Destiny or Coincidence?

Athira Patel

Sometimes in life, we face the things which we can't even imagine in our worst of dreams but still, we face that ugly reality which makes our whole life crumble in front of us. 

How can we be ready for the things which we don't even expect or imagine in our life?

How can we face the truth which was unknown to us before a moment?

How can we digest the fact that everything we thought and grew up was all a lie?

My whole world has been crumbled down within a second.

My whole world which I thought was perfect until now was all a lie. 

How can I face the fact that my parents whom I thought were my own are not my own but the one who just raised me as their own?

How can I face the fact that whom I thought was Abhi's mother till yesterday became my own birth mother today?

How can I face the fact that my father lied to me about my whole life? 

How can I face the fact that Abhi might be my brother if Aunty is my birth mother?

How can I face the fact that my mother whom I thought as my best mother in the world was not my own mother?

How can I face the fact that my childhood where I had been raised was not my own?

How can I face all these facts which suddenly became my reality out of nowhere?

How can I even imagine my life without my father and mother being in it?

How can I digest the fact and come face to face with it that they are not my own parents?

How did it come to this all of a sudden? They were happy seeing each other after so many years then suddenly what happened that everything changed in the blink of an eye. 

Dev was saying something to me. I can see him asking me something but none of it was registering in my mind. I was unable to listen to a word about what he is saying to me or even Abhi. 

The only words that were running in my mind were the one which aunty said a moment ago. 

It kept on repeating in my head by making it even more difficult for me to breathe normally. 

All the energy drained out of my body, making me slump on the floor like a sack potato. I can see everything in front of me but it was all like just a blur of images without any sound to it.

Dev took me in his arms while Abhi carried his mother to bed. I can see the tense and heartbroken faces of all of them but I wasn't able to react to anything. It was like my whole time has been frozen in just a moment where dad accepted that I am not his own daughter. 

The words they said the whole time were repeating in my head like a broken radio making me close my eyes by covering my ears with hands to avoid those words but still they were ringing in my head non-stop. 

All the memories of me spending time with my parents in childhood started playing in my mind in a fast track mode that I clutched my hair in a fist and closed my eyes even forcefully to forget it but it's of no use.  

I was playing outside of our house in the garden when suddenly I fell on the ground because of stone and started crying by clutching my right knee which has been injured. 

Mom came out after listening to my cries and came running to my side after seeing me in the garden. 

"What happened to my baby doll?" She said sitting beside me after watching my injured leg and delicately taking it from my hand to inspect it. 

"Momma…," I called her through my cries and hugged her as my life depended on it and somehow hoped that the pain would go away by hugging my mother. 

Who would have said to that little six years old girl that pain cannot go away that easily? She was in her own world where she only knew that her mom is her life savior in everything while her dad was her hero and rest all doesn't matter to that little girl.

"Yes, princess. I am here itself." She said by wiping my face clean of tears and giving me a gentle smile filled with so much love. 

"I fell because of that" I explained to her while hiccupping by showing her the stone which was in the middle of the way. 

"Oh my god. That stupid stone got the guts to make my princess hurt and be there like nothing happened?" Mom said shockingly and stood up by taking me in her arms carefully without touching my injured leg. 

I nodded my head in agreement by placing my hands around her neck for support. 

"Yes? Then what shall we do with that stone?" Mom started thinking by placing her finger on the cheek and tapping it repeatedly. 

"Ahhh… This is your mansion princess. So you decide what to do with that stupid stone" she said like she knew what she was saying and I was listening to her intently. 

Dad always used to say that our house is a mansion where a king, queen, and princess stay and that I have every right to say it needs to be but it should be justified. 

I didn't understand a word that he said to me at that time except for the fact that our house is a mansion and I am the princess of this house. 

I was happy with it because that's all that matters to that little me at that time. 

"I can decide?" I asked looking excitedly with those innocent eyes of mine to which mom nodded her head happily.

I grinned knowing that I could decide. It was such a small thing but still, it meant a lot to me at that time. 

"Then… then we throw all the stones outside of our house so that I can play without falling" I said excitedly as if that was a big thing and my mother too nodded her head in understanding with a mischievous smile on her face. 

"As you wish princess." She said bending a little and continued "then shall we start throwing them out?" She asked while tickling me that I started laughing uncontrollably. I nodded my head in agreement after she stopped tickling me. 

"Done. But only after we take care of this injury first. Common" she said showing my leg and carrying me again in her arms while getting inside. 

When she was applying the ointment on my leg she had a few years in her eyes that I furrowed my eyebrows because I have been hurt and my mother was crying instead. 

"What happened momma?" I asked, looking at her in confusion. 

"Nothing baby" she replied wiping her eyes and smiling at me. 

"If you get hurt or be sad for whatever reason then immediately it will make me sad and cry for your pain in return dear," she said making me hug her tightly. Not because I understood what she said but because she was crying. 

But now I understand the meaning of her words and it's making me even more heartbroken knowing that she was not my own mother. 

I still remember that day where me and my mother threw all the rocks outside by keeping the competition on who would throw the highest. Of course, she made me win as usual.

She was that special in my life. She always lifts my mood, makes me smile, laughs, be my best friend when needed, shares my pain and happiness and always be there for me when needed. 

