Aradhya ||Indian historical fiction||

10| VOID OF RELATIONSHIPS (continuation).

Vihaan stared at Aradhya. She knew. She knew. He let out a sarcastic grin.

"So you knew. You knew Amar. Your Rajkumar Amar was the one who had her under him this whole time."

Aradhya had her face buried in her hands. She looked up at him with her form still weak and her wound still hurting.

"Yes. I saw who it was. And I knew Bhairavi Ma won't do anything to me until she is being threatened." Aradhya said wiping at her eyes and sniffling.

"I'm surprised. You couldn't even fight off a fifty-year-old woman."

"That fifty-year-old woman was my mother!"

"Okay. I'll accept it but do you know now in how huge of a debt you are in with regards me?" Vihaan's tone raised, "I saved you from your oh so trusted prince."

"Vihaan..."

"What was that you were saying? I'm never gonna be as benevolent as him? I don't deserve to talk about him? I'm better off being mute rather than talking about him. And coming to benevolence, if this is what you were referring to as benevolence, then please, get your senses right."

"Stop. Listen to me-"

"No, you listen to me. I married you to save you from him. I saved you from his attacker and for all that all I got was frequent attacks and shameless words from you. Do you think I would have married someone like you?"

"Ple-"

"Whatever you want to say, Aradhya, please save your breath. I just hope you don't trust the wrong people from now on and blame those who actually care about you."

"I'm sorry," Aradhya replied, while looking at Vihaan with teary eyes, "I agree, I was wrong. I shouldn't have talked without knowing. I'm sorry, Vihaan, please, just understand."

Vihaan scoffed and shook his head.

"I don't care anymore. There are littlest of things that are more valuable to me than your apology."

"Vihaan, please." Aradhya tried to get him to stay. She tried to stop him from abruptly walking out of the room but failed.

With the grief of her brother's death, with the burden of her mother's betrayal and with the guilt of blaming someone who wished well for her, Aradhya felt her emotions taking over her. She felt broken in places she was never weak at. She felt like a whole mountain's weight was on her heart.

This was the first time she started feeling sorry. The first time she believed Vihaan. The first time she hated herself for believing Amar.
The tears dried out instantly. The fire in her eyes never let her streams flow.

For her, that eve, the roles of benevolent and cruel for Amar and Vihaan changed. She resented Amar.

She now knew why Bhairavi was missing from the day she got wed. And how Amar was missing the day she was wed too. She pulled all the pieces of the puzzle in place. She knew. She knew what Amar was up to.

.   .   .   .

"He'll come around, you know. He may seem stern but once he cares about someone he doesn't stop." Rihit passed a chalice of medicine to Aradhya.

Aradhya painfully took it. Medicine isn't good you see. Good for you but bad for your tongues.

"But how can you be so sure? I've dome nothing but down talk him all the time."

"You had your reasons. And you have your reasons to be sorry now too. I've been with Vihaan since three. I know him." Rihit talked almost in a comforting voice. Aradhya felt the comfort and reassurance but didn't read too much into it. That kind of comfort was too familiar to her.