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“Dear, don’t misunderstand me, but I feel that you two are husband and wife, and in such a situation, the husband must take care of his wife. I also want to see how sensible my son is.”

Jhankar immediately starts looking at Sharda. She is aware Sharda is not properly aware of their relationship, but here she is feeling very disturbed because, first, Vikrant has OCD, and secondly she has been facing a lot of problems for months.

CHAPTER 28

HIS CARE AND OUTBURST

Jhankar is experiencing a terrible pain in her stomach, so intense that it's beyond her tolerance. Still, she continues completing her work with great difficulty, making sure no expression of pain appears on her face. She knows that office hours will be over soon, and she’ll get to go home and rest for a while. But she’s always deeply troubled during her painful periods, and during such times, her parents would also become very worried and take extra care of her.

Her mother would often give her some home remedies to relieve the pain, while her father would sit beside her, gently placing his hand on her head. He knew this was a natural process, but for a father, seeing his daughter in pain was always difficult. Though this was something natural for women, for him it felt like a very big deal.

After somehow finishing her work, Jhankar steps out of the office. She has a clear idea of where Vikrant might be waiting for her. She wants to get to the car as quickly as possible and close her eyes, because the pain is slowly becoming unbearable. She walks slowly toward the car, but Vikrant immediately notices her condition. He quickly instructs the driver to bring the car closer to her.

As soon as Jhankar sees Vikrant’s luxurious car near the office, she quickly gets in—she doesn’t want anyone to see her getting into such a car. The moment she sits inside, she turns toward Vikrant and yells loudly:

“I clearly told you never to bring this car to my office… I really don’t understand why you need to come and drop me off or pick me up every day. I’m an independent woman, I can take care of myself!”

Vikrant starts looking at her very attentively, which makes her fall completely silent. Annoyed by the way he’s staring at her, she says:

“Can you tell me why you're staring at me like that?”

“You looked really exhausted, that’s why I asked the driver to bring the car closer to you. And the spot where the car was parked, no one could see you from there. But you’re getting angry as if I’ve committed some huge crime.”

Jhankar is feeling extremely frustrated due to the pain, and because of that, she doesn’t want to say anything to Vikrant. She simply closes her eyes and rests her head on the seat, trying her best to endure the pain. She usually experiences the most severe pain on the first and second days of her cycle, and by the third day, it typically lessens. So she knows very well that today and tomorrow will be tough no matter what. But this time, the pain is far more intense—beyond her ability to bear. She’s just waiting to reach home somehow so she can go straight to her room and rest.

Vikrant’s eyes remain fixed on her face, and then he slowly shifts his gaze to her stomach, where she has placed her hand in an attempt to manage the pain. He understands now why she was so eager to go home. For Vikrant, this is an entirelynew experience—he’s never been so close to a woman before, so he’s never witnessed this kind of suffering. But seeing Jhankar in such pain is disturbing him deeply. Looking at her, he gently says,

“Let’s go to a doctor, or just tell me what you need—whatever you say, we’ll do.”

Jhankar suddenly looks at him, then realizes she had placed her hand on her stomach, something that might have given Vikrant an idea of what’s going on. She quickly removes her hand and tries to sit more comfortably, shaking her head to indicate a polite refusal. Vikrant immediately turns to the driver and says,

“Take us to Dixit house. We’ll stay there for a while.”

Jhankar is surprised, but at the same time, she’s genuinely happy that she’s getting to go home. She knows she’ll be comfortable there, without any stress. As she begins to smile and say something to Vikrant, he looks at her and says,

“You may not want to tell me what’s bothering you, but you’ll definitely tell your parents. I want to see how they take care of you, so I’ll know how to make sure you don’t suffer like this again.”

Jhankar forgets her pain for a moment and just stares at him. She doesn't know how to react to his words, his concern has stirred something strange inside her, a kind of emotional rush that keeps pulling her toward Vikrant. She knows her parents have forgiven him, and deep down, she’s also slowly beginning to forget everything Vikrant had done.

But she hasn’t forgotten that Vikrant and she are incompatible with each other not in status nor in mindset. Where Vikrant didn’t know how to respect women, she couldn’t tolerate any of his behavior. There are so many things she still wants tounderstand properly. However, she is not in a hurry to make decisions, as she understands that a lifetime cannot be based on fleeting emotions. Within a short while, they arrive at the Dixit house. Raghunath and Chitrali are sitting in the garden, enjoying their evening tea. As soon as Vikrant’s car stops in front of the house, both of them smile and start walking toward the gate. Seeing them, Vikrant quickly turns to Jhankar and says,

“You don’t need to get out of the car.”

Jhankar, who was just about to open the door and walk comfortably toward her parents, suddenly stops and turns to look at Vikrant. But before she can say anything, Vikrant steps out of the car, walks over to her side, opens the door, and, without wasting a moment, gently lifts her in his arms. She is completely stunned by his action.

“Vikrant, what are you doing?”

Disturbed by what’s happening, Jhankar starts nervously looking around. But Vikrant, still holding her in his arms, starts walking toward the house and calmly says,

“I can clearly see you’re in a lot of pain. There's no need for you to walk like this. I can carry you inside, that’s all I know.”

Jhankar’s parents are taken aback seeing the two of them like that. As Vikrant walks inside carrying her, they follow him, concerned but unsure about what’s really going on. Jhankar seems perfectly fine in front of them, but they can also sense that something is definitely wrong if Vikrant is carrying her into the house like this. Vikrant gently sets her down on the couch, looks at Chitrali, and says,

“She’s in a lot of pain, continuous stomach cramps. I don’t know what needs to be done right now. I asked her to see a doctor, but she refused to listen to anything I said. All I know is thatyou’ll understand what to do in this situation. I just want to learn what I can do so that next time, she won’t have to suffer like this again.”

Jhankar is listening to his words in complete surprise, her eyes fixed on him. Vikrant turns to look at her and says gently, looking into her eyes.

“Jhankar is my wife. I have the right to know what’s bothering her and to learn how I can help ease her pain.”