Page 80 of Substitute Bride

TRUTH

“She is alive…”

Ravindra mutters to Vikrant, his eyes darting around frantically like a madman, as if someone had suddenly snatched his entire life away from him. Vikrant’s eyes remain fixed on Ravindra, calm and collected, as he responds in a composed voice.

Ravindra sharply turns to look at him, suddenly realizing the gravity of what he has just said.

His eyes widen in shock. Without wasting a second, he pulls out his phone and starts trying to contact people, but none of his calls are going through.

Vikrant silently follows behind him, his pace slow, almost as if none of this chaos is of any concern to him.

Ravindra turns around abruptly and looks at him in panic.

“I’m trying to call Malhotra! Why isn’t he answering my calls? What the hell is going on here behind my back?”

Vikrant, still calm, speaks in an eerily casual tone.

“When Chandel attacked, he was after the guns consignment. And you know very well everyone in the underworld is desperate for a seat of power. That’s why several people sided with him.

Even those who pretended to be loyal to us, those who tried to extract our secrets under the mask of trust. Malhotra was one of them.

So, last night, I killed Malhotra. You didn’t tell me you were trying to call him; otherwise, I would’ve informed you.

Currently, there’s no one left whom we can trust. But I’m curious, why were you calling him? ”

Ravindra stares at Vikrant in disbelief, his mind struggling to comprehend what he’s hearing. He runs a hand across his forehead, trying to piece things together, muttering to himself in growing anxiety.

“Where have you gone? Why did you leave me? That’s why I kept you chained, to make sure you could never leave me. How could you leave me like this?”

Vikrant watches his father’s unraveling with quiet attention. He takes great care not to reveal a single emotion in his eyes, nothing that would cause Ravindra to suspect anything. Walking over to him slowly, Vikrant gently places a hand on his father’s shoulder and speaks softly.

“Dad… Is there a problem?”

Ravindra looks at him intently. Deep down, he now understands no one else can help him at this point. Only Vikrant. Holding onto his son’s shoulders with urgency, he says with trembling desperation:

“Listen, I’ll explain everything to you later. But right now, the only thing that matters is finding Sonia. Somehow, by any means possible, you need to bring her back to me. Once she’s here, you can ask me whatever you want. Just get me my Sonia.”

Seeing the desperate and helpless expression in Ravindra’s eyes, Vikrant feels a twinge of confusion. But he knows he can’t walk away without understanding the entire truth. He calmly replies,

“Are you hallucinating? Or is this some other kind of psychological issue? Where exactly am I supposed to bring her from?”

At those words, Ravindra suddenly snaps in rage. He grabs Vikrant by the collar, shaking him violently as he yells:

“Why can’t you understand that she’s alive!

She was always alive! I just locked her away because she was going to leave me!

And I couldn’t let that happen! I love her!

How could she even think about walking away from me?

Chandel must have taken her when he attacked us!

I know it! You have to bring her back—bring my Sonia back! ”

Ravindra’s manic shouting echoes in the silent environment as Vikrant stares deeply into his father’s frenzied eyes. Ravindra lets go of his collar and continues, this time with more intensity and madness in his tone.

“Vikrant, you know how your mother had found herself a new lover. That’s why she decided to leave me.

She wanted to abandon everything! She had an accident, but she survived.

I couldn’t allow her to leave after that.

The moment I got the chance, I locked her up here.

Don’t you understand? I loved her! How could I let her walk away from me?

Try to see it from my side—I did it out of love! ”

Vikrant looks into his father’s eyes, then shakes his head and says, with quiet certainty:

“No. I don’t understand. Not one bit. Because I know you're lying.”

Ravindra stares at him in shock. But before he can respond, Vikrant suddenly moves aside.

Ravindra’s gaze follows the direction and lands on Sonia—standing a few feet away, silently patting her doll and smiling because she is talking to her.

The moment Ravindra sees her, his face lights up with joy, and he starts moving toward her.

But Sonia, noticing him approach, suddenly lets out a terrified scream.

“No… no! He’s going to kill my daughter! Keep him away from me! He’s going to kill my daughter!”

Before she can scream again, Ravindra reaches her and slaps her across the face.

Raising his hand to strike her again, he suddenly freezes—his hand held back in mid-air.

