They stared at Sheetal, not comprehending what she was saying. What 'secret' was she talking about, the truth of that night was out in the open. They all exchanged suspicious glances, but each bore the same astounded look. They looked back at her, for clearly she knew or believed she knew something the rest didn't.
Sheetal was silent for some time, collecting her thoughts. When she was ready she took a deep breath and began to explain the details of her vague assertion.
'Arnav the reason I say that you are not Aarav's father with so much conviction is because...because I was pregnant before I met you.' revealed Sheetal, she sneaked a peek at Arnav, to see his reaction when he heard this revelation, and as she expected he was shell-shocked. His body, that had been leaning in towards her, jerked back as he stared at her in disbelief at hearing this new truth.
Sheetal couldn't hold his gaze and so swivelled her chair away from him and the rest, not having the courage to look at them as she progressed with the real truth.
'That is why I seduced you and made sure we slept together, because I wanted you to think that you were my child's father.' Carried on Sheetal.
'Wait...what?!! You were pregnant before we met?!!' cut across Arnav's hollow voice, he had still not gotten over the shock of that to be listening to what she had said next. Sheetal turned back and merely nodded in response. 'But how is that even possible? I mean...you weren't pregnant, I would have noticed if you were.' Suggested Arnav.
'No you wouldn't have because I met you in my second month of pregnancy, so I was not showing then. I had just found out I was pregnant and was looking for a way to save myself from the doom I saw nearing me and that is when you came into my life and I decided to make you my scapegoat. I hatched a plan to seduce you, in order convince you that you had gotten me pregnant.'
'But, I seduced you.' Said Arnav, trying to hold on to the truth he knew, he had no intention of losing his equilibrium again and swarm into infinity.
Sheetal smiled, a sad smile, 'No sweetie I did, but you wouldn't remember, that bit I made sure of. I hatched a plan and put it into motion just the way you did Arnav, but only, mine succeeded, while yours' would not have if I had not been so determined to sleep with you.'
'I don't understand.' confessed Arnav.
'You see when you saved me from the goons I did my research on you, remember I asked you quite a few questions about you, that day and the other days that I met you,' Arnav nodded, 'well from them I was trying to decipher whether you were a good enough candidate to help me out of the mess I had gotten into, and I concluded you were, as you came from a wealthy background, had a good upbringing, no parents who would object to a hasty marriage, and were a smart guy who had the potential to becoming big someday, so I targeted you.'
'Wait...so you were plotting against me while I was plotting against you? Why? Why didn't you just confront the real father and marry him. Why me?' Asked Arnav, not following.
Sheetal looked up confused, as to why Arnav was asking this, then it dawned upon her, 'Oh sorry, I was always a bad story teller, never could put things in order, may be if I had been able then things would have been a lot different but never mind that right now. What was it you asked? Oh right, why I needed a scapegoat?' she snickered before she expanded on that response, 'Because it turned out that the man I had fallen for was man enough to bed me but did not have the balls to stick around when I got pregnant!' she stated bitterly. 'Thus I knew I needed to do something fast, I needed to get a father for my child and husband for myself before my parents found out because they would never accept me as an unwed mother and whilst my brother loved me he would not have the spine to stand behind me either, this character trait of his you are already familiar with. Thus I sought you out and bedded you. But as it turned out you were exacting your own revenge on me so my plan didn't exactly work, as you left as you had planned before I could trap you and I was disowned as I knew I would be, and my brother stood by and watched as I guessed he would.'
'That's not true I came and sought you out, Sheetal, I may not have been able to stop Ma and Bau ji from kicking you out but I never blamed you for what happened to you and I did come looking for you afterwards.' Defended Viraj.
'Hah!' laughed Sheetal, bitterly, 'Yeah you sought me out, after Ma and Bau ji died and I had finally gotten on my feet and required no support from you any more, financially or brotherly!' Viraj remained silent, for he could not say anything to put him in the fairer light, after this statement.
