and not because of lack of sleep or any such thing.

Before he could ask, they greeted the professor and sat down. She looked away and after a second, took out her book and started writing what was being written on the board. He was disturbed by that. Even though they hadn't talked till date, it bothered him to see her that way.

After a lot of thinking, he texted his friend next to him to call him. He looked at him as if he was crazy but he shot him a look that said 'Do-It!' He then put the phone back to normal instead of vibrate and waited for his friend to call.

The phone rang loud and as predicted, the professor kicked him out of the class. He went out smiling inwardly and then waited outside. His friends were confused at his action. A while later, he stood at the door and said to the professor, "There's someone here to see Annie."

Annie looked up confused. Who would come to see me? Mom and dad just left yesterday. The professor nodded her to go out and she followed Arjun. After walking a bit, she asked, "Do you know who it is?"

"Yea. In here." He said opening a door. She entered and he followed behind. She stopped. "There's no one here'"

"I know." He said as he leaned on the wall.

"What kind of a joke is this?!!" she demanded.

"It's not." Then seriously, he continued, "What's wrong?"

"And why would you ask that?" she asked confidently.

"You seem worried about something. Just concerned."

"I don't even know you. Why would I tell you? And it's none of your business. Before doing any such thing again, think twice." Saying so, she left angrily. He knew he had just ruined his chance of getting in her 'good' books but he just had to know what was bothering her.

Even though she was mad at him, he was happy to know that there was something bothering her.

***

Yash was in his room looking at a photo album of his family. All the fun times with Geet and their mother. Some of them included Araina as well. The only thing was that was wasn't Araina anymore. She was Annie.

He closed it after staring at them for a long time. He wished he could have done something to stop his family from breaking apart. But he knew nothing then. He was disturbed by a call and after attending it, he closed the album and getting his coat, left the room.

***

Maan was tensed and marching back and forth. Geet sat on the dining table clutching at the glass of water in her hand. Maan had handed it to her but she hadn't been able to drink a sip out of it. She looked at him. Maan brushed his hand over his hair and came in front of her.

"Geet, enough is enough now. I never said anything other times when you kept mum. But not anymore. I need to know whatever you are hiding. You could have been killed today. I care about you. A lot. Please Geet, look at me." he raised her chin and continued.

"What is it? Why don't you tell me?" he asked softly. But her silence was killing him. He couldn't bear to see anyone hurting her and her silence wasn't helping it at all.

"Damn it Geet. Tell me!" he punched the wall and she ran to him seeing a bit of blood ooze out of his knuckles.

"Maan!" she held him hand but he brushed it away.

"Geet, it doesn't hurt more than your silence. Please…"

"I – I'm sorry.' She mumbled and made him sit on the chair. "I'll tell you. But don't hurt yourself! You think it won't hurt me?" she made a pouting face with tears flowing.

Maan smiled at her concern and held his ear with his perfect hand. "Sorry."

Geet got the first aid kit and sat on her knees in front of him. He winced once while she pressed it to clean the wound. She commented, "You said it didn't hurt?"

He gave her a teasing glare and then she sat next to him to start the story…

***

She began with a croaked voice, "It all started when I was very young. I was the oldest of three… my brother and sister… Yash and Araina."

Maan spoke, "That was the name you spoke today at the jewelry store."

She nodded. "She is the youngest. We had a perfect family. Mom and dad in love, us sibling all together. Having the time of our life. If only we knew… it was all just a dream. Never a reality! Dad didn't care about us at all. He only married mom to get her money and then tortured her… had affairs with others and betrayed us. Betrayed mom."

"She never spoke a word against him. Kept on tolerating him and his assaults for our sake. One day…" she gulped and Maan put his hand around her to console her.

"One day, I saw him bring some girl in the house. He thought no one was home. And it was true. I was supposed to go with mom to pick up Yash and Araina from school. But I didn't feel good and stayed home. When I followed him silently, I saw him…" she stayed silent not knowing how to explain to Maan. She was only 11 years old then and seeing her own father doing such stuff, that too to some other women, it crushed her heart!

