"Not all boats which sail into darkness never find the sun again, or the hand of another child; if life teaches anything at all, it teaches that there are so many happy endings that man who believes there is no God needs his rationality called into serious question."

― Stephen King,

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Dedicated to my readers - those who moved on and those who stayed till the end—all of you have been generous to me with your time, love, and support. I can't put in words to express how much I regret being late in giving you all a happy ShraMan... I am sorry for taking too long to reach here. Life is unpredictable; all we can do is overcome hurdles and reach our goals. I remain grateful to each reader who has read this story; thank you for everything! :)

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Suman only needed one week—more precisely, two sessions—to comprehend why many claimed that couple therapy, like other forms of therapy, was only effective when the parties involved were determined to improve their relationship. Though it had been her suggestion that had led them to Jhanvi Agarwal's office, she hadn't been that confident about Shravan's cooperation. But within a few minutes of their first meeting, she understood that Shravan's hesitation to the therapy wasn't because he didn't believe that professional help could benefit them, because apparently, he had been seeking it from himself too; it was them benefiting from it that he was unsure about. It had something to do with her. So after walking out of the office, Suman had made it her mission to make Shravan once again feel he could share anything with her.

Three months had been his answer when he had been asked since when he had started therapy. As Suman looked back, she could trace down how the improvement in his mindset aligned with that period. She had thought it had been Salma auntie and working on cases of her organization that had forced Shravan to stop isolating himself and get back to normality, but to know that he was seeking professional help too had been a relief. That weekend, with two cups of coffee in her hand, Suman began her mission of gently trying to persuade him to give her some information regarding it.

"It just happened," Shravan responded to her with a shrug. And then it was her disappointed sigh that made him go into detail.

"There was a pro bono case of child abuse that was very disturbing, so Salma auntie told me that their organization provided professional help to their employees, and I should also speak with the therapist. I did, and the topic somehow kept drifting back to my upbringing. I hadn't realized it back then, but the therapist somehow convinced me to return after each session, and each time it was more about myself than the case," he admitted.

"And how's it going? Do you think it's helping you?" Suman had asked, a bit on the edge.

"Yes, I think so," he responded with a pensive nod.

"I am glad," she muttered with a soft smile. And nothing was truer than that. She hadn't realized how much she had prayed for the tranquility that she now saw in him. He wasn't the Shravan she knew but appeared to be at peace. And maybe it was okay. It was fine if healing would change him. Suman continued to observe him, and she noticed that rage and grief no longer overwhelmed him, but he was also not numb. He has gotten out of his passive mindset; he was no longer looking past her but at her. He was finally in the present, with her. Her hand rose to move his hair away from his forehead, just to confirm his presence.

"Why are you crying?" Shravan asked, leaning into her touch when her fingers caressed his jaw.

"I missed you, so much," she said, forcing a laugh as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I was here," he muttered, shaking his head in confusion. But when tears and trembling lips were her only answer, he reached out to pull her into his arms to console her. "I've missed you too," he admitted, caressing her hair as she sobbed on his shoulder, her hands tightly fisting his shirt.

"I put all the blame for what happened to us on you, but now that the ground beneath my feet isn't shaky, I can look back and see how wrong I was. I am sorry, Sumo, for making you feel lonely and alone in this marriage. I said I wasn't punishing you, but I now understand that for you that was what I was doing. I just needed time, but I should have also assured you that it wasn't me who had the power to end things between us. I assumed that it would be you even though you were the only one fighting for us. I am sorry for causing you pain," he whispered as he softly wiped her tears.

"And I am sorry for being one of the causes of your pain, Shravan. Would you believe me if I said that hurting was the last thing I wanted?" Suman asked, biting her lips to stop the sobs from escaping.

"I do. I believe that," he said, pressing his lips on her temple. "For so long, regret and resentment have been the only things I let myself feel. I became comfortable doing so, which made rage as natural as breathing. All that was essential to me to survive, but I don't want that anymore. I want to live in peace. For a long time, I had thought that running away from what I felt for you would bring peace, then I convinced myself that running away from you would do that, but now I know you are the only one with whom there would be peace."

"I will do whatever it takes. I will, Shravan," she promised.

"You will never be alone or lonely in our marriage," he vowed.

"You are my safe place too," she confessed.

"I surrender," he whispered.

"You will never regret it," she swore.

* * *

"How is your couple therapy going?"

