Page 120

Vikrant looks into his father’s eyes, then shakes his head and says, with quiet certainty:

“No. I don’t understand. Not one bit. Because I know you're lying.”

Ravindra stares at him in shock. But before he can respond, Vikrant suddenly moves aside. Ravindra’s gaze follows the direction and lands on Sonia—standing a few feet away, silently patting her doll and smiling because she is talking to her. Themoment Ravindra sees her, his face lights up with joy, and he starts moving toward her. But Sonia, noticing him approach, suddenly lets out a terrified scream.

“No… no! He’s going to kill my daughter! Keep him away from me! He’s going to kill my daughter!”

Before she can scream again, Ravindra reaches her and slaps her across the face. Raising his hand to strike her again, he suddenly freezes—his hand held back in mid-air. He turns, startled, and sees Vikrant holding his wrist firmly. There’s blood in Vikrant’s eyes, rage pouring out of him. Without a moment’s hesitation, Vikrant grabs Ravindra by the throat and lifts him off the ground, slamming him back with full force.

Ravindra crashes to the floor, dazed. Regaining his senses, he looks up and sees Sonia, clutching her doll in terror, trembling on the ground. Beside her, Sharda holds her protectively, glaring at Ravindra with undisguised hatred. Then, Ravindra’s eyes fall on Vikrant, calm and focused, slowly approaching him like a predator. His voice, when it comes, is deadly quiet.

“My mother was alive. But what you gave her wasn’t life; it was worse than death. You turned her into a living corpse. I spent my whole life hating her and you…. You enjoyed every moment of that hate. You claim to have loved her? Look at the hell you created for her.”

Ravindra can clearly see the burning hatred in Vikrant’s eyes. Desperate, he glances between Sonia and Vikrant, scrambling for words.

“Look, it’s not what you think. She was leaving me; I was angry, yes! But how could I just let her go? All of this… are you doing it just to trap me? Is that what this is? You knew Sonia was here, didn’t you? All this pretending, acting clueless—was that all justto expose me? I’ve told you a thousand times—she was running away with her lover. I caught her. He died in that accident, and she lost her mind grieving over him. You should be grateful to me! Even after everything—everything she did—I still love her. Can’t you see how much I’ve done for her?”

“ARE YOU SURE…”

As soon as Vikrant uttered those venomous words, Ravindra looked utterly stunned. He couldn’t believe that his own son was questioning him, something he had never dared to do before. Staring at Vikrant in disbelief, Ravindra’s voice turned soft, almost pleading.

“You don’t trust me? I’m telling you the truth this is what happened. Why would I lie to you, Vikrant?”

Vikrant gently shook his head. But the next moment, without a word, he landed a sharp punch across Ravindra’s cheek, sending him crashing to the ground. Blood trickled from the corner of Ravindra’s mouth as he looked up, shocked, at his son. Vikrant crouched down beside him, calmly rolling up his sleeve. Pointing a firm finger in his face, he spoke with fiery intensity.

“My biggest mistake was believing everything you ever said. I was a son—blinded by loyalty. Maybe I crossed a line by raising my hand on you. I want to kill you right away, but I didn’t do it as your son—I did it as the son of the woman whose life you destroyed. You claim my mother ran away with her lover; you paint her as unfaithful. Did you really believe your lies would never unravel? That you could keep burying truth under deception and no one would ever confront you? You played your games, manipulated everyone, and expected silence.”

Ravindra, now visibly trembling, shifted his gaze toward Sonia. There was fear in her eyes, fear that she might truly be beyondsaving. But the emptiness in her eyes showed no sign of change. holding onto hope, Ravindra gently cupped Vikrant’s face, trying to reach for the remnants of a bond now shattered.

“Someone must have misled you… I’ve never lied to you. Yes, I admit, I hid the truth about your mother’s death. But how could I tell you? She had fallen so deeply for someone else that she forgot everything; she forgot you; she is not ready to come. She was ready to leave everything behind. I only wanted to help her… to treat her. I wanted her cured. But whatever spell that man cast on her, it never lifted. She never recovered. And you’ve seen it yourself, she left you. She doesn’t even remember she had a son. We’ve been erased from her memory…. (Ravindra knows he is not believing his words, so he screams.) Vikrant, listen…"

Sonia, who had been whispering softly to her doll, suddenly reacted to the mention of Vikrant’s name. Her eyes searched the area anxiously, and she cried out, her voice cracking with desperation.

