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“You are not lying about anything about Papa, right? Everything is fine. You even stopped me from coming to the hospital, and I could not come there because of my mother. My mother is asleep. Could you please let me know if my father is experiencing any issues? Look, you do not need to hide anything.”

“I am not hiding anything from you. The doctor suspects dengue, and secondly, after conducting several tests, another issue has emerged: a stent will have to be placed in his heart because he is experiencing some heart-related problems. Since this has been detected in the tests, it would be better to get it treated as soon as possible… because if we ignore it will be problematic soon, as his health is deteriorating day by day.”

Jhankar looks at him in a very upset state; she feels so weak. Suddenly, her head spins, and Vikrant rushes toward her. Jhankar holds his hand tightly to prevent herself from falling, and Vikrant immediately puts his other hand around her waist and lifts her into his arms. Vikrant knows that she loves her parents a lot. He quickly carries her toward their bedroom, lays her down on the bed, and very gently informs her,

“If the disease has been detected before it causes any serious problem, it would be better if it is treated as soon as possible.”

Jhankar tries to open her eyes and nods her head slightly after listening to him. She knows that the hospital where Vikrant has admitted her father is the biggest in Hyderabad and is also costly, due to which she has already started her calculations of many things and sits down in a second; she immediately tells him.

“I want to shift my father to some other hospital tomorrow itself.”

“Look, there is no need to do all this; the outcome will be the same at any hospital, and this hospital in Hyderabad is very large, with facilities and treatment that are superior to those at other hospitals.”

She knows he is right, but she doesn't know how she arranged money for her father's treatment.

“I cannot tell you all my problems; I just told you that I have to shift my father to another hospital tomorrow.”

“You will tell me exactly what the problem is with him in the hospital."

“It is very expensive…”

After a strange silence lasting two minutes between them, Jhankar takes out her mobile to inquire about her father’s account and their other accounts. Vikrant is sitting right in front of her. Observing her anxious state, Vikrant places his hand on her mobile phone and speaks,

“I don’t think this is needed. Uncle’s treatment will be done easily. You don’t need to worry.”

Jhankar starts looking at Vikrant, and she knows that Vikrant can effortlessly take care of all their expenses, and he has said this before as well, but Jhankar is not in favor of this at all.

“Thank you so much, sir… However, I’m aware that I can’t afford the costly hospital treatment. My father has been in the hospital for three days, and the bill is likely to be very high. I know that I am going to have a lot of difficulty paying that bill. He will get excellent treatment in the hospital. I know everything, but I cannot at all avoid saying that I cannot afford that hospital. The most important thing is that I don’t want you to do any favors for me, due to which I forget what you have done to us…. Please, there is no need to do any favor for us.”

Vikrant, sincerely worried for Raghunath and doing everything he can, feels very hurt by what Jhankar says. She quickly stands up, and as soon as Jhankar finishes speaking and leaves, he immediately grabs her by the nape, pulls her back, and turns her to face him. He looks into her eyes and says,

“What do you think of yourself? If I don’t say anything to you, you keep saying whatever comes to mind; do you think I will keep listening? I was not doing you any favor, and neither do I need to do anything like that. I acknowledge that I made a mistake by marrying you forcefully, and I simply wanted to make amends. If there was anything I could do to alleviate the pain Uncle and Aunt had to endure, I would gladly do it. I was not doing this for you or to do you a favor. I was doing this for myself.”

Jhankar is trying to push him away from her by placing her hand on his chest, but his grip is so strong that she is unable to move at all. She scratches his chest with her nails, but it seems impossible for her to move Vikrant at all. He is fully checking her struggle. He says while releasing her with a jerk,

“Get him treated comfortably in the hospital, and tomorrow I will get a contract made. Whatever money is spent on his treatment, you will return all that money to me. At this point,there’s no need for Uncle to relocate. His health may deteriorate. If you are prepared to manage his deteriorating health, please let me know, and I will arrange for an ambulance tomorrow. Go wherever you want to take him…. But remember this clearly: he is already in bad condition, and this relocation will make it even worse."

He immediately lets go of Jhankar. She is looking at him angrily, but Vikrant’s eyes are also firmly on her. Both of them turn away quickly. Jhankar immediately runs outside, and Vikrant hits his hand hard on the wall.

“These women only think and do what they feel is right…. I just want to help her…. And she is so stubborn….”

Because of Raghunath, Vikrant had been close to this family for quite some time, and he had started to feel a deep emotional connection with them. As a result, he began experiencing certain feelings that he hadn't expected. He realized that because of one decision he had made, Jhankaar and her once joyful, laughter-filled family had been completely devastated. However, he couldn't change his decision under any circumstances. That’s why he wanted to help them in any way he could. But today, the harsh words spoken by Jhankaar had hurt him deeply, and that pain left him with a strange sense of restlessness.

CHAPTER 22

SOMETHING CHANGED

Little Vikrant is watching his father cry, and Ravindra is holding his wife Sonia's wedding dress in his hands, continuously crying like a child. Vikrant knows very well that his mother left him two days ago, and she clearly said that she would never return. Vikrant tried hard to stop her, but she didn’t listen, and pushing him away from herself, she left with an uncle. Vikrant cannot comprehend why his mother left him. He approaches his father and sits close to him, but he lacks the courage to express his feelings and is unable to witness his father’s tears. Ravindra’s attention suddenly shifts to his son; he immediately looks at him with a smile, quickly wipes his tears, and makes him sit in his lap.

“Hey champion… You didn’t even call me after arriving today.”

“Papa, why did Mom leave us?”

Ravindra simply looks at Vikrant, kisses his forehead, and tries to smile while holding both of his hands tightly in his own and saying to him,.

“Look, sometimes it becomes necessary to choose the right path for yourself. Your mother has also chosen what she believes is right. Right now, I can’t fulfill any of her needs because there has been a huge loss in the business, and whatever was left, I invested in my political campaign, so I have nothing at the moment. I’m working very hard to regain everything, but maybeit was too difficult for your mother to live with us in such a state. She is used to many comforts, which is why she went with someone who could provide them.”

Vikrant continues to gaze at his father as Sharda suddenly runs inside. Ravindra becomes very disturbed upon seeing her arrive so suddenly, but he cannot say anything. He lifts Vikrant from his lap and stands in front of Sharda. She looks at Vikrant and then says to Ravindra very softly.