'I actually owe you a thank you for that Arnav,' continued Sheetal, 'It was your words three years after the incident that lead me to finally stop looking for the easy route and stand up on my own feet for Aarav. Your words and spite really hit me that day, that day I began thinking I could trust no man to be my saviour, for my lover had abandoned me and his child, my Dad had disowned me without even bothering to think what would happen to me, my brother just stood by and watched, and a stranger who I had hoped would be my knight in shining armour turned out to be a brute who had used me in the cruellest of ways a man could use a woman. Of course that day I did not know what your reasons had been behind your actions, when I learnt them my heart did soften somewhat towards you and besides you weren't the only one with hidden intentions that night so I couldn't really blame you, besides we would have never even slept together if you had it your way.
'Anyway so after that day I decided that I could trust no man, and not just any man but anyone really to help me, for everyone looks at an unwed mother with disgust as if she is contagious or something. Thus when I walked out of your office that day I vowed to myself that I would never turn to you or any man for help, financial or otherwise, and thank fully I have managed to maintain that promise to myself. I have raised Aarav all by myself.' She ended with a hint of pride, for managing the feat she had.
'I'm sorry for the way I made you feel in my office that day. Please believe me when I say I am disgusted with myself for the way I behaved with you. You didn't deserve to be punished for your brother's actions, I realised that way too late.' Arnav apologised, still angry at himself for having done what he had.
'One should be if they had done what you think you did Arnav. But you didn't do anything you need to be ashamed of.'
'What are you talking about?' asked Arnav, baffled.
'Arnav that night in the farmhouse, you were going to stop and leave. You couldn't go through with it. When you got into bed and we started making out, the minute it got intense you froze and jerked away from me, mumbling how this was not right and how I did not deserve it, and also that if your Di were ever to find out she would be heart-broken. And you couldn't do that to her, not after she had lost everything. You were her rock and you needed to continue to be that but this act would mean you would never be able to be that again. Thus you backed away apologising and went back to the couch, saying you would drop me off in the morning as it was too late, for if you dropped me home at that hour and someone saw than I would be humiliated and that would not be right. But I couldn't have you be noble and not touch me, for I needed you to sleep with me for my plan to work, so I put plan b in action, seeing as you were immune to my seduction I decided to lower your immune system. That is, I drugged you.'
'You what?!!' Blurted Arnav in shock.
'I drugged you. I had acquired some drugs just in case you decided to do what you did and with Bau ji being in the pharmaceutical business, it wasn't hard to bribe a young clerk to give them to me. So I put it in your drink which I gave to you to calm you down, when you were ranting away about what an indecent thing you had been about to commit, of course at that point I didn't really understand what you were talking about, I just thought you were too noble a guy to have sex with a girl before marriage and that was the indecency you were referring too, and when you left in the morning I thought that was because you were horrified at what you had done, it wasn't until we met in the office that I realised what you had actually intended to do.
'Sooo, you see Arnav you actually didn't do anything, it was me all along, I drugged you so that you would sleep with me. That is why I say you have nothing to be ashamed of for you in your consciousness did no wrong, it was only when you were under the influence that you succumbed to my demands.' Concluded Sheetal, smiling. Clearly, pleased with herself for having finally told the truth; and for having cleared Arnav's conscience, even though he still did not believe it.
'How can that be? I would remember something like that.' Asked Arnav, dazed.
'Uh no you wouldn't, I just told you I drugged you. You do know what drugs are don't you Arnav they are chemicals, generally found in powder form, that cloud your judgement and cause your brain to go fuzzy, hence your memory of the event goes fuzzy too. Therefore you remember the night, but not correctly. Gosh, you really are slow today Arnav.' Jibed Sheetal, trying to lighten the mood in the room.
Arnav remained silent. This was all too much to take in. He had stopped. He had actually stopped. His revenge had not turned him blind. And Sheetal had been pregnant? She had drugged him?!! She had never been the innocent girl he had believed her to be, but actually a very intelligent and manipulative person. Quite like him in a way, crossing most limits to get what they wanted. Most, not all. They both had their boundaries.
