*** CHAPTER 23 ***

“Is it necessary to go?”

Vidhaan sighs for the umpteenth time as he hears Swara asking the same question again. Ever since morning, she has been asking him the same question continuously and now as he fixes his necktie standing in front of the mirror, she asks it again.

Vidhaan: What happened, Swara? Is something bothering you?

Swara: I-I don’t know why but I don’t feel very good today.

Vidhaan furrows his eyebrows noticing her creased features in the mirror and turns around. Placing his palm gently over her shoulders, he nudges her chin up with two of his fingers to let his eyes meet hers.

Vidhaan: What wrong? You know you can tell me, right? Are you not feeling well? Do you have a headache? Do you want me to call the doctor?

Swara: Sanky!

Vidhaan: Have you eaten something? Do you feel uneasy? Oh God! Did you have a fight with someone?

Swara: What? No… I…

Vidhaan: Shall I call Ragini? Or shall I call Maa? Wait, yes… I shoulddd…

And with a gentle press of her soft lips on his, Vidhaan’s rant comes to an abrupt impasse. The kiss comes as a surprise to him and he fails to respond back to her before she pulls back. He gulps and looks at Swara who is looking back at him with an indecipherable expression.

Swara: Tsk, Sanky! Kitna bolte hain aap?! You know there’s a thing called… breathing. You should try it often while speaking.

Vidhaan: Excuse me! Are you making fun of me?

Swara: Happy realization, Mr. Maheshwari. I’m so proud of you!

Vidhaan: (rolls his eyes) Alright. Alright. But on a serious note… Are you okay?

Swara: I’m fine. Maybe I’m just overthinking.

Vidhaan: Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon. We just have a meeting with some important foreign clients, so, I’m expected there. Even more so when the Sen Guptas will also be there.

Swara: (narrows her eyes) Sen Gupta? Means Sahil will also be there?

Vidhaan: (shrugs his shoulders) Most probably, yes! I think he’ll be there.

Swara folds her arms across her chest and narrows her eyes pouting her lips.

Swara: I don’t like him.

Vidhaan: (chuckles) I don’t like him either. But I can’t help it. I have to go. Just take care of yourself. Okay?!

Swara: (nods her head) Okay! Bye.

In a swift movement, Vidhaan wraps her in his embrace pulling her for a warm goodbye hug and unknowingly Swara’s heart skips a beat once again. His proximity has always had this effect on her and she couldn’t help but smile.

Vidhaan: (whispers) Good bye!

Swara: (pulls back) Tsk, Mr. Maheshwari! You don’t even know how to bid goodbye to your wife!

Vidhaan: Huh?! Wha…

Even before he could complete, Swara gets a hold of his shirt’s collar and pulls him closer eventually placing her lips on his. Vidhaan’s heart hammers crazily inside of his chest. But with one stroke of her lips over his, he loses it all once again. With his palms placed tenderly at either side of her bare waist, he finds himself responding to her kiss with equal tenderness. Swara smiles against his lips before pulling back and giving him the heart stopping smile… the same smile that makes her eyes twinkle, just the way he loves.

Swara: Not bad, Mr. Maheshwari! You’re a good student.

Vidhaan: (smiles) Or maybe you are a good teacher!

And that makes Swara lean a bit closer. Hitching herself up on her toes she whispers next to his ear.

Swara: Then maybe I should teach you other things as well.

Vidhaan: What… What other things?

Seeing her eyes lowered and a light tinge of red shading her cheeks, Vidhaan finds it quite confusing to decipher what she means. And on the other side, Swara finds it quite difficult to voice out her thoughts. Should she say it? Or should she not? She isn’t very sure but noticing the clueless emotion on her husband’s face, she takes a deep breath.

Swara: It’s going to be our first marriage anniversary in less than ten days, Sanky!

Vidhaan: So? Is there anything you want?

Swara: Um… No! Actually… yes…

Vidhaan: Yes or no, Swara? Okay, you decide about it and we’ll talk about it in the evening after I return. Right now, I’m getting late.

Swara: But I have already decided! I…

But before she could say anything more, they hear Durga Prasad calling his son out. And Vidhaan mouths a ‘sorry’ to her taking a deep breath.

Vidhaan: Sorry, Swara. We’ll talk later.

Swara: But I’ll take just one minute.

Vidhaan: But I’m getting late. Don’t worry, we’ll talk in the evening.

Saying this he grabs his bag and a file folder in either of his hands, and hurries down his way towards the door but soon enough her next words stop him dead on his tracks.

“I WANT TO BE YOUR WIFE!”

And all of a sudden he loses all his strength and both the bag and the folder fall down from his hands. He fails miserably to turn around and face her. She couldn’t possibly mean what he thinks she means! NO!!

