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"Are you really happy there, yuktha?" When her mother asked her that question, she stiffened up in her position as I held my breath though I knew the obvious answer.

Soon she composed herself and passed her mom a smile.

"Arey ma, why are you asking such a silly question. I am so happy with my new family. You know, athayya and mavayya, they both treat me like their own daughter, and as for Indra, though this marriage was an unexpected change in his life, he started accepting it. He respects me a lot and cares for me. So please don't worry about me..okay? Just take care of your health."

She told her mom so smoothly as I thinned my lips, knowing she was lying to not make her mom worry about her.

"Yes, I know. They are all such good people. It's good that you are living happily. Listen, you should take care of them as your own too..okay?" Her mom patted her head with a smile as she nodded at her.

"Of course, even if the situation is otherwise, I would treat them as my own only. Because we all are one family. Moreover, who am I? D/O Mr. Parthasarthy. So I will live up to his name only and I will never bring bad name to you or grandpa."

Hearing her words, I leaned back on the wall while folding my hands over my front, pondering over my thoughts.

God..yuktha, why are you so hard to understand? You are just like an unsolved puzzle. and whenever I tried to put those missing pieces together, you would leave me in a predicament. Whom should I blame? Who is wrong here? You or me?

Just once deny all the allegations. I just need a little assurance from you and I will cherish you with my life. But your eyes say one thing and your mouth say one thing. What I shall I trust?

'You are so cruel, yuktha. I rate you for putting me in this ordeal.'

I fisted my hands angrily as this feeling was killing me from inside. My heart was asking me to believe what it says but my mind was showing what I had witnessed. I was really having an internal battle with myself. It was so fucked up.

Standing there for a while, I decided to announce my presence to them after noticing the shift in the atmosphere. So I slowly knocked on the door, pretending that I came here just now as they both turned their heads to gaze at me.

Athayya, when she noticed me, she hurriedly rushed to my side to greet me with a bright smile while yuktha just stood up silently and nodded at me.

"Oh my! Indra. Why are you standing there itself? Come inside. Come come." She ushered me in as I followed her.

"How are you doing?" When I answered her that I was fine and questioned her the same, she replied and gestured me to take a seat there.

"Indra, come and sit here. I will go and bring some refreshments. Had you given me a heads up, I would have prepared a feast but now see, I don't know what to prepare when it's your first visit."

Yuktha rolled her eyes at her exaggeration which I found a little cute but I composed myself and waved at the fretting woman in front of me.

"Athayya, don't bother about those formalities. Moreover, it's not my first time being here," I said while looking at yuktha as she looked at me wide-eyed, "and I am sure it won't be the last too. So you can fulfill your wishes when I visit next time."

"Of course of course. By the way, what do you mean by saying in 'it's not your first time?" Athayya asked me with a frown while eyeing her daughter.

"That you need to ask your daughter. For now, can I have a strong coffee made by the pretty hands of my wife?" I said, trying to making it seem that everything was okay between us while cocking my eyebrows at yuktha.

"Ammu, go and bring him the coffee. Meanwhile, I will accompany him."

"No mom, I am quite tired."

"Are you going or not?" She asked her sternly and yuktha reluctantly left from there after glaring at me as I laughed at her back a little.

As she left, I scooted a little when athayya tried to sit beside me. She was silent for a while but suddenly turned to my side and started speaking with a slight smile on her face.

"Indra, you know, I was so worried for that girl and her marriage, because sending a daughter to another's house is not an easy thing. I am worried about her well-being because she is the type of person who won't even give others a chance to sense her pain. She has so much patience to bear everything by herself. Even as her mother, I sometimes couldn't understand her at all.

"So when she was to marry Ikshith, all my worries were gone. Because she was going to the house of the people that she actually grew up with." I felt a twist in my heart when I heard his name and her words.

"But some unexpected things happened and, you both got married. Trust me when I say, every day till now, I couldn't sleep peacefully at all because worried about how she is living there. It's not because you all are bad people but because I knew your dad is not okay with this marriage and you are obliged to take over her responsibility just because you guys are married.

"As a mother, my heart was so unsettled till now because she never opens up in front of anyone, not even in front of me. Now I found out that she was happy there but still there is an inkling in my heart hinting otherwise."

"So all I want from you is a little assurance. Please take care of my daughter. I lost so much already and all I have is her. I am trusting you with her. Please don't hurt her. I know it's not easy to accept someone who was forced on you but please give her a chance, you will get to know her in and out. Will you please promise me?" She asked me with tearful eyes and not knowing what to answer, I just nodded at her.

I couldn't find my voice at all because how could I deceive her with my false words. I really wanted to treat her well but there were so many hurdles in between us. The only person who had all the answers is yuktha but she would never open her mouth. So how can I make it work? So I decided to keep quiet and silently nodded my head at her in understanding.

To my relief, yuktha returned from the kitchen at the same time and placed the coffee in front of me.

I took a sip of it and was busy relishing the taste of her coffee while she went to her room and came back with her bag.

Meanwhile, I finished the coffee and stood up to bid athayya goodbye.

"Hey, wait. Have your dinner and go." She stopped me.

