RADHE RADHE READER'S.
ENJOY THE CHAPTER.
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Oberoi International School
Lunch break...
Abhimanyu quietly sat beneath the old banyan tree.
His fingers gently brushed against the bracelet on his wrist.
A small smile appeared.
"Butterfly... I'm still protecting it."
Just then...
Four boys surrounded him.
The same boys.
Rahul stood a few steps away, silently watching.
One of the boys smirked.
"So..."
"Still wearing your girlfriend's bracelet?"
Abhimanyu stood up.
"Move."
Another boy grabbed his wrist.
"Take it off."
Abhimanyu immediately pulled his hand back.
"No."
The third boy laughed.
"Or what?"
"You'll cry?"
Abhimanyu's voice trembled.
"I said..."
"Don't touch it."
The first boy suddenly shoved him.
He stumbled backwards.
The boys laughed.
"Protect it now!"
One of them lunged for the bracelet again.
Without thinking...
Abhimanyu wrapped both hands around his wrist to protect it.
"I won't let you touch it!"
The boys grew angry.
One of them picked up a cricket bat lying nearby.
"Let's see how long you protect it!"
Rahul's eyes widened.
He hadn't expected things to go this far.
"Leave it..."
he whispered.
But none of the boys listened.
THUD!
The bat struck Abhimanyu's shoulder.
He fell to the ground.
Still...
His hands covered the bracelet.
"No..."
Another blow came.
He curled into a ball.
Protecting only one thing.
The bracelet.
"You'll never get it..."
One boy angrily pushed him.
Abhimanyu lost his balance.
His head slammed against the edge of a concrete bench.
CRACK!
Everything went silent.
Blood slowly trickled down his forehead.
The boys froze.
Rahul stared in horror.
"I... I didn't..."
Before anyone could react...
A teacher shouted from across the playground.
"What is happening there?!"
The boys ran.
Rahul ran with them.
Leaving Abhimanyu alone.
---
School Infirmary
The nurse wrapped a bandage around his head.
"Does it hurt?"
Abhimanyu smiled weakly.
"A little..."
The principal looked at him.
"What happened?"
Abhimanyu lowered his eyes.
"...I fell."
The teacher frowned.
"You've become very careless lately."
He quietly nodded.
"Sorry, Ma'am."
---
The moment Mira saw the bandage...
She gasped.
"ABHIMANYU!"
Everyone rushed into the living room.
Vikram's face darkened.
"What happened now?"
Abhimanyu looked at the floor.
"I..."
"I fell."
Rahul looked away.
He didn't say a word.
Rajendra sighed heavily.
"Again?"
Savitri shook her head.
"This child never learns."
Aarav frowned.
"Abhi!"
"How many times?"
Aanya folded her arms.
"You don't listen to anyone."
Vivaan spoke sternly.
"One day your carelessness will cost you everything."
Every sentence felt heavier than the last.
Abhimanyu tried to speak.
"I..."
"I..."
But the words wouldn't come out.
Vikram interrupted him.
"Enough."
"You've worried everyone again."
"You are grounded for another week."
Abhimanyu slowly nodded.
"...Okay, Papa."
Ishika smiled as the call connected.
"Maanโ"
Her smile disappeared.
She saw the bandage.
"Maan!"
"What happened?"
Abhimanyu forced a smile.
"I slipped."
Jai frowned instantly.
"Again?"
Ishika looked straight into his eyes.
"Maan..."
"Tell me the truth."
For a moment...
He wanted to.
He wanted to tell her everything.
That boys laughed at him.
That they pushed him.
That they wanted her bracelet.
That he was tired.
So very tired.
Instead...
He smiled.
"...I'm just clumsy, Butterfly."
Ishika's face fell.
"Maan..."
"How many times?"
"You promised me you'd take care of yourself."
"I don't even know what to say anymore."
Her disappointment pierced deeper than the injury on his head.
"...I'm sorry."
That was all he could say.
That night...
Abhimanyu sat alone in his room.
He looked into the mirror.
The white bandage covered part of his forehead.
He gently touched it.
"It hurts..."
Then he looked at the bracelet.
It was safe.
A tiny smile appeared.
"At least..."
"I kept my promise."
The smile disappeared almost immediately.
His voice cracked.
"But..."
"Why won't anyone believe me?"
"What did I do?"
"Am I really that bad?"
Tears rolled down his cheeks.
"I don't even know anymore..."
Outside his room...
Anu had heard everything.
She quietly wiped her own tears.
"This isn't right..."
She ran downstairs.
"Papa!"
"Mamma!"
"I don't think Abhi is lying!"
Everyone looked at her.
Vikram sighed.
"Anu..."
"You're only saying that because he's your best friend."
"No, Bade Papa!"
"I've noticed something!"
"He only gets hurt when I'm not with him!"
"If I'm beside him..."
"Nothing happens!"
The room fell silent for a second.
Then Raghav smiled gently.
"Beta..."
"You're overthinking."
Aanya nodded.
"Accidents don't happen according to schedules."
Vivaan added,
"Abhi is just becoming careless."
Anu shook her head desperately.
"No!"
"I'm telling the truth!"
"No one is listening!"
Mira hugged her.
