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?24?

Kavya didn’t give him a chance to speak. "Let me explain…" Krishiv started, but Kavya’s voice cut him off, sharp as a blade.

"What will you explain, haan?" she asked bitterly. "Do you know what are the consequences of this reckless step of yours? Bulbul toh bacchi hai... aapko toh samajh aata hai na?" Her words were filled with anger and disappointment. Her breath came out in quick bursts, her hands trembling slightly with the intensity of her emotions. "Actually, it's all my fault," she continued, her voice lowering. "I gave you this chance. I should have stopped her from being friendly to you." The pain in her words was evident, the hurt from seeing her daughter caught in this situation overwhelming her.

Krishiv rubbed his eyebrow in frustration, trying to find the right words to defuse the situation, but Kavya wasn’t done.

"Bulbul ki mummy, aap…" he started again, his tone apologetic, but she wasn’t listening anymore.

"Exactly," she interrupted, her voice cold and final. "Mai hun Bulbul ki mummy, and I will decide what is right for her. You are no one to her," she said, her words firm and resolute. "Bahot ho gaya yeh friendship," she added, her tone hardening. It was clear that for Kavya, this was no longer about understanding—it was about protecting her daughter from what she saw as a misguided attempt at being a 'friend.'

"Mumma, please..." Bulbul's voice was small, pleading, her eyes searching her mother's face for some understanding.

"Not a word, Bulbul!" Kavya snapped, her voice sharp as a whip. "Aaj se you are not allowed to meet him." Her words were final, and the authority in her tone left no room for argument. Her eyes never left Bulbul’s face, but they were clouded with a mix of anger and concern.

"Mumma, he is my friend," Bulbul protested, her voice quivering but filled with determination. She couldn’t understand why her mother was acting like this.

"He is no one to you from now on. You won’t even talk to him," Kavya said, her voice taking on a dangerous edge. The words hit like a slap, and Bulbul’s stomach twisted in knots. The shock was evident in her wide eyes, her lips trembling.

"I will," Bulbul said, her voice a mix of defiance and confusion. "You can't stop me from talking to my friend." She raised her chin, but the anxiety was evident in her posture, her shoulders hunched in a way that betrayed her bravado.

"Bulbul, agar meri baat nahi maani toh thappad padega," Kavya threatened, her voice low and firm, the anger in her tone now unmistakable. She stepped closer to Bulbul, her hand raised, ready to reprimand her daughter for what she saw as disobedience.

But before Kavya’s hand could land, Krishiv intervened. "Oyee!!" he shouted, his voice loud and authoritative, as he grabbed her wrist and stopped her from moving any further. His face was flushed with fury, his expression a mix of disbelief and rage. "What the hell!! How could you raise your hand on a kid?" His words were sharp, cutting through the tense atmosphere.

Kavya pulled her hand back, stunned by his outburst, but her anger was far from quelled. "She is my daughter!" she retorted, her voice shaking with emotion.

Krishiv's voice grew louder, more desperate. "Still, SHE IS A KID, DAMN IT, "he yelled, the words laced with a fierce protectiveness. "You can't raise your hand on her." His eyes were wide, the panic creeping into his tone. Something inside him had snapped, something that went beyond this disagreement. There was a flicker of fear in his gaze, an unease that seemed to rattle him to his core. "You don't even know how scared she was!" he added, his fists clenched at his sides. "You don’t even know the situation!"

Kavya’s expression darkened. "What situation?" she asked, her tone dripping with suspicion and frustration. "Apne jhuth bolne ki kya safai dena hai?"

Krishiv’s chest heaved as he took a step toward her, his voice low and tinged with frustration. "Haan, jhuth bola maine, but you are the reason for it," he shot back. The words came out in a rush, as if everything he had been holding back for so long was finally spilling out. "Those boys were talking bad about you and asking about her father... and this little girl, she was thinking about you, that you’d be upset if you found out what they were saying. She didn’t want to make you upset." His voice wavered with frustration, as though he couldn’t understand why Kavya couldn’t see what he was trying to say. "She was worried about you, but you, you’re her mother, so you punish her, you scare her, even though she’s already scared of everything else."