Khushi, too remained silent next to him. She too, unable to comprehend what had unfolded before them. She only managed to stare at her husband half in awe and half in worry, afraid of what all these revelations may amount to in him.
The only person who spoke was Viraj, 'I don't believe this!! I don't understand why you are letting this man off the hook. He deserves to be punished, he ruined you, and here you are constructing some cock-and-bull story about drugging him and taking the blame. What rubbish!! Sheetal let him writhe in the guilt he deserves!! You don't need to be afraid he won't be able to take Aarav from you, I won't let him, you don't need to hide the truth.'
'I am not lying!! I never lie!' said Sheetal in a stern voice, clearly offended by the accusation her brother was pinning on her. 'I may manipulate the truth and I may hide the truth but I never lie and you know that!! I guess I take that from Ma. Being opinionated and always saying the truth no matter how rude or painful it is or how it may destroy someone's life!' retorted Sheetal.
'Sheetal!! Control yourself. At least have some respect for the dead. Just because I have finally figured out who it was who broke our family doesn't mean you start saying rude things about Ma!! He's to blame, stop taking it out on Ma.' fired back Viraj.
'He broke our family? Arnav?!' She waved a hand towards Arnav, 'Are you seriously continuing down this train. My God bhai, you are so far from the truth that I actually pity you. You are as far from the truth of the situation today as you were that day when you left Anjali at the altar, heart-broken and alone, for a crime she was not responsible for.' Alluded Sheetal to the fateful day, as she shook her head in disappointment at her brother.
Viraj looked at her in shock, for a moment. He had not expected Sheetal to bring up Anjali Malik into all of this. She was a chapter he had closed a long time ago. A chapter he mourned every day of his life but couldn't do anything about. Gauging his emotions regarding Anjali, he murmured in what he hoped was a calm and controlled voice, 'Why are you bringing Anjali Malik into all of this? She has nothing to do with any of it, leave her and what happened out of it.'
Arnav's fist bowled again as he uttered Anjali's name from his lips. But Khushi, cupped her hand over his to keep him in check.
'Oh bhai, you are so lost that it actually amazes me how you even managed to come across Arnav, but then again even here you put two and two together only to arrive at the wrong outcome.' She shook her head in dismay at him. 'I bring Anjali Malik up, bhai, because she in fact has everything to do with this. You see my utterly ignorant brother Anjali Malik happens to be Arnav's sister.' Viraj stared at her in utter shock. Then turned to look at Arnav, where he saw her words reflecting the same truth on his face. Suddenly his eyes and expressions all mirrored the eyes and expressions of the boy who had idiolised him. The boy who still haunted him in his dreams, asking him why he had abandoned him and his sister. What was there fault in everything that had happened?
As he made the connection, Sheetal's voice seeped through, 'yes, now you see it don't you. This man who stands before you is not your offender but rather you are his villain. He did not ruin our family. You did! Both his and ours, by not standing up to Ma that day. By giving into her superficial and prejudiced opinions. You brought this infamy on us, you, Ma and Bau ji, in more ways than you will ever know.' She added the last in an under-tone.
Her words plunged the room into silence, as it absorbed what she said. Viraj continued to stand, shell-shocked as the ground beneath him trembled. This man who he had been so rude and vile to, turned out to be the person he had ruined. It was not Arnav who deserved the foul treatment but him, Viraj. Who had wronged him rather than the other way round and yet he had still remained civil throughout his obscene accusations. How was he ever to earn his forgiveness? For what he had done then and now.
It seemed as though Arnav had read this question on Viraj's face, for as soon as it came into his mind, Arnav turned his back to him: answering him that nothing would redeem him in his eyes for the pain he had given his Di.
'So..so just to be sure,' came the squeaky voice of Mr Deshmuk, who in hope to try and diffuse the situation in the room and in an attempt to finally clarify the doubt on whether Arnav was Aarav's father or not, asked, 'is Mr Raizada Aarav's father or not?' he knew he was in trouble before he finished his last word, for the room turned on him and gave him a look that Discovery Channel often showed on the faces of hungry vultures just moments before they attacked their prey: causing him to retreat in to his chair.
