Page 37 of Substitute Bride

The news of the accident had already reached home.

Sharda was so distraught she fainted. When Jhankar regained consciousness and heard of Sharda’s condition, she rushed to her.

The doctor was already there, trying his best to revive her.

Jhankar, still shaken and worried about Vikrant, stayed by Sharda’s side.

A maid kept urging Jhankar to rest, assuring her they would take care of Sharda.

But Jhankar knew how Vikrant always appeared the moment Sharda even slightly fell ill.

His absence now deeply troubled her. She kept scanning the surroundings for him, confident that he’d come to see Sharda as soon as he was able.

Jhankar stayed near Sharda, waiting anxiously for Vikrant.

She was certain he’d come the moment he could.

Sharda, now conscious, began to worry about Vikrant too.

“How is my Vicky? Did anything happen to him? Where is Viku?”

“They’ve taken him to the doctor. Many people are with him, so please relax. You’re not well, I’m here with you.”

“What will happen to me? I’m fine. Go and check on him. If anything happens to my Vicky, I don’t know what I’ll do. I need to see him now. Take me to him.”

“Please rest. Your health… ”

“I’m absolutely fine. I just want to see my Viku. Someone take me to him.”

Though Jhankar didn’t want to leave Sharda, the older woman’s pleading left her no choice. Jhankar was equally anxious about Vikrant but also terrified to see him in any worse state. She gently told Sharda,

“Alright. Everything is calm here. I’ll go check on Vikrant. Please don’t worry—he’ll be here soon. Just relax.”

Jhankar left the room and asked a maid,

“Where is he?”

“We took Vikrant Sir to the medical care room, but now he’s in the garden for something urgent. He’s forbidden anyone to follow him there.”

Jhankar glanced toward Sharda’s room and replied,

“Alright. You go inside. I’ll speak to Vikrant myself.”

“But Ma’am… Sir…”

“Sharda Maa is very upset. You handle things here. I’ll take care of the rest.”

She walked out to the garden, searching for Vikrant.

The guards were sparse. Not seeing him immediately, she followed a faint noise and headed to the back of the garden.

There he was—Vikrant, standing with his hands behind his back, staring at her.

His body was covered in bandages. The sight made her heart sink, but she fought back her emotions and said,

“Sharda Maa has been asking for you since she woke up. I tried stopping her, but she’s inconsolable. And what are you doing out here while you’re hurt? You should be resting.”

“I wasn’t feeling well in the room. I just needed some fresh air. You go ahead; I’ll be there soon.”

“No, you come now. Sharda Maa is waiting. Please.”

Vikrant nodded. As Jhankar turned to leave, he pulled his hands forward and handed a blood-soaked knife to his guard.

Wiping his hands clean, he began walking toward her.

Jhankar wanted to look at him, but seeing him wrapped in bandages filled her with sorrow.

She couldn’t bring herself to face him. As he came closer, Vikrant gently said,

“I’ll go see Maa. You go to our room and rest. You need it.”

Without waiting, he left. Jhankar turned to watch him go, her heart heavy with unspoken emotions.

PAST INCIDENT

Vikrant's face is buried in the pillow, and all the other men are surrounding him. The doctor is cleaning his wounds on his back. The other physician meticulously examines the freshly cleansed wounds before addressing him.

"It is a matter of great happiness that you have not gotten any deep wounds, but it will take at least a week for all these wounds to heal, so you have to take good care of yourself."

"Hmmm..."

"Sir, we have found out very well that all this was done by Michael, and he wanted to show your death as an accident so that no one points a finger at him in the upcoming meeting.

He must have noticed you. That is why he parked the truck at the exact location from which he had to proceed.

The unfortunate reality is that Ramesh died in this accident because he was seated in the front seat; he was also the most loyal bodyguard.

I noticed him very well. He successfully avoided this truck twice, but on the third occasion, his judgment was likely impaired, leading to the accident. "

Vikrant listens to the whole conversation very carefully and pays close attention to everything. He immediately tells Mahesh:

"Ramesh's family should not have any problems from now on. This is your responsibility. If any member of his family is capable of working, he should secure a good job elsewhere. And you will keep updating me on time about all these things. Now I find out that within half an hour, when Ramesh was driving, he answered his phone and said that he was leaving from Raja Circle. I have complete faith in Ramesh that he will never cheat. However, the individual who attempted to obtain this information from Ramesh showed no interest or desire to learn about him. He wanted information about me. Get his phone details, and I should have all this information before my treatment is completed.”