Vidhaan: W-What?!

Swara: (whispers) I want to be your wife, Mr. Shlok Maheshwari… in every way.

Shlok Maheshwari! One name… just one name and his heart skips several beats at the same time. With one merciless push, he’s brought to the grounds of the harsh reality and until now he hasn’t realized that falling down from his dreamland hurts so much.

Vidhaan: You… You already are!

Swara takes a deep breath and finding him making no efforts to face her, she stomps all the way to the front of him.

Swara: Don’t you understand, Sanky?!

And Vidhaan gives a humorless laugh. How many more games has this life decided to play with him?!

Vidhaan: I don’t understand what you are saying, Swara. It would be better if we talk in the evening.

Taking it as his cue, he tries to make a run for the door but Swara gets a hold of his wrist the very moment he takes his first step.

Swara: Don’t you love me? Don’t tell me that you don’t because your kisses tell an entirely different story, Mr. Maheshwari. I’m your wife and I love you. So, what’s wrong if I want you?!

And that’s where everything goes wrong. She isn’t his wife. It’s true, he loves her… with all his heart but he isn’t the one she wants. He’s not the one she thinks he is and there’s no way he could do what his heart so earnestly desires to. He wants to love her… but he can’t. It will make everything go wrong. He can’t break the trust she has on him. It will be like dishonoring the love he has for her and he can’t do that to the most precious thing he has in his life. He just can’t.

Vidhaan: (stutters) Swara… I…

“Bhai, please hurry up!” Laksh’s voice rings around and Vidhaan just closes his eyes to avoid contact with her eyes that are now glimmering with unshed tears.

Vidhaan: I should go!

And without any other word, he storms out of the room knowing quite well that the tear drop has already rolled down her cheeks mirroring the lone tear on his cheek right now!

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All he is greeted with is dark once he opens his eyes. How long has he been trapped in here, he doesn’t know himself! But he knows it’s been long enough… long enough to ruin most of the things precious to him.

His daughter is safe but his other dear ones are not. Durga Prasad, the one he has come to respect as his own brother… Vidhaan, who is like the son he has never had… everyone is in grave danger. He needs to do something before it’s too late. But before anything else he knows he needs to get out of this place he has been confined in for so long.

Hemant becomes all alert hearing noises of several things crashing down all at once. They are back and it’s time for him to become unconscious again. That’s the only way to avoid them and their questions that might ruin everything even more.

From his slightly open eyelids, Hemant notices Sahil storming towards him… his features all tensed with surging rage. He immediately closes his eyes completely as Sahil nears him.

Sahil: (shouts) GET UP! You guys are driving me freaking insane.

It doesn’t take even a moment for Hemant to realize that it’s something regarding Maheshwari family only. Sahil shakes him violently, trying his best to wake him up but he is determined not to get affected by these people anymore.

There’s no way he’s opening his eyes!

Giving up, Sahil growls angrily before taking out his mobile phone, typing something furiously on it and holding it next to his ear.

Sahil: Hello! What happened? Any results yet? I’m so sorry Kavita, I wasn’t able to accompany you to Mumbai.

Kavita: It’s okay, Bhai. Even that meeting is important and don’t worry about here… you know I can manage everything by myself.

Sahil: Yeah, right. I know.

Kavita: What happened? You sound quite tensed.

Sahil: (huffs) I feel like I’m losing her, Kavita. I’m losing her.

Kavita: Don’t worry, Bhai. We still have the ace card. There’s no way we are going to lose this one.

Sahil can almost feel her smirk on the other side and a smirk lifts up his lips as well.

Sahil: Absolutely! Okay, now I’m going for the meeting. I’ll talk to you later.

Kavita: Okay! Good bye!

Sahil: Good bye! All the best!

And with one last look at Hemant, Sahil leaves the farmhouse for the supposedly important meeting.

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Laksh enters his brother’s office hurriedly to inform him about the rescheduling of the meeting but stops abruptly on seeing him pacing up and down his office all lost in his thoughts.

Laksh: Bhai?

No reply!

Laksh: Vidhaan?

No reply!

Realizing that there’s something definitely wrong, Laksh holds Vidhaan’s shoulders jerking him out of his thoughts.

Laksh: SANSKAAR!!

And that instantly breaks his line of thoughts. Vidhaan frowns on seeing Laksh inside the office and standing right in front of him supporting a confused yet worried expression.

Vidhaan: When did you come in?

Laksh: I came right in front of you, Bhai. What’s wrong with you?

Vidhaan: Me? Nothing’s wrong!

Laksh: Then why can’t you say the same thing looking right into my eyes? Why are you avoiding eye contact? I know something is wrong. You know, you can’t lie to me.

Vidhaan: Did you come here for anything important?

