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As soon as Sharda utters these words, Vikrant instantly withdraws, staring at her with wide, stunned eyes. Ravindra, too, is taken aback. He knows the depth of the bond Sharda shares with Vikrant. She has always considered him her greatestblessing, her pride, her wealth, and her only ray of happiness in life. For Sharda to say something like this… even jokingly… would be unthinkable. And now, with such serious emotion behind her words, it feels like something inside Vikrant shatters. As though stabbed by her words, Vikrant immediately holds Sharda’s hand and speaks, his voice heavy with desperation.

"Maa, what are you saying? I know you're upset with me because…"

Sharda raises her palm in a gesture to silence him. Her eyes, filled with tears and heartbreak, lock with his.

"That girl ran away from the wedding altar and betrayed you, yes. But instead of mourning that betrayal, you should be grateful she did it before the marriage. At least she didn’t come to your house, win your heart, and then deceive you. If that had happened, you wouldn’t have been able to bear it. Not just yours, but three lives would’ve been destroyed. All you lost was money… and one crore means nothing to you. But what did you do in return?"

She steps a little closer, her voice trembling but steely.

"You dragged an innocent girl from her home. Her only fault is that she’s the sister of the man your runaway bride chose to escape with. You needed a substitute… an object… to showcase your power and pride. You wanted the world to know that you are not just the head of the mafia but someone who always fulfills his word, no matter the cost. You wanted to send a message that no one dares to insult you without consequences. And in the process, you punished that girl and her entire family."

Vikrant looks away, jaw tightened, eyes narrowing with conflicted rage and helplessness.

"Maa, because of her brother, our entire reputation was about to be destroyed. You have to understand … I couldn’t let that happen under any circumstance."

Sharda's lips tighten, and for the first time, her eyes burn with fury. She walks closer, speaking with a deliberate calm that masks the storm brewing within her.

"Viren Chandel's daughter ran away from his house. This was not your shame. Marriage wasn’t your dream… It was your father's. You were going through with it out of duty, not love... The world is full of wagging tongues. They’ll talk regardless of what you do. But what did you do? You kidnapped an innocent girl and forced her into marriage. And why? Just to prove that you’re still in control? That your pride and ego remain untouched?"

She chokes back a sob but continues speaking with painful determination.

"You are Vikrant Dhanraj. You can do anything you want. But today, seeing what you've become, I feel like crying. Because you are no longer the Vikrant I raised with love and dreams... you're just the mafia don the world fears."

"Maa, look, you’re unwell. We’ll talk later… after some rest. Maybe then you’ll understand my reasons. I swear, I haven’t done anything wrong."

Sharda looks at him long and hard, her eyes filled with sorrow and disbelief.

"That is your biggest mistake, Vikrant… You believe that you're incapable of wrongdoing simply because you're used to power. I forgave all your misdeeds before the marriage… your anger when your bride fled, your obsession with your father’s legacy, and your desperate need to maintain your image as a mafiaking. I understood that your pride was shattered and your rage was uncontrollable. You did what you thought was right in that moment, and I made peace with that."

Vikrant is staring at her now, almost pleading for her to stop, but she doesn’t.

"But after marriage… After tying that sacred knot with full rituals, that girl became your wife…. Your wife, Vikrant…. Do you understand what it means to have a wife? Her pride, her dignity, her protection, her life—all of it became your responsibility. And what have you done? You’ve violated every vow you took. Even now, your men drag her around like an animal, manhandle her right before your eyes, and you let it happen."

Ravindra lowers his gaze, ashamed of the truth she’s speaking. Sharda’s voice becomes heavier, her body trembling with emotion, yet she doesn’t stop. Vikrant was stunned by her words.

"I never taught you to speak harshly to a woman. You reserve your gentle words only for me, but in the world outside, you're someone else entirely… You are no longer my Viku… You are Vikrant Dhanraj, the mafia don who doesn’t even respect the sanctity of marriage. You let your men disrespect your wife. You let them touch her. You allow them to speak to her in ways that are demeaning and cruel. You are silent when you should roar. You act like her enemy, not her protector."

She takes a deep breath and delivers her final blow.

"And today, you’ve shown me what I truly mean to you … nothing."

After listening to Sharda, Vikrant stands still, his eyes locked onto her tear-streaked face. The sight of pain in her eyes piercesthrough his heart like a dagger. He tries to move towards her, hoping to offer some support, to hold her hand again, but Sharda immediately takes a step back. Her trembling hand rests on her chest as her breathing grows labored.

“The pain you’ve given me today... It's so unbearable that I feel like dying right now. And I want you to witness my death so that you finally understand what a grave mistake you've made.”

As soon as Vikrant hears those words and sees her clutching her chest, his heart drops. Panic grips him as he rushes toward her. Sharda’s breathing becomes increasingly shallow and erratic. Her hand presses harder against her chest, and the terror in her eyes grows. Within moments, it becomes painfully obvious to both Vikrant and Ravindra—she's having a heart attack.

Without wasting another second, they rush to support her. Ravindra holds her shoulders while Vikrant scoops her into his arms, yelling for the car. Together, they rush outside, fear gripping every inch of their bodies.

~~~~

He grabs her hand with force and pushes her into the room. Jhankar stumbles slightly but manages to regain her footing. Before she can even process what’s happening, Vikrant slams the door shut behind her. The room plunges into absolute darkness. A suffocating, terrifying kind of darkness. She spins around and begins pounding on the door with her fists, her voice trembling with desperation.

"Open the door... Open the door..."

But there's no response.

"Papa... Mom... please... open the door..."