“Yes, sir….”

"Akram…"

Upon hearing his name, Akram immediately approaches and sits on the ground beside Vikrant, who begins to speak extensively while the doctor listens attentively. Meanwhile, Vikrant is absorbing a wealth of information from the doctor, while the other doctor is meticulously dressing him.

"Dressing should be done daily on your wounds because the better the medicine is applied on time, the faster the wound will heal."

“How is Jhankar…?” He quickly asks.

“She fainted out of fear. But it is confirmed that she is very scared of blood and all these things. That is why she suddenly got scared. She has regained consciousness and is sitting near Sharda Maa.”

He nods and remembers the last event too. It has been a long time since Mahesh left, and Vikrant's anger is increasing a lot. Seeing this, all the people present in the room start getting worried, but Mahesh says while entering the room:

"I apologize for my late arrival, but after gathering all the necessary information, I went to apprehend the individual who had obtained information about you from Ramesh. I caught him and brought him here; he is in the garden right now."

Upon hearing his words, Vikrant immediately stands up and begins to leave. He then notices a maid standing in front of him, her head bowed down. He asks her immediately:

"Is Maa okay?”

"Sharda madam is growing increasingly concerned for you. She has regained consciousness, and Jhankar madam is with her. She has been sitting with her since she gained consciousness.”

He peeks inside Sharda's room; Jhankar is constantly sitting close to Sharda.

He understands that she is scared and nervous, and in such a situation, she will definitely need rest. However, when she sees Sharda's health, she is delighted to be by her side.

Yet, when he notices that Jhankar is shivering due to this minor accident, he informs the maid:

"We are going to the garden; keep in mind that no one should come there."

The maid nods her head, and at that point, he departs. Everyone reaches the garden and sees the man who falls at Vikrant's feet, crying upon seeing him and telling him:

"Sir, you're misunderstood; I didn't do anything; I just wanted to know when Ramesh will be returning home. Today we both had planned to drink alcohol together; that was all.”

Vikrant knows very well how to extract the truth from someone.

That is why he immediately takes out the knife from the hand of Mahesh, who is standing with a knife in his hand, and puts it on the neck of that man.

That man gets scared and immediately moves back, but Akram is standing behind and watching him, so he gets nervous and starts running away from there.

Vikrant is coming towards him, walking very comfortably.

He understands that death, in the form of Vikrant, stands before him, and even if he tells the truth here, he will die.

Therefore, there is no question of lying; he can attempt to save himself in the form of telling the truth to Vikrant.

“A man had given me money and told me to keep asking Ramesh about his whereabouts so that he can keep getting to know about you. I don’t know anything else.

I repeatedly asked him, ‘Where have you arrived and where are you leaving from?’ I have small children at home. Please leave me. I am innocent.”

Vikrant grabs his hair, stabs him in the stomach, and whispers in his ear:

“Whether you cheat in business or with your friend, there is no forgiveness for that.”

He immediately takes out a knife and stabs his body two to three times and keeps himself a little away from him because he has a white bandage tied to his body, and he has to go to meet Sharda swiftly after completing these tasks.

He knows that Sharda will get very angry with him if he does not rest and keeps doing all these tasks.

Then a man comes there and tells Vikrant in a trembling voice:

“Sir, the maid has called and said that Madam is coming here looking for you.”

Vikrant sees him and releases the body from his grip.

Before it could fall down, Mahesh and Akram catch him and make him disappear from there.

Just then, he hears the sound of someone's footsteps.

He hides the knife behind him in his hand and stands facing the direction of the voice.

Meanwhile, Mahesh and Akram hide the man's body in the right place and stand behind him.

Jhankar is standing in front of them. He feels very relieved after seeing Jhankar.

But looking at her face, he can very well feel that she is upset.

He immediately replies to her words, and without any delay, he takes away the knife from her sight and starts walking with her, wiping his hands after seeing his men.