"No, athayya. Probably next time. So be ready to prepare the feast." She smiled brightly and nodded at me and asked her daughter to behave properly and not to trouble me.

"Not to trouble? She is not troubling me. That's the problem here." I thought to myself and bid her goodbye as yuktha followed me out.

"Why did you come here?" She asked me with a blank face after we got settled in the car and hit the road.

"Aarna told me about what happened and asked me to pick you up," I answered and she mumbled something under her breath. Though I couldn't hear it, I knew for sure, she was cursing for letting me know about her fainting incident.

"When did you start obeying people's words especially your sister's?" She questioned me while giving me side glances as I scoffed in return without answering her.

After that, the whole ride was filled with silence. Soon we reached home and no one was there in the living room but I knew dad was at home only as I saw his car parking outside.

As I was walking ahead, I turned back to glance at her. She was looking around cautiously while taking each step ahead. Looking at her cautious behavior which was so unlike her usual bold attitude, I felt so troubled and got so frustrated.

So I have decided to put a full stop to this thing and went back to held her hand and pulled her with me into the room.

"Pack your bags. We are leaving for my flat." I told her monotonously.

"What? Why so suddenly?" She asked me.

"I don't want my dad to face you. So the best solution is, taking you away from here. So just do what I say." Though I didn't want to sound rude, those words harshly left my mouth which I never intended for.

"Indra, I don't understand you at all. Just like you have asked, I am staying from the house and away from all but still what more do you want? Your parents won't be happy with your decision. I am a bad guy in your eyes but still, I don't deserve to be treated in this way." She shouted at me while wiping her angry tears. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Sorry for that. Let me pack my bags."

Wiping her tears, she went to the closet with a blank face to pack her luggage as I stood there silently, not willing to let her know my actual intention.

Morning's incident was a wake-up call for me. Just like I have asked, she was staying away from everyone but at the cost of risking her health. So if this continues, it would impact her seriously. Till now, I was in an opinion that she was having her meals on time, not knowing the fact that she wouldn't eat outside food.

So as long as she stays here, she will starve herself. Hence I decided to go back to my flat. There she can be herself. She doesn't need to worry about coming in front of my dad and vice versa. So it's good for all but she doesn't need to know all these things.

As she packed her bags silently, I went out to inform my mom and dad. I knocked on their door as she opened it immediately.

"Mom, we are leaving for my flat," I informed her.

"What? Why do need to go there so suddenly? I thought you both will stay here at least for a month." She pulled me in and looked at me sadly.

"Yes but it's for everyone's good."

"Let them go. Don't stop them." Dad chipped in between as mom glared at him angrily.

"You shut up. It's all because of you. I agree you were wronged by my family but what's her mistake in it? If only you were a little cordial with her, they wouldn't have taken this step." She shouted at my dad as he went silent.

"Ma, we will visit you on weekends. Now don't be sad anymore." I consoled her as we two walked out of their room. Dad too followed us silently.

Walking ahead, I saw yuktha standing downstairs with her luggage. When she saw my mom, she passed her a smile and greeted both mom & dad.

"Yuktha, are you okay with moving into his flat?" Mom asked her as she looked at me and then at my dad before nodding at my mom in assurance.

"If you both are okay, whom am I to stop you? Please take care of yourself and do visit me whenever you have some time."

For everything my mom says, yuktha would just nod at her with a smile. After their talks ended, I made a move to the entrance, and yuktha who was following me suddenly stopped in her way and started walked back. Frowning, I halted my footsteps and turned around to see her standing in front of my dad.

"Mavayya, sorry, I don't know whether you will be okay with me addressing you like that or not." She bit down her lips and continued, "To be frank, I never intended to treat you like my father-in-law at all."

My eyebrows shot up in confusion at her words as she continued.

"Because I lost my dad before I could open my eyes. I never got a chance to witness his love and care. So  I always wanted to treat my father-in-law as my father. Whenever I witnessed you all pampering Aarna, Swarna, Daksha, I would miss my dad so much but still I never even envied them. I'm quite happy to witness it. I know how good as a person you are.

" I can even understand your hatred towards me and my family but to be honest, we all don't know where it went wrong. Still, it's of no use. Even if I managed to prove my grandpa's innocence, it doesn't change the fact that you were humiliated on that premises. For that, I am truly sorry. We can't erase that happening but we are not bad as you think.

"I apologize for being a bother to you all these days. I don't know whether you will accept me as your daughter-in-law or at least as your niece but for me, you have already become a fatherly figure. So I won't do anything to hurt you. Hence I am taking my leave. I will show my face to you only when you are okay with my existence. You already got hurt because of us. So I don't even have the face to face you. So I am leaving. Please take care of your health." She smiled at him through her tears and turned back to walk out as I stood rooted to the place watching her back.

Coming to my senses, I nodded at my parents who themselves were stunned to silence at yuktha words as I followed her out.

Sorry for the late update and thanks for being patient with my irregular updates. I simply adore you all for being so supportive despite me, being so irregular these days🥺

Coming to the story, this kind of plot is completely new to me and as for the misunderstandings to get cleared, it will take some time as that was how I had planned to story.

Thanks for reading.

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