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Vikrant chuckled softly at her words, but before he could say anything, she hugged him again. He held her close, gently stroking her hair as he whispered with care:

“Sonakshi is seven months pregnant. Her delivery is due soon. After that, I’ll bring both her and the baby here, safe and sound. But right now, we still don’t know where Virendra Chandel is. That’s what worries me the most. I’m afraid he might try to harm them when no one is expecting it. Currently, Sonakshi’s safe delivery is our top priority. We are responsible for protecting that little life, too. Once the baby is born, we’ll be able to secure them both in better ways. But if anything were to happen to Sonakshi now… we could lose both.”

Jhankar quickly nodded, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She wiped them away and looked up at him firmly as she said,

“I won’t marry you until my brother arrives. Because only he will steal your shoes during the wedding!”

Hearing that, Vikrant slowly put her down and looked at her with curiosity. Jhankar burst out laughing and added,

“He isn’t just a brother—he's like my sister and best friend too. He never missed a chance to tease me like a typical sister would. So when I marry, it’s only fair that he steal my husband’s shoes!”

Vikrant couldn’t help but laugh heartily at that, and Jhankar turned toward the nearest photo. As they stood there, the two of them looked at their smiling reflections in the glass of the picture—together, radiant, and in love. She wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled him closer, her voice playfully excited:

“Now tell me, what else have you planned? I want to see everything!”

Vikrant instantly reached out his hand, and Jhankar slowly began walking beside him. She could clearly see that Vikrant was in a rare, genuinely positive mood today. It was one of those rare moments where he might even listen to things he normally didn’t like to hear. Sensing this rare chance, Jhankar spoke softly.

“One thing is for sure… we’re this happy today only because your mother must be showering her blessings upon you. That’s why everything feels so beautiful.”

Vikrant’s steps came to a sudden halt. Jhankar instantly realized she had touched a nerve. She knew this was one topic Vikrantnever liked to talk about — his mother. But Jhankar didn’t want to hold back any longer. She had been trying for a long time, slowly, carefully, to plant the seed of reconciliation in Vikrant’s heart, but she always stopped herself at the last moment. Not today. Today, she had made her decision. Vikrant turned toward her sharply and said in a firm voice,

“Jhankar, please… I don’t want to talk about that woman.”

“That woman?” Jhankar repeated, visibly hurt. “Vikrant, please… You’re being unfair. That woman was your mother. I know she may have made a mistake — maybe a huge one — one that caused you immense pain, but even then, she’s not here anymore. The least you can do is speak about her with a little dignity.”

Vikrant looked straight into her eyes. Where there had been joy just moments ago, Jhankar now saw that happiness vanish like a mist. She took a gentle step closer and continued.

“Look, maybe I’m wrong. I’m not trying to defend her actions. But the hatred you’ve been carrying in your heart — the deep resentment — it has caused so many problems… not just for you but for others too. You don’t have to look far, Vikrant. Think about how you treated me when we first met. So much of that pain stemmed from this one unresolved part of your heart. All I’m saying is… if you could just stop hating her, maybe you’d start to feel the beauty in your life even more. Vikrant, I don’t want to carry hate in my heart — not even yours. We don’t know how long we have in this life, so why spend it dwelling on bitterness? Maybe you can’t love her; fine. But don’t remember her with so much anger. Wherever she is, your hatred must be hurting her soul.”

“I want her to feel the pain of my hatred,” Vikrant snapped. “Because what she did… is unforgivable.”

“What did she do?” Jhankar asked, her voice trembling slightly. “Did she not love you? Did she hit you? Did she ever speak to you with the kind of hatred you use when you speak about her?”

Vikrant clenched his jaw. “I begged her not to leave me and Papa. I pleaded with her. But she didn’t care. She left anyway. She didn’t even care how much Papa loved her. She had… she had fallen in love with someone else.”

“Pardon me…?”

Jhankar nearly screamed. Her sudden outburst shocked Vikrant into silence. She stepped in front of him, locking eyes with him, her voice softer but heavy with emotion.

“I love you, Vikrant. I love you so much that I feel it every moment of every day. And still, even with everything we’ve been through, I never imagined I could love someone like this. If someone were to try to take your place in my life today, it would be impossible. So don’t tell me she just ‘fell’ for someone else one day. That doesn’t happen. Not in a real marriage. Maybe… just maybe… Your father, who loved her deeply, might have done something that shattered her trust. Something so painful that she gave up on him… on you.”

“Jhankar…”

Vikrant’s voice came out as a deep, angry growl — the warning tone that had made others fall silent. But Jhankar didn’t flinch. She didn’t back down. Instead, she looked directly into his stormy eyes and spoke calmly.

“There’s always a reason between a husband and wife when things fall apart. It never just happens. Instead of silencing me, try to think about it… deeply.”

Vikrant felt her courage, the honesty in her gaze, and the tear trembling in the corner of her eye hit him like a punch to the gut. Without another word, Jhankar turned and walked away, wiping her eyes as she faced the opposite direction. Vikrant stood frozen. He knew she hated this part of him — the cold, bitter part that refused to let go of the past. She had tried to tell him so many times, but he had always dismissed her, shut her down. And today, he had yelled at her… again. But this time, something about her reaction pierced straight through his walls. He looked at her, her back turned, her hands wiping her cheeks quietly. Without hesitation, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her as if to shield her from every bit of pain.

“Jhankar,” he whispered, “I don’t want to talk about anyone else. I don’t want her or anything in our lives that disturbs us. You and I… we are happy together. That’s all I want. Please, understand me. Let the past stay in the past.”

Jhankar immediately turned to face him, cupping his face in her hands. Her eyes were still wet, her voice shaky but determined.

“And I’m saying the same thing… let the past rest. Don’t poison the present with hate. Don’t torture her soul, wherever she may be. I’ve seen what even a small argument does to my parents the tears in my mother’s eyes, the guilt in my father’s heart. I don’t want you to cause that pain… not to anyone. Enough, Vikrant. Enough of this hatred. Please… just stop.”

Vikrant looked into her tear-filled eyes, and all he could do was nod slowly, silently. Then he pulled her close into his arms again, holding her tightly, as if trying to absorb her strength into himself. And in that quiet, tight embrace, something inside him began to shift. A long-sealed door, a wound he never tendedto, cracked open not fully, not yet, but just enough for a little healing light to seep through.

Jhankar knew very well that none of this was going to be easy, but she also understood how necessary it was. She was fully aware that her words had dampened Vikrant’s mood, but she could also sense something deeper: he was genuinely thinking about what she had said. There was a shift within him, subtle but real. Wanting to ease the weight in the air, Jhankar gently took his hand and began walking forward, offering a warm smile as she started admiring all the arrangements he had made. Every little detail—the lights, the decor, and the calm ambiance—she praised sincerely, hoping to lift his spirits.