Where to start? This is so heart wrenching, forgive me but I had to take time to comment on this. Again I was crying for her pain and suffering.
You are an outstanding writer, I felt like I was watching the scenes unfold while reading.
Love Manisha chachi and can't wait to find out who is her next target. Please update soon, looking forward to next part.
You left me in tears!
Such captivating writing!!!
Manisha Chachi is an angel!
Will be waiting for the next part!
This was heartbreaking 💔ðŸ˜! What have the monstrous Poddar family turned a lively, bubbly girl into. Gosh! Hope they all get their karma soon because they truly deserve the worst.
PART 4
Abhira stood in front of the mirror, combing through her tangled hair, getting ready for her exam. But with every cell in her body she avoided glancing at her reflection in the mirror, because these days it felt like a tragedy would stare back at her, an aftermath of something unwanted. She couldn't find that admiration and confidence that she held within her, for herself. In fact, it felt ugly, to look at her hollowed eyes, that felt like someone had cut from an old magazine and pasted it on her face. She hated the frail woman that stared back at her with accusations in her eyes, blaming her for being too greedy for love and home, when she knew she belonged nowhere.
In that moment, she could feel a version of her drowning in the deep dark ocean of her mind, a place where her nightmares are blended with memories, to an extent that she doesn't know anymore which terrible version of truth she lives through every day. Abhira was on the ebb of spiralling again, when a hesitant knock on the door pulled her out of her stupor and she prompted the person to come in.
Krish was hesitant to meet Abhira due to his guilt of being unable to stand up for her, especially when she has always been there for him. But he knew she needed someone to remind her that she was cared for and his care for her would always surpass any other emotions that may change his approach towards her. If he were honest, he had started to detest his family, also because for a significant portion of his life he has been under his father's storm, with a hurricane of anger raging within him towards his cruelty. And if the last few days have made him realise anything, it was that the rest of the family was no different, they were all the same monster he has been trying to fight his whole life. And as much as it broke him, to realise how he has been living within these glass walls made by the elders of his family, he was filled with the determination to not become one of them.
"Bhabhi...", he approached her carefully. Each step treaded with trepidation as the emptiness in Abhira's eyes gnawed at him. This was the same woman who had fought for his dreams, with her extraordinary ideas, and that ever present kind and innocent glint in her eyes, and not finding that part of her in her gaze anymore scared him.
Abhira just looked at him in anticipation, perhaps out of habit, expecting another person she held close to crush something within her but his gesture shook her to the core. He gently held her wrist and tied the sacred red thread around it.
"I went to the temple in the morning to pray for you. You have an exam today, don't you?", he smiled at her.
And for a moment their Abhira's vision distorted, a part of her brain confusing his genuine kindness with the her past delusion. Was he for real? And she stared at him with an expression that broke Krish's heart, as if this kindness and care was a city that she never belonged to.
"I know how important this is for you, and despite everything that has been going on, I know you have the courage to keep going, to move forward and accomplish all your dreams. You...are the strongest person I know, you are a phoenix and I hope you realise the power you hold", he spoke to her fondly.
When you have been living in a house where things are broken at every step you take forward and accusatory screams echo in every corner, respite looks like a far fetched dream. Abhira knew she would only fail to form a coherent sentence, scared if she tried to arrange her syllables she would choke up on her attempt and allow her grief to spill. So with tears glistening at the edge of her eyes, she hesitantly hugged the one person who seemed to find an alive human in her and whispered a thank you. As she pulled away, Krish smiled at her and began to leave.
"Krish...", she called him, making him turn, the tears in his eyes too evident for her to ignore.
"I...I am not your bhabhi anymore", Abhira didn't know why she said that, especially right now. Perhaps to not deprive her heart of the devastation it was expecting, of being disowned yet again now that she existed without an actual relationship that tied her to this family.
