Chapter 318 - He couldn’t help his guilt anymore…

"We never gave her a family, did we?" Aarav asked looking at Abhijeet. He could see his own guilt reflect in his eyes.

Abhijeet more so than Aarav because he was the one who brought that little girl into this house with a whole lot of promises and he somehow seemed to have broken each and every one of them very successfully because of his own ignorance.

Somehow, racing with life, he seemed to have completely ignored a little girl growing up quietly in one corner of his own house.

He never counted on Rekha to have this kind of resentment towards Madhu… If Rekha could talk like this without Madhu uttering a single voice of complaint or protest, he could only imagine how things had been growing up…

"We really seemed to have failed her completely as a father and brother!" Abhijeet whispered back before going in…

Aarav could only silently agree…

The more pathetic part was that if today's events have not occurred, they probably wouldn't have noticed it ever on their own.

Just as they re-entered their house, they found Rekha shouting outside Madhu's room.

"Where did that girl go? Did she run away crying just because I reprimanded her a little…? Ask her to come back… she cannot use such a lame excuse to shed her responsibilities… she still has to make lunch!!"

"She won't be making lunch today!" Abhijeet said straight away.

"Why the hell not? Is she pretending to be hurt because of two slaps?? Where is she? I will show her what happens when she ignores her responsibilities! She cannot even stand this much, how is she going to go marry into such a family and survive!" Rekha sneered.

"She is not at home… I sent her with her boyfriend! She will be with him till you can know your mistakes… so, till then, we will just have to manage all the chores on our own! I will go cook the lunch" Aarav pitched in and he silently went to the kitchen.

He is actually not that good at cooking but he can probably try and do something simple for now…

"WHAT? How can she just go…? What does she think this is…? House or a hostel? Just to come and go as she pleases!? She did not even ask for permission before going out? And she dares elope with her boyfriend at that after all the things happened! The nerve of that gal… I will see how she steps back into this house… And why are you in the kitchen? She did not even cook lunch… that dead girl!!!" His gran added fuel to the fire.

"Gran, she did not go… I sent her away. And why does she need permission to go out… she is also the daughter of this family right? If I can come and go as I please, so can she. If she can cook lunch, so can I?" Aarav replied calmly.

"You guys are not the same. You are my son!!" Rekha flared up.

"And Madhu is your daughter too…" Abhijeet said at last.

Rekha gave him a cold look and denied decisively, "No, she is not… she is not my daughter. She had never been my daughter… and she will never be part of this family after the stunt she pulled today… she will never step foot into our house again!"

"Then, I will also have to go find a rental for myself from tomorrow…" Aarav said nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders shocking everyone there…

"What? Why? Why would you do shit like that?" Rekha exclaimed bewildered.

"Of course because even I have a girlfriend. Doesn't that mean I have committed the same crime as Madhu… and it seems as far as this family is concerned, that is an unforgivable one. So, I will also move out tomorrow… I do not want to disrepute my family by being here… I cannot possibly shame my family now, can I?" Aarav threw a bomb at them.

In all honesty, he did not have any girlfriend. But he could not think of any better way to make his mother see some sense…

"What? When did that happen? Who is she? Is she pretty? Is she from your class? Why did you not bring her home? And what do you mean move out… you would do no such stupid thing? We will be good to her as long as you like her and she is good to you!" Rekha said with a smile once she came back from her shock.

Aarav let out a self-deprecating chuckle at his own mother's ignorance towards her own double standards… That minute looking into her guilt-free eyes as she said that, he knew he was never going to be able to put any sense into her…

"Did you always treat her like this at home? Don't you feel ashamed by these double standards??" Abhijeet asked defeated. Seemed like things were worse than he thought…

"Why should I feel ashamed? She is not my daughter… she is just an orphan. She should be grateful for everything we did for her… I never starved her. And we sent her to school, college and kept the roof on top of her head. We never denied anything she asked for so far!! Where did I abuse her?" Rekha asked self-righteously.

"We never sent her to any college or school, Rekha! She earned her way through it as soon as she was old enough to understand! Even now everything she earns is given to you!" Abhijeet said sighing.

"Of course she should contribute… we have raised her after all. And you know how much Aarav's tuition fees cost… with you retired, she should take the responsibility. She is the eldest after you…" Rekha argued back.

"Rekha, there is a limit to being shameless…" Abhijeet said resigned before going to his study.

He couldn't help his guilt anymore… he cannot believe he has actually given the responsibility of an innocent little girl to such a person.