Amruta hugged her daughter-in-law crying about their fate, thinking how her one mistake has turned her son into a beast... He was a beast from the start, but then he at least respected his mother's words and didn't hate her...
Amruta laid a blanket on the floor, made her daughter-in-law sleep on it, and then started rubbing her whole body with cotton cloth, and after a while, brought a lot of food for her, and made her eat some since her son gave permission to give her only one meal, she took a lot and decided to feed her daughter-in-law the other two meals from the first meal itself, since no servant comes inside the chamber, they wouldn't know... Well, that's what she thought but what she didn't know is her son wanted the same...
The last night when he came to check on Isha, he found her on the bed with blankets wrapped, anger coursed through his body, and he went to pull her down, but when he held her arm, he realized she is running with high fever, he saw the medicine she took... he knew she would survive till the morning, so he left from there, he felt a strong urge to help her and he hated that part as much as he hated her... he walked out of there...
Abhyansh intentionally gave her a punishment to stay in the room for the whole week as that would get her proper rest to recover and bear his tortures, well that's what he thought to himself, but the thought that she could have died if she didn't take the medicine or take the bed disturbed him more than he would want... He didn't want to soften on her, so he punished her with just one meal a day and that satisfied him and his raging heart for even thinking about softening on her, but his brain countered about how he knew his mother would do something like taking the meal for her that's sufficient for the whole day, yet he pretended to overlook it... And just like that, his fury returned, and he banged the table in anger...
A week passed by, and Isha recovered completely though a little weak, she started doing her duties, Abhyansh stayed away from her to give her time to recover before he begins with his torture again...
After breakfast, she went to her office after a whole week...
"Thank you Ragini, for the leave, I needed it badly", Isha said with a small smile...
"No problem dear, you are fine now, that's all that matters, now get started with work, you have a lot of pending orders", Ragini said
Isha nodded and started with her work...
Ragini requested her to finish at least one of the pending orders by the end of the day and Isha nodded, she is thankful to Ragini for granting her the leave of one week despite the hectic schedule and Isha thought she could do this much at the least...
Isha knew she would get late, she tried hard to finish the work but couldn't... She called and informed Amruta about it, Amruta asked her to come as soon as possible leaving work afraid of her son punishing Isha but she has already promised to Ragini so she couldn't...
Isha finally reached home 2 hours late and her mother-in-law has done all the work Isha is supposed to do except for cooking as The Beast would get to know the taste of the food... Isha thanked her mother-in-law and started cooking, they thought Abhyansh didn't keep a note of her arrival but they are so wrong...
During the dinner... Isha tasted the food and then served him like every day, and he silently ate... He got up to leave and both Isha and Amruta sighed in relief, but then Abhyansh opened his mouth snatching the relief from them...
"Both of you, will starve for the next 3 days", he said and walked away...
The other family members were in confusion about who the king was referring to but looking at the mother-in-law-daughter-in-law duo'spale faces, they got the whole picture that they might have done something like defying the rules... They sighed and left from there except Avyan...
"What did you do ma??", Avyan asked
Isha is about to answer but Amruta held her hand trying to stop her, Isha told him nonetheless...
"I got late at the office and ma covered for me, don't know how he got to know...", Isha muttered the last part to herself, but Avyan heard her...
"Bhai sa knows everything, we would be a fool if we think he wouldn't know", Avyan said a bit rude as he is angry with his sister-in-law that because of her, his mother is bearing the punishment...
"Avyan... I would slap you if I heard you talking in that tone with Isha again, she is your brother's wife, respect her, yes, he doesn't accept her now, but I know one day he would accept her wholeheartedly and give her all the love...", Amruta said looking at Isha affectionately...
Isha smiled politely at her mother-in-law not to hurt her, but she knew nothing of that sort is gonna happen again ever... She has lost all hope after what he told her a couple of months ago when she officially became his slave...
"Ma, if she comes late, why do you have to cover up for her, now you had to bear the punishment...", Avyan justified his anger this time softly...
"It's not like she is not suffering, didn't you hear your brother, he asked both of us not to have food for 3 days, not to me alone... And listen to me carefully, your bhai sa is wrong in treating Isha like this, doesn't mean you follow in the same path and disrespect your bhabhi sa...", Amruta said
"Ma... Lower your tone, if bhai sa got to know about you saying this or you addressing her (Isha) as my bhabhi sa even after his denial, he would punish you...", Avyan said looking around...
"What is this?? How can he punish his own mother, it's a son's basic responsibility to feed his mother despite of the worst situation he is in, but here, he is snatching the food from her?? This is a grave sin... I will talk to him", Isha said determinedly, both Avyan and Amruta looked at her shocked, Isha is usually hell afraid of Abhyansh but this time she offered to talk...
"He is that kind of king who doesn't forgive nor forget, he believes in punishments and I'm at fault for defying his orders, so it's fine", Amruta said
"He might be a king, but before that, he is your son and he cannot forget that fact", Isha said adamantly, surprisingly Avyan didn't say a word, he is just in awe of his sister-in-law who is getting ready to fight the BEAST for his mother, but he wanted to see how far will she go, will she be able to utter even a word seeing the BEAST in front of her eyes, thought Avyan.
"Isha, let it be beta, he won't agree, instead punish you more", Amruta said
"Let him ma, but I'm not letting him do this to you, whatever he did till now might have forgiveness from God but this will not have, a son can never punish his mother like this, this is against my values, I won't let him do this", saying this Isha walked to her husband's office, she is afraid of him, her heart is thudding in fear but she can't let him do that to his mother ever...
"Avyan, go to your brother's office, poor girl is enduring so much every day, yet went to fight for me, I just hope your brother doesn't punish her more", Amruta said worriedly