"I know", he nodded, "the admiration and care I have for you... exists irrespective of the relation you share with my family. In fact, if I have to be honest...you have been more of a family to me than the people residing in this house have. Perhaps, in another life time, I could be blessed to be your brother and repay you for all the wars you have fought for me and my dreams. But in this life time, I have failed you terribly, with my silence and with the lack of my ability to speak up against my family's cruelty. I am not worthy of being your brother...but I will try to. So if you allow me to, if you find me worthy of a chance, I would be your brother...or if not I will be your friend. Nonetheless I promise you, I will always be on your team, and for me...you will always be my family."
He gave her a melancholic smile and left the room, leaving her with a whirlwind of emotions. She had to keep her guards up, and protect herself from the slow poisonous death that keeping hopes would subject her to but a part of her couldn't deny the genuine care that reflected in his eyes. Maybe, just maybe she hasn't lost it all yet.
______________________
The chatter and noises in the corridor of her college premises seemed to blend with one another until it all morphed into complete silence, while the voices in her head got louder, making her lose her grip and distorting her vision into mixing up the present with the immediate past. Her knees wobbled and the facade she had left the home with, slipped a little. She didn't know what was happening. She was prepared to write her exam, which will commence in 30 minutes, but then she heard Vidya and Kaveri's conversation about Ruhi and Armaan's wedding, and then she saw the happiness on Ruhi's face. That was all it took for her to spiral and connect the dots, realise all the signs she had been ignoring, her own epiphany about Ruhi and Armaan's hidden past.
And she felt like a fool, for trying to defend a relationship that was built upon lies. Was she really that insufferable? Was it who was an obstruction in their way? As the weight of the betrayal weighed upon her she found it difficult to breathe, her chest constricting with a need to escape this overwhelming grief.
Her heart pounded like a wild drum in her chest as she stumbled into the art room, slamming the door shut behind her. The silence of the room contrasted sharply with the chaos in her mind, amplifying her distress. Desperately seeking an anchor, she clutched at the edge of a table, her trembling fingers slipping through smeared brushes and half-empty tubes of paint. Unable to support the weight of her grief, her knees buckled and she collapsed on the floor, grasping the fabric of her shirt near her chest, tainting it in red. Each inhale was a battle, her vision blurred with tears as she struggled to find a semblance of calm amidst the storm raging inside her.
She clutched her eyes shut, when a warm hand wrapped around her palm, rubbing a thumb in circular motion.
"It's okay... it's okay...try to take a deep breath", he tried to reach out to her but it felt as if she was in a whole different realm, disconnected from her surroundings.
He soft tapped her cheek prompting her to open her eyes. And Abhira's teary eyes unexpectedly met the stranger's kind and concerned eyes.
"Hey, it's okay...come one, tell me five things you see", he spoke.
She groaned due to the shortness of breath but tried to focus her vision.
"Come on...five things you see, tell me."
"Red...", Abhira gasped. "The window...canvas..."
She took a deep breath to focus on her surroundings, a subtle warmth settling at the pit of her stomach.
"Good, two more", he encouraged.
"Paintbrush...your...your face", and she focussed on his face, a stroke of paint on the corner of his forehead, right above his left eyebrow, and his brown eyes shining with a foreign sense of warmth and care.
"Good...now four things you can hear", he promoted again. Abhira tried to silence the voices in her head, attempting to shake the dizziness.
"I...I can't hear anything, I...I"
"Hey, listen to my voice and focus...okay...just four things, come on."
"The...people...talking outside... chirping...the bird" She took several desperate breathes while the guy continued to draw circles on her palm.
"Your voice," she said, her gaze flicking to his face. "The clock ticking."
"You're doing great," he reassured her, his presence acting like a steadying force.
"Three things you can feel."
She swallowed hard trying to even her breathing and her fingers curled against the floor.
"The cold tiles," she murmured, "you thumb on my palm...and the weight of the canvas...on my feet."
He slightly moved the canvas away as she yelped in slight pain.
