Page 9 of Substitute Bride
HIS THREATS
She is terrified by this all-consuming darkness, yet she is powerless to escape it because now, it has become an inseparable part of her fate.
Her entire life seems to have been enveloped in shadows, despite her persistent fear of them.
She sits quietly in a corner, her arms wrapped around herself.
She is shivering because it seems like this darkness is consuming her.
After deeply contemplating everything that has happened, she has discovered a powerful courage within herself that she never knew existed.
She sees nothing but darkness all around.
There is not a single ray of light in the room.
Yet, within this suffocating gloom, she closes her eyes tightly, clinging to the memory of her family, which is now her only source of strength.
She tries to smile, to trick her mind into believing she still has control over her world, to give herself the strength to fight to not collapse, but that fragile courage is slowly beginning to abandon her.
She knows in her heart that if she dares to open her eyes, she will only be met with the same despairing emptiness.
As she attempts to hold on to whatever shreds of happiness remain in her memory, she tries hard to erase the disturbing images that continue to flash in her mind.
But the wounded faces of her parents refuse to fade.
Their pain, their helplessness, their silent cries for help—they all haunt her mercilessly.
Her father was coughing up blood, and her mother had tearful, trembling eyes; no one showed either of them even an ounce of mercy.
Their torment has scarred her. She no longer wishes to recall those memories.
It seems easier to stare into this darkness than to relive that agony.
She cannot even remember the date anymore.
How much time has passed since her arrival here?
Hours? Days? It feels like years. Time has lost all meaning.
She tries to suppress the urge to cry, but the tears betray her, falling silently and steadily.
She is afraid to open her eyes but even more terrified of closing them and seeing her family's suffering again behind her lids.
She has faced many ups and downs in life, countless struggles, but nothing compares to the pain she's enduring now.
This is unbearable. And buried beneath that pain is a burning hatred—for everyone who dared to hurt her parents.
Hatred for those who watched silently. Hatred for the man responsible.
But right now, she has no one to lean on.
She lacks a shoulder to cry on. She lacks a voice to provide her with comfort.
There is no one to wipe her tears. She has to hold herself; she has to be her strength.
Every breath, every heartbeat whispers the names of her parents.
And through her tears, she speaks aloud, her voice barely above a whisper but brimming with fire.
“YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS.”
Suddenly, the screech of tires breaks the stillness as a car halts outside. Several bodyguards immediately gather around and open the car door. Vikrant steps out. His gaze sweeps the area, his expression unreadable, before he questions one of his men in a worn-out, gravelly voice.
“Where is the girl we brought here?”
“Sir, you locked her in the old servant quarters at the back yesterday.”
Vikrant instantly turns to look at the bodyguard, confusion and concern flickering in his eyes. He truly doesn’t remember. Last night, in a violent fit of rage, he shoved the girl into that isolated room, one without electricity, without water. His pace quickens, his voice sharper now.
“After I left… not a single one of you checked on her?”
The bodyguard lowers his head guiltily.
“When Maa’s condition suddenly worsened, we were so preoccupied that we completely forgot about her. She didn’t scream or make any noise, so… no one really noticed. Honestly, sir… we almost forgot she was even there.”
“What if something happened to her? What if she couldn’t call for help? Do any of you even think?”
Vikrant doesn’t wait for an answer. He rushes toward the servant quarters, his expression increasingly tense.
He flings the door open. A sharp burst of light floods into the room, and Jhankar instinctively raises her hands to shield her eyes.
The sudden brightness blinds her momentarily after so long in total darkness.
Vikrant stands at the threshold, exhaling deeply.
She’s still there, sitting silently in the same position, her back slightly hunched.
As her hands slowly drop from her face, their eyes meet.
Her vision remains blurry from the light, but he can clearly see the loathing in her gaze.
It stings more than he expected. Still, he walks toward her with deliberate, steady steps and speaks in a low, firm voice.
“This… this is written in your destiny. I didn’t want things to reach this point, but sometimes life takes turns that even we can’t predict.
Your brother chased away my bride at the wedding, humiliating me in front of everyone.
I lost control. I came looking for them.
.. and then you… your attitude, your arrogance, you misbehaved with me. That only fueled my anger even more...”
Vikrant adjusts his pants and crouches in front of her. She removes her hands from her face. For the first time, she shows her face clearly in the light. She’s bruised and exhausted and visibly fragile, yet the fire in her eyes is undimmed. It startles him for a moment. Then he speaks again.
“What is your name?”
Jhankar stares at him with unrelenting hatred. She doesn’t want to answer. She would rather not speak to this man at all. But deep inside, her desperation to see her parents overpowers her pride. For their sake, she forces herself to speak.
“I… I want to go to my parents.”
Vikrant doesn’t reply immediately. He stands up and takes a step back.
“Let’s leave first. We’ll talk calmly, properly. There’s a lot we need to discuss.”
Jhankar realizes she has no choice. If she wants to see her parents, she must cooperate, at least for now.
She nods silently and tries to stand. But her legs wobble.
She has been sitting in the same position for too long.
She is starving, dehydrated, and has a painful head injury. Her strength gives out.
As she stumbles, Vikrant instinctively reaches out and grabs her arm to steady her.
