XXXI. Erupt

"You didn't listen to me when I tried to explain, I know I did a mistake by hiding it, atleast give me a chance to prove my love to you."

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I didn't know the feeling when you drown till now. I heard that when you are immersed in water, the struggling will make it hard, as we use all our energy trying to stay above the water, we get our energy drained and fall deep into depths of water. The water enters our body painfully stopping each organic functionality. We can feel the life draining out of us. It was the same feeling my heart feels, and it was drowning deep into the water, I hit the rock bottom and the pain made me miserable.

My head was throbbing but the pain in my heart dominated it. I was still in the same position. I didn't know how long I stayed like that on the ground staring at the gate and still wishing that Abhi might come back and pull me up from the water to save me from the pain. I waited there in that position, for him to hear me and come back to me. This pain is worst, I didn't feel this when my parents died nor when I ran with my little feet to save my life.

I slowly tried to get up, my legs didn't support me causing me to fall back on the ground with a gasp. I can feel the pain in my knees from the impact, so I stayed on my knees. My heart was crying for me, but I couldn't force the tears in my eyes. Then I heard the thunder, followed by rain. The rain started falling heavily soaking me. The water fell on my face as I looked up into the sky. The sky thundered and the rain started heavily. It seemed like the sky was crying for me.

I bent my head low, letting the rain do all the crying. The blood from my forehead fell along with rain cleaning the wound. I thought that my mom and dad were making the rainfall telling me that they are with me. At that moment, that was enough for me. The reassurance that everything will be fine.

I slowly got up from my place when the rain subsided. I took small yet painful steps into our house or which was our house. I approached the door and the people inside stopped speaking when they heard me enter the room.

"Avni." Someone tried to approach me but I didn't want to meet anyone and I don't care who called me. I walked straight ignoring others. I slumped down on the couch.

"Avni, you are bleeding. Meera go and get some first-aid." I wanted to protest and tell them that I deserve the pain. In comparison to Abhi's pain, mine seemed small. But I didn't even have the energy to protest, I wanted to be left alone.

Someone sat beside me and held my hand. I didn't want anyone to touch me nor did I wish to open my mouth, so I kept silent looking at the door, waiting for him to come back.

Someone came and stood in front of me blocking my view. I looked up at the intruder and found Meera ma looking at me with tears in her eyes. I looked down at my hand when I felt a squeeze to it. I looked at the person holding my hand it was papa. He was looking at me with pity in his eyes. I didn't want to see pity, I am strong and can definitely handle myself. I jerked my hand away from him he looked shocked by my action but didn't say a word.

I felt a dab and sting on my forehead, I looked up with a blank face not showing the pain I felt. I moved my head away when they tried to treat the wound.

"Avni let me clean the wound." I heard someone trying to convince me.

"No need." Hoarse words left my mouth. They stopped treating the wound hearing my words.

"Avni, please don't stop. We need to treat that wound before it gets infected." Papa informed me. I shook my head trying to remember that he is not my father. He is just my father-in-law, I recited it like a mantra in my head.

When they tried to treat my wound, I exploded. Like a volcano waiting for years patiently tolerating all the insults thrown towards her for carrying hot lava. My patience ran thin like the volcano. But me being a human was unable to release all the lava from me onto the members I thought of as my family. So I uttered some simple words, which I knew will hurt them.

"Leave the house before my husband comes." By saying that, I made them remember the last words Abhi spoke.

"Then, you must come along with us." I slowly moved my head when I heard that words. I looked straight at Damini Goenka.

"He said that you guys mustn't be here. But if you forgot, this is my house along with him." This was the first time I gave her a rash reply. I was done with her not treating me right.

Damini was about to open her mouth when her husband glared and shushed her. "No need, uncle. Let your wife speak. I wish to know what runs in her brain." I stopped him and turned towards the woman who passionately hated me after learning my identity.

"I have a list of things to tell you." She started but was stopped once again.

"Damini, it is not time to discuss these things. She is hurt, stop speaking non-sense and be sensible for once." Ma pleaded with her. I am running out of patience and I may explode soon if they don't stop coming in between.

"Oh, she is a grown-up, not a child needing your assistance." Damini resolved the problem for me and addressed me.

