Remorse and Regrets

Chapter 16

The sound of the heavy blows to the punching bag reverberated around the room.

He has been going at it for more than a couple of hours. As usual without gloves.

He wanted to feel the pain ...
He needed to feel the pain ...

"Please believe me...."

" Dhruvah....I didn't mean to ....."

"I can never betray my Ansh...you know that....don't you,Bhaiyu?"

" I thought I was protecting my best friend....."

The lines of past and present blurred for him. The voices of Nandhini's cry and Sadhavi's pleading was creating a turmoil in his heart.

"Aaahhhhhh..."

With the last blow ,the bag finally gave up.

Dhru sat down with a thud. His gaze on the falling sand.

Just like the sand, he felt the life is also slowly slipping away from him.

The last half a decade began to roll in front of him like a reel of film.

His inability to protect his brother's love had made him lash out at his love. Instead of blaming the weakness in him , he blamed her.

It is not like he was not aware of her pain. He sure was. Every time he hurt her, it used to slice him 1000 times more but he welcomed that pain.

In his own sadistic way, he was punishing himself by punishing her.

There had been many times in the past when he wanted to relent.

The craving in her eyes had time and time again brought him to his knees but then he hardens his heart thinking about Chotu.

"You Lied?"

Sadhavi flinched at the venom in his voice

" Dhruvah... I didn't know.."

But before she could complete, he held her by the shoulders.

In his anger he didn't realise that he was hurting her in the process.

Gulping down the pain, Sadhavi looked at him painfully but his angry eyes were not able to see the innocence behind her eyes.

" You destroyed our family, Sadhavi.... You failed the person whom you claim to be your best friend...You betrayed my trust in you...."

Sadhavi's eyes overflowed with tears not from the physical pain but from the pain the harsh words had inflicted on her heart.

" Trust me.... I didn't mean to....if I had known..."

She was shattering from within. On one side anguish for her friend and on the side the guilt that unknowingly she became the reason for it.

She so desperately needed someone to hold her but in one blow she lost the two most important persons of her life and she has no one else to blame other than herself.

The lover in him was not able to see his love so broken and wanted to take her in his embrace...to comfort her but the brother in him refused to bow down.

Though her tears were wrecking his soul, he also was not able to forget the wailing of Nandhini.

He still remember the desolate look in her eyes hearing Sadhavi. It further incensed his pain which took the form of rage.