Maan understood and blinked. "It was too much to take up. I just stood there too shocked to act. It all came to me. the bruises mom would always hide from me. I couldn't take it all and asked my mom about it at night when I knew no one was there but us."

"Mom was just as surprised and sorry that I had found out about it at such a young age. She always tried to protect us from him. From the truth. She told me to forget about it all and to never talk about it ever. But how was I to know. It kept on eating me on the inside. I couldn't just stand there and watch it happen. One day, I decided to do something about it. The little that my tiny brain could think of. I made a plan I thought would work."

"I fit a camera in the room and it captured him beating mom at night and the next day, it captured him with other person too. When he was at work, I decided to go get it from the room. But he caught me when I was coming out. He was furious at mom and blamed it all on her."

"He broke the cd and said harsh words to mom. Threatened her to keep quiet or he would do something no one would like. He left us there locked in the room. I did what I could to console mom. But she was busy crying and consoling me instead! Yash and Araina had no idea what was going on. They lived their life the way they always did. After all, Yash was only 7 and Araina was not even 3 yet. She was just in day care!"

Maan listened to all of it and was fuming himself thinking, 'What kind of a father does that!'

Geet continued telling the story. "Each day, he would threaten us and not care how it would affect us. Affect ME! Then mom decided she had had too much. She was okay with him torturing her. But she couldn't bear him torturing me too. She told me what she was going to do and I thought she was right at the moment!"

"The next day itself, we went to orphanage and made Araina sit there and play with other kids. Mom took care of rest while I hid behind the door and watched her play with other people her same age. Mom came back to take me and both of us had tears in our eyes. It was our happiness that day that we left at the orphanage. Just one look at her would take away all our pain. Our life resided in her. It broke us to leave her that way. But we had no other choice. We didn't want him to lay his dirty mind on her and have her grow up the same way I would have to. She was too young and she could have better future."

"The same day, we took Yash out and told him that we can't stay together now. We can never meet. We made him promise that. Mom made arrangements for him to study abroad and that night itself, he left. He didn't know anything other than the promise we made him keep. Till date, he has kept his promise. I've never seen him after that day. I miss them all too much. But because of that one cheap guy, our family tore apart."

"Mom left me with Ishwar uncle… you're dad and ever since then, he's taken care of me. Mom went in hiding too. I don't know where or anything else. But none of us contacted each other after that. That time, dad was out on business trip and didn't know anything. After that, we meet at the beach. You were there…"

Maan was confused. "But that doesn't explain why he's after you now. After all these years…"

"He must have found out…"

"Found what?"

She got up and went in the room. Minutes later, she came back and sat on the couch, "Remember the CD he broke? That wasn't the only one. I had two cameras in there. He didn't know about the other one. I still have the second CD."

Maan's face showed that reality struck him. It made sense now to him. "He's after you for this? Why did you keep it with you all these years?"

"I knew he'd find one of us one day. And I kept it because I wasn't ready to let go… Even after the horrible truth I found out about him, somewhere deep down, I wished he wasn't my dad. Maybe I was hoping that he wasn't bad. He would come back… It's hopeless to hope that but I still…"

Maan understood why. A girl of age of 11… if it had happened to him, he would have hoped for the same. It was her dad after all. He took the CD out of her hand and said, "Now you have nothing to worry about…. I'll make sure he pays for his deeds."

She looked at his face and feared he would do something. She wouldn't bear to see something happen to him too. He saw the fear in her eyes and replied, "I'll be careful. I can't bear to lose you either."

She hugged him. "Thank you Maan…" was all she could say. She hoped the hug would speak the rest.

***

The past is out as I said while I posted first installment. And the sweet surprise will be in the next update! Stay tuned for it 😉 Do comment on this action as I am nervous on how it turned out... 😳

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