"You daughter of Arjun and Meera Rajput is an unsuccessful, ungrateful, liar, useless, cheating manipulative and lying person. You took Diya from Abhi's life. You are the reason for your parents' demise, and you wanted to snatch away other people's happiness -" I stopped listening to her, after the last thing she accused me of.

She referred to me as many things but I was shocked when she accused me of my parents' death. How come I was the reason for it. Abhi told me that I was strong. I didn't cause my parents' accident. I didn't do anything. I repeated the same thing in my mind but another voice in my head started blaming and mocking me.

"You know, you were the reason they died. If you didn't ask them to come early maybe they would be alive." The voice inside my head replied.

"No, I didn't cause it." I firmly tried to shut my inner self.

"No, Avni. You are a murderer. A murderer."

"Stop." I tried to stop the inner voice but it didn't happen.

"Murderer!" I placed my hands over my ears trying to stop that voice but that voice became loud stopping my rational thoughts.

"Stop! I am not a murderer. I didn't kill my parents." I shouted out aloud making others surprised. My focus was on trying to control the rage inside me by taking deep breaths.

"Avni, are you okay?" Someone tried to approach me and I unleashed the wrath in me.

"Do I look like I am okay? Are you people blind? Because of your mistakes, my husband left me alone lying on the ground. And yet you guys ask me if I was okay!" They looked stunned to see me explode. No one dared to say a word later. Even Damini stopped her rant and stared at me as if I had two heads, I would have laughed at her expression if my mood was good. I was on roll and erupted like lava from the volcano, suppressed for many years.

I addressed Damini. "You called me many names, but do you have any proofs to prove that I did things you accused me of? As for hiding my name and identity, I didn't tell my full name and didn't hide my identity from Abhi. It is not a lie, if we have any problems we will discuss as a married couple, you need not to interfere." I said in a sweet voice. I took menacing steps towards her and spoke in a low voice.

"And if I hear you accusing me of my parents' murder, then I will show you what this girl can do. Keep it in your mind while you speak about me." I whispered these words in her eyes so that others can't hear our words. I felt satisfied when I saw Damini's eyes widen in shock and terror.

When I was satisfied with the reaction, I got. I choose my next target it was Vinay.

"My dear uncle. You fooled others and me. You made us believe how much you loved your brother's children, in the end, it changed to money. How sweet!" I cooed. He looked shocked at my tone and my face hardened immediately.

"And yet here you stand with your head held high as if you didn't commit a crime. How low can you get? You kidnapped a girl, lied, and cheated. What's there left for you to do? Only a murder! Or have you committed the murder." He gave me a blank face with zero emotion in his eyes.

I approached him with confidential strides. "It is considered as a murder, even if you didn't commit it but were a witness for it." I took some steps back standing in front of him when his eyes widened in disbelief. I felt smug for getting the answer to my question.

"As my husband requested, I ask you both to leave my house immediately," I stated in a blank voice.

Vinay started leaving the house after hearing my words. "Why should we follow your orders?" The most annoying person in the world asked me increasing my annoyance.

"Dear aunt, I own this house along with Abhi," I stated plainly as if it was a silly question to ask.

"But you guys are not together and he even ordered you to not be at the house when he comes back." Pure confusion was etched on her face when I started laughing.

"It was the funniest thing I ever heard. You see this thing around my neck. It ties my soul with his soul, but if you don't believe in these things I can tell you that I am still his wife and we didn't file a divorce and it will never happen. Now you can relax, I and Abhi will get back together." I promised her showing the mangalsutra around my neck

"Damini!" Vinay warned his wife when she opened her mouth. With a glare in my direction, she left scoffing at me.

"Avni, you didn't commit any mistake. You are always right." Someone informed me as I tried to calm. But today everyone was dead on getting me fired up. I looked at the man whom I considered as my father. "I don't know how you can do this to me." He stopped trying to calm me once he heard the words. He knew where I was getting at, it didn't stop me from expressing my worries.

"You knew that the thing which will break me is losing the ones I love. Yet, you played the game with me. How can you do this to me?" I shouted the last sentence with tears welled in my eyes.

"Avni, I agree I made a mistake but I did it with good intention. I wanted to keep you safe and I knew my son would keep you alive and happy. I don't want to lose you, you are a daughter to me and the only living reminder of my best friend." He said with tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I know you have no ill thoughts. But you made the relation between me and Abhi start with a lie. He believes that I was the reason you lied, and he believes that I did those things with Vinay uncle. How am I going to explain everything to him when he doesn't even see my face? How can I live without him?"

