83. The Confrontation!

Anika’s PoV

All my anger flew away when I saw her in the hospital bed with the hospital patient uniform. She has lost so much weight and also lost her charm and beauty. Her eyes had dark circles around it. She was leaning back on the bed and was looking at the ceiling when I opened the door. It’s good that Arjun did not accompany me to see her, he cannot digest this sight. As she heard the door, she just moved her eyes to the door and her facial expression changed from nude to anger in just a matter of seconds.

“Why are you here?” She asked me as soon as I entered the room.

“I am here to see you. Isn’t it obvious?” I asked her back.

“I hate to even see you. You made Arjun see me differently. How did you do it? How did you make Arjun fall in love with you?” She asked me in a fit of rage when I settled myself on the chair near the bed.

“That is love, Preethi. You cannot force it out of someone.”

“Arjun hates me! He hates me now!”

“You are wrong. Arjun can never hate you. He loves you very much as a friend. That is the part you failed to understand. Tell me, you knew it in your heart that Arjun would have never said yes to marry you even though I have not come, right?” She stayed quiet and that gave me the answer.

“Why did you do all this when you know Arjun can never give you that love you expected from him? Why, Preethi? Why did you complicate everyone’s life?” I asked her. I have no anger now, just a curiosity to know why she messed up my life.

“Complicate? I just showed Arjun what you tried to hide. You had a past love and I made Arjun realize what a cheater you are. Who told you that he could never give me love? If you haven't come in between, Arjun would have seen my love for him, he would have changed eventually. You came to spoil my life.”

“Really? I spoiled your life? You, Preethi, you tried to spoil my life. You very well knew Arun was my past but yet you tried to manipulate Arjun against me by instilling doubts in him. You should have backed off when you knew Arjun and I are in love with each other. If you had loved Arjun truly, you should have thought about his happiness.”

“Everything went as per my plan except that that stupid Arun was a coward and this unexpected baby inside you. Huh, do you think the happiness you are giving him is the pinnacle? My love for him has not happened overnight like yours. My love is 17years strong. I am the only person in this whole world who can give him the pinnacle of happiness. No one else. Not even you.”

When she pointed to my stomach, I felt goosebumps on the back of my neck out of fear. I can see what she has been growing in her mind. She thinks that only she knows Arjun better and only she can make him happy. Everything is in her imagination.

“Love is a spark, Preethi. It doesn't need years to make a flame. But obsession takes time. You have developed an obsession over Arjun, Preethi, not love. You played a very cheap and sensitive game knowing the reactions of Arjun. You hurt me too much just because you thought I was in the way. Never once did you think that you are doing injustice to me?”

“No, mine is love. Pure love. You don't have any rights to question my feelings for Arjun. Arjun is mine. You can never understand him like I do.” She said, that is when I knew it was no use talking to her. She is clearly not clear in her mind.

“You don't think what I am saying is true? Ask them, they always say that Arjun belongs to me. They were the ones who were with me all along sticking up to me and encouraging me for doing things that took me near Arjun’s happiness.” She continued when she saw me quiet while showing me the side of her bed on the other side. There was no one in the room other than myself and her. I felt my stomach fall in the pit when she said that.

“Who are they, Preethi?” I asked her, hiding my fear.

“My uncle and Harini. Harini is my school friend and uncle is my mom’s younger brother. They ask you to go out. They don't like you. They want me to poke you with this.” Preethi spoke very calmly while pulling out the IV needle off of her arm and showing it to me.

“Relax, Preethi. I will leave. Tell them that I am sorry to bother you all. Take care.” I stood up from the chair and walked out very slowly without startling her.

“Are you alright, Anika?” Uncle asked me as soon as I emerged from the room.

“Yes, uncle.”

“Says your mouth. But your face tells me a different story. Is everything alright?”

“No, uncle. She is clearly struggling. It is no use in questioning her. The only thing we can do is to pray for her mental health.”

“Sit down, Anika. You are shaking.” He made me sit when Arjun and Praveen came our way.

