Chapter 63: Chapter 63

“Amaravathi Verma, your grandmother only cared about society and social status. She wanted Acharya to get married to her friend’s daughter. Acharya who always was an obedient son, for the first time in his life refused her demand. He made it clear that there would be no other woman in his life other than Durga..” Jhanvi said and Aaru frowned.

From what she has known, the man didn’t love her mother enough. But here it is another story.

“And?” Armaan asked.

“And Amaravathi Verma hated Durga for that. She made Durga’s life a hell..”

“What did she do?” Aadesh asked, his words laced with heavy emotions.

Jhanvi's voice quivered with emotion as she continued her account, her words painting a picture of a life filled with torment and suffering.

"She isolated Durga from family and friends, ensuring she had no support system. Amaravathi manipulated Acharya, poisoning his mind against Durga, and filling him with suspicions of her faithfulness. Durga endured years of emotional abuse, constantly defending herself against baseless accusations," Jhanvi explained, her voice laden with sorrow.

Armaan's eyes welled up with tears as the realisation slowly sank in. The mother he had grown up resenting had been a victim, not the villain he had believed her to be. A mixture of guilt, anger, and sadness flooded his heart.

“Amaravathi even kept Durga away from her sons. She never let Durga near you two. Durga used to sneak into your room at night and lie beside you. That was all she was able to do.” Jhanvi said and Armaan sucked in a deep breath. He has had flashes of his mother lying next to him and caressing him many times over the years and he had always believed it were mere dreams.

"What about the affair? The one that tore our family apart?" Armaan asked, his voice shaky.

Jhanvi took a deep breath, her eyes filled with compassion for the young man before her.

"That was a fabrication, Armaan. Amaravathi planted evidence, manipulated situations, and spun a web of lies to make it seem as if Durga had been unfaithful. She wanted to tarnish her reputation, break her spirit, and force her out of Acharya's life," Jhanvi revealed, her voice tinged with anger at the injustice and self disgust that even she had believed those lies for a long time.

Aadesh, who had been silent all this while, couldn't contain his emotions any longer. Tears streamed down his face as he realized the extent of his mother's suffering, the pain she had endured silently.

"Why didn't she fight back? Why didn't she tell us the truth?" Aadesh's voice trembled with a mixture of sadness and anger.

Jhanvi's eyes met Aadesh's, conveying empathy and understanding.

“She was never given an opportunity to defend herself, Aadesh. She was forced to leave the house while Aacharya was away on business and she planted evidence that showed that Durga eloped with her lover.” Jhanvi said, her disgust for Amaravathi evident in her tone.

“And dad believed that she cheated on him? Just like that? Didn’t he have any trust in her?” Armaan asked painfully.

“I can’t accuse Aacharya for the crime even I did, Armaan.” Jhanvi said in an apologetic tone.

“What do you mean by that?” Aadesh asked in confusion.

“We all believed that Durga cheated on Acharya. Amaravathi was so convincing. We never had a second thought.” Jhanvi said shamefacedly.

Armaan groaned in anguish as he imagined what his mother had gone through in her life.

“Amaravathi expected Acharya would soon forget Durga and move on in his life. She expected him to marry her friend’s daughter. But things didn’t go as per plan. Acharya went off the rails. He lost focus on business. He became an alcoholic. As though Durga’s cries had showered upon them as a curse, Vermas lost every single business one by one. They were declared bankruptcy and Aacharya committed suicide as it was all too much to bear for him.” Jhanvi said, her voice quavering with emotions.

“How did you find out the truth?” Aadesh asked.

“I met Durga while we were on a vacation. Inder had a fall and he got himself injured. We took him to a local clinic. That’s where I saw her walking out of a psychiatrist’s cabin. She looked like a shadow of herself and that’s when I first had a seed of doubt planted in me. Amaravathi had made it seem as though Durga had eloped with a man richer than Acharya. But the Durga I saw in that clinic is totally unrelatable. She was wearing a faded cotton saree. There were no ornaments on her. There were huge dark circles around her eyes showing how sleepless she was. It all led me to force Tej to find out about Durga.” Jhanvi said.

Armaan, Aadesh and Aaru. All three of them had tears in their eyes at the picture Jhanvi just painted.

“We confronted Amaravathi as soon as we found out the truth. She kicked us out of her house and kept you two away from us. She believed Durga was the reason why her son died. She believed if Durga never entered Acharya’s life, everything would have been different. We didn’t have any options to get to you, Armaan. Only thing we could do is keep Inder with you as much as we could. So we brought Inder back from the boarding school and sent him to your school.” Jhanvi said.

“You should have told us the truth then, Jhanvi aunty.” Armaan said with a heavy heart.

“Your grandmother never let us near you, Armaan. By the time we were able to reach you, she had filled you with too much poison against Durga. Just taking Durga’s name would make you go mad. You never let me talk about her.” Jhanvi said, and Armaan felt guilt and regret filling his whole being.

He remembered the multiple letters that came in his and Aadesh’s name. The ones he never opened.

“Are you still in touch with her, Jhanvi aunty?” Aadesh asked softly.

“Yes. Through me she hears everything about your life. Armaan’s loose lifestyle was always a worry for her. She was the happiest person in the world when Janani came into your life. She yearns for you all, Armaan. Have been yearning for her for the last twenty five years. Don’t punish her anymore for no fault of hers, Armaan.” Jhanvi pleaded and Armaan sat on the couch with a thud.

He felt a pair of arms being wrapped around his shoulder and he recognised the touch immediately.

He was surprised at her presence there.