Chapter 117: chapter 117

THE SILENT LOVE ...Chapter 116 :The three girls stood frozen in disbelief as the voice reverberated through the room. Swetha's breath caught in her throat as she recognized its source.  Her muscles tensed for revealing the encounter between her and Lalitha in his presence. She slowly whirled back and looked at Sreekar whose gaze was locked on her with unwavering intensity.In a split second, Sreekar closed the distance between them, firmly grabbed her shoulder, looking deeply into her eyes, he demanded,“Who dared to threaten you? Who has the audacity to raise their hand on you? Tell me?”His voice sliced through the air, chilling her to the bone with his icy tone.Rasi and Samyuktha rendered speechless, stared at them dumbfounded , whereas Meenakshi who came to the living room after hearing the commotion , gaped at them in astonishment.Swetha trembled under the weight of Sreekar's intense stare, her heart pounding in her chest like a drumbeat of apprehension. A lump formed in her throat, making it difficult to speak as she struggled with the gravity of his inquiry. Her heart palpitated anticipating his next move with a mix of fear and uncertainty.“Yo ...! You ar hurting me”, whispered Swetha, her voice hardly audible to Sreekar, while she attempted to retreat her shoulder from his firm grip.Taking note of the pitiful expression spread across Swetha's face, her eyes reflecting a mix of pain and fear, Sreekar finally regained his composure. With a sense of remorse washing over him, he gently released his grip on her shoulder. Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths, seeking to calm the storm of emotions within him.Slowly reopening his eyes, Sreekar approached Swetha with a sense of gentleness. Cupping her face in his hands, he looked at her with a mixture of calmness and tenderness, silently conveying his regret for his earlier intensity.“Sweetheart! I apologize for losing my temper. You are such a precious and delicate doll to me and I simply can't stand anyone causing you harm. Please, tell me, who threatened you?” Sreekar inquired, his voice filled with gentle tenderness.Swetha's heart swelled with delight at his gentleness, and she couldn't help but blush at his sweet words in front of others. Shyly, she lowered her head to conceal the pinkness spreading across her cheeks. Sreekar was amused to see her blush at such a simple gesture, and his heart yearned to protect that innocent soul forever.He slowly lifted her  face, looked deeply into her eyes and repeated his question,“Princess! Won’t you tell me what happened?”.Swetha couldn’t resist his gentleness and replied,“Lali ...! Lalitha”.“Lalitha! When did she meet you?”, queried Sreekar while furrowing his  eyebrows.“On Gautham’s marriage, after you left me near ...”,halted in her words, reminiscing  the little intimacy they shared on that day.Noticing the pink shade spreading across her cheeks once again, Sreekar couldn't help but recall their intimacy and his heart yearned to kiss her once more. However, he gathered his thoughts, realizing it was not the right time and focused on gathering more details instead.“Sweetheart! Tell me the details? What did she  tell you?”, queried Sreekar.Swetha explained the situation she encountered with Lalitha without leaving a single word  uttered by her. Sreekar’s eyes turned so fiery that if Lalitha would be in front of  him, she would have  turned into ashes.Sreekar jolted back to present when he felt Swetha's hands on his and glanced at  her who was looking at her with worried expression.“It happened long back. Please don’t do anything irrationally”, pleaded Swetha.Meenakshi, Rasi and Samyuktha looked at her with widened eyes, astonished that she had hidden such a truth from them. Sreekanth, initially shocked to see Sreekar yelling at her to tell the truth, was later dumbfounded to witness him treating her as a precious and delicate doll, belonging only to him. His astonishment only grew upon hearing Lalitha's true nature.Finally, Sreekanth realized that Sreekar and Swetha were not strangers, but could give up   their lives for one another if the circumstances demanded. He couldn't fathom why Sreekar had accepted to marry Lalitha when they both were deeply in love with each other.Upon hearing Swetha's words, Sreekar stared at her for a moment before replying in a tender voice,“You don't need to worry about that person who tried to mess with someone very significant to me. She made a wrong move and she deserves to learn a lesson”,Though his voice carried gentleness, his words revealed an unwavering determination to punish anyone who dared to cross him.Sreekanth surged   towards them, pulled Swetha from Sreekar’s hands, crossed his hand across her shoulder and glared at Sreekar.