The doctor's words echoed in Abhir's mind as he gripped the medical report tightly.
"Manish ji is stable now, but his BP shot up due to stress. This is dangerous, given his history of three heart attacks. You need to take care of him."
Abhir hadn't known that. He had no idea Manish had already suffered so much physically. His fingers curled around the edge of the report as he glanced one last time at the unconscious figure lying on the hospital bed.
His heart twisted, but he pushed the emotion away. Shoving the report into his pocket, he walked out.
As soon as he stepped into the waiting area, he was met with a heart-wrenching sight-Swarna was clinging to Abhira and Ruhi, crying uncontrollably.
His sisters, who had just arrived, looked at him with concern the moment they saw him.
"How did this happen, Bhai?" Abhira asked, worry evident in her voice.
Abhir inhaled sharply, forcing himself to maintain his composure. "The doctor said he's stable now. His BP shot up due to stress. That's all." His voice was flat, detached.
Ruhi frowned, her worry deepening. "Stress? What was he so stressed about?"
"What else, except him?" she said, her voice carrying both exhaustion and blame.
"Since the day he found out Abhir is alive, he has been drowning in guilt. He silently prayed, wished, hoped that one day Abhir would forgive him, that he would come back to us... But today-" She looked away, her voice faltering.
"Today, it broke him."
She recounted the events at the restaurant, how they had seen Abhir, how Manish had tried to reach out to him, how Abhir had lashed out in response.
Abhir clenched his fists, closing his eyes as a fresh wave of anger surged through him.
They all blamed him.
As if he was supposed to simply forget everything.
As if he was the one being unreasonable.
When he opened his eyes, he met Abhira's furious gaze.
"How could you hurt him like that bhai?" she demanded.
From a distance, Charu watched, her heart twisting at the sight of him standing alone amidst his family.
She knew this wasn't just anger. It was years of unresolved pain, of wounds that had never healed.
Before Abhir could respond, Ruhi stepped forward, grabbing his collar in frustration. "Do you even realize how fragile B nanu already is?" she cried.
But as soon as her eyes met his, as soon as she saw the pain he was trying so hard to mask, her anger melted.
She let go of his collar and instead threw her arms around him. "Enough, Abhir... Please. It's been years. It's time to let go. We promised each other, didn't we? That we'd move forward?"
Abhir stood rigid in her embrace, then pushed her away slightly.
"It's not that easy, Ruhi," he said, his voice cold.
"You had B nanu. Abhira had Mumma. But me? I had no one." His voice rose, trembling with emotion.
"I grew up like an orphan despite having a family. I had to fend for myself, to live with the truth that the people who should have protected me chose to abandon me instead. And the one responsible for all of it-how do you expect me to just forgive him? To act like nothing happened?"
Ruhi gasped, her eyes widening in shock at his outburst.
Abhira stepped forward, reaching out to him. "Bhai-"
He swatted her hand away.
"That's why I never wanted to come back here!" he spat, his voice shaking with emotion.
"I only stayed in this city for the two of you. But now, I realize that was the biggest mistake of my life. I was better off alone. I am better off alone."
His words cut through them like a blade.
Ruhi stared at him in disbelief. "Billa boy..." she whispered, her voice breaking.
"Bhai..." Abhira's voice was thick with pain.
Just then, Swarna, who had been quietly watching, stepped forward, wiping her tears. She took out a photograph and placed it in his hands.
"If you truly want to erase us from your life, then do it completely," she said, her voice trembling with emotion.
Abhir glanced down. It was an old family photo-him as a child, standing between his mother Akshara and Abhinav, with Manish and Swarna beside them. His childhood, frozen in time.
"Tear it apart," Swarna said, her voice filled with quiet rage. "If you truly want to cut all ties with us, then tear this photo."
Abhir's fingers trembled as he gripped the edge of the picture. He tried to rip it, tried to force himself to let go of everything, to sever the last thread of attachment.
But he couldn't.
His hands shook violently, and then, as if all his strength left him at once, he hugged the photo to his chest and sank to the ground, tears spilling from his eyes.
The pain he had buried for years crashed over him like a tidal wave.
Ruhi and Abhira immediately fell to their knees beside him, hugging him as they wept together.
From a distance, Charu watched, her fingers digging into the wall beside her.
Swarna knelt beside him, placing a gentle hand on his head. "No matter how much you try to deny it, no matter how bitter your words are, today proved that you still care, Abhir. You wouldn't have been so concerned for Manish ji today if you didn't."
Abhir sniffled, his grip on the photograph tightening.
"Give us a chance, beta," Swarna whispered.