“Where is my Vikrant? Someone called my son! My baby, Vikrant—where is he? Please bring him to me! He’ll be so happy when he sees his sister. Look, I brought his little sister just for him.”

The moment Sonia’s eyes began scanning the area for her son, Vikrant’s heart clenched. His breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, he felt weak. Seeing her like this, the fragile shadow of the woman he remembered, shattered him. But before she could fall apart, Sharda pulled her into a firm embrace. She whispered into her ear, trying to soothe the storm brewing inside a mother who is dying for her son every day.

Vikrant closed his eyes, absorbing her strength. Then, with fire burning in his eyes, he turned back to Ravindra. The hatred inhis gaze made Ravindra step back instinctively. Panic-stricken, Ravindra darted toward Sonia and screamed furiously.

“Liar… Now you remember your son? The same day you were about to leave us for money”?

Seeing Ravindra charging at her, Sonia quickly recoiled, clinging to Sharda for protection. But before Ravindra could get close enough to harm her, Vikrant grabbed him by the collar from behind and, with a powerful shove, hurled him across in the air. Ravindra crashed to the ground, coughing and disoriented. As he tried to get up, he noticed a pair of shoes stop right in front of him. Lifting his gaze, he saw Akhil standing there. As he tried to steady himself, Akhil suddenly stepped aside. And behind him stood a man with a crutch; he muttered softly.

"Parag…. You are alive…."

The moment Ravindra’s eyes met Parag’s, his face drained of color. The name slipped out of his mouth involuntarily again.

“Parag…”

Before Ravindra could say anything more, Parag struck him across the face with his crutch. Ravindra stumbled and fell. Parag, balancing on one leg, hopped closer and struck him again. Blood began trickling from Ravindra’s forehead. Parag didn’t stop. He raised the crutch again, rage blazing in his eyes. But this time, Ravindra managed to grab the crutch and shoved him back with force. As Parag stumbled, Ravindra quickly regained his balance and pulled out his gun.

Before he could pull the trigger, Vikrant’s foot landed hard on his wrist, sending the gun flying from his hand. Ravindra screamed in pain and looked toward the weapon. As he tried to run and retrieve it, Akhil kicked the gun away, quickly grabbed it in a second, and tossed it in Vikrant’s direction. Vikrant caughtit mid-air, his grip solid, his movements deadly calm. Sliding his finger into the trigger guard, he spun the gun once, then pointed it directly at Ravindra, his expression unreadable.

“I only want the truth. Nothing else. If even a single word strays from the truth, if you dare twist reality one more time, I swear I will shoot you with your own gun. You need to understand something very clearly… The son who once loved you beyond reason died the day I found out what you did. The man standing before you now is not your son; he is the son of the woman you tormented. And my hands won’t tremble pulling this trigger on the man who made my mother a breathing corpse.”

Ravindra froze. He had faced death before, but never like this. He had never experienced death at the hands of his blood. Ravindra’s eyes instinctively turned toward Vikrant, who was glaring at him with eyes filled with seething hatred. But instead of holding his gaze, Ravindra slowly turned his head to look at Sonia, now sitting silently, gently rocking her daughter to sleep. A faint, almost nostalgic smile tugged at the corners of his lips. That smile did not go unnoticed. Sharda, standing nearby, was deeply disturbed by it. Her face hardened as she let go of Sonia and stormed toward Ravindra, fury radiating from every step.

“When I first came into your home, all I ever heard from people was how much you loved Sonia. That you would go to any extent for her happiness. That there was nothing you wouldn't do for her. But looking at the state she's in today, I can’t believe you’re the same man they all spoke of. I saw it with my own eyes—the way you used to follow her around for the smallest things. Her every word was law to you. And now look at her... You’ve killed her to this. What happened, Ravindra? What was so unbearable that you destroyed not only her but your entire life too?”