ADHE RADHE READER'SĀ
ENJOY
One month later...
Life at the Oberoi Mansion seemed normal.
But for Abhimanyu...
Everything had changed.
Ever since the incidents with Rahul...
Every small misunderstanding ended with the same sentence.
"Abhimanyu!"
"What have you done now?"
Sometimes it was a broken flower vase.
Sometimes Rahul would trip while running.
Sometimes a toy would mysteriously break.
No one punished Abhimanyu harshly.
But he was scolded almost every day.
Each time, he quietly apologized.
Each time, he blamed himself.
He never imagined that someone was making all of it happen on purpose.
---
International School
Things were changing there too.
Rahul had made friends with a few boys from higher classes.
The same boys who had once fought with Abhimanyu over Ishika's bracelet.
Now...
They had become Rahul's group.
Whenever Anu was beside Abhimanyu...
Everything stayed normal.
Rahul laughed with him.
Played with him.
Acted like a caring brother.
But the moment Anu went to the library, washroom or another classroom...
Everything changed.
One boy would push Abhimanyu while passing.
Another would hide his notebook.
Someone would throw away his lunch.
Someone would pull his school bag.
"Oops... sorry."
The apologies were always fake.
Rahul stood at a distance.
Watching.
Smiling.
---
Days turned into weeks.
The bullying became worse.
One afternoon...
Abhimanyu was walking through the corridor.
One of the boys suddenly shoved him from behind.
He crashed against the wall.
His elbow scraped the rough surface.
The boys laughed.
"Can't even walk properly."
Another day...
His water bottle disappeared.
The next day...
His shoes were hidden before sports period.
Then...
One boy pushed him down the staircase.
It wasn't from a great height.
But Abhimanyu rolled down several steps.
His knees and hands were covered in bruises.
Rahul watched silently.
He never touched Abhimanyu himself.
He simply let the others do it.
---
Every evening...
Abhimanyu returned home with fresh bruises.
A scratch on his arm.
A swollen knee.
A cut near his chin.
Mira frowned.
"Abhimanyu!"
"What happened now?"
"I... fell."
Vikram sighed.
"You really need to be more careful."
Rajendra shook his head.
"You're becoming far too careless."
Savitri gently applied medicine.
"You must pay attention while playing."
Abhimanyu simply nodded.
"Sorry..."
No one imagined those injuries weren't accidents.
---
One evening...
Anu noticed another bruise while they were doing homework.
She grabbed Abhimanyu's wrist.
"Abhi."
He looked up.
"Hmm?"
She pointed toward the bruise.
"You had one yesterday."
"Now there's another."
"Tell me the truth."
"What's happening?"
Abhimanyu smiled.
"I'm just clumsy."
Anu frowned.
"You're lying."
"You never used to get hurt this much."
Abhimanyu laughed softly.
"I'll be fine."
He quickly changed the subject.
But Anu wasn't convinced.
---
Weeks later...
The bullying became even crueler.
The boys began calling him names.
"Teacher's favourite."
"Crybaby."
"Buttefly's bodyguard."
They laughed every time they mentioned Ishika.
Abhimanyu clenched his fists.
But he remembered his family's words.
"Don't fight."
"Walk away."
So...
He silently walked away every single time.
---
Even the school's founder and chairman, Pratap Singh Oberoi, happened to visit the campus several times that month.
Whenever he saw Abhimanyu with a bandage or scraped knees, he would stop him.
"What happened, little tiger?"
Abhimanyu would smile politely.
"I slipped, Dadu."
Pratap Singh gently patted his head.
"You must be careful."
"I don't like seeing my brave boy hurt."
Abhimanyu nodded with a smile.
"I'll be careful."
Even Pratap Singh believed they were ordinary childhood accidents.
He never imagined someone was hurting his great-grandson every single day.
---
From a distance...
Rahul watched everything.
Every bruise.
Every scolding.
Every apology.
No one suspected him.
No one questioned him.
His plan was working perfectly.
But somewhere deep inside...
The small voice of guilt that had once whispered...
Had almost disappeared.
And with each passing day...
Rahul's jealousy grew darker.
While Abhimanyu continued to suffer...
Another week passed.
The bullying at school became even worse.
Rahul no longer needed to say anything.
