58. The Slap!

D's PoV

She called me a bitch? She is so venomous. She had that audacity to step in my home and call me that in front of my family?

"Stop it, Smirthi. How dare you enter our home and point your filthy finger at my anni?" Ravi went near her with a warning.

What is going to happen now? I'm scared for what's going to come.

"Rajashekar uncle. I have something to tell you. I won’t go until you listen to me. I don’t care even if I die from waiting." Smirthi ignored Ravi and spoke to uncle.

Uncle looked at me. He has this sorry face.

"Look here, Smirthi. I don’t know what happened to you. But now Rishi is married to Danya. It's not good for you to go behind my son anymore. Just go away and let my son and daughter in law live in peace." He told her with a loud sigh.

"Uncle, how can you say this? You know that your son loves me. You believe her? She is not worth it. See these pictures. You will know how cheap she is!" She showed some pictures.

I was taken aback. I never expected her to be this cunning and bad. She stooped so low to get me out of Rishi’s life. I always thought she did everything to get Rishi back. But she is now assassinating my character to my family. She can’t do this.

"She is totally a bitch. Rishi caught her red handed when she was doing something with a guy at Karthik's office. That is why she ran away. Here in this picture, she is with another man on the roads. God knows who he is! She didn’t even spare a married man. See this one, She is in a compromising position with Rohit. She's a home-wrecker, uncle. She even uses Ravi..."

I cannot listen to her anymore. I slapped her hard. "One more word and I will kill you!" I slapped her again.

"Danya!" My hubby yelled. He just came home and nothing here looks good. He is angry that I hit her. He is an impatient man who let me go on the first time I did this. But I feel terrible now and scared.

He went near Smirthi. She was in a daze. Her lip was bleeding with the force of my slap. She must have felt birds circling around her head. She felt dizzy and held Rishi's hand to steady herself. He left her and came near me. A ball of fear gathered in my stomach.

"How dare you lay your hands on her?" He slapped me!

HE SLAPPED ME! I held my hand on my cheek that was burning. Not once after that he bothered to look at me. He took her hands and took her to our room upstairs and locked the door. I saw that in a blur. Everyone was in shock. Ravi was the one who recovered soon.

"Anni!" He came near me. I turned to look at him.

"Please Ravi, I already feel ashamed. Don’t make it worse." I looked at everyone in the hall.

There was my uncle, lawyer uncle, chinna anna and Savithri(servant maid). Everyone has that pity look on me.

"Uncle, I explained to Rishi, about who I was playing with at Karthik's office. He is Gowtham. He is like my brother."

"Kanna, You don’t have to explain anything!" uncle said.

"I wouldn’t if it happened with just you and Ravi's presence. Now we have spectators, uncle. I feel responsible to clear the air."

"Anni!" Ravi tried to stop me.

"Please Ravi!" I stopped him. I took the picture where a man hugging my shoulders on the road.

"This man in this picture is my friend Pavithra's brother. A brother to me too. His name is Pragan. Uncle, can you give me your pen?" I asked my lawyer uncle.

Lawyer uncle gave his pen from his shirt pocket. I took my phone and wrote Pavithra's number and Pragan anna's number on the magazine on the table.

"Here is their number. You can cross check if I'm lying. He was drunk that day when I went away on the roads. I saw him fighting with some people. He was our neighbor near my grandma's home. I have known him since my childhood. I stopped the commotion there and helped him to get an auto to go to his home."

"Anni please, You are insulting us by explaining." Ravi said.

I caressed his head. She spoke such low words about our relationship. I feel him like my son. The same feeling I get whenever I see Shanu. He is the only one who stands by me every time I feel low.

I took that picture where Rohit is hugging me. It must be taken today. He is such a rogue that he made arrangements to take a picture? And I thought to let him go with a warning? Has he partnered with Smirthi and planned to do this? He should be in jail.

"This picture was taken today at noon, uncle. He misbehaved with me and I stabbed his hand with the scissors. Chinna anna knows it. You can ask him."

I turned to my Lawyer uncle.

"Uncle, I need a help from you. Uncle said I can apply for a divorce even now. I mean we don't have to wait for 6 months. Am I right?" I asked him.

He looked at my uncle and turned to me. "Yes, If we state the circumstances of your wedding, if it is mutual consent, then you will get your divorce right away." He said with his head low.

"Then can you please arrange for it, uncle? I'm ready to sign it. I can't stay here anymore, uncle. If he likes her this much, then I should make way for his happiness."

"Anni! I respect your decision. But remember you will always be my anni!" Ravi said with a hoarse voice. I know he is breaking inside. I am broken too.

"I'm so sorry, kanna. If I didn’t ask your hands for this wedding from your dad, you probably would have had a beautiful life now. Though you cannot live here as my daughter-in-law, I consider you as my own daughter." uncle said with his head hung low. He is not responsible for anything that happened. It's all because of me.

"Please uncle, You don’t have to feel guilty. This wedding may be proposed by you. But the decision was mine. I'm soulfully responsible for this."

I don’t want to cry. Her accusations against me were not true. But they are filthy. How can a girl talk like this about another girl?

"Ravi! Can you please drop me at my grandparents’ home?"

"Sure anni!" he said.

I went to the dining room wash basin to wash my face. That is when I noticed my cheek. It has my hubby's fingers on it. It's very evident and red. I cannot go like this to my Aakash anna. If he sees me like this, then I cannot stop the following fights.

"Ravi! I cannot go like this to my brother. Drop me at my friend's place. Wait, Let me call her first".

I called my friend Archana. Archana, Pavithra and I are of the same age and have been friends from childhood. They are neighbors to my grandparents. We play together whenever I come here for vacation.

"Uncle! I will go to my friend's home now. After my cheek gets back to normal, I will go to my grandparents’. Until then don’t tell anything to my family. I will tell them myself. Uncle, just give me a call to my number when the papers are ready for my sign. I will come to your office. I will miss your food Chinna anna. Take care of everyone." I bid my byes to everyone.

"Dad, I'm going to college hostel after dropping anni. I cannot stay in the same roof with your stupid son. We may end up fighting. I don't even want to see him." Ravi said went to his room.

"I'm so sorry, uncle" I said.

"It's not your fault, kanna! Ravi can move out. He is doing it. I have to check for flight tickets to CANADA. My brother is there. I will spend my time there." He said slumping on the couch.

Ravi came with a bag. "Let's go anni!"

I bid a good-bye to everyone and went out. I feel bad for doing this to them. But what can I do now? I need some space. I'm suffocating here.