Shravan looked up at the elder man sitting on the other side of the table. Dr Mishra, with his white hair, thick-rimmed glasses, and wrinkles around his eyes and mouth looked like a regular grandfather and talked like one too. If it hadn't been for his atypical setting for the session, maybe Shravan would have found out earlier how easily the seasoned therapist lured him into talking about him after meeting him just a few times. But he had been late at realizing that the flavored teas and nerdy jokes were just a front to make him feel comfortable and chatter his thoughts and feelings away.

"I am not asking you to tell me what you talked about, just what you feel about it," Dr Mishra clarified when he noticed a scowl on his patient's forehead.

"Good..." Shravan muttered before sighing. "I think we needed it. We were so immersed in our own feelings that any attempt at communicating felt like a personal attack and further harmed our relationship. Having a third party that mediates and teaches us how and what to focus on is helping us unlearn bad communication habits."

"I am glad to know that," Dr Mishra said, smiling gently.

"I just had a lot of doubts," Shravan confessed.

"Did communicating with your wife clear up some of them?"

"Some of it. I have told her a few times that she and I were done. I was sure I meant it. Every time I have been hurt, I have meant it. And maybe it's toxic or bad or I am just twisted and used to her presence in my life, but I feel - I know I could never not want to have her in my life," Shravan admitted, a part of him relieved at the peace that settled on him after months of confusion.

"Having her in your life is something you want and nothing is wrong with that. Every relationship needs both parties to put a lot of effort into making it work. You need to set boundaries, respect them, communicate well, and learn to understand each other." Dr Mishra said, grinning happily when Shravan nodded in agreement.

After a long pause, the elder man took a sip of his tea and asked what was on his mind. "What about others?"

"Others?" Shravan asked with a frown.

"Your parents," the elderly man replied, his eyes fixed on the changing expression on his patient's face.

"In one of our conversations, you told me to try to find out who they were as a human not only my parents, and try to get to know them without comparing them to my perception of them. I could only do that with my father because even after all that happened, out of the two he was the only one who cared enough to keep trying. Your advice helped. I could see him as Ramnaath Malhotra, a human being, not as the could-do-no-wrong God I thought of him as. I could see his wrongdoings as the husband, the human, and the father, but I could also see how as father he had tried to do what he thought was good for me, no matter how wrong or twisted that was," Shravan said before heavily sighing. "I don't know if it's right to be biased but I would always favor him more because he stayed, he tried, he cared, he fought for me."

After a long pause, Shravan continued. "In these months, when he understood what he did wrong and when he saw the consequences of his doing, he started to change. He has changed for me. He didn't give up; he didn't leave me behind or move on. Isn't it natural for me to forgive him more easily? Isn't it given that I would be moved by his efforts?"

Dr Mishra nodded with a gentle smile. "Efforts should be appreciated and rewarded."

"And your mother?" The therapist asked.

Shravan sighed before shrugging. "I have decided not to care about Mrs Nirmala, whoever's wife she may be, she ceased to be my mother more than a decade ago. Despite what happened in the past, a few months ago, or even in the present, she seems comfortable with having no contact with me. She is happy, has moved on, and has her own family. She doesn't care enough to put in even a bit of effort; it seems like she doesn't have a place in her life for me. That's something I can't overlook."

"And how do you feel about it? Do you feel resentment? Acceptance? Numbness or something else?"

"Indifference. I am on the path to feeling indifferent. I have let what happened in the past have too much power over me. I have been buried under the burden of their marriage and its failure after they separated. Now I am healed enough to have clarity to not waste my energies on things that shouldn't matter. I don't want to be limited by my trauma or what happened in the past," Shravan said.

The elderly man's words rang in his mind louder that night when Shravan walked into their room and found Suman waiting for him with an excited grin and hands full of comic books. With her eyes shining brighter than stars, she told him how taking Dr Jhanvi's recommendation to heart, she went to the old library near Tiwari Killa to hunt down all of their favorite series that they used to read together in their teens.

"Look, this one still has a stain of the juice we spilled on it," she said with a laugh as she opened one of the comic books to show him.

Needless to say, they had spent the night and the following weekend laughing and reminiscing.

Efforts should be appreciated and rewarded.

* * *

Somehow, word of Shravan's newfound interest in gardening reached his father. As a result, Ramnaath Malhotra, who was rarely seen in anything other than formal attire, on a Sunday morning was wearing an old loose shirt and trousers and sinking his gloved hands in the soil to sow the seeds of new plants he believed Shravan would like to grow.

