What If? (An AbhiRa FF)

Chapter 7.1 : Demons Of The Past

Disclaimer : This chapter is more sad than it is happy☹️

"Kya?" Akshara almost shouted and the change in pitch earned her a glare from Abhimanyu before he actually took in her expressions. Questions frisked across her face and now that the truth was out, Abhimanyu did not intend to keep anything away. So, he started from the very beginning.

*Flashback*
It was a new moon night and the ambience around was pitch black when an 8-year-old Abhimanyu woke up to the whim of his parched throat. He switched on the bedside lamp only to find the glass of water on the table empty. Begrudgingly, he got out of bed and his room when he heard some noises coming from the last door down the hallway. Despite the small voice in his head that told him to not meddle in things that weren't his concern at that point of time, he found his feet carrying him toward his parents' room. And what he saw through the crack in the door was enough to pull the innocence out of his unworldly life. Blood was trickling down Manjiri's palm as she held onto the sharp edge of a cabinet for support and tears streamed down her agonized face. Harsh stalked toward her and shoved a piece of paper in her face, his face red with fury.

"Kya hai yeh haa?" He yelled in frustration and Manjiri shivered at the pitch but kept mum. He crumpled the paper and sent it flying across the other side of the room before he held Manjiri's shoulders in a death grip. "Yeh mera beta nahi ho sakta hai!" He exclaimed indignantly.

"Chodiye meri Maa ko!" Abhimanyu screamed from the threshold before Harsh could put in any more words and both their necks snapped in his direction. Harsh immediately let go of Manjiri's arms and stepped back as Abhimanyu rushed to his mother and horror covered their faces. No one was supposed to witness this, let alone their son.

"Abhi! Tu yaha kya kar raha hai?" Manjiri asked as soon as she found her voice while Abhimanyu threw daggers in his father's direction, his blood boiling in rage. He may have inherited every other trait from Manjiri but his anger was a gift from his father. And just maybe, he had it worse than Harsh did.

"Aap Maa se iss tarah se baat nahi kar sakte hai!" He gritted through clenched teeth and Harsh was taken aback but composed himself as quick as he had lost that poise. His eyes shifted from Abhimanyu to Manjiri and a sinister expression settled on his features.

"Toh yeh seekha thi ho tum isse jab mei ghar par nahi hota hu. Mere khilaaf bhadkaati ho tum isse," he accused hotly as he roughly pulled Manjiri in front of Abhimanyu by her elbow. Manjiri winced at the sudden sting as Abhimanyu stared at them with terror-stricken eyes. He had heard Harsh be ruthless with his words but physical brutality was a fact about his father that Abhimanyu was unknown to. And all his 8-year-old brain could think of was saving his mom from the man who was crossing limits Abhimanyu didn't know existed. So, with all the strength he could muster, he began to pull at Harsh's hand that held Manjiri in a violent grip and tried to free his mom of the pain she was tolerating. But Harsh had made up his mind about how Manjiri instigated Abhimanyu against him in his absence and all he saw was red in his vision. He had lost his cool long back and this realization was the last straw in his anger. And without waiting to understand his surroundings, he mercilessly shoved Abhimanyu away with his free hand.

"ABHI!" Manjiri screeched at the top of her lungs as Abhimanyu's head hit the edge of the coffee table and she dashed toward the floor where Abhimanyu now lay. Harsh didn't realize the force he had used until Abhimanyu turned to look at Manjiri with a hand to his forehead and she pulled it down to examine the wound and the color leached out of his face. Blood was splayed across his palm as more dribbled down the side of his forehead but Abhimanyu didn't let out as much as a squeal. Manjiri looked horrified as she stared at the cut and turned her attention to Harsh.