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“Sonia was leaving the city with that man, but they had an accident and both died on the spot.”

As soon as Ravindra hears this, he immediately steps back and collapses to the ground. Vikrant runs to his father, but the very next moment, Ravindra picks up his wife’s wedding dress again, hugs it tightly, and starts screaming:

“Sonia… Sonia… No… this is not true…”

Regaining his composure, Ravindra immediately runs out of the house. Sharda and Vikrant also follow him, but Ravindra, completely shattered, drives away in his car. Many people who love Ravindra gather outside the house, and seeing him run off in such distress deeply upsets everyone. Witnessing his father's breakdown, Vikrant bursts into tears. Sharda quickly takes him in her safe embrace, holding him close and trying to shield him from the harsh reality. Vikrant very innocently asks Sharda:

“Maa, why did Mom do this… And is she really dead?”

“Your mother did not value love. He loved her so much, but even God might not have liked her betrayal of such pure love. Ravindra loved your mother immensely; I don’t know how he’ll be able to handle himself.”

PAST EVENT ENDS

Vikrant is continuously stabbing the man in the chest, and everyone standing around is trembling with fear because the man died long ago, and now his flesh has started to shred. Due to constant stabbing at the same spot, his flesh is coming off, but Vikrant is unaware. A thick fog of past memories has surrounded him, blinding him to everything in front of him. No one dares to stop him. Akhil deliberately steps forward, and in the silence, the sound of his shoes echoes. Vikrant halts his hand and looks toward him. Akhil bows his head and says,

“Sir, he died a long time ago…”

Vikrant’s eyes fall on the man, and he clearly sees the blood spread around. He fully understands what he has been doing all this while. He immediately drops the knife, stands up, and looks at Akhil. He nods slightly, remaining silent, fully aware of the next course of action. The very next moment, Vikrant leaves the scene, drives his car fast, and stops directly at his house. As he enters, his eyes are drawn to the guest room. He assumes that Jhankar and Chitrali must be asleep, given the closed door. Her father’s operation is in two days, and with so much preparation, she will likely reach the hospital early in the morning. That may be why she slept early. Without stopping, he goes straight to his room, puts all the blood-stained clothes in the basket, and steps into the shower without wasting time. The blood flows off his body, mixes with the water, and drains away. He is taking his time and relaxing when he suddenly senses someone might have entered the room. He would rather not have any argument with Jhankar today, so he chooses not to go out, but the movement outside makes him realize she might not leave without talking. He quickly puts on his trousers and steps out. Jhankar is standing there, and as soon as she sees him, she says,

“I have to talk to you about something important.”

“I had already discussed shifting Uncle in your presence, and you know well what the doctor said. He clearly stated that shifting him could worsen his condition because the treatment he’s receiving here is the best, and his current state does not warrant taking unnecessary risks.”

“I haven’t come to talk about him. I’ve come only to ask if you know where my brother is. Papa is very worried about him. Right now, there’s no one except you who might know his whereabouts. If anything can be done to help my father talk to my brother, then please do it. Maybe that’s the only thing that can help cure him.”

Jhankar’s eyes are downcast, and deep disappointment is evident on her face. Vikrant can clearly see the worry on her face, and though she doesn’t want to say anything more, her expression speaks volumes. This stirs fury in him because, just yesterday, he was trying to help her, but the way she misunderstood him and spoke, as always, has already disturbed him deeply. As Jhankar begins to leave, he says,

“If your brother tries to contact you in any way, then Viren Chandel will find out where he is.”

Jhankar turns back and looks at him; tears begin welling up in her eyes. However, she does not let them fall and slightly shakes her head while looking down again, as she is deeply upset today. Her eyes fell on Vikrant’s chest, where she had scratched him with her nails yesterday. She looks at Vikrant once again, who is already looking at her, and softly says to him,

"Okay….”

She immediately turns back and leaves. Vikrant looks at his chest, where her nail marks are still visible, but today he is deeply surprised by the sight of this broken, quiet girl. He isunable to understand why the girl who used to argue with him at every step seems so helpless and sorrowful today. Vikrant is lost in his thoughts when his phone starts ringing—it’s his assistant calling, and he picks it up immediately.

"Yes, Akhil..."

"Sir, you had asked me to keep an eye on all the activities of Jhankar Ma'am, and now I’ve received all the updates for the day, so I thought I should share something with you."

"Anything important...?"

"Madam sold all her jewelry today. None of it belonged to the Dhanraj Mansion. It appears to be either her own or her mother's, and she received approximately ?430,000 for it."

Vikrant closes his eyes in frustration, grinding his teeth as he replies in an irate tone,

"I don’t understand. When I’ve clearly told her she doesn’t need to worry about anything, that I’ll handle it all, then what is this girl trying to prove?"

"She just doesn’t want to lose her self-respect..."

"What do you mean by that...?"

"Sir, I’ve never considered you wrong in anything, and I never will. But I do know this: Jhankar Ma’am wants to manage everything on her own, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You believe all women are gold diggers, but just because one girl chased after money doesn’t mean every other girl is the same. Just as you and I are not alike, not all women are alike either.”

"Will you stop preaching to me?"

"Sorry, sir... One more thing, which is very important: Ma’am isn’t getting a job anywhere because Ravindra Sir has instructedall the companies not to offer her any position. I don’t wish to say anything more."

"What…? This girl isn’t going to give up so easily, and she wants a job at any cost. So, you post a vacancy ad at our V International company. Am I clear?"