"What do you think about planting some trees next time?" Ramnaath asked as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, unaware of how he was smearing his face with dirt. "Flowers are lovely to look at, but don't you think you'd feel more satisfied if the trees bore fruit?"

As he looked at his father, Shravan could see the man Ramnaath Malhotra was in all his flaws and qualities. And what he saw made his heart ache with fondness. Perhaps it is true that your parents eventually make you feel as if they are your children, and therefore your feelings for them switch to absolute and unjudgmental love. "We shouldn't do everything with a goal or some kind of achievement in mind," he said before wiping his father's face with a handkerchief.

"You're right!" The elder man agreed readily with a laugh, too pleased with his son's affection to debate otherwise.

After a long pause during which they worked silently, Ramnaath confessed. "You know when you started to work more and more on pro bono cases, for some time I had suspected you were pulling the same trick again and testing Suman as you had tested Urvashi. But I knew Suman wouldn't care even if you did dedicate your career to fighting cases for free."

Shravan still couldn't get over his father and Suman's bond. It was intriguing and after suffering due to their previous cold war, it was strange to witness how good of a team they made. It made everyone's life so much easier, therefore, he counted it a blessing and didn't ask any further questions.

"Are you worried?" Shravan asked his father.

"No, as you said: we shouldn't do everything with a goal or some kind of achievement in mind. So as long as you are happy, I don't care," Ramnaath said with a shrug.

"Would you not interfere if I end up dedicating my career to only that?" Shravan asked, eyes narrowed.

"I mean, I would try to change your mind," Ramnaath confessed, rushing his explanation when he saw his son shaking his head in what appeared to be dissatisfaction though his eyes full of mischief and lips curved into a fond smile gave him away. "Because no matter what, you have to be practical and never reduce yourself to only certain types of cases."

With a nod, Shravan agreed. "I know how hard you worked to achieve what you did and I understand why you always prioritize financial stability. I won't stop taking on the cases of rich clients since doing so will ensure that I can work on other cases for free."

"That's fine, as long as you can balance everything out. Anyway, the pro bono cases bring a lot of goodwill and good publicity," Ramnaath said with a shrug.

"Can't say no to good publicity," Shravan agreed.

"Not to mention TV appearances and interviews," Ramnaath said. "Especially after that dowry case and the current debt scam case, many people came to our firm because they saw you on TV or heard about you due to one of your pro bono cases."

"Can't say no to free publicity," Shravan repeated, beaming at the sight of his father laughing.

Efforts should be appreciated and rewarded.

* * * *

As lost as he was in the sight before him, Shravan must haven't heard when she opened the door softly. Suman took a minute to admire him as he stood by the window, his back silhouetted against the sunset. Even after months, she couldn't get over how amazing it was to see him in daylight; how wonderful it was to know that he wouldn't run away at the sight of her; how beautiful it was to see him so at peace. Her eyes welled up with tears, blinding her from the sight that made her heart ache. She walked across the softly lit room, deliberately keeping the footsteps light on the wooden floor.

As Suman stepped closer to him, her perfume invaded the air around Shravan, making her presence known to him, but before he could turn around to greet her, he was stopped.

"Don't move," Suman whispered as she put her hands on his arms, and when he complied, she let out a sigh and slowly warped her arms around his waist. Resting her head on his broad back, she tightened her hold on him. "Can we stay like this for a moment?"

"We can stay like this for as long as you want," Shravan said as he held her hands in his, intertwining their fingers.

It only took them three months of couple therapy, a lot of courage, vulnerability, and trust to achieve this level of stability in their relationship. Was it due to seeking professional help, them finally admitting they were willing to work on their relationship to stay together or a combination of both? Suman didn't care. As long as the magic persisted; as long as Shravan stopped hiding himself and denying them their togetherness; as long as they understood how not to create additional distance and misunderstandings between them.

"How did everything go?" Shravan asked after a long pause.

"Good. Mama Ji hesitated in taking the money back but Mami Ji took over and happily accepted it," Suman muttered, hesitating to tell him about how Mami had still commented on how the inflation value that she had added should have included interest too.

