Chapter 53: chapter 53

"Why would she do this?" Nimmi said upset.After Mowri  had left. Simrit had gotten over her shock and had left crying for her room. Biji had walked out immediately followed by a distraught Roop and an overdramatic Nimmi."My daughter's engagement is ruined," Nimmi said hysterically, "what would Kulraj's in laws think? What would everybody think?" she cried."Stop it," biji said angrily and Nimmi quickly did. "This is all you can think of after what has happened. This is your fault. All of you," biji said as she waved her hand to point towards them. Amardeep sat there upset and Nihal looked away at the blazing anger he saw in his mother's face. "When you should have said something you all kept quiet and look where it has landed us now," she said, "you thought you were being forward and smart when Simrit had married Varun. One slap that day would have brought that girl to her senses. Life is not a joke. And she destroyed Mowri  that day, all of you did," biji said. "I kept telling you to take care of Mowri  but Roop and Amar couldn't even pretend they had been hurt by Simrit's deceit. You celebrated with a lot of pomp and show, did you even wonder how Mowri  was faring? Did it bother you that just telling her to move on was not going to help? You invited them over for every occasion and festival going about as if no wrong had happened. Did you even ask Simrit why she had done something like that? Why she betrayed her own sister? Did you?" biji thundered."Biji it is all in the past now," Amardeep said, "five years. It is a long time. Why is Mowri  holding a grudge against Simrit?" he asked."Wrong question," biji said derisively, disgusted at the way her son's mind worked, "Simrit got what she wanted. She wanted Varun she had him. She even has a son by him. So what else does she want now?" biji asked. "Mowri  was leaving the room why goad her? Why push her past her patience? Why insult Arnab ?" she asked. "Mowri  was right when she said that Arnab  should be respected if not for who he is then at least for the place he holds in this family. As the elder son in law of this family. If Varun can demand respect then why not Arnab ? Answer me," she asked loudly.They all kept quiet."What, no answers," biji said sarcastically, "I will give you one. Because your daughter Simrit is now not happy with what she has," she said and watched as the heads snapped up to attention collectively. "She is not satisfied anymore. And she wants what Mowri  has," she said."What are you talking about?" Roop said shocked. "She is married biji and of her own will. She even has a son. How can you even think that?" she said in disbelief."It is not what I think it is what Simrit said," biji said, "your problem is you don't listen Roop. I kept saying you are spoiling Simrit rotten but you didn't listen. I told you to stop discriminating between your own daughters but you didn't listen. Simrit became the apple of your eye because she was prettier, more like you," she said and watched Roop look away ashamed, "I am not saying you don't love Mowri  but you loved Simrit more and she played you every single time. Did you ever pause to think why Simrit wasn't satisfied with what she had? Why she always wanted things that were either meant for Mowri  or were hers? Why making fun of her older sister in front of everyone made her happy? It is a sickness Roop and under your constant care it has become an incurable disease. Simrit's problem is she hates Mowri , her guts, her happiness, her luck everything. She always felt superior to Mowri  only on the basis of beauty but in everything else she cannot even be categorized into being called an inferior. She is jealous. And jealousy can make one's brain do strange things. As I said you have a problem hearing," biji said exasperatedly, "Simrit said 'you don't deserve him', that he would choose her over Mowri  any day. What do you think that suggests?" biji asked.Roop didn't know what to think or say anymore. She had heard Simrit too only she had been unable to stop her daughter. This was all such a mess. Now that she thought about things biji was right. Simrit had always been selfish and Roop in her stupidity had only blown it out of proportion. What had she done? What had she made of Simrit?"The slap Mowri  gave Simrit today should have been done a long time ago by you," biji said pointing towards Roop and Amar who just sat there dumbly. "And don't think you can be absolved of any blame," biji said sternly as she looked where Nimmi and Nihal stood."What did we do?" Nimmi asked confused."You put thoughts in Simrit's head," biji said, "don't forget how you kept telling Simrit how pretty she was and that she could get away with anything because of her beauty," she said reminding Nimmi of how she had showered extra attention on Simrit before Kulraj was born. Nimmi hung her head in shame. "You were the ones who said it is okay every single time Simrit did something wrong excusing her behavior and manipulations with her being a child," biji said, "look where that landed her. What that child has become?" she said angrily."But still Mowri  should have had more control?" Nihal said."So next time if Simrit insults Sameer tell Kulraj to exercise more control," biji retorted and Nihal fell silent. "Simrit deserved what came to her today every bit of the way I just wish it was done sooner," she said. "Who told her about Arnab 's past?" she asked looking at Roop who looked away guiltily. "But why am I even asking. It doesn't matter. Despite my telling all of you to keep this within the family Simrit said it out loud to everyone who could hear within a hundred mile radius," she said angrily."But Simrit is family," Roop said quietly."Stop defending that girl," biji screamed, "and she is not family anymore. The day she married her sister's would be husband she ceased being a member of this family. She is a Khullar through and through and I couldn't agree more with Mowri  when she said that they deserved each other that man is no good either," she said firmly, "what will it take for you to see what she really is Roop? Another broken marriage?" biji asked disgusted."What do we do now beeji?" Amardeep asked."Why ask me?" biji said shrugging her shoulders, "Go celebrate just like you have always done. Forget what happened and move on. Just leave Mowri  alone," biji warned, "I just hope Arnab  understands. I will need to apologize to him for the mess that has happened today. And I hope he will find it in him to forgive me for letting Mowri  get hurt," she said upset."Biji we are sorry for whatever happened," Nihal said, "but Kulraj is also your granddaughter. You have to think about her too. What can we do to make things right? Everyone will talk," he said distressed."Then you should have stopped Simrit before something like this happened. How come none of you saw where that argument was going? I tried but the two of you kept standing there enjoying the drama unfold," she said angrily."Biji please," Amardeep said.Biji took in a deep breath. At the end what was done was done. Things had to be kept in order or Kulraj will lose all respect. It wouldn't be right. What was her fault in all of this? Though it broke her heart but this needed to be done."Keep the preparations on," she said tiredly, "keep Simrit and Mowri  away from each other, if necessary keep Simrit locked up till the time of the engagement. Relatives will talk and there is nothing you can do about this. Answer as best as you can and smile through those which you can't. If Kulraj's in laws ask tell them to talk to me and I will handle it," biji said, "you do anything aside from what I have said and you are on your own, now get out," she said and walked to the inner room where her bed was.Once she was sure they had all left she let her tears fall. It took a lot of toll to keep one's emotions in control and she cried. For Mowri . *******