Chapter- 43

Evrything was over. Not to an extent where Ekta should feel free from the suffocating shadows of the past, their twisted branches finally loosening around her petite figure, but at least in a way that she was allowed to breathe without constantly looking over her shoulder. However, she didn’t feel any of that.

Her gaze remained fixed on the plate before her. Ekansh had served her hot dal-chawal he had specifically made for her. Again, she should feel something, at least a little bit of relief or happiness, but her mind remained trapped in the memories that continued to haunt her.

Ekansh had told her that one more hearing and they would win the case. The court would agree with what she wanted; her wishes and statement mattered the most. And after her father’s words in broad daylight before the judge, it was clear that she would never have to return to the people who were once her family. Even Ananya had reassured her of that.

So the joy of finally being free should have bloomed her heart with relief, but instead it only entangled her in deeper guilt and confusion.

“Ekta?” Ekansh called out softly.

Ekta blinked, startled, snapping out of her haze. Her gaze lifted, meeting his tender ones. She glanced down at the hand extended toward her with a spoonful of dal-rice. She stared at it blankly for a long second before taking the bite.

Her taste buds leapt in joy. Tears burned at the back of her eyes, yet she didn’t dare let them fall. For years she had craved nothing more than freedom from the people who had broken her, yet now that it stood within her reach, all she could think about was the price she had to pay to get there.

Ekansh glanced at his father. They had talked about this. The case would close at the next hearing, and Ekta’s official guardianship would be given to his father. Ananya was hundred percent sure. The uncertainty on what would happen in the future, at least for the time being, had lifted off their shoulders. However, there stood a greater challenge before them, to find out the anonymous men with whom Ekta was forced to live.

Samar was one of them. He had already assigned his men behind Samar to trace his every movement, gather evidence, give him information at every step so they could catch the man in action. It would be easier that way than dragging Ekta through complications and investigations, through which she might suffer, and he didn’t want that. He wanted to keep her protected from everything before he did what was needed.

For the second man, as Ekta recited to him, he still couldn’t put a name or face to the man. Who was he? Where did he live now? How could he be dealt with? Or even how dangerous he was to them before Ekansh could formulate a proper plan. To all those answers, Ekta had always avoided giving his answers.

“Kaisa bana hai?” Eshita asked gently, stuffing herself with her favourite sandwiches.

Ekta gave a small nod. “Accha hai.”

Eshita sighed. She was just trying to initiate the conversation. She wanted to distract the girl’s mind from whatever she was thinking, but it seemed next to impossible. Since the moment they left the court, Ekta was all blank, withdrawn, lost in her own thoughts. Eshita didn’t know what more she could do. Though she understood the gravity of the situation, it’s not easy to process something like this, but still one has to try rather than drown in it.

Her phone tinged with a notification followed by Ekansh’s phone buzzing. Ekansh received the call. Eshita went through the message. It was Vanya who sent her a link to a breaking news article.

Ekansh rose to his feet abruptly, his chair scraping against the marble floor. Whatever he heard from the other side made his expression darken instantly. His jaw clenched tightly.

“What’s wrong?” Virendra asked, rising to his feet. The tension rolling in waves radiating from his son reached him.

“Abhi abhi sutro se hume pata chala hai ki Aarti Kumar... the girl who filed the sexual assault case against Samar Singhania, has committed suicide earlier today in her house. As per the forensic report, she has allegedly died with poison found in her system...”

The spoon loosened from Ekta’s fingers, falling heavily on the plate with a loud clatter, cutting through the silence.

Eshita closed the screen instinctively. She glanced at her brother and father, who stood there as shocked as her. None of them were prepared to hear something like this.

Ekansh disconnected the call. He looked at Ekta. Her unusually rapid breathing caught his attention instantly. He stepped forward, pulling her in his arms. “Breathe, Ekta... I am here with you.”

Ekta gasped out loud. Panic seized her completely. Her fingers tightened around her own T-shirt hem, her face buried in Ekansh’s midriff. Even if she tried to raise her arms and wrap them around him, she failed to move properly.