It was Sheetal who answered through gritted teeth, 'FOR THE LAST TIME, ARNAV SINGH RAIZADA IS NOT AARAV'S FATHER!! As much as I wish he was, he is not!!'
'Well if it isn't him than who is? Who would have access to the tests that would allow them to falsify it?' Asked Viraj, who had collected himself and was now back into questioning mode, he had turned a blind eye yet again towards his guilt and conscience. A quality he excelled at.
'You really want to know who the coward is who deserves my wrath, you want to?!!' Viraj nodded. 'Fine then I will tell you, once and for all and close this chapter of you regularly interrogating me. Its' your good for nothing, sleeze-bag of a friend, Sameer, who ruined me, NOT Arnav! Yes the same Dr. S. Rishi, who conducted this very DNA test. That is why I can say with full conviction that this test is duped. Because he being Aarav's father and having full access to the test had all the means to dupe it; and it sickens me to see to what extent he has fallen to disclaim his own son. I mean it was one thing for him to abandon me and Aarav, but to actually rig a test and give someone else the responsibility of his own actions is just...ugh...I have no words for it. It sickens me that I ever loved him, that unfortunately his blood runs through my innocent son's veins!! Egh!' she shuddered, overcome with emotion.
'That is why I say I wish Arnav was his father, for Aarav deserves someone like him, someone who cares for him not someone who will go to any extent to make sure nothing ties him to him.' Muttered Sheetal as an afterthought, hurt by Sameer's actions, yet again. When was he going to stop sending blows her way?
As her last words reverberated from the walls, the room was left in dire silence, as each person in it now reflected over what she had said.
Suddenly it wasn't about what had happened all those years ago. It wasn't about who had seduced whom or who was to blame. It wasn't even about who was Aarav's father. It was about Aarav, and what he deserved. It was about an innocent boy who had been slapped with the label of 'bas***d', a label that did not define him but was what he was known by. A child who had become the outcast of society due to no fault of his own. Who was fatherless not because he didn't have one but because the one he had was too big a coward to claim him.
'Then let me be.' Arnav's deep, collected voice broke through everyone's distressing thought's.
Sheetal was silent for some time, collecting her thoughts. When she was ready she took a deep breath and began to explain the details of her vague assertion.
'Arnav the reason I say that you are not Aarav's father with so much conviction is because...because I was pregnant before I met you.' revealed Sheetal, she sneaked a peek at Arnav, to see his reaction when he heard this revelation, and as she expected he was shell-shocked. His body, that had been leaning in towards her, jerked back as he stared at her in disbelief at hearing this new truth.
Sheetal couldn't hold his gaze and so swivelled her chair away from him and the rest, not having the courage to look at them as she progressed with the real truth.
'That is why I seduced you and made sure we slept together, because I wanted you to think that you were my child's father.' Carried on Sheetal.
'Wait...what?!! You were pregnant before we met?!!' cut across Arnav's hollow voice, he had still not gotten over the shock of that to be listening to what she had said next. Sheetal turned back and merely nodded in response. 'But how is that even possible? I mean...you weren't pregnant, I would have noticed if you were.' Suggested Arnav.
'No you wouldn't have because I met you in my second month of pregnancy, so I was not showing then. I had just found out I was pregnant and was looking for a way to save myself from the doom I saw nearing me and that is when you came into my life and I decided to make you my scapegoat. I hatched a plan to seduce you, in order convince you that you had gotten me pregnant.'
'But, I seduced you.' Said Arnav, trying to hold on to the truth he knew, he had no intention of losing his equilibrium again and swarm into infinity.
Sheetal smiled, a sad smile, 'No sweetie I did, but you wouldn't remember, that bit I made sure of. I hatched a plan and put it into motion just the way you did Arnav, but only, mine succeeded, while yours' would not have if I had not been so determined to sleep with you.'
'I don't understand.' confessed Arnav.