Laksh: The meeting has been delayed by an hour. Now, don’t change the topic!

Vidhaan: It’s nothing, Laksh.

With that being said, Vidhaan turns around without another word but Laksh doesn’t seem in any mood to let the whole thing go so easily. Placing his palm on his shoulder, he turns Vidhaan around to face him again.

Laksh: I’m your brother, right? You can’t hide it from me, Bhai.

And that’s all it takes for Vidhaan’s emotions to break free of all the shackles and he leans against Laksh’s shoulder finally letting out an inaudible sob. In an instant, Laksh wraps his arms around his brother. He has thought that everything is alright but apparently he has been wrong. It’s hard… really hard for his brother and someway or the other he knows what might be the reason behind his distress.

Laksh: Is it about Swara?

That immediately stops Vidhaan and he lifts up his head and shaking it lightly in denial. Laksh takes a deep breath before swiping his finger over Vidhaan’s cheek lightly catching a drop of tear on the tip of his finger.

Laksh: Then what’s this?

Vidhaan takes a deep breath. There’s no way in hiding his feelings when he himself knows that he’s nothing but an open book. And so, he nods his head.

Vidhaan: I lost her even before I could call her mine!

Laksh: What happened? I thought everything was fine between you two.

Vidhaan: And she wants everything to be even more fine.

Laksh: I don’t understand, Bhai.

Vidhaan: She asked me for something today.

Laksh: Then what’s the problem?

Vidhaan: THAT IS THE PROBLEM, LAKSH. She wants me to accept her as my wife! How can I when she’s not? She’s not my wife. She’s my brother’s wife, Laksh!

The tears he has been trying so hard to hold back couldn’t be helped any longer and they break free once again. Laksh immediately wraps his arms around Vidhaan once again, caressing his back in the process. He knows that this won’t lessen his brother’s pain but his heart just hopes the tiniest bit that it could comfort him just a little.

Laksh: What are we going to do now?

Vidhaan: We should tell her the truth!

That comes as a shock to Laksh and he pulls back instantly.

Laksh: What did you say?

Vidhaan: We should tell her the truth, Laksh. The more she’ll get caught up in this lie, the more fatal it would be to pull her back.

Laksh: But…

Vidhaan: We just need to make sure that she is told the truth when it’s least shocking to her.

Laksh: Is that possible?

Vidhaan: I… I think I know when we should tell her everything!

He has decided… He won’t lie anymore. Not to her at least. And whether to accept his love or not… that’s going to be completely her decision.

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It almost eleven at night. Driving the car back to home, Vidhaan is all lost in his thoughts. Everyone else has left already after the meeting, but knowing that he needs some time to himself, he has stayed back. Or maybe, he just wants to avoid Swara! He doesn’t know himself!

But amidst everything what he fails to notice is a truck hurtling towards him from the wrong direction. And that’s when he hears someone shout his name from somewhere very near to him.

And it’s his name. Not the one everyone has come to know him as but the name that’s his true identity. His real name… SANSKAAR!

But before he could understand anything else or look for the one who called him, the truck dashes right into him before fleeing away and sending the car tumbling down the street, breaking the street light and causing the other few cars stop then and there where they have been.

As his head dashes against the mirror, Vidhaan struggles with his seat belt to get out of the death shackle but it seems stuck. He knows he’ll be unconscious any next moment for he feels the coppery blood in his mouth grazing his teeth and soaking his tongue, but he refuses to give up. Still struggling with the seatbelt, he feels the ache running down his body and cracking of his bones. Each crack feels like rocks burrowing into his skin. He sucks in cramped air, feeling his lungs caving in on themselves.

This can’t be the end. It can’t be. There are so many who have come to love him more than their own selves… His parents, whom he hasn’t addressed as his parents yet… His brother, Laksh, who understands him better than anyone else… His newest friend, Ragini… And more than anyone else, that one person who is the reason because of whom he has come so close to everyone, Swara. He can’t give up so easily. He has to fight, not only for himself but for everyone else… for his family, for his love, for his brother who still yearns for justice. HE HAS TO FIGHT!

And finally freeing himself of the grasp of the seatbelt, he gasps taking in a deep breath but with one more jolt he dashes right into the windshield breaking it that very moment and his now unconscious body is sent flying out of the car and into the streets.

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A/N

And I’m all set with my shields up because I know you all might be feeling like throwing your mobile phones right at my face. 😂😂

But I know you guys trust me as well 😋😋

I’m sorry for the delayed update. I haven’t been well for last few days. I feel a little better today, so, here I am with the update. That’s all we have for tonight. See you all on Wednesday with the next chapter of TO YOU, MY HEART I SURRENDER.

Till then, stay blessed and happy reading!

With love,
Stella ❤️