“What the hell are you doing? Do  you  know how innocent and precious she is? Though you are my brother, when it involves Swetha, I will stand by her side only. What right do you have to be so intimate with her? Did you forget she is very precious for me?”,yelled Sreekanth, his words declaring his protectiveness towards Swetha.He later turned towards  Swetha and rebuked,“What’s wrong with you? Didn’t you share dreams about finding your charming prince? Do you know his reality? He is not a prince charming for you! He was once a playboy oblivious to the uncountable women in his life? Do you want to be with him? How could you fall  for his insignificant charms?”.Though Sreekanth acknowledged their love, his protectiveness over Swetha, prevented him from accepting their relationship being acquainted with his brother’s playboy tendencies. She is an innocent and elegant treasure , deserving of utmost protection and affection. However, his love for Sreekar knows no bounds, yet struggles to consider their relationship with the thought of him causing any harm to her.Upon hearing Sreekanth’s words, Sreekar was overcome with  waves of overwhelming emotions. A  terrible expression spread across his face, his complexion paling,  his eyes widened like saucers in terror. He was petrified for her reaction after learning the truth about him.“Bro ...! Brother! What are you saying? Don’t stir up a storm in between us”, exclaimed Sreekar while gritting his teeth in frustration as he pleaded with his brother.All the remaining people were glancing at them as if they were watching a live show enjoying the brothers bickering.“Brother in law! Please don’t speak ill of him. Being his brother, you should support him. I am well aware of his past and even understand his present. Despite his troubled past, I believe he possessed a pure heart and harbored no intention of harming me”,Swetha responded, her words echoing her unwavering faith in Sreekar.Sreekar found himself elated by her unwavering trust in him and he became increasingly immersed in her love. He rejoiced at her faith and harbored a desire to sweep her away, to a new territory where they could both be safe and happy together.He approached her, took her hand in his and thanked,“Princess! Thank you very much for keeping faith  in me”.Before Swetha or Sreekanth reacted to his  statement, Rasi’s voice attained their attention.“Brother! I remember something”,yelled Rasi.Everyone turned towards Rasi,waiting to  hear for her further explanation.“Brother! I have seen Lalitha along with Rana at the college”, informed Rasi, while looking distant remembering that event.Sreekar dangerously narrowed his eyebrows, held Rasi’s shoulder and queried,“When did you see them? Do you remember the day?”.“Brother! It was the next day when you  made Swetha hit Rana with her Sandal. That afternoon that tormenting incident happened”, explained Rasi.Everyone stood still in their places trying to connect the dots. Sreekar stood frozen in his place  while a  huge storm was rising in his heart. He is not a kid not to notice that Lalitha is backing Rana  after perceiving Lalitha’s warning to Swetha. He immediately took out his mobile and dialed a number. Once the person on the other end  answered the call, Sreekar spoke in his deep and  cold voice.“where are you?”.After hearing the response from the other end, he disconnected the  call, shoved his mobile in his pocket and looked at Swetha for a moment. His face was reflecting his  inner storm and his eyes were looking fiery with his  tightened jaws. Later he whirled  back and strolled towards the  door taking long steps.Sreekanh was dumbfounded with his  sudden action and rushed behind him after observing his menasing form, realizing that something was wrong.As Sreekanth reached the car, he found Sreekar already preparing to depart. Without hesitation, Sreekanth swiftly slipped into the passenger seat, ready to accompany him to their destination. Despite his best efforts to engage Sreekar in conversation and ease the tension, his attempts fell in vain. Sreekar remained focused on the road ahead, his eyes reflecting simmering anger, while his clenched jaws revealed the immense effort to restrain himself. His hands, tightly gripping the steering wheel, betrayed the intensity of his emotions, as if he were struggling to contain a storm within.Sreekar brought his car to a halt in front of their house and with urgency, he stormed out, swiftly making his way into the living room with Sreekanth trailing behind. As they entered, Sreekar's eyes fell upon Pratap's family, accompanied by his own parents. Without wasting a moment, he roared, his voice a low, menacing growl as he called out Lalitha's name.“L A L I T H A ...!”.Everyone’s attention drawn towards Sreekar who was looking very furious and rose to their feets. Without wasting a single second, Sreekar surged towards Lalitha, glanced at her with a cold icy look passing chills to Lalitha's body and enquired.