The boys understood exactly what to do whenever Anu wasn't around.
---
Oberoi International School
Lunch break...
Abhimanyu quietly sat under a tree, opening his lunchbox.
Before he could take the first bite...
One boy kicked his water bottle away.
Another snatched his lunchbox.
"Let's see what Mummy packed for the crybaby."
The boys laughed.
Abhimanyu stood up.
"Please... give it back."
One of them threw the lunchbox to another.
It finally fell onto the ground.
The food scattered across the dust.
The boys burst into laughter.
Rahul watched from a distance.
He didn't stop them.
He simply turned around and walked away before any teacher arrived.
---
Sports period...
Abhimanyu was running during practice when someone deliberately stuck out a foot.
He fell hard.
His knees scraped against the rough ground.
His palms started bleeding.
The sports teacher rushed over.
"What happened?"
Before Abhimanyu could answer, one of the boys said,
"Sir, he wasn't looking where he was going."
The teacher sighed.
"Abhimanyu, you need to be more careful."
Abhimanyu quietly nodded.
"I'm sorry, Sir."
---
Oberoi Mansion
That evening...
Abhimanyu walked inside with another torn uniform.
Fresh bruises covered both knees.
His palms were wrapped in bandages by the school nurse.
Mira's face immediately fell.
"Abhimanyu!"
"What happened now?"
"I... fell during sports."
Vikram looked disappointed.
"Again?"
"How can someone fall every single day?"
Rajendra frowned.
"This carelessness has become a habit."
Savitri sighed.
"We keep telling you to be careful."
Raghav added,
"You never listen."
Naina folded her arms.
"You've become extremely irresponsible."
Aarav looked at him in disbelief.
"Seriously, Abhi?"
"You always have a new injury."
Aanya shook her head.
"You don't even try to avoid trouble anymore."
Vivaan spoke sternly.
"If this keeps happening, one day you'll seriously hurt yourself."
Every word landed like another wound.
Abhimanyu lowered his head.
"I'm sorry..."
"I'll be more careful."
No one noticed the tears he was trying so hard to hide.
Only Anu did.
She quietly clenched her fists.
Something was terribly wrong.
---
Mumbai ā Video Call
That night...
The Kapoor family called.
Ishika's smiling face appeared on the screen.
Beside her sat Jai, already eating chips.
"Hello, Oberois!"
Jai grinned.
"Where's my partner in crime?"
Anu forced a smile.
"He's in his room."
Ishika immediately noticed everyone's expressions.
"What happened?"
Aanya explained,
"Abhi came home hurt again."
"He keeps getting injured at school."
Jai's smile disappeared.
"Again?"
Ishika's heart sank.
"Can I talk to Maan?"
Mira nodded and called him downstairs.
Abhimanyu slowly entered the living room.
The moment Ishika saw him...
Her smile vanished.
There was a bruise near his cheek.
Bandages covered both palms.
His knees were scraped.
"Maan..."
"What happened?"
Abhimanyu smiled softly.
"I slipped."
Jai frowned.
"You've been 'slipping' a lot lately."
Abhimanyu laughed weakly.
"I guess I'm becoming clumsy."
Ishika stared at him silently.
She knew him too well.
Whenever he smiled like that...
He was hiding something.
Very gently she asked,
"Maan..."
"Is someone hurting you?"
The entire room became silent.
Abhimanyu quickly shook his head.
"No, Butterfly."
"I promise."
"I just keep making mistakes."
Vikram sighed.
"That's exactly the problem."
"He has become far too careless."
The elders nodded in agreement.
Ishika didn't say anything.
But something in her heart refused to believe it.
---
That night...
Abhimanyu lay on his bed.
His fingers instinctively touched the bracelet on his wrist.
"I promised I'd protect it, Butterfly..."
Outside his room...
Anu stood silently.
She had heard every word.
She looked toward the closed door and whispered,
"I don't know what's happening, Abhi..."
"But I'll find out."
Far away in Mumbai...
Ishika couldn't sleep.
She kept remembering the sadness hidden behind Abhimanyu's smile.
For the first time...
She felt that something was terribly wrong in Delhi.
And she silently decided...
The next time she met her Maan...
She would uncover the truth herself.
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