'You see when you saved me from the goons I did my research on you, remember I asked you quite a few questions about you, that day and the other days that I met you,' Arnav nodded, 'well from them I was trying to decipher whether you were a good enough candidate to help me out of the mess I had gotten into, and I concluded you were, as you came from a wealthy background, had a good upbringing, no parents who would object to a hasty marriage, and were a smart guy who had the potential to becoming big someday, so I targeted you.'
'Wait...so you were plotting against me while I was plotting against you? Why? Why didn't you just confront the real father and marry him. Why me?' Asked Arnav, not following.
Sheetal looked up confused, as to why Arnav was asking this, then it dawned upon her, 'Oh sorry, I was always a bad story teller, never could put things in order, may be if I had been able then things would have been a lot different but never mind that right now. What was it you asked? Oh right, why I needed a scapegoat?' she snickered before she expanded on that response, 'Because it turned out that the man I had fallen for was man enough to bed me but did not have the balls to stick around when I got pregnant!' she stated bitterly. 'Thus I knew I needed to do something fast, I needed to get a father for my child and husband for myself before my parents found out because they would never accept me as an unwed mother and whilst my brother loved me he would not have the spine to stand behind me either, this character trait of his you are already familiar with. Thus I sought you out and bedded you. But as it turned out you were exacting your own revenge on me so my plan didn't exactly work, as you left as you had planned before I could trap you and I was disowned as I knew I would be, and my brother stood by and watched as I guessed he would.'
'That's not true I came and sought you out, Sheetal, I may not have been able to stop Ma and Bau ji from kicking you out but I never blamed you for what happened to you and I did come looking for you afterwards.' Defended Viraj.
'Hah!' laughed Sheetal, bitterly, 'Yeah you sought me out, after Ma and Bau ji died and I had finally gotten on my feet and required no support from you any more, financially or brotherly!' Viraj remained silent, for he could not say anything to put him in the fairer light, after this statement.
'I actually owe you a thank you for that Arnav,' continued Sheetal, 'It was your words three years after the incident that lead me to finally stop looking for the easy route and stand up on my own feet for Aarav. Your words and spite really hit me that day, that day I began thinking I could trust no man to be my saviour, for my lover had abandoned me and his child, my Dad had disowned me without even bothering to think what would happen to me, my brother just stood by and watched, and a stranger who I had hoped would be my knight in shining armour turned out to be a brute who had used me in the cruellest of ways a man could use a woman. Of course that day I did not know what your reasons had been behind your actions, when I learnt them my heart did soften somewhat towards you and besides you weren't the only one with hidden intentions that night so I couldn't really blame you, besides we would have never even slept together if you had it your way.
'Anyway so after that day I decided that I could trust no man, and not just any man but anyone really to help me, for everyone looks at an unwed mother with disgust as if she is contagious or something. Thus when I walked out of your office that day I vowed to myself that I would never turn to you or any man for help, financial or otherwise, and thank fully I have managed to maintain that promise to myself. I have raised Aarav all by myself.' She ended with a hint of pride, for managing the feat she had.
'I'm sorry for the way I made you feel in my office that day. Please believe me when I say I am disgusted with myself for the way I behaved with you. You didn't deserve to be punished for your brother's actions, I realised that way too late.' Arnav apologised, still angry at himself for having done what he had.
'One should be if they had done what you think you did Arnav. But you didn't do anything you need to be ashamed of.'
'What are you talking about?' asked Arnav, baffled.
'Arnav that night in the farmhouse, you were going to stop and leave. You couldn't go through with it. When you got into bed and we started making out, the minute it got intense you froze and jerked away from me, mumbling how this was not right and how I did not deserve it, and also that if your Di were ever to find out she would be heart-broken. And you couldn't do that to her, not after she had lost everything. You were her rock and you needed to continue to be that but this act would mean you would never be able to be that again. Thus you backed away apologising and went back to the couch, saying you would drop me off in the morning as it was too late, for if you dropped me home at that hour and someone saw than I would be humiliated and that would not be right. But I couldn't have you be noble and not touch me, for I needed you to sleep with me for my plan to work, so I put plan b in action, seeing as you were immune to my seduction I decided to lower your immune system. That is, I drugged you.'
