Page 68

Story: Substitute Bride

“The accident that occurred yesterday has also caused great distress to all my men. They did not sleep the whole night and are sleeping now. I will not disturb them early in the morning.”

Jhankar begins to carefully observe Vikrant before gently speaking to him.

“I will do it.”

Vikrant looks at Jhankar carefully and then tells her,

“There is no problem; the doctor will arrive after two hours and treat it... I don’t want to bother you…”

"But by then the problem will worsen; the doctor has given you some medicine, so give it to me. I will treat it as best I can, and if there is a bandage too, give that to me—I’ll apply it as well."

Vikrant looks at Jhankar carefully, then brings the ointment and hands it to her. Jhankar starts examining everything, and then he turns his back toward her. For the first time, Jhankar sees his back properly—covered in numerous wounds and severe cuts. Seeing this, her soul trembles, and she feels as if she has been pierced with iron rods. Tears begin flowing from her eyes instantly because she knows that if Vikrant hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t be alive today. She is certain of it.

Jhankar diligently begins cleaning his wounds with the solution, taking great care not to cause him pain. She has bitten her lips so tightly that blood could potentially spill out at any moment. She is crying, but she does not want Vikrant to notice. Seeing his wounds, she is unable to stop the tears from falling, yet she tries desperately to prevent any sound from escaping and reaching his ears—a task that becomes harder by the minute.

After cleaning his wounds thoroughly, she takes the ointment in her hands and slowly begins applying it. This is the firsttime Vikrant truly feels her touch. Before today, even in moments of closeness, there had been no such feeling between them. But now, Vikrant can feel his growing affection for her—intensified since the accident. He closes his eyes slightly and starts smiling. He had wanted to see what Jhankar would do in a situation where no one else could help him. Her touch brings him a strange, pleasant feeling that he is thoroughly enjoying. However, Jhankar, still trying to suppress any sound, ultimately fails. Suddenly, the sound of her crying reaches Vikrant’s ears, and he immediately turns toward her.

"Jhankar…"

Jhankar had pressed her lips so tightly that blood had finally started to flow from them. Witnessing this, Vikrant places his thumb on her lips, carefully wipes the blood, and looks into her tear-filled eyes.

"It's okay… There is no need to worry so much; I’m used to things like this.”

Jhankar doesn’t respond to Vikrant’s words. Instead, she gently turns him back around and resumes applying medicine to his wounds, her eyes still brimming with tears. Vikrant clenches his jaw, controlling himself, because he hadn’t expected that this small test of his would make Jhankar cry so much. Her tears bring a deep, painful ache.

After some time, Vikrant leaves, and Jhankar, overwhelmed by emotions, tries to steady herself. But first, she knows she must apply for leave. It’s a new job, and she can’t afford to take risks. Still, she knows that no matter what she does, she won’t be able to go to the office in her condition. She immediately sends an email to her office, and within a few minutes, they reply. A small smile appears on her face as she says to herself:

“I didn’t know working in an office could be so easy. I don’t have to do much work, and the atmosphere is so nice—and they accepted my leave request so easily.”

Suddenly, the door to her room opens, and she sees Raghunath and Chitrali. Jhankar smiles at the sight of them but also notices Vikrant standing behind them. Knowing that Vikrant doesn’t like anyone entering his room, she quickly says while trying to get up from the bed,

“Let’s go to the hall…”

“No.”

At the sound of Vikrant’s voice, everyone turns to look at him. Looking at Jhankar, he says,

“I’m sending breakfast here. Sit comfortably and talk to your parents, they’ll be with you all day.”

With that, he immediately leaves. Jhankar opens her arms, and Raghunath and Chitrali both rush to embrace her. As she hugs her mother, she immediately starts sharing her feelings.

“I’m not feeling good about anything. Why is all this happening to us…?”

Her parents know her very well; her fragile heart always gets emotional at a slightly high voice too. Raghunath quickly consoled her by saying,.

“Jhankar, it was just a small accident. Don’t be afraid. You are my brave daughter.”

“It wasn’t a small accident. If you saw Vikrant, you’d understand. If he hadn’t saved me, you wouldn’t be seeing me like this right now. I don't understand why he’s doing all of this, and because of all the things, I’m feeling very conflicted. I wantto hate him… only hate him … because he gave me a reason to. But at the same time, he’s given me so many reasons to end that hatred. I can’t even explain how disturbed I’m feeling.”

Raghunath and Chitrali look at each other, and then Raghunath gently takes his daughter’s hand and pats it softly.

“It’s human nature to make mistakes. We get angry and end up making serious ones. Sometimes those mistakes are enormous and even unforgivable. But still, God gives us a chance to correct them. If we get that chance, we should take it. Forget the past and move forward.”

Before Jhankar can respond, Chitrali adds,

“The way Vikrant married you and threatened us, it all bothered me terribly. I used to worry about you constantly. But the way he’s taken care of us, the way he stood by Raghunath Ji in the hospital, how he’s become our support, he is trying to correct every mistake. And today, when he saved you from even a scratch, I truly don’t want to remember his past misdeeds. If he regrets his actions, then I can forgive him. In fact, I already have. You should move forward too. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

Jhankar remains silent, looking at her parents, still uncertain about what is right.