"We know you're worried."
"But don't make stories to protect him."
Anu slowly looked around the room.
Not one person believed her.
She looked upstairs toward Abhimanyu's closed bedroom door.
Tears filled her eyes.
"I believe you, Abhi..."
"Even if nobody else does."
The Distance Between Hearts
The house that was once filled with laughter...
Had become unbearably quiet for Abhimanyu.
Earlier...
Breakfast meant everyone talking over each other.
Now...
Abhimanyu silently ate his food.
No one asked him for extra jam.
No one stole food from his plate.
No one joked with him anymore.
It felt as if an invisible wall had grown between him and the people he loved most.
Only Anu still sat beside him every morning.
Sunday Morning
Aarav was excited.
Today was the final day to complete his Science Exhibition project.
For an entire month...
He had worked on a working volcano model.
It was perfect.
He carefully placed it on the study table before going downstairs.
"I'll just have breakfast and come back."
Unknown to everyone...
Rahul quietly entered the room.
He looked at the volcano.
Then at the glue bottle.
His hands trembled.
"I just..."
"I just need one more mistake."
Slowly...
He pushed the model off the table.
CRASH!
The volcano shattered into dozens of pieces.
He scattered the charts across the floor.
Then he quietly walked away.
A few minutes later...
Aarav returned.
The moment he entered the room...
He froze.
His entire project was destroyed.
"What..."
"What happened?"
He dropped to his knees.
"No..."
"No..."
"I worked on this for a month!"
His voice echoed through the mansion.
Everyone came running upstairs.
Meera gasped.
"Oh my God..."
Rajendra frowned.
"Who did this?"
Rahul slowly stepped forward.
His voice trembled.
"I..."
"I saw Abhimanyu come out of this room..."
Silence.
Every eye turned toward Abhimanyu.
He looked completely shocked.
"What?"
"I wasn't even here!"
Rahul lowered his head.
"I thought maybe..."
"It was an accident..."
Aarav looked at Abhimanyu.
For weeks...
He had defended his younger brother.
But today...
Months of disappointment finally exploded.
"WHY, ABHI?"
"I NEVER TOUCHED YOUR THINGS!"
"WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO MINE?"
Abhimanyu's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"I didn't..."
"I swear..."
"I didn't even come upstairs."
Aarav's voice grew louder than anyone had ever heard before.
"STOP LYING!"
"I'm tired of hearing 'I didn't do it!'"
"Every single time something happens..."
"You say the same thing!"
"I'm your brother!"
"I trusted you more than anyone!"
"And this is what you do?"
Abhimanyu flinched.
It was the first time...
Aarav had ever shouted at him.
The words hurt more than the shouting itself.
Vikram closed his eyes.
"Abhimanyu..."
"I don't even recognize you anymore."
"You were never this irresponsible."
"Never this dishonest."
Mira's voice trembled.
"If you had accidentally broken it..."
"We would have understood."
"But lying to us..."
"That hurts far more."
Rajendra spoke firmly.
"A person's biggest strength is honesty."
"I can forgive mistakes."
"But I cannot forgive repeated lies."
Savitri wiped her tears.
"My child..."
"Where did our cheerful Abhi go?"
Raghav sighed.
"You've disappointed everyone today."
Naina nodded sadly.
"This family trusted you blindly."
"You've broken that trust."
Aanya looked away.
"I don't even know what to say anymore."
Vivaan folded his arms.
"I defended you for so long."
"But now..."
"I can't."
Every sentence pushed Abhimanyu further into silence.
Only Anu stepped forward.
"No."
"I don't believe this."
Everyone looked at her.
She stood in front of Abhimanyu.
"Abhi didn't do it."
Vikram sighed.
"Anu..."
"Enough."
She shook her head.
"No, Bade Papa!"
"You all keep believing Rahul!"
"But has anyone actually seen Abhi doing these things?"
Silence.
She continued,
"Every time something happens..."
"You ask Rahul."
"You scold Abhi."
"And that's it."
Mira spoke gently,
"Beta..."
"Rahul wouldn't lie."
Anu's eyes filled with tears.
"And Abhi would?"
"He has been crying alone every night!"
"Can't any of you see that?"
Raghav placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We know you love him."
"But sometimes love makes us blind."
Anu pulled her shoulder away.
"No..."
"No..."
"It's all of you who have stopped seeing him."
The room became silent.
Vikram finally spoke.
"Abhimanyu."
"As punishment..."
"You will help Aarav build the entire project again."
"And until it's finished..."
"No playing."
"No outings."
"No talking back."
Abhimanyu slowly nodded.
"...Okay, Papa."
His voice had become so quiet...
It barely sounded like his own.
Without another word...
He bent down.
Carefully.
Silently.
He began picking up the broken pieces of Aarav's project.
Aarav watched him.
For the first time...
He didn't help.
He simply turned around and walked out of the room.
That hurt Abhimanyu the most.
His own twin...
Didn't even want to stand beside him anymore.
A single tear fell onto one of the broken cardboard pieces.
He quickly wiped it away before anyone noticed.
In a whisper so soft that only he could hear, he said,
"I really didn't do it..."
"I wish..."
"Just once..."
"Someone would believe me."
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