'You what?!!' Blurted Arnav in shock.
'I drugged you. I had acquired some drugs just in case you decided to do what you did and with Bau ji being in the pharmaceutical business, it wasn't hard to bribe a young clerk to give them to me. So I put it in your drink which I gave to you to calm you down, when you were ranting away about what an indecent thing you had been about to commit, of course at that point I didn't really understand what you were talking about, I just thought you were too noble a guy to have sex with a girl before marriage and that was the indecency you were referring too, and when you left in the morning I thought that was because you were horrified at what you had done, it wasn't until we met in the office that I realised what you had actually intended to do.
'Sooo, you see Arnav you actually didn't do anything, it was me all along, I drugged you so that you would sleep with me. That is why I say you have nothing to be ashamed of for you in your consciousness did no wrong, it was only when you were under the influence that you succumbed to my demands.' Concluded Sheetal, smiling. Clearly, pleased with herself for having finally told the truth; and for having cleared Arnav's conscience, even though he still did not believe it.
'How can that be? I would remember something like that.' Asked Arnav, dazed.
'Uh no you wouldn't, I just told you I drugged you. You do know what drugs are don't you Arnav they are chemicals, generally found in powder form, that cloud your judgement and cause your brain to go fuzzy, hence your memory of the event goes fuzzy too. Therefore you remember the night, but not correctly. Gosh, you really are slow today Arnav.' Jibed Sheetal, trying to lighten the mood in the room.
Arnav remained silent. This was all too much to take in. He had stopped. He had actually stopped. His revenge had not turned him blind. And Sheetal had been pregnant? She had drugged him?!! She had never been the innocent girl he had believed her to be, but actually a very intelligent and manipulative person. Quite like him in a way, crossing most limits to get what they wanted. Most, not all. They both had their boundaries.
Khushi, too remained silent next to him. She too, unable to comprehend what had unfolded before them. She only managed to stare at her husband half in awe and half in worry, afraid of what all these revelations may amount to in him.
The only person who spoke was Viraj, 'I don't believe this!! I don't understand why you are letting this man off the hook. He deserves to be punished, he ruined you, and here you are constructing some cock-and-bull story about drugging him and taking the blame. What rubbish!! Sheetal let him writhe in the guilt he deserves!! You don't need to be afraid he won't be able to take Aarav from you, I won't let him, you don't need to hide the truth.'
'I am not lying!! I never lie!' said Sheetal in a stern voice, clearly offended by the accusation her brother was pinning on her. 'I may manipulate the truth and I may hide the truth but I never lie and you know that!! I guess I take that from Ma. Being opinionated and always saying the truth no matter how rude or painful it is or how it may destroy someone's life!' retorted Sheetal.
'Sheetal!! Control yourself. At least have some respect for the dead. Just because I have finally figured out who it was who broke our family doesn't mean you start saying rude things about Ma!! He's to blame, stop taking it out on Ma.' fired back Viraj.
'He broke our family? Arnav?!' She waved a hand towards Arnav, 'Are you seriously continuing down this train. My God bhai, you are so far from the truth that I actually pity you. You are as far from the truth of the situation today as you were that day when you left Anjali at the altar, heart-broken and alone, for a crime she was not responsible for.' Alluded Sheetal to the fateful day, as she shook her head in disappointment at her brother.
Viraj looked at her in shock, for a moment. He had not expected Sheetal to bring up Anjali Malik into all of this. She was a chapter he had closed a long time ago. A chapter he mourned every day of his life but couldn't do anything about. Gauging his emotions regarding Anjali, he murmured in what he hoped was a calm and controlled voice, 'Why are you bringing Anjali Malik into all of this? She has nothing to do with any of it, leave her and what happened out of it.'
Arnav's fist bowled again as he uttered Anjali's name from his lips. But Khushi, cupped her hand over his to keep him in check.
