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“You won’t hurt me… Will you? I will not eat much.”

Those words hit Vikrant like a blade. His heart shattered into a thousand pieces, but he steadied himself and, with firm resolve, looked into her eyes and said,

“No one in this world will ever lay a finger on you again… Everything here belongs to these beautiful ladies of this house.”

It seemed like Sonia believed him, truly believed him. She smiled gently and took the bite from his hand. Jhankar, still smiling softly, Vikrant fed the next bite to her and said, looking at all three of them:

“From now on, I won’t let anyone cast an evil eye on this beautiful little world of ours.”

Sharda and Jhankar both smiled warmly at Vikrant. He, in turn, focused entirely on feeding Sonia with all his care and love,because she, even now, was lost in her little world with her daughter, and to Vikrant, that world had just become his own.

CHAPTER 44

BEAUTIFUL TURN

Vyom was sitting in front of Vikrant. After learning everything that had happened, he was absolutely silent. He couldn’t figure out how he was supposed to react. So much had happened to his family in his absence, and despite wanting to, he couldn’t contact anyone. Reaching out might have only placed his family in even more danger. Yet, what he was completely unaware of was how deeply his absence had affected them, how much his family had silently endured because he wasn’t there. A heavy sense of guilt loomed over him, and he began blaming himself for many things. But he also knew that mere blame wouldn't change anything.

Vikrant kept staring at him intently. His ankle, resting on his knee, moved in slow, continuous circles, his inner turmoil already at its peak. Vikrant’s gaze didn’t leave his face even for a moment, as if trying to read every flicker of emotion in his eyes, because he knew Vyom is a brother, and no brother would easily approve of his sister being involved with someone like Vikrant, especially knowing he was a part of the mafia. Vikrant was fully aware that Vyom was going to object, possibly harshly, and he was prepared to face it. He had given Vyom all the time he needed to process everything. And after what felt like a long period of contemplation, Vyom finally spoke.

“I completely understand that you’ve helped my family a lot, and I’m genuinely grateful. But I cannot agree to my sister being with you. Whatever marriage may have taken place, it was never registered. No one even knows that Jhankar married you, and I refuse to accept such a marriage. Therefore, I will talk to my sister. And she won’t go against my words; that I’m sure of. Besides, you already know there’s a very big reason why I can’t accept this marriage, and I believe you understand what that reason is.”

Vikrant, who had been calmly listening to everything, suddenly smiled. This is really strange for him, Vyom had met Vikrant a few times before, especially while handling Chandels’ work. Meetings with powerful and dangerous people like Vikrant were inevitable in that circle. But in all those encounters, Vyom had never seen an expression on Vikrant's face, never anything other than pure seriousness. Seeing him smile now felt almost unsettling. Vikrant didn’t move from his place, nor did he shift his gaze, and yet, he spoke with astonishing calmness.

“First of all, I love Jhankar—and she loves me. So, I highly doubt she’s going to simply follow your words in this matter. Secondly, the thing you’re hesitant to say, I’ll say it out loud: you're afraid for your sister because I'm involved with the mafia. That’s the big reason, right? Well then, let me remind you, Sonakshi is also from a mafia family. Yet, you chose her. I love Jhankar—deeply and unconditionally. I’m willing to do anything for her. In fact, I’ve already done a lot. And I don’t want to discuss this matter any further with you. All I know is this: even if you or anyone else stood in front of us, you couldn’t stop our marriage. Jhankar is waiting for you. The entire family is there. I, Sharda Ma, and my mother—we’re all heading to the garden. You can sit and talk with Jhankar as much as you want.”

Saying this, Vikrant quietly left the room. Vyom, visibly disturbed, stepped outside. There, Jhankar was smiling as she lovingly fed Sonia. The rest of the family sat around them, relaxed and engaged. Vikrant, walking behind, caught Sharda’s eye. She gave him a nod, and without wasting a moment, she turned to Sonia and said gently,

“Come, let’s go to the garden. We can sit there and talk peacefully.”

Sonia had been at the house for several days now and had bonded well with everyone. Smiling warmly, she lifted her little daughter in her arms and followed Sharda and the others out of the room. Vikrant glanced at Jhankar with a subtle smile and received a bright, reassuring one in return. With that, he too followed behind his mother.

Vyom looked at Sonakshi, who gave him a small, silent smile. However, despite these consoling gestures, Vyom was unable to soothe the turmoil within his heart. He walked toward Jhankar, briefly catching sight of his parents, Raghunath and Chitrali, who sat quietly nearby.

“Jhankar,” he said, “we really need to talk about many things.”

Jhankar, already knowing what he wanted to talk about, simply nodded and sat down beside him. Raghunath and Chitrali moved closer as well, sitting nearby. Vyom held her hands gently and began.

“Look… Sonakshi and I—yes, we were separated. We had decided not to see each other again. But I need you to understand… We couldn’t stick to that decision. In the end, we were left with no option but to run away from everything. I know I made a massive mistake. I know that because of me, you got caught in a mess you didn’t deserve. He married you inanger—only to save his reputation. But that doesn’t mean you’re obligated to carry the weight of that mistake for the rest of your life. What’s done can still be undone.”

Jhankar looked at him quietly.

“And how do you suggest that?”

“It’s simple,” Vyom replied. “First of all, the marriage was never registered. Legally, it doesn’t even exist. And if you still feel stuck or uncomfortable, we can talk to a lawyer. There’s a solution for everything, nothing is impossible.”

“Alright,” she replied, “let’s assume you’re right. But let’s also talk about what caused all this to begin with, your and Sonakshi’s sudden disappearance. The moment you both ran away, you got married. So tell me something… are you planning to leave Sonakshi now?”

“Jhankar, that’s an entirely different matter…”

“No,” she interrupted firmly. “It’s not different at all. I know you’re worried about me, and that’s the only reason I’ve been listening to you. But now, it’s your turn to listen to me. Yes, Vikrant married me in anger. He placed me in that wedding altar as a substitute. I was furious with him for everything. For what he did to me, for what he did to our parents. But despite all that, we stayed together. We fought. We clashed. But slowly, we began to understand each other. And now… now, no matter what happens, I will not leave Vikrant. I love him. Deeply. And I am not ashamed to admit it.”

Vyom looked at Jhankar intently. She glanced briefly toward her parents and then spoke to them with gentle conviction.

“Vikrant has already spoken to you, but even then, I want to express this myself. It doesn’t matter to me how our marriagehappened; those details are no longer important. I love him, and he loves me. We have a beautiful family now. Everything I ever wanted in my life, I’m gradually receiving. Step by step, I’m moving forward, and I will continue to move ahead. That much is certain. But Vikrant wants our marriage to take place the right way, just as it should be. He wants all the rituals, and most importantly, he wants you both to perform my kanyadaan (ceremonial giving away of the bride). He has already sought your permission for this. I know both of you like him very much. But I also understand that after hearing Brother’s concerns, you might feel a little shaken. That’s something I expected. Still, I want to make one thing absolutely clear: no matter what happens, Vikrant and I will never be separated.”

Vyom listened to every word carefully. He could understand her feelings, yet the fear of a protective brother deeply within him. Overwhelmed, he immediately stood up, trying to reason with her.

“Jhankar… It’s not going to be that easy. He’s a mafia man. Do you realize what that means? Anything could happen to him… and that danger could come to you too.”