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Story: Substitute Bride

“What’s going on? So much fighting between my two children? You’re always so happy with each other. What’s happened today?”

Both of them look at Sharda as she approaches with a gentle smile. Jhankar pulls her hands free from Vikrant and goes to Sharda.

“Maa, I have some urgent work. I want to go to my parents’ house for a few days.”

Sharda glances at Vikrant, who is glaring at Jhankar, and replies:

“Of course, you can go. You don’t need to ask anyone when you want to go anywhere—whether it’s to your parents’ house or anywhere else. You are free to do as you wish. I’ve told you this many times.”

Jhankar immediately heads to her room. Vikrant tries to follow her, but Sharda stops him.

“It would be better if you didn’t go after her. Because of your anger, things have already gone too far, and they’ll only getworse. She’s angry, and in such situations, one of you needs to stay calm. But I don’t think either of you is ready to do that. I’m not going to interfere with who’s right or wrong—but I do know that if she’s made mistakes, then so have you. Right now, it’s more important to cool things down. If she wants to go to her parents’ house, let her go. It’ll be good for both of you.”

Vikrant knows that he truly is angry and that things might worsen if he continues, so he quietly sits on the sofa. Sharda goes back to her room, choosing not to get involved.

In the room, Jhankar starts packing her clothes. She carefully selects only the items she brought from her home—nothing else. Tears begin to fall from her eyes, and though she tries hard to stop them, her heart is so heavy she cannot. Holding her bag tightly, she looks at herself in the mirror and says,

“I don’t know why I ignored everything when I shouldn’t have. This marriage was always fake and it will always remain fake. I should’ve understood that long ago. Why didn’t I stop myself? How do I explain this to myself now? I have to leave. And this time, I won’t come back.”

She wipes her tears and neatly finishes packing. She makes sure not to disturb Vikrant’s belongings or leave anything behind that he would have to clean up. After finishing everything, she slings her bag over her shoulder and hurries down the stairs. Vikrant notices her and moves toward her, but she walks past him without looking. He begins to follow, unwilling to let her go alone.

At the car, as Vikrant gets into the driver’s seat, Jhankar opens the door, takes her purse—which she had forgotten earlier—and shuts the door quickly. Vikrant stares at her, but she walks toward the gate without delay. Vikrant rushes out and calls out,

“Jhankar…”

She doesn’t stop and keeps walking. Vikrant runs after her, grabs her hand, and says,

“If you want to go to your house, I’ll drop you. Stop this attitude and sit quietly in the car.”

“Sorry, sir. I know how to handle myself. I don’t need anything from you. Just ask your men to open the gate. I’ll leave by myself.”

“Jhankar, you’re making a big deal out of this.”

“I’m ending it, Vikrant. Some things in life require clarity, and I’m giving it. I’m going to my parents’ house—not to return.”

“You can’t do this. Sharda Maa needs you.”

“She’s completely fine. She doesn’t need you or me.”

“The doctor hasn’t said anything like that, and I don’t want to listen to any more of your nonsense.”

“Same here. Now please open the gate. I have to go.”

Vikrant can clearly see the determination in her eyes. He doesn’t want to escalate things further.

“Fine, you don’t have to come with me. The bodyguards will drop you—but you’re not going alone.”

Jhankar just wants to leave, knowing that arguing with Vikrant will lead nowhere. She quietly gets into the car. Vikrant signals his men, who get into the vehicle without delay. Her car drives away in front of Vikrant. His eyes remain fixed on her, but she doesn’t look back even once. As the mansion disappears behind her, tears once again begin to fall, but she lowers her head so the bodyguards won’t see.

Vikrant comes outside, watching the car until it disappears completely from view. A strange pain has settled in his heart, leaving him disturbed and lost in thought.

Slowly, Vikrant returns to the mansion. But inside, something feels broken—something he doesn’t fully understand. He quietly enters his room. The moment he senses the lingering fragrance of Jhankar, he closes his eyes and starts to smile faintly. He notices how well everything has been arranged. He understands obviously that Jhankar left everything in perfect order before going—and this realization unsettles him deeply. A strange emptiness consumes him. He sits on the bed, and his eyes fall on the pillow where Jhankar used to sleep. He gently strokes it and softly whispers,

“Jhankar…”

~~~~~~

Vikrant comes to the dining hall, and as soon as he sits on the chair, his eyes immediately go to the chair next to him, but there is no one sitting there today. He smiles and looks at the chair in front of him, where Sharda is also not present. After some time, Ravindra arrives. Noticing that Sharda is absent from her chair, Ravindra does not say anything specific. The servants serve the food and then stand away from them. Ravindra looks at Vikrant, starts eating, and says,