"Until when are you going to hide your pain from me, Maya? When will you come out of that trauma, bunny? I'm not understanding how to confront you, bunny. I'm afraid. What if you get a panic attack again? I can't lose you. You are my life, Maya. I know why you changed the topic. You didn't want me to be sad. But how can I be happy when you are in pain? And when will you understand this?" Avi thought in his mind.

"Avi?" Maya called Avi, who was lost in his world.

"Huh?" He said, in a daze.

"About whom are you thinking when your cute wife is here?" She said, pouting at him.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled him closer to her. She rubbed his nose with hers and giggled.

He shook his head at her antics and placed his hands on her bare waist and pulled her closer to him, making her chest bang with his. They both could hear their raging heartbeats. He rubbed his nose with hers, making her giggle.

He tickled her on her waist, to which she threw her head back and laughed her heart out. He got lost in her smile. She clutched her stomach due to the continuous laughing and asked him.

"Ah! Avi, stop it. I couldn't laugh more." She said it with difficulty.

He stopped tickling her when he saw tears in her eyes, and her face turned red due to the continuous laughing. He took her in his arms and kissed her head lovingly.

"Oops! Sorry for the disturbance, ladies and gentlemen. Please come out of your world of romance," Sravya said, entering the cabin.

Avi and Maya separated from each other, listening to her. And Maya got down from the office table and made herself presentable.

"Krishna! This girl is going to tease me a lot," Maya thought in her mind.

"I guess you guys have a room in that big mansion of yours with a king-sized bed." She said, looking at the floor where the things on the table were scattered.

Avi and Maya got embarrassed listening to it.

"Where have you disappeared all these days, madam? No calls, no messages, huh? Tell me," Maya asked Sravya while picking up the things on the floor.

Sravya's face paled listening to her. Avi noticed the change in her facial expression.

"I just got busy with the work," she said while helping Maya.

"Did you come directly from the office?" He asked while trying to help both of them.

But Maya swatted his hand and threw a glare at him, to which he pouted at her.

"Yeah! I had a meeting nearby. So I thought I'd visit you guys as it's been a while," Sravya said, controlling her laughter while looking at her brother and SIL.

"Okay!" said Avi.

"Did you have your lunch?" Maya asked Sravya.

"No," said Sravya.

"Come then," she said, opening the carriage she had brought for Avi and herself and serving them.

Maya and Avi fed each other while Sravya looked at them lovingly. Soon, they completed their lunch and sat there for some time talking.

"So, tell me, how is your work going on?" Maya asked Sravya.

"Good," said Sravya.

"I'm going home. Will you join me?" Maya asked Sravya, to which she nodded her head.

"Okay, we will leave then," Maya said, looking at Avi.

Avi nodded his head and kissed Maya and Sravya's foreheads.

Soon, they left the office with Vani and Arjun.

*********************

Arjun, Vani, Sravya, and Maya entered the house when they noticed Gayatri and Janaki talking to a young lady and an elderly lady. They noticed the uncomfortable faces of Gayatri and Janaki while talking to them.

They went in and saw Vyshali and Gouri talking to them. Maya stood rooted in her place, seeing Vyshali there. Sravya and Arjun stood on either side of her, while Vani moved towards them and greeted them with a neutral expression.

Vyshali stood up and walked towards Maya. Arjun and Sravya's hold on Maya became tight.

"I'm sorry, Maya. I'm sorry for all the wrongs I've done to you. I became selfish for my brother's happiness and helped my brother and sister with their plans even though I knew they were wrong. I saw Chytra destroying her own life with her own hands and her foolishness. I saw Rajesh losing his charm when you rejected him. So, I and Chytra thought to unite you both. I thought at least Rajesh would be happy if he got his love. That day, I was the one who told Chytra to go to your engagement. Maya looked at her with a straight face. I heard what you told Rajesh on that day in the temple. I didn't know that you had gone through so much pain because of him. I felt bad for supporting him. But then I became too self-centered for him. I assumed that you would forget everything once you married him and you would gradually fall in love with him after your marriage, but I forgot that we can't force someone to fall in love."

She stopped for a second and then continued, "I knew we crossed our limits that day in your house, and my apologies cannot undo all the pain you have gone through. I didn't understand your pain until I went through the same thing. I understood how painful it was when our loved ones got distanced from us when my husband and my baby left me."

Unknowingly, she moved her hands to her stomach, where her baby was once growing. Everyone got confused looking at her.

"I won't even ask you to forgive me because I know I don't deserve that. I'm sorry, Maya." Vyshali said, folding her hands and bowing her head down.

But Maya stood like a statue listening to her. Seeing her not responding, Gowri came forward and folded her hands and said sorry to Maya.

"You don't need to say sorry, Aunty. It's not your fault, and please, aunty, tell your children not to come in front of me. They have done enough damage in my life. Please, aunt, this is my small request to you." Saying that, Maya left for her room, and Arjun went behind her.

Vyshali fell down on her knees with tears in her eyes.

"Aunty, please take her from here. Your family gave us enough pain to endure all our lives. Your daughter blamed Arjun, then your son blamed Maya. And as if that was not enough, now they are again trying to break her marriage life? Why, aunty? What wrong have we ever done to your family? Tell me, Akka. Didn't you feel bad at least once seeing her broken? Maya is having panic attacks again just because of you, guys. And I swear to you, aunty, if your children do anything wrong this time, I'll make sure they rot in hell." Sravya said, sternly, and moved from there.

"Gowri akka, I'm sorry. They shouldn't have talked to you like that. But please, understand their pain and tell your children not to interfere in our lives. I know you don't know anything about what they did. But my children have faced enough because of them. I've seen them lying lifelessly on hospital beds because of your children. What happened has happened. We cannot change it, but please don't drag things unnecessarily. Leave her alone for a few days. I hope you understand what I'm saying", Vani said, looking at the mother-daughter duo.

Gowri nodded her head in understanding and left from there with a crying Vyshali.

"Don't raise this topic in front of Kittu. As he didn't know anything", Vani said, looking at Janaki and Gayatri.

They nodded their heads in understanding and left for their respective rooms.

Keep smiling and take care ❤