Ch-78
Laya woke up late. Due to her pregnancy, she was feeling very sleepy these days. Rahul was going to work and was returning to Pasupuleti's house directly. And as usual, Rahul left the house with a note. She got and freshened up. She walked down to the dining hall. Seeing her walking down, Sitamma came to her to serve the breakfast. Laya sat down to have her breakfast with Sitamma as her company. The house was bustling with relatives visiting, servants, decorators, and many people. Even though no one asked Laya to help she knew they wanted her to help, but her family always refused her. But… she couldn't bear the relative's words.
Suddenly, she was called in by Abhinav. Yesterday, the groom called for Raghuram and Sharada along with his parents for an urgent meeting. They came disappointed after they returned. They didn't speak to anyone. But she knew something was wrong. But she didn't ask.
Seeing Abhinav calling her, she got to leave. "Have food, I will be back," Sitamma said and left. Laya nodded her head and was about to continue eating. Seeing Sitamma leave, one of her distant aunts came to her.
"Laya, how are you?" she asked.
"I am good," Laya replied.
"Heard you are pregnant. Congratulations," she said.
"Thank you, Aunt," she replied feeling skeptical. Laya wondered why this woman was being so nice to her all of a sudden. She was one of the meanest women she have ever seen. Because she always called her bad omen directly on her face and always tried to say that she never meant to be in this house. She was the daughter of her grandmother's sister from her father's side.
Now she being all nice to her made her feel vary.
"You shouldn't have come here," she started. 'And here it all started,' Laya thought.
"Why?" Laya asked.
"See because of you Nandini's marriage is stopped. The groom called both families and called off the marriage. You are pregnant you should be in your home, not here. You are a Yendamuri not Pasupuleti. The kid would be having Yendamuri's name. Why do you have to come here and have to ruin everything here," the woman said. Laya could detect she was angry with her presence but she kept a neutral presence. She wondered why she was even suppressing her anger when she wanted to scold her badly.
But the most important thing was now Nandini's marriage. Yet again, she wasn't the one who told the groom to stop the marriage or something like that. She wasn't the same person who was from the past. She would sit back and listen to her taunts.
"And what made you the one to give me any advice? Before I get married I carried Pasupuleti's name for twenty-one years. While you never get to have that name before you married someone or even after marriage. If you are here to get praises from my uncles for more money, go beg them directly as usual. If you think taunting me, could give you money, I know what are your weak points, I will click on them," Laya said in a dangerously calm making the elder woman shudder in fear.
"Now, scram from my sight!" Laya almost yelled at this point. Her eyes turned red due to anger. Smoke came out from her ears making her look like a bull ready to kill.
"You have no respect for elders," she said through her gritted teeth.
"I respect people based on their character not with age. And from my criteria, you don't have a good character. And your daughter turned just like you," Laya said as she eyed her daughter.
"Don't drag my daughter in this!" her aunt raised her voice attracting everyone's attention to them.
"Then why the hell did you drag me if Nandini's marriage is called off. Did I ask the groom to cancel it? Or did I ask Pedananna and Pedamma to cancel it? Or did I snatch the dowry which was supposed to give to her? I didn't do a single thing. Yet again, you came to me when I started eating and asked me to scram from the house where I grew up for twenty-one years. Who the hell are you to say that?!" Laya didn't hold back and yelled loudly for everyone to hear. She wants to put an end to these mean people.
"Watch your words, Laya. If not for your branded bad omenic presence, this marriage wouldn't have been called off!" she said.
"Oh. I attended the engagement. Then why didn't he call off the wedding then? I am here from the day of engagement. Why didn't he call of the wedding. He called it off today. And you came yesterday evening only. I wonder who is the real bad omen," Laya spat out without a filter to her mouth.
Ramakrishna was watching the drama unfolding in front of his eyes with a smile. At least she was standing for herself. That's good. Rahul should be appreciated for this change.
"Rama Krishna annaya (brother), see her guts. She is scolding me. How dare she?" she complained to Rama Krishna when she saw him.
Laya knew this would come. She knew he would scold her. Maybe she needs to leave. If she leaves this place, only then she could have peace.
"And?" Ramakrishna asked as he raised his brow at her.
"Anna, she is being arrogant and doesn't respect me," she went on feeling confident about her complaints.
Laya knew he would scold her. She should just wash her hands and then leave silently. She couldn't expect care from anyone. But suddenly her brain reminded her the words he said yesterday to Nandini. She was confused. Whether he changed for real or not, this situation would tell her.
"Kamala, I guess we gave you to much freedom to the point that you can't control your tongue carefully in front of my daughter. She came here after an year of her marriage, now you are trying to chase her out of her house in front of my house. Remember the days you begged me and my brother and her father for money when your husband abused you. Your parents can't even get you marry you off. But its her father who gave his lands as his dowry for you. And you dare to call her a bad omen!
"Even a dog has more gratitude than you. If you want to come again to this house, know your place instead of pointing your poor, beggar finger to my daughter. Or else… you know me. I am not that good person compared to my both brothers. I will take back the lands her father gave to you!" he said.
"Anna, how could you call me as an outsider? Your son will marry my daughter in the future. You can't keep a bad omen like here in the house," Kamala aunty said. Kamala couldn't understand why her brother changed so much. She heard Laya almost died in her mother-in-law's hands. She hoped Laya would die but to her disappointment she didn't.
But now… she couldn't take it when Rama Krishna was taking her side. Laya always made Abhinav to stay away from her daughter. She wanted her daughter to marry Abhinav so that she could live a life of luxury.
Rama Krishna was dumbfounded at the piece of this news. How did this come to this?
"What?! Did we made an agreement or what? Who doesn't know about your daughter's deeds. We all know she went through an abortion! I would rather let my son marry a prostitute than your daughter! How dare you make up things! Before I raise my hands, leave!" he yelled.
Sitamma heard what was happening and was surprised to see her husband defending Laya. She immediately went to her husband side and hugged his right arm.
"Kamala, Leave!" Sita said with anger in her tone. Kamala felt ashamed and humiliated at their words and actions. For now she would leave, but would soon return and would marry her daughter into this family.
"Shh… she left. Shall we go back to our room?" Sita said as she tried to pacify her husband.
"She is being ridiculous. The groom itself called and said he don't want to marry. How is it our laya's fault?" he complained.
"Okay, fine. Didn't she leave. Now, let's go to your room," she said.
Laya lifted her glass to wash her hand but was caught by Rama Krishna.
"LAYA!!" he yelled. Scaring both sita and Laya.
"Ba-babai," she stuttered feeling scared.
"Sita, see she is washing her hands. Return back to our room when she is done with her breakfast," he said as he threw an angry glare at her hand which she was holding her glass.
"I will see. Don't be angry anymore." she said. He nodded and left. And now Sitamma is angry too.
"Laya, sit and eat," Sitamma said in a no nonsense tone. Laya just gulped her food and finished it. After that she returned to her bed and sat there.
In fact, what Kamala Aunty said made sense to Laya. Indeed Laya was a bad omen. She needs to leave before something happened to them something worse. She took a cover and put her clothes and Rahul's clothes in it. And then took her phone. She booked a cab to their house. She slowly slipped out of the house and entered the cab.
While they were driving, a man driving a bike came and crashed the cab smashing the front headlight. The cab driver got angry and stopped the car and started arguing. Laya wants to go home, but this man was taking time. Suddenly, two men entered the cab. Before she could ask what they were saying, she smelled something strange making her lose her consciousness.