Page 69 of Substitute Bride

Just then, Jhankar walked into the room. Vikrant looked into her eyes as she came and sat close beside him. She gently took his hand and spoke softly.

“Vikrant, I’ve started to feel afraid. If someday our children grow up and start hating us, how would we feel?

Because the hatred you’ve given to her—it’s bound to come back to us one day.

That’s what frightens me. That’s the only reason I keep asking you to let it go.

What will you gain from holding on to all this?

You’ve given her all the hatred you had. But why continue? Why keep going?”

Vikrant stared at her in silence for a full two minutes, then quietly got up and walked away. Sharda looked worried and was about to follow him, but Jhankar gently grabbed her hand and stopped her. Smiling, she said softly,

“You have to understand, he's not a child anymore, and we can’t keep treating him like one. We’ve done what we could.

Now, let him think. Vikrant’s behavior will change on its own once he lets go of the hatred he holds for his mother.

If you really believe he won’t do that, then by all means, go after him.

I won’t stop you. But honestly. I don’t believe she deserves that kind of hatred.

However, what is most painful is the way he treats his mother—with such bitterness.

I do not believe she deserves that kind of animosity.

Therefore, even if he is unable to forgive her, I simply wish for him to cease expressing that hatred repeatedly.

He should refrain from displaying it so overtly…

He wasted decades in hate. Do you think he will ever live his life again? ”

With that, Jhankar quietly walked away, and Sharda sat down in silence.

He should stop showing it so clearly. She looked out of the window, knowing full well that Vikrant had likely gone to the garden.

Vikrant stood there, gazing up at the stars, his face completely expressionless.

Sharda smiled softly and returned to her bed.

As she lay down, she whispered to herself,

“You have no idea how much Sonia longed for your love. Maybe he expressed it all wrong, maybe his anger turned into something worse, but I never found the courage to help him explain. But one day, when he truly understands… you won’t hate her.

If only you hadn’t left us, Sonia… if only you had stayed…

maybe today, your blessings would’ve changed his life completely. ”

***

Vikrant looked around and took in the lush greenery surrounding him.

The vast expanse of vibrant green filled his eyes with a soothing calm, as if this peaceful view was all that he needed—like nothing else in the world mattered anymore.

Everywhere he looked, near or far, there was nothing but the embrace of nature, comforting him in a way words never could.

His gaze fell on something a little distance away—someone was moving near a cluster of rose bushes.

As he focused, he realized it was a woman.

She appeared to be tending to the roses.

Without consciously thinking about it, his feet began to move toward her, as if pulled by some invisible force.

As he got closer, the scene became clearer.

Her hands were covered in blood. Despite this, she kept reaching for the roses, trying to pluck them one by one.

The sharp thorns were digging into her flesh, piercing her skin again and again, but she didn’t stop.

The sight jolted Vikrant, and he rushed forward, grabbing her hand to stop her.

“What are you doing? Your hands are bleeding so badly! Why are you hurting yourself just to pick these roses?”

The woman looked up slowly, her voice soft but filled with emotion.

“I want to fill my son's life with the same sweet fragrance these roses carry… That’s why I’m picking them.”

As soon as he heard the voice, Vikrant looked up in disbelief. It was Sonia—his mother. Her eyes were filled with tears. He stood there, frozen, staring at her. His eyes dropped to her bleeding hands, then rose again to meet her tearful gaze. Sonia, barely above a whisper, said to him,

“I love you, Vicky…”

***

Vikrant jolted awake, his breath heavy and uneven.

He looked around quickly, disoriented. After his conversation with Sharda and Jhankar, he had come to the garden, lost in thought—and somewhere along the way, he must have dozed off.

But the dream had been so vivid, and real, it felt as if he had actually been standing in front of his mother, hearing her voice, feeling her pain.

He pressed his hand lightly against his chest, his heart pounding as he whispered to himself,

“Why…?”

Vikrant walked slowly into the house, his steps steady but heavy with thought.

He was heading toward his room, but suddenly, his feet stopped on their own.

His eyes landed on a photograph of his mother hanging in the hallway.

The picture showed her smiling warmly, a smile that once held immense meaning for him.

He closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to shield himself from the wave of emotion that was rising inside him.

But instead of continuing to his room, he turned around.

His steps led him, almost unconsciously, toward his father’s room.

He opened the door gently and switched on the light.

The room, dim and untouched, was a shrine of memories.

The walls were covered in photos of Sonia.

In one, she was laughing beside Ravindra.

In another, she held a baby Vikrant close to her chest, her face glowing with maternal pride.

From his birth to his tenth birthday, every photo captured her unwavering presence in his life.

Vikrant slowly walked up to a particular photo—one that seemed to be their last together.

He reached out, his fingers trembling slightly, and rested his hand gently on her image.

His eyes softened as he gazed into the frozen smile of the woman who had once meant everything to him.

“Why… why did you do all of that? Why did you leave?” he whispered.

"When I hated you, at least that made sense. Jhankar keeps telling me I shouldn’t hate you.

But I want to hate you—because hating you keeps me away from your memory.

And now that I’m trying to stop hating you…

now you’re showing up everywhere, in everything I feel.

Why is this happening to me? I just want to be happy.

I want to embrace this new life that’s finally starting to feel whole again.

That’s why I’ve tried to forget everything connected to you—even the hatred.

Please… let me be happy. When you left, you took my happiness with you.

And now, when I’ve finally started feeling joy again through Jhankar, your memories, your name…

they keep setting fire to my peace. Please…

stop. I don’t want anything anymore. Wherever you are, stay well. And let me live well here.”

Vikrant stood there for a long while, surrounded by the images of the mother he’d tried so hard to erase from his heart.

As he looked again at each photo, Sonia’s gentle hands, her loving gaze, and the way she had once held him.

He found a faint smile forming on his lips.

Something inside him had shifted. He wasn’t completely free of the bitterness, not yet. But he wanted to try.

He couldn’t tear the hatred out of his heart overnight.

But life had changed—and it was beautiful now.

And he didn’t want to risk losing this newfound peace, not for anything.

Certainly not for a past that no longer had the right to dictate his future.

Especially not when that future held someone like Jhankar.

~~~~

"You had said you'd be back in seven days, but you're still not here.

I had told you, didn't I, that I needed to discuss some things with you about Jhankar and my wedding?

Even if the wedding is a couple of months away, I don't want to leave any detail unfinished.

You know very well that at this moment, I have no other option but to discuss this with you. "

Hearing Vikrant’s words, Ravindra bursts into laughter. Vikrant, slightly irritated by his father’s reaction, goes silent and sits quietly. Sensing his son’s silence with fatherly instinct, Ravindra speaks, softening his tone.

"I’m truly happy that you’re finally considering getting married again.

Honestly, her marriage has been troubling me too, and you know very well that the elections are just four months away.

If you suddenly announce your wedding now—especially since people have believed until now that you were married to Viren Chandel’s daughter—do you realize how much impact this could have on the elections?

Let’s say for a moment I forget all that and even give you all my suggestions for the wedding, but how can I forget that I’m deeply involved in election work at this time?

I was away for only seven days, but it is impossible for me to return at this moment.

In fact, assume that for the next fifteen days, I’ll be completely tied up with work.

Look, this election is extremely crucial for me because, internally, the party has decided that they’re going to project me as the candidate for the chief minister’s seat.

So I hope you can understand the gravity of my situation. "

"That’s incredible news, Dad! Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You’ve waited for this for so long!"