Hello all, this is my first attempt to write something on this forum. PInky has been getting on my nerves and given that her latest target is Gauri, I could not stop myself from writing. I am also trying to address Shivaay's stupidity and inability to connect the dots in this story. I hope you enjoy it.
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Gauri's eyes watered as she turned around to leave, unable to take anymore of Pinky's taunts. But before she could escape, she was halted by a tug on her hands. The grip around her wrist only tightened as she tried to wriggle free making her escape impossible. How she wished she did not have to face him at this time.
"Kya keh rahi thi aap Choti ma? Zara phirse kahiye, maine shayad thik se suna nahi." Omkara's menacing voice echoed through the empty living room, jerking Gauri to look up at him. She had seen him angry a number of times, but what she saw in his face today, was beyond anything she had ever faced.
Pinky visibly trembled at the tone Omkara took with her, unsure if Omkara had heard the entirety of her rant. She fumbled for words, but before she could string together a coherent sentence, Omkara repeated his questions, marching towards her and dragging Gauri behind him.
"Aap khud bataengi, ya phir mein Gauri se kahu repeat karne?" he asked again, unware that his outburst had slowly started attracting an audience.
"Yeh...yeh kya batayegi tumhe...jab kuch hai hi nahi batane ke liye." Pinky mumbled, trying to avoid an eye contact with Omkara. Omkara only glared back at her in response, further unnerving her.
As she looked around, Pinky noticed that Jhanvi and dadi were now in the vicinity and gaining some strength from their presence, Pinky defiantly looked up at him "Kuch nahi...kuch bhi toh nahi kahan maine. Main to sirf Gauri se talks kar rahi thi."
"Jhooth. Jhooth bol rahi hain aap. I heard what you said to her, and I do not mind repeating the words for the benefit of the audience present here. Look at her face, it is obvious she is upset and you were the last one she spoke to, so definitely you said something to reduce her to tears." His voice fairly crackled as he accusingly pointed at his choti ma.
"Oh My Matas, Jethaniji! Yeh dekh rahi hai na aap, kaise aapka honhar beta badtameezi se baat kar raha hai mujhse." Pinky started her drama, confident that with everyone present, Omkara would not be able to tell her off.
"Do not. Involve. My mother. In to this. This is between you, my wife and me so leave it at that. Warna mujhse bura koi nahi hoga." Omkara spat out the words. A shiver ran through everyone present. No one had ever seen Omkara display his anger and were fairly surprised by his current behaviour.
"Omkara!!! Yeh kya tarika hai tumhara mom se baat karne ka?" Another voice boomed into the room. Shivaay had just entered the mansion, and noticed that practically the entire family was assembled in the living room, surrounding his mom, a visibly shaken Gauri and Omkara. He had heard Omkara threatening his mom, and could not control his temper from rising.
As Omkara turned around to look at his brother, Anika stepped forward, loosening his grasp on Gauri's wrist, she took Gauri away to the sofa. Offering her a glass of water, she tried to console her. Next, she brought along dadi and helped her next to Gauri, hoping that it would divert her mind from the arguments that her beloved grandsons were now involved in.
In the meantime, Shivaay had taken hurried steps towards his mom and stood in front of her and facing Omkara, effectively shielding her from Omkara's wrath.
"Shivaay, you... you stay out of it. You have no clue what has happened so please do not interfere." Omkara tried to keep his flaring temper in check as he reasoned with his brother.
He had no wish to unleash his anger on the wrong person, especially his brother that he loved. It had been a few days since he had noticed changes in Gauri's behaviour. She was constantly questioning their relation, her presence in the house, her place in his life. Her self-confidence was gone and self-doubt was becoming evident and now he had finally figured out the cause of her changed behaviour. Choti Ma had done enough damage to Shivaay and Anika's relationship and he would not stand by while she tried the same with his and Gauri's already fragile relation.
"How can I not interfere when you are addressing my mother with such impertinence? I gather that something must have happened, but that does not give you the license to disrespect mom. Is this how we were raised?" Shivaay approached his brother with as much calm as he could muster. He never liked fighting with his brother and on this occasion did not want to prolong this argument either, but at the same time, he could not stand by as his mother got insulted.