He turns, startled, and sees Vikrant holding his wrist firmly.

There’s blood in Vikrant’s eyes, rage pouring out of him.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Vikrant grabs Ravindra by the throat and lifts him off the ground, slamming him back with full force.

Ravindra crashes to the floor, dazed. Regaining his senses, he looks up and sees Sonia, clutching her doll in terror, trembling on the ground.

Beside her, Sharda holds her protectively, glaring at Ravindra with undisguised hatred.

Then, Ravindra’s eyes fall on Vikrant, calm and focused, slowly approaching him like a predator.

His voice, when it comes, is deadly quiet.

“My mother was alive. But what you gave her wasn’t life; it was worse than death. You turned her into a living corpse. I spent my whole life hating her and you…. You enjoyed every moment of that hate. You claim to have loved her? Look at the hell you created for her.”

Ravindra can clearly see the burning hatred in Vikrant’s eyes. Desperate, he glances between Sonia and Vikrant, scrambling for words.

“Look, it’s not what you think. She was leaving me; I was angry, yes!

But how could I just let her go? All of this…

are you doing it just to trap me? Is that what this is?

You knew Sonia was here, didn’t you? All this pretending, acting clueless—was that all just to expose me?

I’ve told you a thousand times—she was running away with her lover.

I caught her. He died in that accident, and she lost her mind grieving over him.

You should be grateful to me! Even after everything—everything she did—I still love her.

Can’t you see how much I’ve done for her? ”

“ARE YOU SURE…”

As soon as Vikrant uttered those venomous words, Ravindra looked utterly stunned. He couldn’t believe that his own son was questioning him, something he had never dared to do before. Staring at Vikrant in disbelief, Ravindra’s voice turned soft, almost pleading.

“You don’t trust me? I’m telling you the truth this is what happened. Why would I lie to you, Vikrant?”

Vikrant gently shook his head. But the next moment, without a word, he landed a sharp punch across Ravindra’s cheek, sending him crashing to the ground.

Blood trickled from the corner of Ravindra’s mouth as he looked up, shocked, at his son.

Vikrant crouched down beside him, calmly rolling up his sleeve.

Pointing a firm finger in his face, he spoke with fiery intensity.

“My biggest mistake was believing everything you ever said. I was a son—blinded by loyalty. Maybe I crossed a line by raising my hand on you. I want to kill you right away, but I didn’t do it as your son—I did it as the son of the woman whose life you destroyed.

You claim my mother ran away with her lover; you paint her as unfaithful.

Did you really believe your lies would never unravel?

That you could keep burying truth under deception and no one would ever confront you?

You played your games, manipulated everyone, and expected silence. ”

Ravindra, now visibly trembling, shifted his gaze toward Sonia.

There was fear in her eyes, fear that she might truly be beyond saving.

But the emptiness in her eyes showed no sign of change.

holding onto hope, Ravindra gently cupped Vikrant’s face, trying to reach for the remnants of a bond now shattered.

“Someone must have misled you… I’ve never lied to you.

Yes, I admit, I hid the truth about your mother’s death.

But how could I tell you? She had fallen so deeply for someone else that she forgot everything; she forgot you; she is not ready to come.

She was ready to leave everything behind.

I only wanted to help her… to treat her.

I wanted her cured. But whatever spell that man cast on her, it never lifted.

She never recovered. And you’ve seen it yourself, she left you.

She doesn’t even remember she had a son.

We’ve been erased from her memory…. (Ravindra knows he is not believing his words, so he screams.) Vikrant, listen… "

Sonia, who had been whispering softly to her doll, suddenly reacted to the mention of Vikrant’s name. Her eyes searched the area anxiously, and she cried out, her voice cracking with desperation.

“Where is my Vikrant? Someone called my son! My baby, Vikrant—where is he? Please bring him to me! He’ll be so happy when he sees his sister. Look, I brought his little sister just for him.”

The moment Sonia’s eyes began scanning the area for her son, Vikrant’s heart clenched.

His breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, he felt weak.

Seeing her like this, the fragile shadow of the woman he remembered, shattered him.

But before she could fall apart, Sharda pulled her into a firm embrace.

She whispered into her ear, trying to soothe the storm brewing inside a mother who is dying for her son every day.