Another strangled gasp escaped her lips, cutting through the silence in the room. Poison... The word revived memories she was trying to forget. Trying to run away from. If that wasn’t enough, then the death of an innocent girl... the weight of that realization settled heavily on her. She was the reason Aarti lost her life. Ekta knew what Samar was capable of. The man who didn’t mind shooting the girl before her eyes... She flinched even at the memory in Ekansh’s arms. She didn’t want to think about anything, but the noises in her head grew loud and uncontrollable.

“Ekta meri taraf dekh.” Ekansh pulled back, kneeling before her, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Breathe with me. Tujhe doctor ne sikhaya hai na? Follow me, okay... take a deep breath...”

Ekta tried to listen, but her body recoiled violently. Another choked sob escaped her lips. Ekansh’s voice reached her but failed to register.

Eshita forwarded the pills she brought from Ekta’s room. “Give her these...”

Ekansh shook his head. “She can’t always rely on them. She needs to learn to control it herself. Pills have their own side effects. She will become dependent on them.” He shook Ekta by her shoulders gently, “Ekta, listen to me!” His tone firmed.

“Bhaiya, you are scaring her.” Eshita hissed anxiously, noticing how Ekta flinched. “Give her these for now. Baad mein usse breathing exercises karwate rehna aap.”

“Ek baar nhi kaha na, samajh nhi aata tujhe?” Ekansh scolded frustratedly. “Just stay out of it and let me handle this.”

“No, I won’t!” Eshita shot back, taking out the pills from the strip. “She will faint like this. Ek baar se kuch nhi hoga. Let her have her medicines.”

“She needs to learn, Eshita! She can’t be dependent on them for her life...”

“She can learn later too, but right now she needs help!”

“Stop it, both of you.” Virendra intervened sharply before Ekansh could retort. The two of them were fighting for the same person they cared for but failed to notice that Ekta had calmed down a little.

“First ask her what she wants,” He said calmly. “She looks much better... thanks to your ridiculous banter at the wrong time.”

Ekansh knelt before Ekta again, holding her hand in his. Her breathing was still a little uneven, but the distraction was his and Eshita’s argument that pulled her out of her drowning spiral.

He didn’t mind giving her medicines. He never would. But he wanted her to learn. He wanted her to break free from those panic attacks. Her fears and anxiety triggered them whenever she thought she had no one to lean on, and he wanted her to know that he was there for her. Even Eshita and their father were there for her. She didn’t need to be dependent on pills or get lost in her own darkness.

“Thik hai tu?” Eshita asked, forwarding the glass of water.

Ekta nodded. Her fingers trembled slightly as she tried to hold the glass. Ekansh instantly helped her steady it and drink water.

He held her hand in his, setting aside the glass. “Mujhe kuch samay ke liye bhar jaana hai. Will you stay with Dad and Eshita? Main jaldi se aa jaunga. Promise.”

“Where are you going?” Ekta asked quietly. “To meet Ma’am?”

Ekansh nodded.

Ekta stared at him. “Can... can I come with you? I-I want to apologise to her... Meri... meri wajah se she lost her sister...”

“TERI WAJAH SE KUCH NAHI HUA HAI!” Three voices rang out in chorus, colliding breaking the guilty bubble in her heart instantly, for the first time in years.

She jumped, startled at the sudden outburst, glancing at the trio who held nothing but concern in their eyes and conviction in their voices like never before.

“Look at me!” Ekansh ordered.

Ekta complied immediately. It was the second time that kind of tone had been directed at her. The first was in Shimla when he was being taken away by the police, and this was the second. Both times, her system obeyed instinctively before her mind could even register what was happening.

“Whatever happened with Aarti...” Ekansh’s voice softened, he held her gaze firmly. “It was because of those people who committed those crimes. It has nothing to do with you. Am I clear?”

Ekta lowered her gaze. “A-agar vo involve nhi hoti meri wajah se toh...”