Suman's desire to repay her parents' loans to Mama Ji was no secret, she had always intended to give more. She would have done it regardless of the two decades of taunts Mami Ji subjected her. Shravan, as her confidant and witness to her mistreatment, had developed a passive-aggressive vendetta against Mami Ji that took over him as soon as Suman told him she had sufficient funds to pay off the loan. Seeing that, Suman had insisted he shouldn't accompany her since she expected he would be confrontational in response to Mami Ji's predictable remarks. In response, Shravan had only urged her to have the event witnessed, written, and signed by Mama Ji and Mami Ji that the loan had been paid. 

Seeing the merit of the suggestion, Suman went to Tiwai Killa with the settlement papers that Shravan had drafted in her hand and requested Nanu and the rest of the family to be present both parties signed it. And now that all was done, she felt light, emotional, and alleviated. 

"I feel so free," Suman muttered, sighing as she rested her forehead on his upper back and tightened her arms around him.

"I am so proud of you," he said before turning in her embrace and warping his arms around her. He kissed her forehead softly before muttering how amazing he thought she was.

With her heart full, Suman closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest, basking in the love of his touch, the fondness in his voice, and the admiration in his words.

"Though I am very late, I still owe you an apology," she said, breaking the silence between them.

"What?" Shravan asked, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"The whole car thing. You were right, I needed a new car. Back then my only priority was saving money to pay off the loan. I couldn't see how I had been late to many meetings and missed many opportunities because the old car didn't start or break down before I reached the destination. Many times I haven't been taken seriously because if I couldn't reach a meeting in time how could I deliver food in time, right?"

Suman admitted in a whisper, eyes fixed on the buttons of his white shirt, unable to meet his eyes. "There was so much silence between us that though I knew you were right and did what needed to be done, I still used that as a chance to force you into our old habit of yelling at each other. I am sorry for trashing your things."

"That's okay, you helped me with putting everything back," he responded as he tucked her hair away from her forehead.

"Thank you, it was a thoughtful gesture, a needed one, but do you know what I fear the most, Shravan?" She muttered, finally risking to look up at him. "I fear you thinking that I am taking advantage of you, or being a burden, being unwanted. I wouldn't survive if you ever thought that about me."

"You are not a burden nor unwanted, Sumo, you are a privilege. I wanted to have the right to take care of you for so long, don't you already know that?" Shravan whispered as he wiped away the tears that slipped from her eyes. "I am the happiest when I am allowed to contribute to making things easier for you. Being able to take care of you, and being an important part of your life is a heady feeling, Suman Tiwari."

"You were, are, and always would be the most important in my life, and your presence alone makes everything easier. You do take such good care of me," she assured, with a smile she stood on the tip of her toes to press a soft kiss on his cheek.

****

One year of marriage

It had started as a joke. Laala Ji had specially contributed to it with his loud laughs and by pulling their legs now and then. But somewhere in between, Ramnaath had taken it seriously. Though both couples have gone on short trips within India after their marriage mostly due to work, they were teased for not having a proper honeymoon. One fine day Ramnaath had taken matters into his own hands and had proposed Shravan and Pushkar to take days off so that they could go on a trip with their partners. As traveling would have become more difficult for the pregnant Preeti later on, they were given priority.

With their first wedding anniversary approaching within two months, Shravan suddenly realized how stressful their wedding functions and the day had been. They hadn't been happy or ready for marriage, nor had they enjoyed any of it. They were now, both ready and happy but selfishly, this time he didn't want to share their union with others. When he hesitantly proposed Suman the idea, her response, as always, was unexpected.

"It would be as if we are eloping," she said with an excited grin. "Let's pretend that we are in our teens and running away to Bali to get married secretly."

"Actually, in Indonesia, the age of marriage for both women and men without parental permission is twenty-one," Shravan informed.

"Shravan" she whined with huff. "Way to ruin the fantasy."

"Sorry, please continue," he said with a chuckle.

"I am going to wear my mom's saree. I didn't get to wear it because everyone said it was too simple for our wedding," she pouted.

"The red and gold one?" Shravan asked.

"Yes, that one. And her bangles," she said with an excited cheer.

As he continued to listen to her planning, his eyes softened with fondness and his lips curved into a smile. He kept adding something in between and redirecting their conversation whenever required. They were already married, yet planning their wedding as simply as they wanted it to be, was exhilarating in its own way. Because there would be no guests, the process of choosing everything was simple: dress as they wanted, go to whichever mandir wouldn't mind executing the ceremony the next day they reached Bali. 

