Page 119 of Reckless Dare

His heart thudded, not wanting to take away the joy from his mother’s face. But he knew he had to tell her the rest of the truth before she discovered it by herself.

“Ma…Ava is Avinash Patel’s daughter.”

He saw his mother’s expression shift at the mention of the name. There was shock on her face, but only momentarily. She collected her composure before smiling at him once again.

“I haven’t heard that name in such a long time. How do you know about Avinash?” Her mother seemed surprised.

Anger and hate flashed inside his heart. “I have known about him for a while, Ma. How can I forget about the man responsible for Aunt Vaishu’s death?”

There was shock in his mother’s eyes. “Abhi, what are you saying? Are you implying Avinash is somehow responsible for what happened to Vaishu?”

He nodded. “I know he broke her heart by marrying someone else. And Aunt Vaishu couldn’t take it.”

His mother’s eyes widened further with shock. “My God, Abhi. All these years, did you think

Vaishu ended her own life?” She sounded horrified.

“Yes, Ma. I heard people talking when she died.”

“Oh, Abhi.” His mother had tears in her eyes as she stepped closer to him and hugged him. “I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t realize you heard those rumors and believed it to be the truth.”

He froze.

“What do you mean by rumors, Ma?”

His petite mom looked up at him. She placed a comforting hand on his cheek. “Your aunt’s death was an accident, Abhi.”

Shock ripped through him at his mother’s words.

He thought back to the conversations he heard on the day of her aunt’s death about how she was heartbroken from the rejection from the man she loved and chose to end her life.

“Vaishu was relieved when Avinash said he could not marry her. She and Avinash grew up together and treated each other more like siblings.”

Abhi was beyond stunned. “Then why do Dad and Avinash Patel never stay in touch? I know they used to be best friends.”

His mother took a deep breath. “It was because of your grandfather. He was angry with Avinash for not keeping the promise of marrying Vaishu. Your grandpa had it in his mind that Avinash Patel would make the perfect husband for Vaishu since both were doctors with generous hearts. And I don’t blame Avinash for not accepting your father’s calls when he tried to connect with him after your aunt passed away.”

Abhi didn’t know how to react. Although he loved his aunt and missed her, he was relieved that his aunt had not died of a broken heart.

“My God, Abhi. What did you do when you found out Ava was Avinash’s daughter?”

He knew his mother’s intuitiveness must have led her to guess that he didn’t treat Ava well at the beginning. Tightness grew in his chest at the thought of what he put Ava through in his anger and hatred towards her father.

“I didn’t treat her well, Ma,” he said. “I threatened her and asked her to leave the university.”

His mother’s face fell in disappointment. “Oh, Abhi. I hope you apologized to the poor girl.”

He did apologize. But not nearly enough.

“I will rectify my mistake, Ma,” he said and hugged his mother.

Even as his mind felt at peace about his aunt, other thoughts took over.

He had an apology to make and mend the friendship that was once broken.

CHAPTER 37

It had only been three days, but Ava felt as though a decade had passed by since Abhi left.

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