Dhriti

******

"She slept?"

Sonia nodded as she replied, softly, "She was already sleeping when I came here."

I had thought I would cook something homely for her. It was half past three in the morning, but she didn't have much to eat, was exhausted, and even got hurt. I shouldn't have let her go to sleep, but I decided to change into some comfortable clothes first, and by the time I got to her room, she had fallen asleep.

Namit, Dhruv, Arjun, and Hredhaan were with Kiaan on some mission. Not sure what exactly they had to do on the night when Kiaan should have been with Simran instead. But it seemed important, so I didn't say much to them.

I took a seat on the bed beside Simran, watching her curled position. She slept like that whenever she would get scared, angry, or upset. I noticed dried tears at the corner of her eyes, and I stroked her hair, getting worried for her.

"What happened at the yacht, Di?" Sonia asked, staring at the band-aid on Simran's forehead. She was sitting on the other side of Simran on the bed.

"Nothing, you know how alcohol is not a friend of hers. She slipped when drunk, and Kiaan decided it was better if she spent the night here instead."

That was what Kiaan had told me, and everything but that seemed like a lie now that I witnessed tear stains on her face. Thankfully, it was not visible to Sonia; otherwise, she would have gotten worried, too.

Simran looked peaceful while sleeping, but she was far from peaceful. I knew that. I had a feeling something had happened on that yacht because she was oddly quiet all the way. 

And Kiaan? 

He let us take her home when he had been nothing but overprotective of her all the time, the entire night? 

Something just didn't sit right.

Adya and Aditi stepped inside the room a few minutes later. Both of them had changed into their nightwear. Saavi perhaps had gotten to sleep as she was already yawning when we stepped into the house. Besides, she had an exhibition to attend the next morning, so she needed to get some rest.

"Dhriti, I need to talk to you." Adya looked distressed.

"What is it?"

"It's about Simran. Can we talk somewhere else?"

She shared a knowing glance with Sonia, making it obvious that Sonia knew whatever Adya wanted to talk to me about. Aditi, though, was as confused as I was. I didn't want to leave Simran alone. My heart didn't allow me to leave my baby sister like that, but something in Adya's voice screamed urgency, and I couldn't ignore that either.

Maasi and Uncle had gone to sleep, and so did Grandpa. Ishaan Bhaiya and Aahir were at a hotel. Both of them had some early meetings with someone in London, so they decided to stay closer to the place of the meeting. Ikshit was with Ishaan Bhaiya, though. He was going to take him along to the meeting as he wanted us three childhood best friends to have some alone time without any disturbance.

Aditi, Adya, and I don't meet often now, after we all got married and settled in three different countries, and I really missed my best friends. Now, finally, after such a long time, we had gotten the chance to relive our old days, share secrets, trouble each other, and have fun. But first, I needed to know what Adya wanted to talk about regarding Simran that had her looking so troubled.

All three of us walked to my room, leaving Sonia and Simran to stay in one room. When we sat on my bed, I noticed Adya's worry seemed to have grown. It wasn't easing out, making me concerned, too.

"You look really stressed. What's going on?" Aditi voiced out my thoughts and asked that to Adya.

"I have been hiding something..." Well, that was obvious. But what came next was unexpected as she added, "Actually, not me ... the entire family is hiding something from you and Simran both...and I.." She paused, as guilt sprawled on her features.

"...I feel so guilty not sharing it with you two. I didn't want to do it, I...I always found myself at a crossroads..."

Adya was never good with secrets that hurt. She had always been an honest person who respected her integrity. Whenever she would be stuck in such a quagmire, she would always rely on Aditi and me. 

Seeing her fumble like that worried both Aditi and me as we knew how strong Adya was. But at the same time, she is also the softest. While Aditi and I could be sharp at times, Adya wasn't. She looked sharper and more intimidating than us but she was just a softball inside.

"Adya, calm down..." I put my hand over her palm reassuringly.

"Yeah....we know you, and we trust you," Aditi added.

"Tell me calmly what happened," I said.

I was scared of what was coming next and how all of that was related to Simran.

