Eighteen Minus (COMPLETED)

Chapter 22

VANSHIKA
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'Daadu????'

I couldn't believe my own eyes as I saw my grandfather standing at the door next to the man whom I absolutely did not want to see. Their eyes widened in shock looking at me and that's when I suddenly realised my condition.

My hair was dishelved, I had just got up from a deep slumber, I had a bad body ache and my head still felt extremely heavy due to the fever I had last night.

Just then my Daadu looked at Tikki and then looked at me with questionable expression. This moment felt like a dejavu. So many painful memories in a different form were playing infront of my eyes.

I was expecting my grandfather to shout at me unlike last time but he didn't utter a word however the man next to him lunged at Tikki as he launched a punch against his left eye and I closed my mouth with my palm.

'How dare you??? What have you done with Vanshika? What did you think...no one would know that you kidnapped her? You bastard... I'm going to make you rot in the jail...You scoundrel...' and yet another time he punched Tikki...this time in his stomach making him groan in pain and before he could repeat it I ran and stood infront of Rajveer only for his fisted hand to stop just an inch away from my left eye.

'Van...Vanshika...are you-' but his words died in his mouth as his gaze fell on my neck and his eyes instantly went moist. I didn't understand what happened but he had evidently frozen. I could visibly notice his fisted hand shaking like he had seen a ghost but before anything could happen I heard my grandfather announce to his men

'Take the man away and teach him a nice lesson trying to take away my child from me-' and I noticed Daadu's men approaching Karthik and before I could stop them I heard a lady's voice

'Dare not to lay a finger on my grandchild Mister!!! Else I would have to forget that you are my grand daughter in law's grandfather!!!' and I looked around to see Karthik's grandmother along with 20-25 men. A couple of them carried sticks and some with grass hooks and a few even had axes in their hands. These were the localites living in the village however looked scary to my eyes right now.

But my grandfather's eyes widened as he turned around asking
'Grand daughter in law???' and then my grand father's eyes fell on my neck and he as well went speechless. He gulped as his eyes met my eyes asking

'You ran away and got married????' and that's when my hands reached my neck only to realise my nuptial chain was at its full flory and public display screaming on the top of its voice that I'm married. And my eyes met Tikki's who shifted his gaze away.

Shit!!!

What a mess!!!

If only they knew what the truth was.

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There was a dead silence in the room as my grandfather was sitting on the old-school teakwood sofa chair of the enormous living room of the Shetty's Guttumane. Karthik did not want to step into the house so he did not enter the house and was sitting in the porch of the humungous household of the Shetty's.

Karthik's aunt offered Daadu some water. Rajveer was standing by the window but his eyes looked dead. I had never seen him so lost ever in my life. Not once did his eyes meet mine. Ganni managed to make his grandmother sit on the sofa chair by slowly shifting her from the wheelchair to the seat.

Silence prevailed when Karthik's uncle said

'Mr Khanna...Our Karthik is a self made, independent child. Although half of this village belongs to him, our child never wanted this. He always wanted to achieve things on his own. Financially we may not be as rich as you folks but that doesn't mean he can't be...he just doesn't want anybody's money. And honestly...we are all responsible for our child to live that kind of a life. Our boy started from scratch where as in reality he was born to eat in a golden plate with a silver spoon. It's our fault!!!' his uncle tried telling when Karthik's grandmother said