'Oh bhai, you are so lost that it actually amazes me how you even managed to come across Arnav, but then again even here you put two and two together only to arrive at the wrong outcome.' She shook her head in dismay at him. 'I bring Anjali Malik up, bhai, because she in fact has everything to do with this. You see my utterly ignorant brother Anjali Malik happens to be Arnav's sister.' Viraj stared at her in utter shock. Then turned to look at Arnav, where he saw her words reflecting the same truth on his face. Suddenly his eyes and expressions all mirrored the eyes and expressions of the boy who had idiolised him. The boy who still haunted him in his dreams, asking him why he had abandoned him and his sister. What was there fault in everything that had happened?
As he made the connection, Sheetal's voice seeped through, 'yes, now you see it don't you. This man who stands before you is not your offender but rather you are his villain. He did not ruin our family. You did! Both his and ours, by not standing up to Ma that day. By giving into her superficial and prejudiced opinions. You brought this infamy on us, you, Ma and Bau ji, in more ways than you will ever know.' She added the last in an under-tone.
Her words plunged the room into silence, as it absorbed what she said. Viraj continued to stand, shell-shocked as the ground beneath him trembled. This man who he had been so rude and vile to, turned out to be the person he had ruined. It was not Arnav who deserved the foul treatment but him, Viraj. Who had wronged him rather than the other way round and yet he had still remained civil throughout his obscene accusations. How was he ever to earn his forgiveness? For what he had done then and now.
It seemed as though Arnav had read this question on Viraj's face, for as soon as it came into his mind, Arnav turned his back to him: answering him that nothing would redeem him in his eyes for the pain he had given his Di.
'So..so just to be sure,' came the squeaky voice of Mr Deshmuk, who in hope to try and diffuse the situation in the room and in an attempt to finally clarify the doubt on whether Arnav was Aarav's father or not, asked, 'is Mr Raizada Aarav's father or not?' he knew he was in trouble before he finished his last word, for the room turned on him and gave him a look that Discovery Channel often showed on the faces of hungry vultures just moments before they attacked their prey: causing him to retreat in to his chair.
It was Sheetal who answered through gritted teeth, 'FOR THE LAST TIME, ARNAV SINGH RAIZADA IS NOT AARAV'S FATHER!! As much as I wish he was, he is not!!'
'Well if it isn't him than who is? Who would have access to the tests that would allow them to falsify it?' Asked Viraj, who had collected himself and was now back into questioning mode, he had turned a blind eye yet again towards his guilt and conscience. A quality he excelled at.
'You really want to know who the coward is who deserves my wrath, you want to?!!' Viraj nodded. 'Fine then I will tell you, once and for all and close this chapter of you regularly interrogating me. Its' your good for nothing, sleeze-bag of a friend, Sameer, who ruined me, NOT Arnav! Yes the same Dr. S. Rishi, who conducted this very DNA test. That is why I can say with full conviction that this test is duped. Because he being Aarav's father and having full access to the test had all the means to dupe it; and it sickens me to see to what extent he has fallen to disclaim his own son. I mean it was one thing for him to abandon me and Aarav, but to actually rig a test and give someone else the responsibility of his own actions is just...ugh...I have no words for it. It sickens me that I ever loved him, that unfortunately his blood runs through my innocent son's veins!! Egh!' she shuddered, overcome with emotion.
'That is why I say I wish Arnav was his father, for Aarav deserves someone like him, someone who cares for him not someone who will go to any extent to make sure nothing ties him to him.' Muttered Sheetal as an afterthought, hurt by Sameer's actions, yet again. When was he going to stop sending blows her way?
As her last words reverberated from the walls, the room was left in dire silence, as each person in it now reflected over what she had said.
Suddenly it wasn't about what had happened all those years ago. It wasn't about who had seduced whom or who was to blame. It wasn't even about who was Aarav's father. It was about Aarav, and what he deserved. It was about an innocent boy who had been slapped with the label of 'bas***d', a label that did not define him but was what he was known by. A child who had become the outcast of society due to no fault of his own. Who was fatherless not because he didn't have one but because the one he had was too big a coward to claim him.
'Then let me be.' Arnav's deep, collected voice broke through everyone's distressing thought's.