Page 19 of Substitute Bride

ANNOY HIM

As soon as Vikrant enters the room, his eyes immediately go to Jhankar, who is sitting comfortably on his bed with a messy bun perched on top of her head.

She is wearing his oversized t-shirt and a pair of loose-fitting lowers that clearly don’t belong to her.

Unbothered by her appearance, she is deeply engrossed in working on her laptop, typing away with focus and consistency.

Vikrant's gaze shifts from her to the condition of the bed, which now looks as if it has been claimed entirely by her, papers scattered all over it, as though it were only hers to use.

A few documents have even slipped to the floor.

Without reacting to the mess just yet, he walks toward the closet.

As he takes a step, his foot lands on one of his shirts, crumpled on the floor.

Picking it up with visible irritation, he opens the closet, only to find all his clothes in complete disarray, many tossed out of place and some even lying on the floor. He immediately turns toward Jhankar.

“What is all this?”

He demands sharply. Jhankar hears the voice close to her, and sensing his looming presence, she slowly lifts her eyes from her laptop, starting from the feet in front of her and moving up to his face. He is standing there, holding one of his shirts, clearly agitated.

“What is all this?” He repeats, this time louder.

"Your shirt?" She replies with an air of nonchalance. "Who even questions a shirt after waving it in someone’s face like that?"

"I'm not asking about the shirt," he says through clenched teeth. "Why are all my clothes scattered on the closet floor?"

"Oh, that." She stretches slightly, still not getting up.

"The clothes you picked for your runaway bride are far too loose for me, and honestly, not my style at all. I didn’t feel like torturing myself by wearing them.

I already told you I like comfortable clothes, so I assumed you might have some in your collection.

I had to dig through a lot before I found these. "

"So you took out my clothes... or threw them out?"

"I was just taking them out,” she says matter-of-factly, “but they fell while I was searching. How is that my fault? I finally managed to find this t-shirt and lower, and now I can at least sit and focus on my work. I don’t understand what happens to women after marriage; they suddenly start wearing heavy sarees and uncomfortable suits.

Such a hassle. You wouldn’t get it; you don’t have to wear them.

Oh, and by the way, I’ve claimed another one of your t-shirts and a pair of lowers too. ”

"And may I ask—who gave you the right to buy them?"

“Buy them?” She raises an eyebrow, smiling. “I don’t have clothes here. I need clothes. I can’t go home right now to get my things; there are far more important matters that need my attention. Clothes are not my priority right now.”

“I’ll order some clothes for you,” he offers, his voice tight.

“There’s no need for that,” she replies quickly.

“I’ll just steal... I mean borrow some more of yours.

I’ll manage with them. Once I’m done with my work, I’ll wash them, iron them properly, and return them to you.

After all, you entered my house and kidnapped a girl.

.. I entered your closet and kidnapped some clothes.

” She gives a tiny smirk. “But don’t think the score is settled.

I’m doing this out of compulsion. And please don’t waste my time; I have a lot to do. ”

Vikrant narrows his eyes and looks at her with quiet intensity, but Jhankar doesn't even glance up. She remains deeply immersed in her laptop, typing continuously as if he weren’t even in the room.

Without saying another word, Vikrant turns around, tosses the shirt in the laundry basket, and begins picking up every piece of clothing scattered across the floor.

He throws them all into the laundry basket too, considering they're soiled now.

Then, he starts organizing the closet with precision and determination.

It takes him nearly two hours to restore the closet to its original state.

When he finally emerges, worn out and slightly disheveled, he finds Jhankar still comfortably seated on the bed, completely immersed in her work, unaffected by the chaos she caused. Silently, he leaves the room.

It is now time for dinner. Everyone gathers around the set dining table.

Sharda has also arrived at the table in her wheelchair, as Vikrant has strictly forbidden her from walking too much and ensures she is taken care of meticulously.

However, one chair remains empty—Jhankar’s.

Noticing the empty chair, Sharda looks directly at Vikrant and asks him a question.

“Where is Jhankar?”

“She probably has something important to do,” Vikrant replies quickly. “She’ll eat later. You can begin.”

“She was busy even during the afternoon,” Sharda says, frowning. “She didn’t come to eat then either... Radha?”

Radha immediately steps forward with her head bowed respectfully. Vikrant’s eyes are on her now, and so are Ravindra’s.

“I asked you to take some food to Jhankar Madam. Did she eat?"

Radha looks visibly nervous. She had gone to Vikrant’s room behind his back, a bold move he usually doesn’t appreciate. But since Sharda is asking, she knows she must answer honestly.

“Madam, I had taken the food upstairs after informing her. I left the tray in her room. But when I went to check after three hours, the food was untouched... she hadn’t eaten anything. She was still busy with her work.”

Sharda sighs deeply. “That girl hasn’t eaten anything since morning. Amazing. Her focus is entirely on her work. Vikrant, let me speak to her mother.”

“Maa, there’s no need to worry unnecessarily,” Vikrant interjects. “She’ll eat when she’s hungry. She’s studying right now, maybe she just isn’t hungry.”

Sharda’s expression doesn’t change. “As far as I remember, I said I wanted to talk to Jhankar’s mother. That’s all.”

Vikrant immediately takes out his phone and dials the landline number of Jhankar’s house, which he had carefully saved. After a few rings, Raghunath answers. He hesitates for a moment, unsure what to say, but finally speaks.

