RADHE RADHE READER'S .
ENJOY THE CHAPTER.
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Mumbai...
The Kapoor Mansion.
After hours of laughter...
The house slowly became quieter.
For once...
The younger children weren't running.
---
The balcony overlooked the Mumbai skyline.
A gentle breeze blew through.
Abhimanyu leaned against the railing.
Ishika stood beside him.
Neither spoke.
Sometimes...
Silence between them was enough.
After a while...
Ishika smiled.
"You've grown."
Abhimanyu frowned.
"I'm still taller than Jai."
She laughed softly.
"I wasn't talking about height, Maan."
He looked at her.
She continued,
"You still smile the same..."
"But now..."
"You think before everyone else."
Abhimanyu looked down.
"I missed you."
"I wanted to tell you so many things..."
"But video calls weren't enough."
Ishika's eyes softened.
"I missed you too."
"The house wasn't the same."
"No one argued with me."
"No one stole my chocolates."
"No one called me Butterfly every five minutes."
Abhimanyu smiled.
"I can fix that."
He looked at her with his mischievous grin.
"Butterfly."
She shook her head.
"There's my Maan."
For a moment...
Neither of them spoke.
Then Ishika gently ruffled his hair.
"No matter where we live..."
"We'll always be family."
Abhimanyu hugged her tightly.
"I know."
---
Jai and Abhimanyu sat on the terrace steps.
Each holding a packet of chips.
Jai suddenly spoke.
"You know..."
"I really missed you."
Abhimanyu looked at him.
"I did too."
Jai smiled weakly.
"Nobody understands my stupid ideas like you."
"And nobody laughs before the prank even starts."
Abhimanyu laughed.
"Because your ideas are terrible."
"They're masterpieces."
"They're disasters."
"The best disasters."
The two burst into laughter.
After a moment...
Jai became serious.
"Promise me something."
"Hmm?"
"No matter where we live..."
"No matter how busy everyone becomes..."
"We'll never stop being best friends."
Abhimanyu held out his little finger.
"Promise."
Jai linked his finger with Abhimanyu's.
"Forever."
---
...And the Peace Lasted Exactly Seven Seconds.
Vivaan burst onto the terrace.
"EMERGENCY!"
The two boys jumped.
"What happened?"
Vivaan pointed downstairs.
"Anu and Riya declared war."
"What?!"
The three boys ran downstairs.
---
The living room...
Looked like a battlefield.
Pillows everywhere.
Blankets on the floor.
Riya stood proudly on the sofa.
Holding a cushion like a sword.
She pointed dramatically.
"Big Bro!"
"They started it!"
Abhimanyu looked at her.
"Who?"
She pointed.
"Jai Bhaiya!"
"Anu!"
Jai looked offended.
"False accusations!"
Anu crossed her arms.
"She stole my cookie."
"I borrowed it."
"You ate it!"
"It was delicious."
Vivaan whispered,
"I support Riya."
Within seconds...
A pillow hit Vivaan.
Another hit Jai.
Then...
Abhimanyu threw one.
Chaos erupted.
The Pillow War of Mumbai had officially begun.
---
After twenty minutes...
Everyone collapsed onto the carpet laughing.
Riya rested her head on Abhimanyu's shoulder.
"Big Bro..."
"Hmm?"
"I'm happy you came."
"So am I, Princess."
"You'll visit again?"
"As many times as you'll have me."
She smiled.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
She hugged him tightly.
"I missed you."
Abhimanyu hugged her back.
"I missed you too."
---
The Elder Siblings
In another room...
Ishan smiled.
"It's nice seeing everyone together again."
Shanvi nodded.
"The younger ones finally have their chaos back."
Aarav laughed.
"They never lost it."
Aanya smiled.
"I think Rahul would've loved this trip."
The room fell silent.
Ishan nodded.
"Poor kid."
"He must be feeling left out."
Vivaan quietly looked away.
---
### The Kapoor Elders
In the dining room...
Devendra smiled as he watched the children.
"They've filled this house with life again."
Rajeshwari looked lovingly at Abhimanyu.
"That child..."
"He smiles..."
"But he notices everyone's feelings."
Suman nodded.
"He always makes sure no one is left out."
Nandini smiled.
"No wonder Riya calls him Big Bro."
Arvind laughed.
"And Jai finally has his partner in crime back."
Karan shook his head.
"God help Mumbai."
Everyone laughed.
---
Delhi...
The Oberoi Mansion.
The house was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Rahul lay on the sofa with a blanket over him.
The fever had almost gone.
Rajendra checked his forehead.
"Much better."
Savitri smiled.
"You'll recover soon."
Meera brought him soup.
"Eat a little."
