"What!!!!" he stood up in surprise. He was absolutely shocked, it was easy to tell from his face. Riddhima was calm as she ate her salad.
"Riddhi.....What are you...."
"Your brother didn't bought the poison that killed your father. Is that too hard for you to understand!!!" she asked looking up at him. He couldn't believe it.
"How did you know...????"
"I asked him..." she completed. Vikramaditya palmed his face. He drew in a breath before marching up towards her and kneeling beside her.
"He's a compulsive liar. He lies all the time..."
"Just like you lied to me about your illness." her face was grave as she said that. For the first time in his life Vikramaditya felt that their marriage was in danger. And he'll do anything to protect their marriage. Besides, he wouldn't accept that they're fighting because of his dork brother. He held her hands in his.
"I have already told you everything. And what's the matter with you today. Why are you even bringing this between us today?? My father is dead.....you're all I have now. And I didn't kill Anurag even after knowing everything, what else do you expect of me???" he asked softly. She looked at him in disbelief.
"You got to be kidding me Mr. Raghuvanshi. Didn't you hear what I just said.....Anurag didn't buy that poi...."
"HE'S A LIAR RIDDHI!!!! I KNOW HIM BETTER THAN YOU. PLEASE LET'S NOT ARGUE BECAUSE OF THAT MORON!!!" he yelled at her, his patience wearing thin. Riddhima stood up fiercely.
"I wish you knew your brother....."
"Here we go again..." he was tired already. She placed her hand on his shoulder and continued.
"Don't interrupt me Mr. Raghuvanshi.....Listen to what I have to say..." she said seriously. He looked down at her perturbed.
"Your brother is a liar, a cheat, a womanizer, complete freak and deserves to be called with every name in the book. BUT.....He didn't kill your father although he planned to kill your father. There's a difference between planning to kill and actually executing a murder. Your brother bought a wrong poison and guess what, he was so wasted that night that he passed out in the hall instead of your father's room the night your father was murdered." she looked him in the eye and continued.
"Your idiot brother was framed in the murder he never committed. And sorry to say, but whoever planned this out, actually succeeded since you brothers are stupid enough to believe anything you see without investigating what's beneath the surface." she told him coldly.

Vikramaditya couldn't believe what he had just heard. It was nearly impossible for him to fathom that his lunatic younger brother didn't kill his father.
"But how is this possible...." he asked in a whisper, voice nearly croaking. Her eyes softened.
"It is very possible Mr. Raghuvanshi. It wasn't very hard for anyone who's been around this house even for a while to make out that there were strong differences between you, your brother and your father. Your father favoured you more which obviously didn't sit well with Anurag. And somebody took advantage of this. Anurag's pent up rage against his father was used as a tool by the real mastermind behind the murder. In reality, the more you brothers drifted apart the more that particular individual succeeded. Somebody hates this family and has carefully crafted a plan by which this family will never be the same again." she told him. His eyes had scanty tears building up in the corners.
"It means I held my brother accountable for a crime he never committed. I hated him for nothing...." he whispered, voice quaking. She held his hand.
"You should've at least talked to your brother about it. Instead of faking an illness you should've sat with him and talked this out. He wanted attention from you and your father."
"That's not true. Dad loved him as much as he loved me. It was he who embarrassed us. He was the one who always landed up in problems." he told her, wiping his tears. She sighed.
"He was depressed Mr. Raghuvanshi. He was ridiculed for killing his own mother since he was a child. Some people don't say what's bothering them, but as a family Isn't it our responsibility to see what's wrong with one of our members????" she said to him softly.
"I tried...."
"Perhaps not hard enough." and he had nothing to counter her with.

He sat in complete silence for a minute, holding hands with her. Having her at his side at this difficult time was no less than a blessing for him.
"Natasha did this all." he asked, his eyes red. She drew in a breath.
"A 10th grade fail cannot plan this out. She's a mere pawn. There's somebody else behind this." told she. He gasped.
"What the hell....!!!! I thought that it was Natasha and Anurag all along." he confessed.
"Natasha spiked your father's drink. But she too didn't buy the poison. It was given to her by somebody else." she said. He palmed his face.
"What.....What should I do now??" he asked, completely clueless about what should be his next actions. She looked at him.
"We have to bring the culprits to justice. And you know who can give a lead!!!!! Anurag. He alone can help us......Go and talk to him." she told him. He looked at her and gasped.
"I am not talking to him." he said flatly. She rolled her eyes.
"Well I guess it's too late to talk.....you can talk to him in the morning. But.....we can go for a long drive. I think you need some fresh air to lift up your mood." she told him with a smile. He smiled back, a single tear hanging from the corner of his eye.