"I know what I did was wrong. But I didn't think that my own brother will betray me. I am sorry Avni for spoiling your life." He begged.

"I will never be angry with you. It may take some time to forgive you. But I always forgive you. Just give me some time." I replied not looking at him.

"Ok, take care dear." Meera ma said and they left me alone with my miseries.

I stayed rooted on the sofa waiting for a person to arrive. I was filled with many feelings, and I don't know what feeling I should express or feel anymore.

"Woah, the badass Avni Rajput." I heard the person who destroyed me complimented me.

I got an artificial yet believable smile on my face. "Oh, it's not Rajput anymore sweety. My name is Mrs. Abhi Goenka." With a sweet smile on my face, I can see that her smile fell seeing me.

"Don't be so confident and mighty. Didn't you hear what he told you while he left or did you forget about it acting like a brave little girl?" She mocked me.

Did she just mock me? Well, she was asking for my reaction then she may get it.

"Oh someone started spying on others." I stood up and approached her. "You are living as a guest in my house, I will respect you as one but don't you dare cross the limits otherwise I will put you in your place."

She huffed my face. "Oh don't be so high of yourself. You will be out of this house in no time and I will live with your husband in this house marrying him."

She finally revealed what she wants, I rubbed my hands getting interested in where the conversation was leading. "Oh, your brain even considers us as wife and husband. And as I said we can solve our problems and you as our guest go to your room and rest." Seema turned around and started climbing the steps. I sighed feeling a headache form in my head, I started to feel a little dizzy also.

"Oh and by the way, don't be sure of yourself. He still lives in the house where we spent our time together. In less than a week, I will have you out of the house and I will take your place." With that, she went upstairs leaving me with my thoughts alone.

I stared at my surroundings feeling the inner walls crowding me. I left the house and stood far away from the house into the garden.

My mind was thinking about the things she told me. The information she gave was ringing in my head, even though my heart was telling me not to believe her. I was tired today, mentally drained.

I felt some touch on my shoulder. I slowly turned around and found my friend looking at me with worry in her eyes.

"Avni. It's going to be okay. We are going to get through this. You are stronger." She said with my head in her hold and determination in her eyes. And that broke me.

I hugged her and cried my heart out. The things I got to know in the morning, Abhi leaving without listening to me, papa lying about his health for my safety, and having Seema in the house that I used to consider as mine. All things came back to me in force and finding a comforting shoulder, l let the pain out of my heart.

"Shh, I am here with you. I will never leave you." Knowing that she will stay with me.

"H-he l-left me. He d-didn't even l-listen to me. He left me." I hiccupped. Akky patted my back trying to calm me.

"Shhh, it's ok. It will be fine." Akky calmed me.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, she didn't protest or made a move and I got comfortable in her embrace.

I slowly tried to move out of her embrace when I calmed down. She untangled herself from me and stood in front of me.

"Let's go inside. I will bandage your wound then we will talk." She urged me to get inside the house. I hesitated to go inside but having nowhere to go I followed her inside.

"Sit here, I will get the first-aid," Akky said instructing me to sit in the living room but I shook my head.

"Let's go to my room, I don't want to sit here." I offered no further explanation and she didn't press me further details.

Once in the room, she dressed my wound in silence. I didn't know how she found me but I know that she knew about today's incidents. After her work on me was done, she sat beside me on the bed and started speaking.

"I know what happened today. I will never support my brother for what he did, he should have known better rather than listening to that witch. After seeing him sad, yesterday I thought everything will be alright." I was grateful to have her support me, but I didn't want to speak about the things Abhi told me.

"Forget it, I will see what I have to do with him. I want Seema to inform me about the mastermind behind this plan." Akky looked determined.

"Yes, I want to prove my uncle's innocence." I nodded my head, forming a plan in my head.

"Tell me what to do." And I told her about the plan.

Hello everyone,

Delayed friendship day wishes from me❤.

I got many friends here on wattpad  and wish that our friendship stays stonger. 🤝

Now, how do you like the chapter?

What is Avni upto? Got any ideas?

And I would like to inform that there will not be a leap. I know many members wanted it.

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