Tejaswi: Because it was me. I stole your money.

The uncomfortable silence following that was dreadful. No one said a thing. Everyone in that room just kept looking at Tejaswi with widened eyes and numerous questions.

Finally, breaking the silence, Kunal said,

Kunal: What?! Tejaswi, what are....you...saying?

Tejaswi: It's true , Kunal. I did it. Not Kabir.

Tapasya: Mom...

Kunal: Why are you defending him? Why are you covering up for him? What is wrong with you?!

Tejaswi looked her husband dead in the eye and said,

Tejaswi; I'm not defending anyone, Kunal. It's true . When you heard kabir speak about how he was going to party with your money and how he had managed to keep you in the dark for so long, he was actually talking to me. But not about stealing your money. I needed help for planning our 25th anniversary and so I asked for his help.

Kunal: So he was telling the truth?!

Kabir rolled his eyes.

Tejaswi: Yes, Kunal. He was telling the truth all along .It was me who stole your money. I can even give you a proof of that.

Kunal: Proof? What proof?

Tejaswi : When you accused kabir of stealing your money, did you bother to check the cctv footage of your office?

Kunal was dumbfounded. He spoke with effort,

Kunal: Yes, I did but they were....

Tejaswi: Missing?

Kunal: How do you know that?

Tejaswi: Because I took them. I removed all the cctv footages of your office. That way you never would find out that it was me. And well I did know that you would never suspect me, but I like to play it safe, you know.

Tapasya clasped her hand on her mouth as a tear rolled down her cheek. Why would her own mother do this?

Kunal grabbed her by her arm and asked,

Kunal: Why would you? Why would you steal from me?! My money is our money! You can have whatever you want anytime. Then why the need to steal? That too from your own husband?!

Ruhaan and Kabir exchanged anxious glances.

Tejaswi: Because that's what you deserve!

Kunal staggered back in shock. His wife never retaliated back. She was like his little pet. She followed his every order and never dared to talk back. Something told him that there was a bigger reason to her behavior.

Kunal: What?

Tejaswi: Yes, Kunal. You deserve this. I'm tired....of pretending that everything's fine. But it isn't. And you have to face it. Tapasya deserves to know truth.

Kunal: What truth are you talking about?

Tejaswi: I know, Kunal. I know about Samarth! I know what you did to him!

Kunal's lips parted in shock. He looked at his wife with fear and dread in his eyes. Tapasya looked back and forth between her parents, trying to figure out what was going on.

Tapasya: Who's Samarth, Mom?

Tejaswi looked at her daughter and chuckled softly. Tapasya looked at her questioning. Turning to her husband, Tejaswi said,

Tejaswi: She doesn't even know who he is, Kunal. She doesn't even know her own uncle.

Tapasya's eyes widened and she asked,

Tapasya : Uncle? My uncle?

Tejaswi turned to her daughter and nodded,

Tejaswi: Yes, Tapasya , Samarth is my brother......your uncle.

Tapasya: But dad said.....he....your brother.....

Tejaswi: Died in a car accident when he was young? Yeah , I've heard that story. And all these years, I let you believe it. But not anymore.

Kunal hung his head and a sigh escaped his lips.

Tejaswi: So will you tell her? Or should I do the honors?

Tapasya: Tell me what? Dad, mom, what's going on?!

Tejaswi: Fine, I'll tell you Tapasya . Your dad has been lying to you all these years , Tappu.

Tapasya looked at her father questioningly.

Tejaswi: Your father never liked my family, Tappu. He hated them.You know, because they weren't as rich as your dad's family. He would not leave a chance to humiliate them. He just wanted to get a hold of me, without ever indulging with them. Like I was some possession, some prize.....that he just had to win. He was always very ambitious , you see.

Ruhaan went and stood near Tapasya. He didn't care whether her dad liked it or not. He knew she needed him right now. She clutched on his shirt tight as he put an arm around her.

Tejaswi: I was so foolish to believe that your father actually cared for me. He just wanted me as a pet, someone who would believe everything he'll say, do everything he'll say and what not.

Tapasya tightened her grip on Ruhaan's shirt as tears escaped her eyes. She didn't wanna believe that her dad, whom she had worshiped and looked up to all her life, was nothing more than a egoistic scumbag.

Tejaswi: But there's a limit to everything, isn't there Kunal? I believed you and married you, and all you gave me was betrayal.

Kunal looked at his wife. His eyes flickered with guilt and shame.

Tejaswi: 25 years, Kunal....you lied to me for 25 years. And I believed you,... thinking it was best for our family, for Tapasya. Oh how wrong was I!

Tapasya: What lie?

Tejaswi looked at her crying daughter and her heart broke. She wanted to protect her from the harsh truth but now it was finally undone.

Tejaswi: You uncle Samarth ,.....my brother.....he hated your dad. He was so angry at me when I married your dad that...he....disowned me.....He said that I wasn't his sister anymore. My family cut all ties with me. I never met them again. I wasn't even there when my dad took his last breath. Or my mom's funeral.

A lone tear escaped her yes and her lips quivered . Kabir offered her a tissue but she declined.

Tejaswi: But then , 6 months back when your dad and I were on a trip to London .....I ran into him....my brother. And I was so happy in so long......I was thrilled to see him. We even sorted out our differences, you know Tappu. I was so happy to finally have my brother by my side. But your dad.....he had to go ahead......and screw that up too.

With puffy eyes and drenched cheeks, Tapasya managed to blurt out,

Tapasya: What did he do?

