Page 65
Story: Substitute Bride
Jhankar gives a slight smile, nods her head, and turns to leave. Vikrant's eyes keep looking at her until she completely disappears from his sight, but Sharda's voice suddenly disturbs him.
“Jhankar does not at all look okay; there is something off.”
"Today, for the first time, I have come to know that this girl, who considers herself to be so courageous and no doubt has a lot of courage, is ready to fight any situation. But when our accident happened, she got very upset, and the death of the driver has also upset her a lot.”
"It is very important for you to understand Jhankar now. She is a very sensitive girl. She is scared of darkness and even small insects, but she knows how to deal with harsh situations very well. She does not let her fear overpower her when she has to face anything.”
Vikrant rises to his feet and directs his gaze towards the window, where his men are transporting the deceased body to the car for disposal. He understands that only this scene is visible from this room. Sharda is never interested in these things, and Jhankar is not here, so he is just comfortable looking outside and says to Sharda:
"Let me tell you something. I know that you will feel a little strange after hearing this, but I cannot tell this to anyone else except you, so it has become necessary to tell. I wanted to see this girl kneeling down. I did not like her courage at all. The wayshe used to stand in front of me every time used to make me very angry. But to tell you the truth, today I did not like seeing her so weak..."
Sharda smiles lightly after hearing his words, and she does not want to interrupt him at all, so she keeps listening to him quietly. Vikrant's attention is still outside, but he immediately turns to her and asks,
"Are all girls like Jhankar? I am unable to understand. That girl keeps working hard day and night to earn money and give a good life to her parents, whereas I have clearly told her that she does not need to do this. Why does she need to do this? After all, she does not need to do this; I am capable of fulfilling her needs. We do not lack anything. She can tell me this. She is not a gold digger…."
On hearing these words, Sharda understands that somewhere, because of the deeds of her mother, he is not able to trust Jhankar completely, even if he wants to. This prompts her to immediately say,
"You entered Jhankar's house and kidnapped her, insulting her parents, so Jhankar should look at every boy with the thought that he deserves only hatred and nothing else. If she has had a bad experience with you, it does not mean that she has allowed that experience to dominate her. In life, people are both good and bad. We cannot decide whether a person is good or bad when he comes into our life, but we can definitely decide how much we allow the experience we are having with them to dominate our life.”
He is confused, troubled, and scared too, but he is not in any condition to reply to anything.
As Jhankar comes to her room, she immediately closes the door and stands close to it. Tears begin to fall from her eyes uncontrollably, even though she doesn't want them to. She hides her face and starts crying continuously. Suddenly, she remembers the blood on her hand, so she immediately looks at it, but she had already washed it—there’s no blood now. Despite that, Jhankar still feels the presence of blood on her hand, a sensation that deeply frightens her. Controlling herself, she immediately goes to the closet, takes out her clothes, and then goes to the bathroom, making sure to shut the door securely. Standing in front of the mirror, she starts crying again without stopping.
“Why does it make me feel so uncomfortable to see you like this? I keep stopping myself from looking at you because I know what you did was wrong, but why doesn't my heart listen to me? Seeing you like this hurts me the most. I must force myself to stop—this behavior is completely unacceptable.”
Jhankar immediately takes off her clothes and stands under the shower, needing a few peaceful moments to try to forget everything—whether it's about her marriage or today's accident. Both of these events are shaking her life. Her world is changing completely—first with a forced marriage she wasn’t ready for, suddenly tying her to someone; and now, with today’s accident, she is realizing that despite herself, the strings of her heart are unexpectedly starting to move toward that person—a direction she doesn’t want to go. Jhankar returns to the room after bathing, her hair still wet. By then, Vikrant has arrived in the room, and seeing her like this, he immediately increases the temperature of the AC and says to her:
“The maid told me you’ve fed Maa, but you haven’t eaten anything. I’ve ordered food here. Dry your hair and come eat, or you’ll end up suffering.”
Jhankar, without looking at him at all, says while rubbing her hair with the towel:
“The doctor must have prescribed certain medications for you to take after eating. I’m very tired, which is why I’m going to sleep—I’m not hungry.”
Vikrant is well aware of Jhankar’s distress, which is why she’s avoiding his gaze. At this moment, he wants to avoid disturbing her in any way. So he says nothing, letting her lie down on the bed. He keeps looking at her continuously, which greatly disturbs Jhankar, prompting her to say:
“Why are you staring at me like this? You’ve had an accident. Why don’t you eat, take your medicine, and go to sleep?”
“You’re tired and trying to sleep, but you’ve been tossing and turning for the last half hour without managing to fall asleep. I’m not even sure what kind of sleep you’re experiencing, because who suddenly feels sleepy but still can’t actually sleep?”
“Who asks such questions at this hour of the night? Why don’t you let me sleep peacefully?”
“I don’t understand when I stopped you.”
Jhankar turns her back towards him and faces the other side, but suddenly, memories rush back again. Tears start to form in her eyes because she feels uneasy about her heart leaning toward Vikrant. In her eyes, he is still her wrongdoer, so how could she possibly have feelings for him? Anyone would feel bad seeing someone hurt, but no one can understand what she’s trulyfeeling right now. Yet she knows exactly what it is—and where those feelings are leading her.
She feels the bed shift slightly on the other side and realizes Vikrant is probably going to sleep now. But how will he be able to sleep with such a wound on his back? Worried, she suddenly turns toward him and finds him looking at her while lying on his side. Ignoring his gaze, she says,
“Your back is badly injured. If you turn over in your sleep, you’ll be in a lot of pain. How will you manage to sleep like this?”
“I have to sleep—I'm tired. Let’s see how much it hurts at night.”
“If you say so, I’ll tie your hand to mine so that if you turn over in your sleep, I’ll feel it and stop you.”
Jhankar says this without thinking much. It’s a childish suggestion, but it brings her a small measure of comfort, and Vikrant senses that. He nods very slightly, feeling oddly reassured by her words. Jhankar quickly stands up, goes to the closet, brings her scarf, and ties one end around Vikrant’s wrist and the other around hers. That way, if Vikrant turns over, the tug will wake her, and she can stop him so he doesn't wake up or feel pain. As she finishes tying the scarf, a relaxed smile forms on her face, which doesn’t escape Vikrant’s notice. Jhankar immediately closes her eyes and lies down beside him. Vikrant continues watching her and takes out a small spray bottle from his pocket. He sprays it gently on Jhankar’s nose—she doesn’t even get a chance to open her eyes.
Vikrant slowly gets up and, after watching her closely, gently caresses her cheek with his knuckle and unties the scarf from his wrist. He stands up and opens the door. The doctor and a few others are waiting outside. They come in, and the doctor begins Jhankar’s checkup immediately. Vikrant keeps a close eye oneverything. The doctor monitors her heartbeat carefully, while Vikrant watches with clenched jaws. After about 15 minutes of detailed examination, the doctor tells him:
“Her condition is stable. If we implant capsules, she won’t have any issues. The ideal spots are her thighs, soles of her feet, and around her upper arms. They can also be placed near the neck, particularly around the shoulder blades. In my opinion, two capsules would be enough, but I don’t understand why you’ve asked for five.”
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