“Good evening, sir. This is Vikrant. My mother would like to speak with Jhankar’s mother.”

Raghunath is silent for a few moments, then calls out.

“Chitrali, come here for a minute; they want to talk about Jhankar.”

Vikrant listens attentively. Sharda gives him a sharp look before instructing.

“Put the phone on speaker so we can all hear clearly.”

He obeys. A moment later, Chitrali’s gentle voice comes through, soft and a little cautious.

“Hello…”

“Hello, I am Sharda,” she replies warmly. “Vikrant’s nanny.”

As soon as Vikrant hears this, his eyes widen, and he turns toward Sharda in surprise, but she ignores his gaze and continues.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Jhankar. She had breakfast with us in the morning, and I asked the staff to take food to her room in the afternoon. But she was busy studying or maybe working and didn’t come to the table.

Even now, she hasn’t eaten. I just wanted to ask about her food preferences so I can make something she would like and ensure she eats properly. ”

On the other side, Chitrali fights back tears upon hearing someone speak so kindly about her daughter. But she smiles through them and steadies her voice.

“Jhankar loves all kinds of food. She doesn’t fuss.

But... she forgets hunger, thirst, and even time when she gets deeply involved in something.

Whenever she became deeply involved in something back home, I would go and feed her with my own hands.

She would always say, “If I get up for even a few minutes, I’ll miss out on too much. ”

Sharda nods slowly. “She seems extremely focused. Is she preparing for an exam or something important?”

“No... her exams are over. She got an amazing job through campus placement. She was supposed to leave on the 7th of June to join. It was her dream job, but... she couldn’t leave because…”

Chitrali trails off, her voice trembling. Sharda looks at Vikrant with sharp disapproval, but he immediately turns his head away, avoiding her stare. Taking a breath, Sharda replies.

“You don’t need to worry about your daughter. She is completely fine here. It’s true she hasn’t eaten all day and is still working, but now that I know she’s not particular about food, I’ll make sure she eats. Just know that a mother is watching over her.”

Only Chitrali’s muffled sobs can be heard from the other end now. Sharda, unable to bear the sound of a mother’s suppressed pain, ends the call quietly.

~~~~

Back in her room, Jhankar is still browsing job vacancies when a piece of bread suddenly appears in front of her.

Without looking, she takes it absentmindedly, smiling faintly, and continues working.

After two or three bites, a realization dawns on her that she's not at home, and her mother isn’t the one feeding her.

She pauses, turns her head, and is startled to see Sharda standing beside her.

“What are you doing here? You should be resting. I wasn’t even paying attention, I thought my mom was feeding me,” she says softly.

“I am also your mother now,” Sharda replies gently.

Jhankar falls silent, her eyes locking onto Sharda’s.

Unexpectedly, her eyes well up with tears, but she quickly blinks them back, composing herself.

She closes her laptop and begins to take the plate from Sharda’s hands.

Sharda firmly holds her hand, shakes her head, and speaks with warmth and authority.

“Today, I will feed my lovely daughter. And I definitely want to know what’s kept you so busy.”

Earlier, Vikrant had left Sharda in the room because she had specifically asked him to.

She wanted some time alone with Jhankar, time to understand this girl who had silently walked into all of their lives.

In the morning, when Jhankar had come to her room, Sharda had chosen to let Vikrant and Jhankar sort things out between themselves.

But now, her curiosity and affection compelled her to learn more.

“My studies are completed now, and I urgently need a job,” Jhankar begins.

“My father took out an education loan to support my studies, and I want to repay that loan myself. I was offered a really good job—my dream job, actually—in Delhi. But I couldn’t go.

.. so now I have to find something here.

I’m not sure which job I’ll end up with, but I’m doing everything possible to find the best opportunity. ”

Sharda nods, visibly impressed. “That’s a wonderful goal. Can you tell me what else you want to do?”

“There’s so much left to do,” Jhankar replies, her eyes bright with ambition.

“First, I want to fulfill my dream of landing the perfect job. Then, I want to buy my parents a nice house and a high-quality car. If everything goes well and I manage to save enough, I’ll start my own business.

After that, I want to buy a great house for myself, a house I’ll build entirely with my own money.

And only after all that, I’ll buy a car for myself. ”

"But your husband can give you all those items too.”

Sharda listens intently and then remarks, Jhankar replies respectfully.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong. My husband can give me all these things, but why should he when I’m capable of doing it myself?

I can work, I can build my own home, and I can buy my own car, so why should I depend on him?

And honestly, when it comes to marriage, why is it that we only focus on getting a girl married off?

Why don't we consider empowering her to stand independently? Why don’t we raise our daughters to earn their income, build a stable life, and take control of their futures?

Shouldn’t we first ensure she can set up her life well on her own?

Why is it always about settling her down with a husband and having children? ”

Sharda watches her closely, taking in every word with a thoughtful expression.

Jhankar, realizing she might have overstepped, falls silent, not wanting to hurt Sharda's feelings.

But Sharda smiles warmly instead, leans forward, kisses Jhankar on the forehead, and continues feeding her with tender care. She says affectionately.

“No one can stop a girl with such strong intentions from achieving her dreams. I’m certain you will do everything you’ve set your heart on. Just never lose your courage.”

Jhankar, deeply moved by her words, smiles back and throws her arms around Sharda in a heartfelt hug.