The wind drifted across the chain of mountains guarding the town. They drove down smoothly over serpentine roads as chilly wind skimmed their faces.
"Long drives at night hit differently. What do you say???" asked Riddhima, her head on his shoulder as he manned the steering wheel. He chuckled.
"I have had many long drives at night honestly. Especially when I was at college. And it was all because of Shivanshi....she loved ogling at guys at our night outs." he told her with a smile. She laughed.
"She really likes guys...."
"More than you know. Were it not for me, she would've an entire harem of men!!!! I am not laying it on thick I am telling you. She's just such a dork sometimes. Even I wonder sometimes how do I handle her. But she loves me a lot." he said. She looked at him with a pout.
"How come she never fell in love with you???" she asked. He chuckled.
"Yeah I know the classic old saying 'A guy and a girl can't be friends'. I personally feel that's stupid....yes, mostly men catch feelings for their girl friends but some don't, example me. We're buddies....long time buddies. My father was friends with her mother before she passed away.....!!!"
"What....her mother...."
"She basically became an orphan pretty early in her childhood. She doesn't really talk about her childhood, she's too uncomfortable to do so. Therefore I don't ask her. But because she has generational wealth.....crazy wealth, she's a queen so to speak..... she probably didn't had a crazy childhood, that's what I guess. Anyways!!!!! She finds me absolutely unattractive, too old fashioned and totally unlovable romantically.....which is why we're basically best friends. She hates my looks, I hate her looks. She hates my choice in practically everything, I despise her choice in everything." he said. She giggled.
"It must've been hard for her to spend her entire childhood without parents. I can understand her, even though physically my parents were around me but emotionally they were always absent." she spoke softly. He kissed her forehead.
"It's so weird that one phase of your life defines what kind of an individual you're going to be the rest of your life. Look at my younger brother, I never even guessed what he might've gone through in his early days.......Riddhi, do you think I failed as a big brother." he asked her. She looked up at him and smiled.
"No. It becomes clear with the fact that Anurag bought poison but couldn't get himself to mix it in his father's drink. Instead he chose to drink heavily and pass out. He might be a rebel but he's your little brother. Somehow that child inside of him loved his father and even his elder brother, which is why he easily chose to pull the trigger on me instead of you. It's just that you need to be a bit more understanding elder brother that he's always wanted." she said softly. He pressed his forehead against hers and nodded.

Darkness snarfed the mountains as it was already close to twilight. A lone moon peeked from behind the blanket of grey clouds, giving the impression of a melancholic sky. They both sat under the bower of conifers. Riddhima was enjoying her ice cream.
"Do you want some???" asked she sweetly. He looked at her mischievously.
"I'll rather lick you." he said biting her cheek tenderly. She giggled.
"Stay away from me." she whispered. He pouted.
"We're married now baby. That won't work now." he told her. She laughed as she shifted closer to him. He threw his arm around her and she laid her head on his chest.
"Mr. Raghuvanshi..." she called him.
"Hm." he responded, running his fingers along the length of her hairs.
"How much do you love me!!" she asked him casually. He chuckled.
"More than my life." he told her. She looked up at him and giggled.
"What if you cheat on me???" she asked. He sighed.
"That won't happen. I was single for 42 years of my life, you're the only woman in my life and of course shivanshi but she's my sister." he told her seriously. He hates cheating. If you aren't confident that you'll be loyal to your partner all your life than just don't get into a relationship. Stop breaking people's heart and trust.
"What if I cheat on you???" she asked.

There was utter silence for a full minute. She felt weird and therefore looked up at him. I swear she saw his eyes were darker than the sky above her. For a second she was scared. Something has got on him surely. Before she could speak, he grabbed her cheeks and squeezed them. He then leaned over so their lips were just an inch away.
"If that happens, than I shoot you, that guy and in the last I'll kill myself. Hm." he hissed. Riddhima was terrified. It was a straight threat.
"Um.... I just asked casually." she stuttered. He let go of her cheeks and looked away.
"Just don't ask me these questions. I get too worked up. I can't even imagine you with somebody other than me." he said agitated. She will never understand what goes in his twisted head. She has no idea rivers of blood will gush down the mountains if she ever tried to think of another man. He's that possessive and unhinged. She just won't ever understand. She cupped his face and found his eyes were now softer.
"I am never leaving you. You don't have to fear anymore. We're together now." she whispered. She could tell how relieved he looked. He kissed her hands and held them together.
"I won't let you leave me." he told her. She closed her eyes and pressed her head against his cheek.
"I'm never leaving. Never." she whispered. He wrapped his arms around her little frame.
"I love you so much." he whispered, kissing her cheeks. She shivered a little as it was becoming too cold. He drew her closer to him.
"It's getting colder here. Come let's get back to the house." he told her, rubbing her arms. She whined.
"I like it here." she mumbled, trying to fall asleep on his chest. He was so warm.
"Absolutely not. I don't want you catching cold. Come....." he said as he lifted her up in his arms and strode up to his car.
"Can we come here daily??" she asked innocently. He chuckled.
"That depends since you're the one who falls asleep at 10:00 pm sharp." he said as he gently placed her on the passenger seat. She pouted.
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