Kunal looked at Tapasya and Tejaswi with guilt in his eyes.

Tejaswi: I somehow managed to bring him to our penthouse. I just wanted to talk to him so much that I didn't even bother about your dad. But see here Tappu, your dad is a very egoistic person. He doesn't forgive and forget. He pounces back on his enemy and leaves him in shreds. And that's exactly what your dad did.

Kunal closed his eyes and sank into the nearby couch. He couldn't bear the thought of his daughter knowing his ugly truth.

Tejaswi took a deep breath and continued,

Tejaswi; While we were talking,.....your dad planted....drugs in my brother's suitcase and called the cops on him.

Everyone except Tejaswi looked at him with disbelief in their eyes. Tapasya sunk down in Ruhaan's arms while he held her close.

Tejaswi: The cops arrested him.....and took him away. I could not believe that my brother could do something like this. I had him after so long and.....because of your father....I lost him again.

There was an uncomfortable silence following that. Everyone had tears in their eyes but no words to say.

Breaking the silence, Ruhaan asked,

Ruhaan: How did you know it was Mr. Dhanrajgir and not your brother?

Tejaswi looked at him and then looking at Kunal said,

Tejaswi: I had my suspicions ......but then I found a packet of the same drug in his back closet. I immediately put two and two and figured out.

Kabir: And so you stole his money?

Tejaswi smirked and said,

Tejaswi: Because I wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine. I wanted to ruin him the way he ruined me. And so I used his money to free my brother from jail.

Kunal looked at her and gulping , said,

Kunal: He's out?

Tejaswi didn't say anything just nodded.

Tapasya shivered even in Ruhaan's embrace. She closed her eyes , praying this would go away. She didn't want to believe the truth. She found it hard to grasp that her dad could do something so vial and terrible. And that too to her own mother.

Kabir; Why did you come out with the truth now? Why didn't you say anything when your husband blamed me for stealing?

Tejaswi turned to him and said,

Tejaswi; I'm sorry, Kabir. I knew....that was a wrong thing for me to do. But I was scared....I was scared at how he would react to the truth. But then....I got to know about Tapasya and Ruhaan. And I figured.....I couldn't do it to them. They weren't at fault and they shouldn't be the ones to face the consequences.

She turned and looked at Tapasya and Ruhaan empathetically,

Tejaswi: My Tappu....she cried the other day in my arms......and told me how much she loved your son. That she couldn't imagine her life without him. And that's the moment I knew....that I had to tell her the truth.

Ruhaan looked at Tapasya overwhelmingly, his heart filling with emotions. Tapasya, on the other hand, couldn't take her eyes off her mother. Her heart broke at the fact that she had to go through this all alone.

Tejaswi looked at her daughter and said,

Tejaswi: All I ever wanted was to protect you.

Tapasya freed herself from Ruhaan's embrace and hugged her mother tight. Ruhaan smiled weakly at the duo.

Tapasya; I'm sorry.....I'm so sorry you had to go through this all alone.

Tejaswi: It's okay...hush...it's okay.

As they parted, Tejaswi wiped her daughter's tears and said,

Tejaswi: But Tapasya, you do know that.....you need to decide, right? It's either me.....or your dad. I can't live with your dad anymore . I've filed  for a divorce already. The papers will arrive in a week or so. But what matters is what you want. You're 21 so you get to decide who you wanna stay with. Whatever decision you take,....we'll respect it.

'This was it,' Tapasya thought. The end of her happy family. She looked at her mother and then at her dad with dread.

Inhaling deeply, Tapasya said,

Tapasya: I choose you, Mom.

Kunal's head shot up as Tejaswi smiled at her daughter. She had faith in her daughter. She knew that in her life if she had accomplished anything that was raising her daughter properly.

Kunal: Tejaswi, you can't do that! Tappu's my daughter too! You can't take her away from me!

He broke down as his daughter and wife looked at him with hatred. Tapasya walked up to him and inhaling deeply, said,

Tapasya; You don't have a daughter anymore.

Kunal : No! NO! YOU CAN'T! YOU are my daughter!

Tapasya shivered at his tone. Ruhaan immediately went next to Tapasya and looking Kunal dead in the eye, said in a cold voice,

Ruhaan: Get out.

Kunal: What?!

Ruhaan: I said get out! And if you so much as came near Tapasya or Tejaswi aunty, I swear the consequences won't be in your favour.

Kunal glared at him. Kabir went and stood beside his son.

Kabir: You heard him, Kunal. Get out of my house and don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Kunal glanced at his daughter one last time before storming out of the house. Tapasya watched the retreating figure with a frown as Ruhaan put his arm around her shoulder and snuggled her close. She buried herself in his embrace wanting to get lost in the warmth.

                                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Phew! That was a long  chapter! honestly , it took me a lot of time to come up with this plot and I know it's a bit messy but whatever. This chapter basically makes you understand that even the people you trust the most are capable of fucking you over in ways that are beyond fixable or forgivable. People do horrible things, no matter how high you put them on a pedestal.

No, no, my parents are absolutely amazing. When I say I speak of personal experience, I mean my relatives not my parents. 

It's quite ironical to publish this chapter on Father's Day, but yeah, anyway, if you liked the chapter , don't forget to vote and comment down your favorite memory with your dad!

And also, there are only a few chapters left of YBTM(*wipes tears*) . So stay fucking tuned for the upcoming chapters because you guys are so not ready for what's about to come!

Love you loads,

Bosedisha