"If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me" ~Job 9.20
Justification—a word carrying the heaviness of both clarity and transparency. It's a human's desperate urge to justify themselves, whether for the sins they've committed or for a perspective they want to impose on someone. They always seem to justify their words by exaggerating them, without realizing that someday somewhere their beliefs will scatter to the vast Obscurity, leaving only the reflection of their own soul in the glowing water, condemned by its very essence.
✧°•.'*🌷*'.•°✧
“AYTHIJHYA!” Vidyut’s voice roared through the room, but Aythijhya was far away from reality, consumed by obscure darkness.
Her hands, soaked in crimson, stabbed mercilessly into the chest of the woman who lay soullessly, without a trace of trembling.
Vidyut ran toward her, yanking her away from the corpse. He looked at her in complete disbelief, and the look in his eyes was pure rage and disgust.
He slapped Aythijhya so hard that she nearly stumbled sideways, jerking her out of her reverie.
“WHAT THE HECK HAVE YOU DONE!” he asked aggressively, yanking her back and forth, but the only thing she could see was the disgust in her father’s eyes for his beloved daughter.
“Da-ad… I-I—” she trembled over her words.
“DON’T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT!” he shouted, and she jerked at the tone he used.
“Do you know who she is? Do you fucking know! Sh-she is Emiya, my best friend’s wife. Why the heck did you do that?” he demanded.
“Sh-she was tr-trying to ki-kill—” she muttered.
“She was not trying to kill—you were! You were trying to kill her, weren’t you?”
He felt betrayed by his own daughter. Seeing her as a merciless monster broke his trust and his heart.
“D-dad… you’re mis-misunderstanding,” she tried to explain.
“I am certainly not. I get it now… You’re drowned in drugs, aren’t you, Aythijhya?” he inquired.
“Wh-what?” she was utterly shocked by his statement.
“Yes. You were threatening Emiya just because she saw you taking drugs, weren’t you?” he questioned her with bitterness.
“N-no, it’s not true… l-let me explain,” she pleaded, trying to make him understand for a moment.
“It is. I get it now… It was all true when Emiya told me about your drug addiction. She even told me you were threatening her not to inform me. But I didn’t believe her, so I took you to the hospital that day, remember? It wasn’t for a normal checkup—it was to test if you were really taking drugs or not.”
He spoke sharply, poison dripping from his words.
“It’s not true, Dad! Believe me!” she screamed.
“Believe you? After all you’ve done so far? Do you even know what fracture you’ve caused? To us—to Vincent? His father died long ago, and now his mother has been murdered by you!”
His voice roared against hers.
“Vi-Vincent?” she murmured.
“Yes, Vincent. The woman you’ve killed just now is his mother,” Vidyut said.
“Dad, believe me, please. It’s not like this—you’re misunderstanding. Sh-she is the murderer… She was trying to destroy yo-you,” Aythijhya insisted.
“Hah, destroy me? Shut up, Aythijhya! You’re the one trying to destroy me! I’m not blind… You’re the killer, not her!”
Fury danced in the air with Aythijhya’s ragged breaths.
Aythijhya’s world shattered under her father’s words—they struck her like arrows to the chest, breaking her piece by piece.
✧°•.'*🌷*'.•°✧
The clicking of heels echoes sharply against the marble floor as Aythijhya walks through the lobby of Rudravanshi Corporation, guided by Ram Tripaathi ,the manager under Dhiraj Rudravanshi.
Upon reaching Dhiraj’s cabin, he opens the door for her.
“Here, ma’am,” he says, stepping aside.
Inside the room, Dhiraj sits behind a sleek black marble table, a file in hand. He shifts slightly, his brows furrowed as he tries to focus on the contents, but his concentration seems far from steady.
Aythijhya knocks softly, standing at the threshold of his cabin with a gentle smile on her face.
His gaze lifts toward the door and the moment he sees her, the tension fades instantly.
“Aythi!” he exclaims, a rare warmth breaking through as he rushes toward her.
“Chote pa—” she bends to touch his feet, but he immediately catches her arms, pulling her into a firm embrace.
“Kitni baar kaha hai, pair nahi chhute,” he mutters softly.
She melts into the warmth, finding a familiar comfort in his arms—the kind that feels like home, not just a house.
Kaise hain aap, Chote pa?” she asks softly.
“Abhi tak toh achha nahi tha, but see? I’m all good now,” he says, drawing a small chuckle from Aythijhya.
“Come, sit here,” he says, guiding her toward the couch.
“Hm, so you were already planning to go to Berlin before coming here?” he asks, arching a brow.
“Chote pa, you know I have work there,” she tries to justify herself.
“Hm. So work is more important than family now?”
At the mention of family, I didn't say much.
The silence stretches between us.
Chote pa watches me carefully, as if trying to read the thoughts I keep buried beneath calm expressions and half finished smiles.
“You still overwork yourself,” he mutters, leaning back against the couch.
A faint smile tugs at my lips. “And you still complain too much.”
“Hm. Someone has to.”
A quiet chuckle escapes me.
For a moment, the heaviness eases.
My gaze drifts toward the large glass windows of his cabin. The city glows beneath the morning sky, restless and alive, while inside this room everything feels strangely still.
Safe.
"Did you found someone that you don't even miss us hah" He mutters teasingly.
I look back at him. “ No I didn't also came here, didn’t I?”
“After I practically forced you.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is.”
I shake my head lightly while he narrows his eyes at me, clearly unconvinced.
“You’ve grown distant from us,” he says quietly after a pause.
“Seriously?” I stare at him. “That’s why you ask me to visit you to just discuss these things?”
“Not really,” he replies instantly. “But you barely contact me , disappear for months, and also expect us not to worry.”
His words soften near the end.
That quiet concern in his voice settles somewhere deep inside me.
Because no matter how much time passes—
Chote pa has always cared like I’m still that little girl following him around the house.
“You worry too much,” I murmur softly.
“And you give me and Kavyansh enough reasons to.”
The room falls silent again.
Not uncomfortable.
Just familiar.
Then his expression shifts slightly, growing gentler.
“At least stay for a few days this time,” he says quietly. “The house feels empty without you.”
And for the first time since arriving—
something inside my chest aches a little.
"I can't Chote pa" I said voice almost like a whisper.
"The Repeated answer always, it's been years Aythijhya you're saying the same thing" He said concern in his voice.
"You know Dad will—" I trailed off.
" That house is not only your dad's, he can't decide what ever he wants " He said.
Chote pa doesn’t know about the incident, and Dad never told anyone except Mumma. Sometimes I’m afraid that if my brother and uncle ever find out, they’ll hate me too.
Maybe that’s why I keep my distance.
As long as the truth stays buried, it’s better this way.
“You said there was something urgent and important you wanted to discuss,” I say, abruptly changing the topic.
“Yeah. We have to attend a meeting tomorrow,” he mutters.
“A meeting?” I question.
“Yes. A meeting. Remember the Berlin project? Your dad finalized a meeting with Vaya Architecture, so we have to attend. He also told me to inform you that you’re going to be in charge of this deal since it’s in Berlin, and you’ve been living there for almost years now.” He said.
“He really wants me to?” I ask, unable to hide my surprise.
“Yes. The meeting is at 7 p.m. tomorrow, considering you’ll be leaving the day after.”
I nod slowly, my thoughts already beginning to drift.
Write a comment ...