"A few years ago, after your reception, when we went back to India, Simran started acting strange."

"Strange as in?" I asked as I didn't recall watching her act strange or even anyone mentioning that.

"She would be really quiet, didn't talk much, would be scared. No one gave it much thought at first, and even when anyone asked her about it, she shrugged, citing she was stressed about her dancing career, but..." Adya stopped, as if talking about it was as difficult as witnessing it.

"But what?" 

My worry was growing too. The quietness of the early morning was not making me feel fresh, but rather more terrifying for some reason.

"But she was hiding something from us. The day of Aunty's accident..." She paused when Mom's accident was mentioned. 

I felt the same pain the night I was informed about it. Even after three years, the mention of that night froze my spine and brought tears to my eyes. It was still gut-wrenching to hear about the death of the woman who wasn't my birth mother but raised me with so much love that no one could ever doubt she had adopted me.

Aditi put her hand on my shoulder, gently rubbing my arm, giving me a soft smile. I smiled back as I let my tears fall.

Adya had stopped because she was concerned for me. I gave her the same smiling look and said," Keep going..."

Smiling sadly at me, she continued,"...that day Simran had a fight with Aunty. She was devastated, helpless. I had never seen Simran like that before."

"What was the fight about?" Aditi asked. She had grown concerned, too.

Simran was not someone who got helpless. She was so resourceful and smart that she would always find a way out of even ghastly situations. That didn't sound like her.

"Simran had been having nightmares ever since she came to London to attend Dhriti's reception. They were so bad that it turned into hallucinations. She had informed Aunty about it and also expressed her wish to see a psychiatrist, but Aunty didn't let her. 

Aunty claimed that Simran was being childish. She didn't listen to her plea even once, and when Simran couldn't take it, she had such a huge outburst, which ended up in a terrible fight between her and aunty. Arvind Uncle had to meddle in to resolve their issues. Everyone was so shocked and worried."

"Nightmares? Simran never told me about this...Why would she hide it from me?"

I couldn't comprehend why Simran would do this. She was dealing with such a problem, yet she didn't confide in me. Why couldn't she trust me when she knew how much she meant to me?

"She probably didn't want to trouble you, Sammy," Aditi said with a comforting smile and soothing voice.

"She would not have told us either, but she had no choice that day," Adya added.

"Does she still have those nightmares?" 

Some hope was hidden beneath my words, the faith that she wasn't dealing with those issues anymore.

I know what happens when you are trapped mentally. One can easily fight the demons they can see, but the ones that creep out when you sleep, when you don't have control over your own body, are worse.

I had been a captive of such demons once, and now, hearing that my sister, who had stood strongly with me throughout, was dealing with the same, broke my heart.

"She said she doesn't have them anymore, but... I am not sure. I have tried asking her so many times, she always shrugged it off, and I couldn't tell you either after everything that happened..."

"What do you mean?" Aditi asked, confused.

"On the day of the fight, Uncle meddled, and things sorted out between Aunty and Simran. Uncle sent Aunty with Simran to see the psychiatrist she wanted to meet. That was the day of the accident..."

I had no clue all of that happened on the day Mom died, and no one even bothered to tell me anything about it, like I didn't matter anymore. I was still part of the family. So what if I was married now and lived in a different country?

"Uncle received a courier two days after the accident. It had a letter addressed to Uncle and some proof. I don't know what the proof was, but the letter stated Simran was not Arvind Uncle and Reena Aunty's biological daughter."

That made me feel incredulous and angry at such a stupid claim. 

Who the hell was that asshole who would send such a letter right after such a tragedy? 

My family was already dealing with Mom's loss, and then that letter... How did Dad deal with it? How did my sister deal with that?

"That's bullshit. She is their biological daughter," I said, fuming.

Adya got quiet for a moment before she shook her head as she said without faltering, "That's not true."

Her resoluteness in her claim shook me. I didn't want to believe her. I still remember little Simran and how she looked like Mom's replica. I was adopted after her birth, but there was not one thing that could prove Simran was not Mom and Dad's biological daughter.