“Have you collaborated with Rana to tarnish Swetha?” directly  queried Sreekar without beating around the bush.Lalitha gaped at him in astonishment with his sudden enquiry and froze in her place feeling terrible in her heart for getting caught by him. After a moment, she managed to regain her composure and decided to feign ignorance about his question, pretending as if she didn't understand or know what he was talking about.“Which Rana? What collaboration? What are you asking about, Sree?” queried Lalitha reflecting the innocence in her voice and expression.Sreekar’s eyes penetrated into her, with a cold and dangerous tone, he demanded for  the answer,“Why did you threaten Swetha? You have the audacity to hurt her? Didn’t you think of facing me once I came across the incident?”.Though Lalitha’s heart was palpitating by witnessing his menacing demeanor, on surface, she pretended to be strong and retaliated against him.“Sree! Are you out of your mind? What the hell are you asking me? I never know anyone by name Rana and I am unaware of the encounter you are referring to with Swetha”, answered Lalitha.Sreekar's frustration grew as Lalitha continued to deny any involvement or knowledge of the situation. Losing his composure, his temper escalated beyond control, surpassing his usual bounds of restraint.Unable to control his temper, Sreekar firmly grabbed her shoulder, giving a deadly look, he threatened,“What is your relation with Rana? What made you want to meet him at the college?”.“Sree...!”.Despite the reactions of those around him, who were shocked by his behavior towards Lalitha, Sreekar remained unmoved and resolute. He stood his ground, seemingly unaffected by the outcry around him,determined to know the truth.“Lalitha! Tell me the truth before you face my wrath. You can imagine what could be the consequences if you deny the fact. Are you backing Rana?”, pressing each and every word, Sreekar passes on the questions once again, making her shudder under his menacing looks.Bhuvaneswari Devi stepped forward and intervened in their conversation,Sree! You shouldn’t behave in this way with your soon to be wife”.Ignoring his mother’s protest, Sreekar squeezed Lalitha’s shoulder applying some more force and glared at her threatening her to spill the truth. Lalitha was terrified with his fury and recollected the earlier situations when the people experienced his wrath for provoking him. She shuddered under his menacing stature and slowly opened her mouth to tell the truth.“Sree! It’s true that I spoke to Rana but I didn’t suggest anything to him. It’s his own plan of taking his revenge. I didn’t do anything”, replied Lalitha trying to retreat her shoulder from his firm grip while her eyes turned glossy due to the immense pain.Sreekar found himself overwhelmed with fury, his emotions uncontainable. In a moment of intense anguish, he lashed out with a forceful slap, his hand connecting with her cheek. This action emanate from the deep pain of seeing Swetha driven to such despair that she contemplated taking her own life.“Despite being aware of my feelings for Swetha, you tried to harm her. Why? Are you so desperate to have me that you stooped so low to harm her? Being aware of my affair with her, you still wished to marry me? It’s utterly disgusting?”, ridiculed Sreekar, his words spouting venom, traced with contempt and misbelief.Sreekar's gaze shifted towards his mother, his disappointment palpable as he pointed accusingly at Lalitha,“Are you involved with her?”, he questioned, his voice tinged with a mixture of hurt and betrayal,“Is she more important to you than my happiness, Mom?”Each word carried the weight of his anguish, a son struggling to comprehend his mother's possible betrayal.After a long silence, Raghavendar approached Bhuvaneswari Devi, pointing his finger towards Sreekar and queried,“Bhuvana! What he was saying was true?” His single question pierced the air like an arrow shot from a bow,  startling Bhuvaneswari Devi demanding an answer.Bhuvaneswari Devi found herself trapped in a complicated situation between his son and husband, unable to answer them, after planning behind them colluded with lalitha. After a long silence, she opened her mouth to explain the situation.“I knew Lalitha’s intentions of keeping Swetha far from you but I am really not aware of the incidents that happened in this process”, answered Bhuvaneswari Devi.Sreekar staggered back, the weight of his mother's betrayal hitting him like a physical blow. Emotions churned within him, a turbulent mix of anguish, hurt, and profound disappointment. The realization that his own mother had schemed behind his back left him feeling utterly disheartened, questioning the trust upon which their relationship had once stood.