"It's okay, you are doing good... now tell me two hings you can smell"
"The...the paint...coffee..." She closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling shakily.
"Perfect," he said, a soft smile touching his lips. "Now, one thing you can taste."
She hesitated, then licked her dry lips. "Salt," she said, almost inaudibly. "Tears."
His expression softened, and he squeezed her shoulder lightly. "You did great," he said quietly. "Just keep breathing. I'm right here with you."
Slowly, her breathing began to even out, the panic ebbing away under his calm guidance. She looked up at him, gratitude shining in her eyes amidst the lingering fear. "Thank you," she whispered.
And suddenly the awkwardness of the entire situation dawned upon her, making her feel embarassed of her display of vulnerability in front a stranger.
He offered her his handkerchief, and awkwardly pointed at her face, "that's...your tears...and paint..."
Abhira took the handkerchief and wiped her face. Her eyes fell on the clock on the wall and she began to slightly panic again, she was five minutes late for her exam . Observing the change in her expressions, he asked her if she was alright.
"I have an exam...I gotta go", she anxiously looked at the patches of paint on her shirt.
"Just wait for a second...", the guy shuffles through his bag and pulled out a spare shirt.
"Uhm...you can take this, I just always an extra...just in case, you know...I end up spilling the paint...", he explained, gesturing at her stained cloth, "I can be a little clumsy you know."
Abhira was hesitant to accept his help, after all didn't that always come with a price. And she had already wasted so much of him due to her incapacity to handle her emotions.
"You will be late for your exam... it's okay, you can take this", he insisted. Abhira took the shirt, her unsurity evident on her face.
"Thank you.." she whispered as she began to leave.
"It's all okay...all the best and...take care, alright?"
She pulled the door knob and turned back to look at him, "There's paint on your forehead and your cheek by the way", she told him, with a small smile playing on her lips.
But Rihaan was too distracted by the thoughts running in his mind to care. Nonetheless he returned the smile and waved her bye. He couldn't erase the sight of her tearful eyes, there was something about them that screamed for help. He could drown in the depths of the pain they seemed to carry. Perhaps, he would meet her again, and he hopes the next time he sees her she won't be struggling for breath looking so unsure about herself. He moved to an empty canvas and he let the paint brushes decide their own trail, curious where it would lead him this time. _______________________
Beautiful update! I love the depth that you imbued Krish's character with, and how you penned his evolution from the mistreated child with pent-up anger against his father, to someone who realizes that his father is only part of the problem and his whole family has contributed to this ecosystem where oppression and cruelty are normalized ... from someone who feels guilt towards Abhira for not having been able to take a stand for her, to someone who overcomes his guilt somewhat because of this urgent need to show her in that moment that she is cared for.
Your Abhira, of course, is the most heartbreaking version of her that there could be. I love that the bond Krish forms with her, is able to alleviate the darkness to some extent... and yet, how sad it is that his gesture, which is one of such basic human decency and kindness, feels so foreign to her. But it's such a relief that even though she remains guarded, a flicker of hope exists still. Abhi mujhme kahin... What a beautifully strong character she is.
The way you crafted the art room scene was sheer genuis! Tying up something that happened in the show recently in your narrative - seriously, *chef's kiss* level of brilliance! Even though it was familiar, having been enacted so brilliantly by Samriddhi, you still managed to make the scene all the more poignant.
I was so engrossed in your writing, imagining the scene as the one we had seen on the show, that when the "guy" appears in the scene, my first thought was that it would be Armaan. What a disappointment that would have been. But then when he started that counting exercise, it reminded me of the mental exercise from Twelve Sunflowers and this anticipation built up within me, that hey, I think I know this guy. Raahat aa gayi, when I realized that it was Rihaan 
You truly know how to play with your readers! 
And it is so fitting that Rihaan would be in the art room... since he is an artist. It's almost as if the script writers of the show prepared that scene as your canvas to paint on! Continue soon! 
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