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“You don’t understand what I’m saying—that you should not be near her.”

“Look, she’s already under a lot of stress, so there’s no need for you to cause her more trouble. Minor things like a cold keep happening; it’s not a big deal. And if I do get infected, I’ll be fine. She didn’t even want to come near me. She only came here because I called her repeatedly. I massaged her head, and only then was she able to sleep comfortably. And now you’ve come here and started saying all this nonsense. She currently has a headache because of the cold. I gave her medicine forcibly, and now she’s feeling a little sleepy. So please go to your room and don’t disturb her.”

“But Maa…”

“Stop… Now go to your room. Anyway, she’s not going to sleep much longer. She’ll wake up soon, and then we’ll have dinner together.”

He comes back to his room, and Vikrant’s attention suddenly goes to the shirt that Jhankar was wearing in the morning. He instinctively moves toward it, picks it up, and looks at it. In his imagination, he envisions Jhankar donning the shirt. A strange smile crosses his face, but the very next moment, he folds theshirt and places it back in the laundry basket, muttering to himself,

“I don’t know whether you did all this intentionally or if it was a mistake, but it’s not easy to seduce me. And why would you even want to? I know you well enough to understand it’s for your brother’s sake—that he shouldn't face any trouble.”

Vikrant’s phone starts beeping continuously with incoming messages, so he picks it up and begins checking them. Just then, Jhankar enters the room. As soon as he sees her, he extends his phone toward her. Jhankar is confused for a moment, but the next moment, as she starts checking the phone, she sees some photos of her brother Vyom with Sonakshi. In those pictures, she notices the sadness on her brother’s face. Seeing him after so long, her eyes begin to well up. Vikrant observes her closely, then leans against the wall, saying,

“I can’t tell if you’re strong or just pretending to be strong in front of me. And if you are, why do you do that?”

Jhankar looks him in the eyes and returns his phone, saying,

“Neither am I strong nor weak. I don’t need to prove who I am—at least not in front of you or anyone else. Just because I feel emotional after seeing my brother doesn’t mean I’m not strong. All I know is that I don’t know how to hide my emotions like men do. If I feel scared, I show it. If I’m happy, I smile. And if something saddens me, I don’t hold back from crying. Dinner is ready—Maa called you downstairs.”

Without waiting, Jhankar leaves. Vikrant remains standing there, lost in thought over her words. Later, he joins everyone for dinner, but his attention is entirely on Jhankar, who is eating very little and visibly carries a heavy sadness in her eyes.

She returns to her room soon after. After a long conversation with Sharda, Vikrant comes into the room and finds her lying on the sofa. He knows from her posture that she’s been crying.

“Jhankar, sleeping on that sofa is really uncomfortable. Come and sleep on the bed. You know I won’t harm you in any way, and there’s no point in using the sofa when the bed is so big.”

Jhankar is already experiencing body pain. She knows it will worsen if she sleeps on the sofa, which will cause problems for her at work. With her health and her brother’s situation weighing heavily on her, she is already exhausted. So, she quietly brings her duvet and lies down on the bed. Vikrant also lies down, maintaining a respectful distance. He turns his back toward her, aware that she is still crying.

“You don’t need to worry about Vyom. He’s absolutely fine.”

Jhankar says nothing, but as soon as she hears this, her sobbing intensifies. Vikrant feels deeply uneasy hearing her cry, so he continues lying with his back to her, unable to sleep.

CHAPTER 25

THEIR RESTLESSNESS

Jhankar quietly goes out after having breakfast. Yesterday, despite Vikrant's refusal, she left from there without any guard or driver. When she starts going out of the mansion, the guard stops her immediately.

“Maam, Sir has absolutely forbidden you to go out alone.”

Jhankar turns back, very frustrated, and sees Vikrant standing behind her. Seeing him, she immediately says.

“Now what is this?”

Vikrant sits on his car's bonnet and starts looking at her very comfortably. Jhankar, looking at him, comes and stands close to him, and he just keeps looking at her.

“I have to go to the office, and you know it, and your guards are not letting me go.”

“From today onwards, I will drop you off at the library; if I am busy, then someone else will do it, and someone will also pick you up from there.”

"What is going on in your mind?"

"Nothing is going on; come inside. I have just come from the gym; after having breakfast, I will drop you off; it is not going to take much time."

“Why are you acting like a loving husband?”

“It does not matter how you are feeling; I had told you clearly that day that from now on you will not go anywhere so easily; either you will go with the guards or you will not go at all. I let you go yesterday; that doesn't mean it is allowed every day.”

"What has suddenly happened to you? I was also going before this, and I am comfortable like this; I did not hear anything you said."