“Beautiful!” Arjun came to me in long strides. “You look so pale. Are you alright?” He asked me, sitting next to me.

“Do you know someone named Harini? From school?” I asked him.

“Mmmm yes, Harini was our friend. She died when we were in our tenth grade. How do you know her?”

“Died? How?”

“She fell from the school bus. It was an accident. Why are you asking about her?”

“Praveen, your mom has a younger brother?”

“She had! He is no more, Anika.” Praveen said, confusion evident in both their faces.

“Preethi thinks that Harini and your uncle are with her, telling her to do things. She said that they don’t like me and want to harm me. She pulled out the IV needle from her hand without a blink of an eye. She said it very coldly.”

“What? Strange but Preethi was near both of them when they died. My uncle fell from the stairs in booze and died in the hospital because his body was unresponsive for medicine because of the alcohol in his blood. Preethi was with him when it happened. In the bus too, Preethi and Harini were sitting on the steps when Harini slipped and fell out when she tried to get up.” Praveen said with horror and I don't know why I feel like it but I felt that Preethi pushed them to death.

“Do you think Preethi made those accidents happen? Is that why she is hallucinating them to be with her?” Arjun asked Praveen.

“I don't know about my uncle, but Harini had a crush on you and has even told me that she is going to propose to you on your birthday. But she passed away a week before your birthday. I doubt if she told Preethi about her plan.” Praveen said and they both ran to the doctor and the doctor agreed to do a hypnotic session to know what had triggered the violence in her and if it was true that she was behind those deaths. The nurse gave Preethi some sleeping dose and fixed her IV.

“Uncle was very much against me being close with Arjun at first. He even threatened to move me out of town to a different school. But now he understands my true love and is in full support. He is with me all the time.” Preethi spoke in a daze and fell asleep. I have no doubt that Preethi pushed them both to death because of her obsession over Arjun. But the doctor has scheduled for a session next week to talk to her in her trance state. The doctor has confirmed that this is a case of bipolar disorder and is yet to determine the root cause for it. I truly feel very sorry for her.

“Keep me posted. I have to leave now.” Arjun told Praveen and we drove towards Coimbatore. Arjun stayed quiet for most of the time and it was killing me to not talk to him.

“Arjun, nothing is your fault. Please stop hurting inside.”

“She is a bubbly girl, Anika. I could not even think that she is suffering so much for so long because of me. I thought I was being a good friend to her. If I had not talked to her and been myself, she would have been her bubbly self and living her life in the happiest way possible. I shouldn't have intruded into her life. If I was not there, she wouldn't be suffering so much.”

“This is a sad situation, I agree. But you are no way responsible, Arjun. Your goodness made her like you and her weak mental strength made her obsess over you. It was her obsession that resulted in her state now, not you. Even if we eliminate you from the equation, she would have obsessed over something or someone else. Stop blaming yourself.” I tried to soothe him with facts.

“Maybe you are right, but it is me now and that is the fact. I couldn't even think about the last minutes of Harini. Now I can remember many occasions where Preethi behaved in extremity. We were all at fault in not recognising her struggle and getting her help when needed. We thought it was her and accepted her just like she was.”

“Or she was so clever that she hid her tracks so well that you all didn't see it coming. If not recognising is the problem, then her parents are the one to blame. It is their responsibility to monitor the changes in their child.”

“If she cooperates, the doctor says there is a fair chance to bring her to sanity and hush away the hallucinations. Let’s see.”

“I think she will cooperate. Now just let go of her, Arjun. She is not your responsibility. Don't burden yourself. Your mental health is more important to me and our baby.” I told him. I hate to see him stress out.

“That’s my girl. Looks like Arjun no longer needs me for a pep talk.” Uncle said leaning comfortably in the seat beside Arjun that made us all laugh and loosen up the situation. The rest of the ride went in small talks and songs and some laughter. We stopped at the front of Anand’s house and we all got down when another car that was parked a little further moved near us.