What if I was there

Abhira shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “But Nanu, the doctor said she could have a panic attack or an anxiety episode. What if something bad happens? I’m scared!” Her small hands trembled as she clutched Manish’s hand, her voice trembling with desperation.

Manish  trying his best to steady her. “Abhira, I know you’re scared, but this is something Ruhi has to face. Running from the truth won’t help her. Sometimes, we have to face it to move forward.” His voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed his unease.

The tension in the room thickened when the door creaked open. All eyes turned to see Ruhi step in. Her movements were hesitant, her shoulders stiff with unease. Her eyes darted around the room, finally landing on the framed photograph of Akshara, draped in fresh garlands.

Ruhi’s chest tightened, her breathing quickening as memories surged forth. The laughter of her mother, the warmth of her embrace—all those beautiful moments were overshadowed by the echo of Akshara cold, accusing words: “Aarohi's death was because of me .”

The weight of those words bore down on her, and Ruhi’s vision blurred with unshed tears. Her lips quivered as a cocktail of grief, anger, and guilt took hold. Why did they bring me here?

“No… no…” Ruhi murmured, her voice barely audible. But her emotions were a storm ready to break. Without warning, her grief erupted into rage.

“WHY DID YOU BRING ME HERE?” she screamed, startling everyone in the room. Her voice cracked with anguish as she grabbed a vase from the table and hurled it against the wall. The crash was deafening, shards scattering like her emotions across the floor.

Ruhi’s sobs morphed into screams as she threw over chairs and knocked over decorations. “SHE KILLED MY MOTHER!” she shouted, her voice hoarse with pain. “I HATE HER! I HATE HER!”

Abhira, trembling with fear and heartbreak, ran toward Ruhi. “Di, please stop! Calm down!” she cried, clutching her cousin’s arm. “It’s okay! Please calm down!”

But Ruhi jerked away from her grasp, her face contorted with fury. “Don’t tell me to calm down, Abhira! How can you even live here, knowing what she did? How can you stand to be part of this family? SHE KILLED MY MOTHER!”

The room was steeped in heavy silence, but then Muskan’s sharp, venomous voice cut through the tension. “That’s enough, Ruhi.”

Ruhi turned, her rage momentarily frozen by the icy anger in Muskan’s tone. But before Ruhi could respond, Muskan stepped forward and slapped her across the face. The sound rang out like a thunderclap.

Ruhi staggered back, her hand flying to her cheek. Tears pooled in her eyes, but before she could say a word, Muskan unleashed a torrent of accusations.

“How dare you stand here and blame
Akshara for everything? How dare you talk about what’s right and wrong? Do you think you’re innocent in all this?” Muskan’s words were sharp and biting. “Look in the mirror, Ruhi! You’re the reason Aarohi is dead!”

Ruhi’s face paled, her lips trembling as she whispered, “No… no, that’s not true. You’re lying!”

Muskan’s laugh was cold and hollow. “Lying? Oh, I wish I were! You were the one  who played in the car. She wouldn’t have lost focus if it weren’t for you! She would still be alive today if you hadn’t been such a burden!”

Ruhi clutched her ears, trying to block out Muskan’s words. “Stop it! I didn’t.—”

Muskan stepped closer, her voice growing louder. “Didn’t ? That doesn’t change the fact that you did it! You’ve been nothing but a curse since the day you were born! You killed your father, you killed your mother, and now you blame akshara? YOU’RE THE CURSE, RUHI!”

The murmurs of agreement started softly but quickly grew louder. “She’s right… Ruhi has always brought trouble… Everything she touches falls apart…”Swarna said in anger and hate

Manish’s voice, usually a source of comfort, was now cold and unforgiving. “Muskan is right,” he said, his gaze piercing. “You’ve caused this family nothing but pain, Ruhi. Your mother sacrificed everything for you, and this is how you repay her? By blaming someone else for your mistakes?”

Ruhi’s legs felt like they would give out beneath her. Her heart pounded against her chest as every whispered accusation hit her like a physical blow.

“You were never meant to bring happiness,” her badi nani muttered. “You only bring destruction.”

Ruhi shook her head, her tears falling freely. “No… please stop… I didn’t mean to…”

Abhira’s small frame shook with anger as she stood between Ruhi and the rest of the family. “STOP IT!” she screamed, her voice ringing out. “How can you say such horrible things? Don’t you see what you’re doing to her?”

Kairav stepped forward, his face tight with controlled fury. “That’s enough,” he said, his voice low but firm. “How dare you speak to her like this? Ruhi has suffered enough, and you all are making it worse!”

But Ruhi was no longer listening. The voices around her were a cacophony of blame and hatred, drowning out everything else. She clutched her chest, struggling to breathe as her sobs shook her body.

“I can’t… I can’t stay here!” she cried, her voice breaking.

Without another word, Ruhi turned and ran out of the house, her footsteps echoing in the suffocating silence she left behind.

“Ruhi!” Abhira called after her, her voice filled with desperation. She moved to chase her, but Kairav held her back, his grip gentle but firm.

“Let her go, Abhira,” he said softly. “She needs time to process this.”

Abhira’s tears flowed freely as she looked at the door, her heart breaking for her sister. She turned back to the family, her face red with anger.

“How could you do this?” she demanded, her voice trembling. “She’s your family! How could you treat her this way? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

***
Note

Here muskaan is a negative character