Naina adjusted his blanket.
"We'll video call Mumbai tonight."
Everyone cared.
Everyone fussed over him.
Everyone loved him.
Rahul smiled.
But it never reached his eyes.
His phone buzzed.
A photo.
Abhimanyu...
Jai...
Anu...
Vivaan...
All laughing together.
Another photo.
Abhimanyu carrying Riya on his back.
Another.
Ishika fixing Abhimanyu's messy hair.
Another.
The entire Kapoor family gathered around them.
Rahul stared.
His grip tightened around the phone.
"They're smiling..."
"They're making memories..."
"Without me."
His chest felt heavy.
His fever no longer bothered him.
Something else did.
"They didn't stop the trip."
"They didn't stay."
"They still went."
His eyes stopped on one face.
Abhimanyu.
Always Abhimanyu.
Every picture.
Every smile.
Every laugh.
Every hug.
Every memory.
His jaw clenched.
"If Abhimanyu wasn't there..."
"Would they still be laughing like this?"
"Would everyone miss him this much?"
"Would anyone even notice if I was the one standing there instead?"
He threw the phone onto the bed.
Tears burned in his eyes.
"I hate this..."
"I hate being here."
"I hate being sick."
His breathing became uneven.
"And..."
For the first time...
He didn't stop himself.
"I hate Abhimanyu."
Outside...
The Oberoi Mansion stood peaceful.
Inside one room...
A small heart was slowly filling with a jealousy so raw...
So painful...
That even Rahul himself didn't understand it anymore.
Here's a short, light-hearted farewell chapter that ends by quietly showing Rahul's growing jealousy without anyone noticing.
______
Two days later...
The Kapoor Mansion was noisy once again.
Not because someone was fighting...
But because everyone was trying to make the Oberoi's leave on time.
"Abhimanyu!"
"Your backpack!"
"Maan!"
"You forgot Filo's toy!"
"Vivaan!"
"Stop stealing snacks from our kitchen!"
"I'm taking emergency supplies!"
"That's my chocolate!"
"Finders keepers!"
"I'll tell Butterfly!"
"...Fine."
Abhimanyu immediately handed it back.
Jai laughed so hard that he nearly dropped his own bag.
"I'll miss this."
"You'll survive."
"Barely."
---
Outside...
The cars were ready.
One by one...
Everyone said goodbye.
Jai pulled Abhimanyu into a quick hug.
"Next time..."
"Longer trip."
"Deal."
Anu hugged Riya.
"Don't finish all the cookies before I come back."
"I'll try."
Vivaan high-fived Ishan.
"Cricket rematch."
"You'll still lose."
"We'll see."
Shanvi hugged Aanya.
"Call me."
"Every week."
"Promise."
"Promise."
Riya hugged Abhimanyu tightly.
"Bye, Big Bro."
Abhimanyu smiled and patted her head.
"Take care, Princess."
Then...
Filo walked over.
She rubbed her head against Abhimanyu's hand before walking back to Ishika.
Abhimanyu scratched behind her ears.
"Take care of Butterfly, okay?"
Filo gave a soft rumble.
Ishika smiled.
"And you take care of yourself, Maan."
"I always do."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"...Most of the time."
She laughed.
"That's better."
---
Vikram closed the car door.
"Everyone seated?"
"Yes!"
Raghav looked back once.
"We'll be back soon."
Karan grinned.
"Next time..."
"No surprises."
"No promises."
Everyone laughed.
The cars slowly drove away.
The Kapoor family stood outside...
Waving until the vehicles disappeared from sight.
---
Delhi...
The gates of the Oberoi Mansion opened. The cars rolled inside. Before anyone could step out... Rahul came running. "You're back!"
Meera smiled. "Our traveller is waiting." Naina hugged him gently.
"Feeling better?"
"Much."
Rajendra smiled.
"So..."
"How was Mumbai?" Before anyone else answered... Abhimanyu excitedly spoke. "It was amazing!"
"Filo has grown so much!"
"Jai hid snacks."
"Anu stole them."
"Vivaan started a pillow fight."
Everyone laughed together.
Rahul smiled too.
On the outside.
Inside...
His eyes remained fixed on Abhimanyu.
Again...
Everyone was listening to him.
Everyone was laughing because of him.
Every story...
Every memory...
Started with...
"Abhimanyu did this..."
"Abhimanyu said that..."
"Abhimanyu..."
"Abhimanyu..."
Rahul quietly tightened his fists behind his back.
No one noticed.
Not the elders.
Not the children.
Not even Abhimanyu. He simply stood there...
Smiling with everyone else. While something dark and silent... Continued growing inside his heart.
RADAHE RADHE ........................
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