The moment his hand touches her, she recoils, yanking her arm away with disgust. But before she can step back, a wave of dizziness hits her strongly.
She clutches her head and then collapses.
Vikrant lunges forward just in time, catching her before she hits the ground.
“Damn it… Someone call the doctor!”
Without wasting another second, he lifts her into his arms and hurries inside the mansion. He places her gently on the guest room bed. His loud commands create a flurry of activity, and the doctor arrives quickly. The examination begins immediately.
Vikrant glances down at himself and grimaces; his clothes are dusty from the encounter. Unwilling to tolerate even minor discomfort, he exists to change. When he returns, the doctor is already applying an IV drip to her arm and carefully examining her head.
“She has an injury on her head, but it doesn’t seem fresh,” the doctor remarks.
“No, sir. This isn’t from the fall, just now.
The blood around the wound has dried up.
She likely sustained it earlier. Her blood pressure is dangerously low, and she’s extremely dehydrated.
We’re giving her glucose. It seems she hasn’t eaten anything for quite a while; that’s why her condition is this weak. ”
Vikrant clenches his jaw and casts a piercing glare at his bodyguards.
None of them can meet his eyes. He knows this isn’t entirely their fault.
Ever since Sharda’s health declined, chaos consumed the household.
In that storm of panic and urgency, they all forgot about the girl.
Including him. The doctor finishes the checkup, administers an injection, and quietly takes his leave.
Vikrant remains seated on the sofa across from her, his eyes fixed on her unconscious form.
There was a strange storm within him. A part of him wants to feel justified, another wants to dismiss everything as necessary, but somewhere, an unfamiliar emotion flickers in his chest. He doesn’t voice it.
Instead, he just mutters to his guard standing at the door.
“No more mistakes. Not with her. From now on, she gets whatever she needs. Understand?”
The guard nods without saying a word. And Vikrant continues to sit there in silence, watching her, yet unsure of what exactly he is waiting for.
"You must have acquired some information about her family by now. She is the sister of that boy. What is the name of this girl?"
“JHANKAR… Her parents have also created quite a few problems. They are desperate to see their daughter, yet at the same time, they are refusing to eat anything. The doctor examined them, as per your instructions. Medically, they are in perfect health, but emotionally, they are not yet ready to consume anything.”
Vikrant first looks intently at the bodyguard, carefully assessing his words. Then, shifting his gaze towards Jhankar, he immediately gets up and leaves the room.
He had initially locked Jhankar's parents in the outhouse, the same one where he had just brought her.
His fury had clouded his judgment, driving him to confine her parents without a second thought, intending to question them about their son at a later time.
However, after witnessing the distressed condition of Raghunath and Chitrali, Vikrant's stance began to shift.
He promptly had them moved into a proper room inside the mansion to ensure they received adequate medical attention and care.
This new environment offered them considerably more comfort and dignity.
Raghunath and Chitrali now sit beside each other on the floor.
Chitrali rests her head on Raghunath’s shoulder, while Raghunath gently leans his head against hers, silently conveying his anguish and concern for both their children.
Suddenly, Vikrant enters the room without warning.
As soon as Raghunath and Chitrali see him, they immediately rise to their feet, visibly anxious.
“Our daughter... our daughter is not at fault in any of this,” Raghunath pleads earnestly.
“You are making a terrible mistake. We truly don’t know where our son has taken your would-be bride.
Yes, he has made a grave error, but we are completely unaware of his whereabouts or intentions.
Please, believe us, we have no part in this. ”
Vikrant listens, his face unreadable. Although Vikrant does not believe a word of what Raghunath has just said, he suppresses the storm of anger brewing inside him. He knows exploding now will only worsen the situation. With a calm but firm tone, he turns to the bodyguard standing behind him.
“Bring food for both of them. And make sure no one is rude to them… under any circumstances.”
Raghunath is still deeply troubled, but he has keenly observed Vikrant’s behavior.
Instead of handing them over to Viren or treating them harshly, Vikrant has chosen to keep them securely within his mansion.
The room they are staying in is not only spacious and comfortable but also furnished with luxury.
They are being given timely meals and are under constant medical supervision.
Despite all this, the emotional distress of losing both their children in different, horrifying ways keeps them from touching any food.
Their son has disappeared without a trace, and the most shocking circumstances have ripped their daughter away from them.
The pain they experience as parents is indescribable; it is impossible to articulate in words alone.
Raghunath, unable to bear the weight of the situation, gently separates himself from Chitrali. He walks slowly up to Vikrant, his eyes filled with tears. In a moment of raw desperation, he falls to his knees in front of him, folding his hands in complete surrender.
“Our daughter is innocent in this,” he says with a choked voice. “Please, don’t do anything wrong to her. She does not deserve to suffer like this.”
Vikrant takes a deep breath and looks directly into his eyes with seriousness.
“Please get up. There is something very important we need to discuss,” he says gently but firmly.
“Sit down comfortably in front of me. There’s no need for this display.
We must have a proper conversation. It’s the only way you’ll truly understand the reality of this situation.
Without it, you’ll keep misjudging what’s happening. ”
He pauses, allowing the weight of his words to settle, then gestures toward the chair opposite him, signaling that this discussion was going to be far more complex and consequential than they had anticipated.