She was my everything and it never occurred to me that I was not their own daughter because they never treated me like one. 

My dad was my hero and always used to spoil me with his love and affection. In childhood, I never ate with my own hands until I was 14 years old. It was then that my mother scolded me to learn how to eat. Even after that, my father used to insist that he would feed me. 

But it all changed when she died. It was like hell but we came through it. And now again me and my father became close like before. 

They are the best parents that I could ever ask for then what happened suddenly to make it all difficult and different in an instant. It made my life up and down in a blink of an eye making every dream and memory shatter into pieces. 

"Athira…." Someone was calling me but I was in my own world remembering my childhood. 

"Athira… listen" this time brother was calling me and shaking my shoulders repeatedly but I was just watching him blankly like nothing was happening around me. 

Then he slapped me hard on the face that I shouted out loudly in pain. Then I realized not only the physical pain but also the internal pain which is hurting me alot than the physical one. 

My whole world collapsed within a second. My mom, my dad, my childhood, my memories with them, their love… Everything has fallen apart into pieces. 

I screamed out loud with pain by clutching the brother for dear life. 

I was unable to breathe properly, it felt like something was stuck in the middle by making it hard for even to breathe normally. The left side of my chest is feeling so heavy like someone was crushing my heart repeatedly without any remorse and making my pain double. 

I never thought that pain could be this deep and ugly. I thought that the pain I beared until now was much worse but I was wrong because that pain is nothing compared to what I am feeling now. 

I wanted to let it all out of my heart because it was making me hard to breathe so I did what I was thinking. I let out all my pain and greave by crying out loud because I know that my brother is there to protect me. 

I don't know why but at this moment it felt like he was my own brother, so I believed what my heart said and silently followed it by hugging him and crying the ugliest cry in my life. 

My eyes, my heart, my soul, my body and everything are paining with my cries but still, I cried because physical pain felt a lot better than this heartbroken pain. 

"Shy Athira…. Cry it out, angel. Let it all out. I am here with you" brother said stroking my hair gently while hugging me tightly from falling down. 

"Take this pain away bro." I said hiccupping and continued "make it go away please" I cried hugging him tightly while Dev took a seat beside me and hugged me from behind. It made me even more emotional but still grateful for his presence. 

After a while, I cooled down with both of their help but was still struggling to breathe normally because of the weight in my heart. No one can take away that pain, not even Abhi this time. 

When mom died I have my friends to forget my pain, when I broke up I have them to take care of me, but still, I was in pain which only Abhi had taken away permanently but this time it's not the same and even he cannot do anything now because he might be dealing with his own problems now. 

"Drink some water Athi," said Dev by giving me a glass of water. I just glanced at him with a tear-stained face and drank some water. 

"Angel…. You ok?" asked my brother looking at me in concern. 

Tears started pooling around my eyes by listening to his words but just nodded my head in agreement to which he gave me a sad smile in return. At that moment a question raised at the back of my mind. 'Did he know about this secret or even he is unaware of it as the rest of us?'

It's hard to think about it and face the fact but I really needed answers to all my questions. And I think he is the one to give me the answers. I don't know if he knows everything or not but I am ready to take the chance for this time. 

So I made up my mind by taking a deep breath to control my emotions and glanced at him directly to ask. 

"Bro, did you know?" I asked looking directly into his eyes without elaborating it anymore. If he knows it then it doesn't need to elaborate and if not then I will know not to go any further.  

He too looked me in the eye with an emotion which I was unable to read, so I just stared at him for a response. He closed his eyes while taking a breath and slowly opened it to reveal the sadness in them. 

I gasped looking into his eyes because I knew the answer to my question. He knows everything about it and I don't know how to react to it. 

"Please listen to me before you decide anything" he pleaded looking into my eyes with tears in his eyes. It is the first time that I am seeing him cry and it made my heart break by looking at him in this way. So I slowly nodded my head in agreement for him to continue. 

"I agree that I know about it but even I got to know the truth a few weeks back itself," he said looking at me with desperate eyes that my heart tugged for him in return. 

"Trust me, Angel, I was devastated after learning the truth. I never thought that you would be my sister." he said pulling his hair and continued with frustration "Shit. I didn't mean it that way. I mean you are like a sister to me but never in a billion years I would have thought that you would be my blood sister" he explained by placing both of his palms on either side of my face and looking into the depth of my eyes. 

"You don't know how hard it was for me. That was the sole reason for my behavior before our trip to chennai" he said giving me a dejected smile that I felt myself getting pulled towards him. 

"Blood sister?" I whispered the only word that made my head ring with bells. 

"Yes, Athira. You are my own sister." He said nodding his head in agreement with tears in his eyes and hugged me tightly with so much affection but I just sat there not knowing what to do with this new information.

Does that really mean me and Abhi are siblings??

"Will you give me a chance to explain beta?" asked Aunty, standing in the doorway of the bedroom by making me stiffen instantly.  

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Hello everyone,

Here is your awaiting chapter. I hope that you like it.

I know that I haven't updated it for a long time and I am sorry for that because I was busy with my personal life and got these days.

But here I am with three chapters in a row. So do let me know your thoughts and opinions on this chapter.

Don't forget to vote comment and share it if you like.

Love....

Sprinkle....