Page 75

Jhankar is taken aback by Vikrant's sudden change in behavior, but she doesn’t say anything and simply follows him as he asked. Chitrali and Raghunath are surprised when they suddenly move out of the house and try to follow them, but by then Vikrant starts driving the car himself, and Jhankar sits quietly beside him.

In the ride, he keeps glancing at her, but he's deeply hurt by what she said about his father. Jhankar had previously spoken harshly about his father too, but back then, Vikrant understood her reasons. However, today felt entirely different. He felt upset about anyone speaking ill of his father, especially since he knew very well that it was his mother who was in the wrong. And now, without knowing the entire truth, Jhankar was trying to side with his mother, something Vikrant just couldn't accept. What upset him even more was that Jhankar didn’t show the slightest hint of regret on her face. Nor did she try to calm him down, which only fueled his anger further. He pressed harder on the accelerator, and the car picked up speed dangerously. Jhankar instinctively closed her eyes, scared by the sudden burst of speed, but she was determined not to speak to Vikrant, no matter what. She truly didn’t know who was right or wrong between his parents, but what did bother her was Vikrant’s reaction toward a woman, that part didn’t sit right with her. And she isn’t going to back down just because he is angry.

If Vikrant was genuinely starting to care about her, then they needed to talk, to explain things to each other — not silence one another with anger. Though the speed terrified her, she had decided she would not let fear dictate her actions or request him to slow down.

Vikrant pulled up in front of his mansion with a sudden jerk, parking the car abruptly. He glared at Jhankar in anger, but she didn’t even look at him. Silently, she got out of the car. This only made Vikrant's rage soar higher. He followed her inside, and despite his fury, he was still aware that she was unwell. In his haste, he hadn’t even let her drink the herbal water his mother had prepared. Entering the hall, he shouted loudly:

“Radha … Radha.”

His voice echoed through the house, startling everyone. Jhankar, who had just begun climbing the stairs, stopped and turned to look at him. Although he glanced at her briefly, he completely ignored her and kept looking around for Radha, who had yet to appear. His anger continued to rise as he shouted again, even louder.

“Radha…”

Radha came running, wiping her hands nervously. But Vikrant, without even trying to understand or observe anything, snapped at her the moment she appeared:

“Didn’t you hear me the first time? Why did it take you so long? In fact, from tomorrow… no, from right now… you don’t need to work here anymore. Settle your account with the caretaker and leave…”

Jhankar was shocked by Vikrant’s behavior. She immediately came back down the stairs. Radha, trembling with fear despite not having done anything wrong, stood silently, too scared to speak. Sharda had rushed out after hearing Vikrant’s raised voice. She didn’t know exactly what he was angry about, but seeing the situation, she could clearly sense that something serious had happened to upset him this much. She was about to intervene to defend Radha but then noticed Jhankar walkingtoward Vikrant. So she stopped to see what would happen next. Jhankar stood directly in front of Vikrant, looked him in the eyes, and said calmly,

“She might have been busy with something when you called. Maybe it took her five extra seconds to finish up or drop what she was doing and come. Even if you couldn’t consider that, at least think about the fact that this woman has been working here for years.”

“I don’t care about any of that,” Vikrant snapped. “She’s here to do her job. If she can’t do it properly, then there’s no place for her here. And what is her job anyway? Just basic housework and even that she can’t manage.”

Jhankar knew Vikrant was just spewing nonsense in his anger. She smiled faintly and moved a little closer to him, still looking into his eyes, She said softly,

“You always make the wrong decisions when you’re angry. You’re proving that again. This house is yours, these people are yours, so it’s your choice in the end. I just want to say one thing… you’re making a mistake.”

Vikrant stared into her eyes. And just like every other time, he was stunned by how confidently this girl could speak to him. A few days ago, this same confidence had drawn him toward her, but today, when he was seething with rage, it only made him angrier. He didn’t want to say anything more, trying to control his temper. But then, his eyes landed on Sharda, who was standing quietly nearby.

As his gaze shifted toward her, Jhankar, already aware that Sharda was there, quickly turned and walked toward the room. She knew very well that if anyone could protect Radha in this house, it was Sharda. And somewhere deep inside, sheremembered what her parents had always taught her, anger should never be answered with more anger. It was a lesson she always tried to follow, which is why she chose not to say anything further. As soon as Jhankar leaves, Sharda steps in front of Vikrant and gently says to Radha:

“Go back and continue the work you were doing. You know very well how Vikrant tends to get angry for no reason.”