"I know Manish ji made a mistake. But do you think he knew it would turn out like this? He pushed Akshu away because of the situation the family was in because he wanted her and Abhimanyu to be together, to raise you as a family. He never imagined it would lead to so much pain."
Abhir remained silent.
Abhira and Ruhi, still holding onto him, echoed the same plea.
"Please, bhai..." Abhira whispered. "Just one chance let him in."
Ruhi tightened her grip on his arm. "For our Mummas, Billa boy. Please."
Abhir closed his eyes, his chest heaving.
The weight of the past was suffocating, but for the first time in years, he felt something else, too.
A flicker of something he had long buried-something dangerously close to hope.
The doctor interrupted them "You can meet Mr. Manish now. He's awake, but weak. Keep the visit short and avoid stressing him further."
Ruhi and Swarna didn't wait for another second; they rushed inside, their hearts pounding with relief and worry.
Abhira turned to Abhir, studying him closely. There was hesitation in his eyes-conflict warring within him.
She took a deep breath before asking, "Bhai, do you want to come in?"
Abhir remained silent for a moment, his fingers still curled tightly around the photograph. Then, slowly, he nodded.
A proud smile spread across Abhira's face. She knew how hard this was for him. But he was trying. He was taking the first step.
Without saying anything more, she gently took his hand and led him towards the room.
As Abhir stepped inside the hospital room, he felt an unfamiliar tightness in his chest. Manish lay on the bed, looking frail yet hopeful. The moment his eyes landed on Abhir, they filled with tears.
"Abhi..." Manish whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. "Tu aaya..."
Ruhi and Swarna stepped aside, giving them space.
Manish struggled to sit up, but Abhir quickly stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "Aap rest kijiye." His voice was calm but distant.
Manish's lips quivered as he reached for Abhir's hand. "Mujhe maaf karde beta... Bohot badi galti ho gayi mujhse... main tujhe pehchaan nahi paya, tujhe apnane ki koshish nahi ki..." His voice cracked, and tears rolled down his cheeks. "Mere paas wapas aa ja beta... Mere paas... Please. Kam se kam marne se pehle kuch waqt tere saath rehna chahta hoon."
Abhir clenched his jaw, his heart waging a war against his pain. He wanted to lash out, to tell Manish exactly how those years of abandonment had shaped his life. But he saw the raw vulnerability in the old man's eyes-the same man who had once held him as a child.
Taking a deep breath, he kept a stone on his heart and nodded.
Manish sobbed in relief, holding onto Abhir's hand as if afraid he would disappear again.
Abhir, however, gently pulled his hand away. "Aap filhaal sirf apni health ka dhyan dijiye. Stress mat lijiye." His tone was firm, refusing to let emotions take over. "Sab baatein baad mein."
Manish's tired face stretched into a relieved smile, his grip on Abhir's hand tightening for a moment before he let it go.
Swarna watched the exchange with a hopeful smile, while Ruhi squeezed Abhira's hand, their eyes reflecting the same silent thought-Abhir had taken the first step.
But Abhir felt suffocated. The weight of everything-the past, the expectations, the emotions-became too much.
He took a step back, then another. " Main aata hoon" he muttered. Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and walked out, the overwhelming emotions clawing at his chest.
Charu, who had been silently observing from the hallway, saw him leave in a hurry. Without a second thought, she followed him.
As she stepped into the dimly lit hospital corridor, she spotted him standing near a window, his back to her, staring blankly outside.
His breathing was heavy, his shoulders tense, his entire body rigid as if he was fighting something within himself.
Charu placed a hesitant hand on Abhirâs arm. "Abhirâ¦?"
He didnât move.
He didnât even blink.
Charu saw the way his shoulders heaved, the way his chest rose and fell as if he was struggling to breathe.
His fingers twitchedâhis body was trembling.
"Abhir" she called again, softer this time.
"Are you fine?" she whispered.
It was such a simple question, yet it seemed to break something inside him.
Abhir turned around abruptly, his eyes locking onto hers.
They were dark, stormy, and filled with an emotion she couldn't quite placeâpain, regret, something deeper, something heavier.
Before she could say anything else, he suddenly pulled her into a tight hug.
Charu stiffened in shock, her arms frozen at her sides.
She wasnât used to seeing this side of himâthe vulnerable, broken, utterly shaken Abhir.
He always hid behind his cocky smirks and sharp words.
His grip on her was desperate, almost as if he was holding onto her to stop himself from falling apart completely.
His face was buried in her shoulder, his breaths ragged, his body trembling slightly.
Charu swallowed, her heart pounding.
Slowly, hesitantly, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around him.