After a 13-and-a-half-hour flight, they arrived at their hotel, exhausted yet sleepless due to the excitement. The following day, they rushed to the beautiful mandir surrounded by lush greenery and fragrant flowering plants. As they stepped inside, the rhythmic sound of prayers and traditional gamelan music filled the air.

Though Suman had gotten ready in front of him, sitting by his side on the mandap, she looked even more breathtaking in the lightly embroidered red and gold saree, adorned by her mother's jewelry, with white and red flowers in her hair. As soon as the ceremony was concluded and they were once again declared husband and wife, enormous joy and serenity flooded Shravan's being. A year ago, his heart had trembled and his soul had fractured at the declaration; then their wedding had felt like a sentence, but now it was the blessing he had been praying for decades.

Hours later when the setting sun was casting a golden glow across the tranquil waters of Bali, sitting on a secluded beach, with the warm sand beneath them and the gentle sound of the waves in the background, they found themselves captivated by the scenery before them. Hues of pink, orange, and gold painted the sky, creating a stunning masterpiece that seemed to stretch across the entire horizon.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Suman asked next to him.

When Shravan turned to look at her, he found her glowing under the rays of sunset.

"Say it," she promoted with a teasing grin on her face.

When he shook his head, clearly blushing at the mischief in her eyes, Suman laughed out loud, endeared. "Say it please," she pleaded.

"Why should I when you already know?" Shravan demanded, refusing to give in to her teasing.

"I would still like to hear it. I love your compliments," she confessed.

"Fine," he muttered, always giving in despite the protests. "You are far more beautiful than anything else here."

Beaming at him, she warped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I love you, Shravan Malhotra."

"And I love you, Suman Tiwari," he sighed, kissing her forehead before pulling her in his arms.

As the sky turned a rich shade of indigo, they knew they'd always remember these peaceful moments as witnesses of their union. They would continue their journey with the assurance that it was only the beginning of many exciting adventures. In times of peace like in times of conflict, all they needed and wanted was each other; time and place were irrelevant to them anyway.

* * * * *

A/N:- And story finish... 👏 As it's the last chapter, I have been very emotional while writing it. I have so much to say yet I am speechless. So I would just take this opportunity to thank all the readers, especially those who made their presence known and felt.

@AdhyaAzad/Walong62 (who had sponsored ShraMan's honeymoon to Bali when they got married; I remembered & kept my promise... :D), @Ruchi_16 (who is a sweetheart and kindest soul), @KitkitMkb (So special and sweet), @nisharukha (who kept me motivated with her cute reactions) @SanskariKulkari (whom I miss so, so, so much, especially now and hope that she is doing well) @OldSchoolStories_ (whom I am always awestruck by, so graceful) @Pournu (who is amazing and so supportive, so gracious) @Guptakg (always present, generous and such a comforting presence), I thank all of you for being part of this journey. 

@9953452634A (thank you for always motivating me with reminders), @Priyashi03 (thank you for re-reading and generous compliments), @mirasroses (thank you for investing so passionately in the story), @JiaA131 & @Jiaa122 (thank you for reading and being so sweet and kind, you both and my sister have the same name), @nirvrithi (thank you for the one-liners that said so much), @aprajita5751 (thank you for the lovely comments), @kk90543 (thank you for the patience and being invested in this story till the end), I sincerely thank you all for motivating me to continue. 

@NajahRaees, @pretty2sunshine, @PayalAgarwal310, @MeenakshiGupta824, @Breezyexpanse, @RohinaSharma, @optimismbeauty, @1319nimika, @rockergirl541, @akash420389, @curiousnovelreader, @Deotima_das, @BhaviMehta4, @ishifying, @PatelImtiyaz, I thank all of you for the lovely comments and compliments and heartfelt apologies, I regret making you wait for years for updates.

I am missing many names and many people, apologies for that. I thank each of you who has read this story, motivated me to continue, stayed till the end, and been so supportive. Thank you for your time, love, support, and everything... :)

To the silent readers and the future readers, thank you for reading and dedicating your time to my stories. I would love to know your thoughts whenever you are reading this... :)

I regret being so late in giving you all a happy ShraMan but life has been unpredictable. The lesson learned is that all we can do is attempt to overcome obstacles and achieve our goals. So I wish you peace and the finest things life has to offer! Take care my lovely people... <3

Thank you! <3

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