Radha quietly leaves, and Sharda turns to Vikrant, who is trying to calm his anger by placing his hands on his waist and taking deep breaths while pacing the room. Sharda knows him well enough to understand that he will eventually tell her what happened—she’s just waiting for that moment. Suddenly, Vikrant grabs her hand and leads her into her room. He helps her sit on the bed, then sits down on the floor in front of her and says,

“Jhankar just doesn’t understand what my father means to me. She says what happened between my parents was their problem. But she was my mother. Did she ever wrong me? If she didn’t, then why do I hate her so much? Tell me, how is it fair for her to blame my father?”

“First of all, I don’t even understand how Jhankar ended up blaming your father. And secondly, yes, Sonia was your mother, and she loved you dearly, you know that better than anyone. She never let her love for you falter, not even once. But what I’ve never understood is why she was willing to leave you. And honestly, the way you started hating her afterwards, it scares me. This hatred has made you build a wall around yourself, Vikrant. And because of it, you refuse to see the goodness in other women too." Sharda gently replies. And holds his face gently and continues.

“I’ve told you before—I don’t know what exactly happened between Ravindra and Sonia. why they separated or why there was another man in Sonia’s life. But what I do know is this: until the moment she left you, there was only love for you in her eyes. That’s why your hatred feels so unjustified to me, especially now, when Sonia is no longer even in this world. Why do you keep holding onto this hatred? Maybe Jhankar was trying to make you understand that same thing. But you… You only know how to react with anger. I’ve told you before, Vikrant, your anger always ruins everything. And I’m telling you again—this same anger might end up pushing Jhankar away from you.”

Sharda’s words wash over him like waves of cool water. Slowly, things begin to make sense. He starts to realize what Jhankar might have been trying to say. And now he can’t even understand why he got so angry over something so small—especially when Jhankar wasn’t even feeling well. But still… How can he apologize so easily?

Without saying a word, he leaves the room and heads to the garden. He sits there, chain-smoking, trying to let his anger dissolve into the clouds of smoke. After some time, he calms himself and walks into the kitchen. Seeing him, Radha becomes nervous again, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he fills a pan with water and begins preparing the herbal remedy, just like Chitrali had made before. Radha watches him in surprise. She has never seen Vikrant prepare anything for anyone, and she understands clearly who he’s doing it for. She smiles quietly, but when Vikrant turns toward her, she quickly hides her smile and begins taking out the ingredients he might need. Whatever seems to be missing, she places it silently on the counter. Vikrant takes them without saying a word. Her silent smile continues to irritate him a little, but he says nothing.

After boiling the mixture properly and cooling it down, he pours it into a glass and quietly walks back to his room. Jhankar is sitting on the sofa, trying to focus on her work. She’s well aware of his presence, but she chooses to ignore him. Vikrant comes near, pours the drink into a glass, and places it in front of her. Jhankar glances at it once and then looks away, ignoring it. Vikrant knows she won’t accept it so easily. So, he sits beside her and watches her quietly. When she still doesn’t respond, he takes a sip himself to test the temperature. Finding it a bit too warm, he begins blowing on it gently to cool it down. From the corner of her eye, Jhankar sees all of this, and it stirs something within her. She doesn’t understand what Vikrant is trying to do. After ensuring it’s drinkable, he takes another sip and then extends the glass to her.

“Drink it.”

“I’m fine. I don’t need it.”

Vikrant looks at her face closely. He knows she’s still in pain. He also knows that if she drinks it, she’ll feel better. But Jhankar is clearly upset and is showing it in her own way. Without another word, he grabs her jaw gently, turns her face toward him, and brings the glass to her lips. Jhankar, who has her laptop on her lap, is more worried that the drink might spill on it, so she quickly takes the glass and drinks it down. As soon as she finishes, Vikrant looks at her with a smug smile, feeling victorious. Jhankar glares at him and shouts,

“Who forces someone to drink something like that?!”

“Sometimes, people who don’t listen need to be handled this way.”

“You always have to do things your way, don’t you?”