"Adya, how could you say that? It could be a nasty move by Uncle's business rivals after Aunty's death. You know how business moguls take advantage of such vulnerable situations," Aditi countered.

"I wish it was... I really do..." Adya said desperately before adding, "Just like you guys, none of us believed the letter. Uncle, though, seemed convinced because of those proofs he never showed us. 

Ishaan got really angry and even had an argument with Uncle for trusting a letter from someone unknown. To prove Uncle wrong, he had a DNA test conducted without telling Simran."

Her eyes welled up, and her voice cracked when she said, "It didn't match... the DNA sample didn't match..."

My blood ran cold. I couldn't bring myself to believe it.

"No..." I shook my head as I firmly stated, "That's a lie. I don't believe it."

"Even I don't believe it..." Aditi said, equally shocked.

"But Adya, let's consider it's true for even a moment. How does it make a difference?" 

Aditi asked the legitimate question. Why did it matter if she was not their biological daughter? Everyone must have been shocked for a moment, but that was all, right?

"It made every difference, Ady... it made all the difference," Adya said to Aditi, and I could read between the lines now that something more had happened, something that had made a big difference, something that might have shaken the roots of my family, which I was oblivious to.

"A few days later, Uncle showed those proofs to Mom and Dad, and their behavior toward Simran changed completely. She was treated like she didn't belong there. Uncle didn't talk to her until her wedding, and neither did Mom and Dad. Sonia was specifically ordered by Mom not to talk to Simran. Ishaan and I were too... but we... we didn't listen."

"We didn't pay heed to any orders... and when Simran moved to London, I made sure Ikshit had a connection with his aunt. I used to call her, make her talk to Ikshit, but that wasn't enough. Simran was really hurt. 

She would hardly talk to Ishaan or me... Even when Ishaan cared, there was some friction... some unsaid feelings. I can't even bring myself to explain how terrible these three years have been... especially for Simran."

It felt like someone turned off the TV I had been watching a dreamy movie on and then brought me back to a dark reality I was unaware of. 

Three years? My sister had been hurt, suffering, abandoned, and I....I was not aware of it?

"Does Kiaan know about it? They have been in a relationship right? He must know it," Aditi claimed.

"Kiaan and Simran's wedding was an arranged one. They got married to save Kiaan's reputation and Arvind Uncle's image and his business. Most importantly, to save Dhriti and Saavi's reputation, which Kiaan's enemies were trying to harm."

That was another statement I didn't wish to believe. Kiaan wasn't an expressive person, but he showed the world what Simran meant to him even when he didn't need to. He had gone down on one knee to propose to Simran and had showered her with affection. This couldn't be an act.

"That can't be true. Kiaan would never pretend to love her in front of the world. He hated marriage, but he decided to get married because he loves her," I said resolutely.

"I am sure now he does love her... but the relationship part... that they have been dating for three years... I am not sure about that."

For three years, everyone around me had been deceiving me. My own people have been doing that to me. 

My sister was suffering, my best friend was tied between family and morals, and where was I? 

Having fun with her life, being clueless about everything. I wasn't there for my sister when she was one of the strongest support systems of my life, when I was surrounded by darkness.

My thoughts began swirling inside my head, trying to form conclusions of why, when, and how. I was speechless for a few moments and just sat there quietly, trying to come to terms with what Adya had just told me.

"What about the wedding day, Adya? What happened that night?" Aditi asked.

While I wished to know why suddenly everyone had gone against the wedding I wasn't ready for anymore heartbreak. But my hope was just an illusory dream.

"Uncle received another letter that day, stating Kiaan..." She paused as she gave me a sad look.

"Kiaan, what?" I asked softly.

"Kiaan killed Reena Aunty..."

"No..." I shook my head in anger. My heart was burning now. So many conspiracies, so many theories, and for what? To hurt my sister? Why? What had she done? She wasn't someone who went around hurting people, so why was she suffering?

"Even if some God says the same, I will never ever believe this. Kiaan can never do it."

I might not have grown up with Kiaan, but he was my cousin. We shared the same blood. I knew him well. My soul knew my brother could never do that.

