Humesha | ✔️

Chapter 18

The truth?

N A N D I N I

I think I could do nothing but stare ahead, at the three people standing in front of me. The wind blew right through our bodies and I shivered in my place as the night edged darker and just silence engulfed us. My body was still but my heart thumped loudly, and left me wondering, was it just me who was scared to know the outcome of the night or were the others feeling the same too?

Manik was still. His eyes kept focusing on the lamps lit in the corner and mine, on him before he flinched and his eyes reached mine. I would have looked away on getting caught, but I didn't. I kept staring back, waiting for him to speak but he welcomed me only by silence before he turned in his place, removing his black tuxedo and giving it to me. I didn't refuse and quietly wearing his jacket, I looked away.

Zubin glared at him and then me and I looked away. My eyes then caught Mukti's who was staring from me to him and then back to me, but not looking at Zubin, her eyes shining with fear and guilt, her body slumped together, unlike the confident girl I always knew. She looked tired, just like me.

"Speak," Zubin's order was cold, and he looked no where in particular, but we all knew it was for Manik. I curled my fingers in a fist, the nails digging into my skin, beating my anxiety.

He cleared his throat as if he was going to give some speech and I wanted to roll my eyes at him, but I didn't. For the first time, his attitude wasn't casual or just shrugging off things. For the first time, I think I saw something shine in his eyes, some emotions and expressions on his face. Maybe some happiness. Or sadness. Or confusion. Or regret. Maybe guilt. But even relief.

"My mother was a banker, the marketing executive and economist of my dad—... step dad's company. That's how they met, they fell in love, got married and blah blah. That's how their fairy tale got over, but there was no happily ever after. The fairy tale was over... ans the nightmare started," he twisted his lips and his face showers nothing but pure anger as it twisted with every word he spoke, fire burning in his eyes which could blow us off like when a dragon spits fire, which was enough to burn my heart away, if not my entire existence.

"I had loved my mother the most in this world, maybe even more than my own life. And eight years ago, if someone would have told me that it was my mom who killed my step father, or even if she could think to do that, I would have burnt the person myself. I could have destroyed the person who just thought ill about my mother, leave alone calling her a murderer," his voice was devoid of any emotion and I saw Zubin's body tensing. Mukti stared down to the floor and I chewed my nails.

"She was an angel in my eyes. Or actually, which son doesn't feel that about his own mother? Even I did. I loved her dearly. There was a point in my life where I felt like the luckiest man in the world- a loving mother, a caring father, I fighting brother, a crazy sister, and the best bestfriend. I had everything. I kept praying the God every single night, thanking him for this happiness, praying to keep them all with me, humesha," his eyes flickered to me and my heart ached for him.

There was a hole forming by even imagining that this dark and lonely man standing in front of me had a family that fell off one by one, slowly. From being loved to being lonely, he's been through everything a man fears. He's seen his family fall apart, from being related by blood to being on each other's neck for their blood. Family binds a person together, but in his case, the most beautiful blessing turned into his curse.

"But that night, we were all going for a family vacation. Excited tha, I And Aryamman had decided to give us a chance as brothers, all thanks to Mukti. It was a fucking family holiday when my angelic mother decided to fuck things up. We were leaving the next day, so as it is, I And Aryamman we're working in office till late, I remember it must have been near midnight. The economic statuses of each deal was handled by my mom, who was a banker, as I told before. Accidentally that night, instead of picking the file of the upcoming deal, I picked the economy file. And what I saw in the next minutes shocked my entire gut"