"Respect for elders comes into question only when the elders behave in a manner befitting them. If Choti Ma thinks she can belittle Gauri and taunt her as she pleases without any consequences then she has it all wrong. I will not mutely stand by and watch it happen."Omkara explained.
"Mom?" Shivaay directed a questioning gaze towards his mom, noticing her squirm uncomfortably. Everyone knew Omkara never lied, and this was too big of an accusation that was being levied on Pinky to be completely ignored.
"Okay, so maybe Mom did say something, but I am sure she did not mean it Om. You know how mom is, she speaks what comes to her mind without considering her words. Am sure we are all making a mountain out of a mole hill." Shivaay patted Omkara on his arm, trying to dissipate the tension in the room but was shocked when Omkara jerked out of his reach.
"Kab tak Shivaay? Kab tak hum unki baton ko, harkaton ko undekha karte rahenge? As her son, it might be easy for you to turn a blind eye to the stunts she pulls, but I on the other hand have had enough of her manipulations. All this time, I kept quiet while she was being rude or manipulating situation as per her whims but today she has dared to attack me and mine and I will not hold my tongue now." Omkara spat out.
Being a first-hand recipient of Pinky's ridicules, it did not take Anika long to guess what must have happened but seeing the two brother facing each other, she was extremely afraid of what was to come. She tried to establish eye contact with Rudra, hoping he would intervene and stop the storm that was brewing but something about the determined setting of his jaw, told her that any appeal to him would be futile.
"Om My Mata Shivaay!! Dekho kaise kaise ilzaam laga raha hai Omkara mujh par." Pinky whimpered beside Shivaay who was still digesting Omkara's words. Pinky saw this as the perfect opportunity to drive a wedge between the brothers, something she had failed to achieve in all these years. Grabbing the situation with two hands and milking it to its full potential, she started to sob silently, hoping to stoke his temper.
"What are you talking about Om? What manipulations? What rudeness? I am not sure I understand what you are referring to? Please elaborate." Shivaay questioned his brother, pulling up to his full height.
"Really Shivaay? You really want me to spell it all out to you. Alright. She never leaves an opportunity to pick fights with Mom and Mr. Oberoi or put them down. She is always looking down at people who do not match up to her standards of Naam, Khoon and Khandaan. She is always poking her nose in matters that do not relate to her. She is constantly trying to control you and your life. You want me to keep going? Give you specific situations? Tia and your marriage; how she kept manipulating you to go ahead with it when it was obvious to all of us that your heart was not in it. The torture Anika was put through, the names she was called when Daksh created a misunderstanding about her. When Tia announced her pregnancy and the way she forced you to marry her despite the fact that you were already married to Bhabhi? Aur batau? Why can't you see what she has done to you?" Omkara looked unstoppable, rather it appeared like he was not willing to stop.
Rudra had also moved near him, lending him his support physically. They shared a look, and unspoken words were shared. They realized that if there was ever an opportunity to fix Shivaay and Anika's marriage without breaking their promise to their Bhabhi then this was it.
As the conversation veered in her direction, Anika's grip on dadi's hand had tightened and she felt a few eyes on her but she did not dare to look up. She was aware of Shivaay's guilt with regards to the Daksh situation, and it hurt her to see her devars raking it up again. She wanted to stop it all but was clueless on how to go about it.
"No Omkara, you have it all wrong. This is just how mom is, she just worries too much about me and is protective. She wants what's best for me, that's it." Shivaay responded barely audible.
"Yehi toh problem hai teri Shivaay. Kab tak apni aakhon pe patiyan bandh ke ghoomega tu? Don't you see how she has messed you up? Your notions of NKK, where did they come from? Does she even allow you let go of them? Think back, how many times have you been proven wrong due to your belifs in NKK with Tia, Daksh, Nayantara, Anika Bhabhi. You are so blinded by your beliefs that she has instilled in you that you cannot differentiate the right from the wrong, the good from the bad." Omkara nudged Shivaay with every point he made, coaxing him to put things together, pushing him towards the truth that Shivaay had been ignoring.
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