"Ishaan, Sonia, and I don't believe it either now... not after he put so much effort just to get us here so that he could see Simran smile..." Adya reminded me about what she had told me at the reception, about how Kiaan had gone above and beyond just so he could get them there.

"Simran knows about the letter?" Aditi asked Adya.

"No," she replied.

"I still don't get one thing. Even if Simran isn't Uncle's biological daughter, how does it even matter? They took Sammy in when her parents died, raised her as their own, loved her more than anything, so how could they do that to Simran?"

"That's what has always bothered me. Uncle has been hiding something, and so have Ishaan's parents. But they haven't told us anything. I tried to find out but couldn't." Adya seemed desperate to find the truth, and that same desperation had begun growing inside me as well.

"How did you guys manage to bring Sonia to the reception? I know how strict her and Ishaan's parents are. Ishaan must have fought with them to bring you and Ikshit here, but Sonia?" Aditi asked again.

I was glad Aditi was there. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been calm enough to sit through all of that and listen to it quietly without calling Dad and asking for an explanation for his behavior. Aditi was the calming presence of our group for both Adya and me.

My head was throbbing terribly, and I knew Adya's response to Aditi's question was going to escalate the pain to another level.

"We left that place forever. We decided we will settle here... in London now. Ishaan is already setting up his business here, and that's why he has been in constant touch with your husband."

Aditi looked shocked as she mumbled, "Aahir didn't tell me..."

"Shit!... I... I am sorry. I didn't know he was keeping it a secret," Adya said, feeling guilty about it. But it wasn't her fault. How would she have known Aahir was keeping it a secret? Maybe the meeting Aahir and Ishaan Bhaiya had was the same one, and that's why they stayed at the same hotel.

"No, it's fine. Surely this was the surprise he had been mentioning," Aditi replied with a soft smile.

The room grew quiet. That quietness was bothering me. Adya was staring at her palms in her lap, feeling guilty. Aditi was staring at the beaming sun rays, trying to peek in from the open window as the sun was out now. While I just sat there thinking about everything, especially how the distance had grown us best friends apart as well.

"I thought we had a pact, that at least we wouldn't hide anything from each other," I reminded them of the pact we had made once.

Adya smiled sadly and, drowning in guilt, apologized, "I am sorry... I didn't mean to... but... I... I didn't want to disappoint anyone... especially you..."

"Yeah, right! So you decided not to tell your best friend anything," I retorted, expressing how hurt I was.

"I am sorry..." she mumbled again, her tears sliding down.

"Guys! Stop fighting..." Aditi said. This was just her tactic to calm us, and even after years, it worked.

"We aren't fighting." Both Adya and I said in unison. We then looked at each other and laughed. We all were teary-eyed as we laughed like the old days, remembering when we used to be carefree, not tied down with so many responsibilities, when we genuinely had enough time for each other.

Aditi opened her arms for both of us, and we had a group hug. Once we pulled back, I said to them calmly, "Let's not tell Simran anything now."

"Of course," Aditi reassured.

"But will we never tell her anything?" Adya asked this time.

"I will tell her everything... just... not now." 

Simran had just started her married life. I didn't want to dump problems on her and mess up her relationship with Kiaan. Moreover, I needed to be sure about whatever had happened and who had done it all before talking to Simran and Kiaan about it.

"I am excited that we will all settle here. And then our kids will become best friends," Aditi said excitedly, her hands clasped together. Adya nodded, her eyes shining with the same excitement. I couldn't help but feel just as thrilled as they were.

But I also needed to confront Dad now and become more involved in my sister's life.

******

I am sure you guys missed Kiaan, because I sure did 🥹

Hi Lovelies,

I hope you guys are doing great!! 🤗

Past ke panno ko dheere dheere palatne ka samay aa gaya hai 🥹

It's time I keep revealing the truth in bits. 🥹

What do you all think would happen in the next chapter? 🥺

Jo bhi hoga, you all aren't ready for the next update. Keep yourself prepared 🥹

Do share your views about the chapter. It would mean a lot to me.

P. S-> The next chapter will be published on Saturday. 🤯

Thanks, 

Shrishtee