Realisation And Nurture (BOOK #2) ✔

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

While Durga climbed the ridge in short strides, heaving her lungs out, a stressed Vidya and Dheeraj followed her. Sanchi was shocked as Vidya caught her, tossing her arms around her for a strong sisterly embrace.

"The second mom and I heard from Dheeraj that you were kidnapped and Vihaan was on an expedition to rescue you, we were unable to waste time further. Are you okay, Vanya?"

Sanchi tenaciously shook her head, responding to the embrace while examining the nostalgic figure of a caring Vihaan who had put his arms around his mother for a wistful hug.

Durga released Vihaan, unexpectedly separating from him when the malevolent face of a puzzled Naina ruined her sight.

"I must have certainly sinned in the past birth that God has punished me with a pair of daughters who could prove to be traitors even to their mom-like figure." Durga sneered obtusely. "What would it be advisable for me to answer my dead friend Anupama who had handed over her toddlers under my supervision before embracing a peaceful death?"

"Aunt, please don't raise the name of our mother, now." Naina flagged an alert.

"Is there any good reason why I shouldn't be? Anupama should know that I have broken her massive trust in me and a promise which I was unable to achieve." Tears bubbled into Durga's eyes. "Anupama should realize that I was unable to nourish her daughters into great human beings."

Vihaan touched her shoulder. "Mom, please don't blame yourself anymore. There was a time I had caused you to feel regretful about everything, but those days are gone."

"I can't see our Sanchi drifting away from you in light of your silence. I can't allow you to abide by the commitments I'd ever imposed upon you." Releasing Vihaan's wrist, Durga sauntered over to Sanchi and held her by her shoulders. "I don't know whether this is correct but rather I beg you to forgive my child for picking his mother's promise and dignity over everything."

"I did-n't get you, maa." Sanchi tossed a confounded look before glancing over to her left, where two lady officers showed up on immediate notice, handcuffing Ashna and Naina respectively.

"I had a best friend named Anupama who had gotten caught in a toxic marriage. Being her closest companion, it wasn't hard for me to find about the abusive behavior at home she used to confront day by day, yet she chose silence because of her infants." Durga muttered delicately. "Her husband abhorred her for having given birth to girl children like the pathetic age-old convictions and started tormenting her."

"Oh!"

"When Anupama was diagnosed with vulvar cancer, Naina was nine years old and Ashna was just six. Since learning about her condition, her husband had started treating her worse than before." Durga's speech was solemn. "Then I made the bold decision of consulting Vihaan's father, and he conducted an investigation that led to Naina's father's imprisonment."

"You did just wh-at was expe-cted of you, maa."

With a shake of her head, Durga expressed her dissatisfaction with the situation. "I fetched an extremely ill Anupama and her daughters to our house. She was treated for eight months before passing away. She took a friendship oath from me the night before she died, requesting to raise her daughters as if they were my own. We adopted the little girls because both Vihaan's father and I had become attached to them."

"You adopted them, maa, and they turned on you." Dheeraj chirped in between, giving the handcuffed sisters a cold look. "Naina and Ashna had well adjusted themselves in our family and were growing up with Vihaan and me," he said to Sanchi. " I was the polar opposite of Vihaan, who had his own world of drawing, singing, playing music, and memorizing books. I never let the girls feel like they were alone, and I always looked after them like an older sibling would."