Chapter 109 - He Calls Me His

|Innaya|

I could no longer feel anything as my body grew numb. I wanted to say so many things to him, yet looking at his fallen face, I no longer felt like wasting my breath on him. Ignoring his mere presence from now onwards was the best choice. Because one can commit a mistake once, twice but not every single time. He, for every single time, became the reason for my tears and fears. I could not feel safe in his presence anymore.

I watched as Karan pushed his wheelchair forward with one hand. His eyes never left mine. His action startled me and as I stepped back, I nearly tripped when my feet got tangled in the carpet.

"Careful."

"Careful."

Two voices rang out and at the same time, two people rushed forward to help me. Arjun held me by my shoulders while Eshan's arm was wrapped around my waist. Suddenly I did not feel lost anymore. With these two most important men of my life protectively holding me, I felt an ache in my heart subsiding.

I almost leaned on Eshan but held back at the last moment recalling his swollen legs. " Quickly sit down. Why did you stand up? I'm fine." I got out of their holds as I held Eshan's hands and helped him sit.

Eshan obliged silently. Once he sat down, he tugged at my hand and made me occupy my earlier position beside him. When his hands raised and he brought them to my face I looked at him. His palms cupped my face and he rubbed his thumbs over my cheek and beneath my eyes. I realized that I had started crying at some point at the time.

The anger caused me to feel vulnerable as the memories not only resulted in the present but past also resurfaced in my mind.

"Hush... Stop crying, love. They don't deserve your tears," Eshan whispered as he helplessly looked at me. I could only nod in response.

"Sahil is not the one to be blamed. You will have to say it to me. I did not want to kidnap you. I just wanted to talk to you... alone. My men screwed up. I'll apologize in their stead, Innu," Karan's voice made me pull out from Eshan's hold and turn towards him.

If he wanted to chat with me and thus he abducted me, then that was the lamest reason anyone could even give.

"Don't call her that," Eshan snapped at him.

"I thought we could reminiscence our time in childhood. Did you forget this friend of yours? Initially, that kidnapping was planned because I wanted to teach you a little lesson for leaving me without any prior notice. But I did not think my people will take it seriously and convert into real one," he continued despite after being told off.

Like a lightning bolt coming out of nowhere and struck me head-on, his words jolted me.

I did not recall any Karan from my childhood. What gibberish was he talking about? I failed to understand. As far as I remember, I did not have a close friend until I turned 13. Before that, I could barely remember external matters like friends and stuff because of overbearing household matters.

"You're lying. I don't know you. No... You're lying..." I mumbled unable to believe what was coming out of his mouth.

"I think it's enough. Leave all of you," Arjun sternly replied.

"Arjun." A couple of voices of protests rang out.

"I'm not lying. How could you not remember me? You remembered Eshan and married him, then how could you forget me? Why? Did I do something wrong? Did I upset you? Oh, I know now. It's because I abducted you right? I'm sorry but don't do this to me. Please, Innu..."

I scrambled out of Karan's hold. How did he get so close to me?

His words were lost on me as I only focused on his distressed figure trying to hold me. Arjun was quick to hold the wheelchair back as Karan attempted to get close. I failed to understand the sudden change in his demeanor.

"I don't know you. I don't know you." Like a broken record, I kept repeating those words as Eshan hugged me tightly. My eyes refused to part away with Karan's agonized ones. Tears were brimming in his eyes.

"Are you satisfied now? In childhood, you snatched her away from me and now also you have done the same. What kind of brainwashing you did to her? Huh? Give back my Innu to me. Did you hear, GIVE HER BACK TO ME.." His loud voice directed at Eshan almost made me hump out of the skin.

I held on to Eshan more tightly. What was happening? I had lost sense of what was going around us anymore. I did not understand Karan's words nor his desperation.

"Karan, calm down." Sahil limped forward as he stood before Karan. His tall frame blocked Karan's figure from my view.

"Sahil, where's his medication?" Sameer asked him as he also tried to hold Karan as he struggled to get out of the wheelchair.

My eyes widened when I heard his next words.

"I'm not mad. I don't need those pills. I just need my Innu. Till this day I thought I would find her and she will be the only mine. Who knew this time too, you will be fast and snatch her away. Why? Why are you against my happiness? Why do you snatch the people I like? Huh?"

What Karan spoke was something beyond my understanding. However, I realized that things were not right with him. If they mentioned something about pills then it had to be a psychological issue.

There were many illnesses linked to mental health but people used only one word to describe that. -mad. It was not the right thing because not every mentally ill person is mad.

I understood this well because some people out there think in this manner. I had closely observed it over the years. PTSD was not widely known in India back then. People are still unaware of it. If someone suffered a panic attack before them then they would search for external people instead of doctors or ignore the patients assuming them to have lost their mental balance.

That was bad. No one cares to understand the mentality of the patient worsening his condition. I could connect with Karan on that.

I stood up as if in a trance. This time I did not remember what Karan did to me or his words. All I could so before my eyes was a patient who needed help. I had worked with NGO's in the past. I had volunteered to work at orphanages, old age centers and once at an asylum. So, I had an idea of how to handle such a situation.