“Toh bhi yeh sab kuch hona hi tha, Ekta.” Ekansh cut her off firmly. “Aaj nhi toh kal yeh sab hota hi. If it wasn’t for you then for anyone else, Aarti would have done the same. She was a lawyer herself. She didn’t help you because she was forced to. She didn’t take pity on you or fight your case for some personal reasons. She did what she believed was right. It was her decision. It was our decision to unmask the man. Aise toh plan maine banaya tha... then I should be the one to be blamed. Galti toh meri hai ki maine usse vo sab karne diya. I planted the seeds and she just followed through with what she believed in.”

“Nhi bhaiya...” Ekta shook her head vigorously. Ekansh could never be wrong. He was the one who pulled her out of hell when no one else did. He saved her when she had already given up on herself. Her saviour could never be wrong in any decision he took for her.

“Toh phir jab bhaiya ki galti nhi hai toh teri kaise kyun, Ekta?” Eshita asked gently, resting her hand on Ekta’s shoulder. “Maybe rather than feeling guilty we should be grateful towards Aarti for what she did. It wasn’t a sacrifice made out of pity, but a choice she consciously made. A bravery few people possess. If you will blame yourself like this, it will be an insult to everything she stood for. We should find those monsters who are behind this and punish them for their sins. Not blame ourselves.”

Ekta nodded, the words sinking deep into her, settling somewhere amidst the fears and doubts she carried. Gathering her courage, she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Ekansh, something she rarely did.

Ekansh creased her hair tenderly. “Everything will be alright, Ekta. Maine tujhse wada kiya hai... I will never break that promise.” His tone softened. “Will you stay with Esha and Dad? Main....” He trailed off as she nodded and stepped back.

“I am coming with you,” Eshita declared, walking out of the room without waiting for his reply. She needed to get a grip on her emotions, and it was better she went with her brother to deal with them. He would understand them better.

Ekansh glanced at his father. A silent message passed between them before he turned on his heels, following his sister outside. They weren’t playing a game anymore. It was war, one where every move carried consequences, where death and loss were an undeniable part of it. And that shook the very foundations of his being from within.

Virendra followed Ekta quietly as the girl turned on her heels, making her way to the temple in the house. Removing his slippers, he walked in, helping her with the evening prayers.

His heart wasn’t at peace. It wouldn’t be until both his children returned. He understood well enough that Eshita and even Ekansh were yet to let the news sink into their systems properly. For now, their aim was to calm Ekta down, in which their own fears had taken a backseat, but he was sure they were feeling as restless as he was.

Fighting a war with uncertainty hanging over your head is never easy. The losses that come with it are often harder to face than the battle itself.

“If I have killed someone in my past... what will you do?” Ekta’s sudden, direct question jolted him out of his thoughts.

He glanced at the girl who was busy threading flowers into the string, but the slight tremble in her demeanor didn’t escape him. “Eliminate the traces of the one you killed. No one in the world will know that they were even born.”

Ekta’s head snapped towards him in shock. She didn’t expect such an honest answer. There was no joke, hesitation, or judgment, just absolute certainty, and that surprised her in ways she couldn’t imagine.

She swallowed hard before asking the next question. “Aap puchenge nhi why I did that? Or... maybe you should hand me over to the police for hurting... killing someone? I can be a threat to your son... He cares for me like an elder brother but I... I am a murderer and...”

“I know my son enough to know he would do the same without thinking twice,” Virendra cut her off calmly. “And you being a threat... well, that isn’t even a possibility. My son trusts you. My daughter trusts you. And I trust you! We don’t investigate our family, Ekta. There is only trust that runs in this house, not doubts or suspicion.”

Ekta looked away instantly. Why were his honest answers blooming painful warmth in her heart Why couldn’t he be angry? Why couldn’t he show even a little indifference that she was a threat so she could be at peace with hating herself? He was calling her family? She had accepted that from Ekansh. Now slowly with Eshita too but Virendra? She never even dared to imagine that.

“Aap puchna nhi chahte maine kisse maara?” She pressed, almost in the hope of hearing something different.

“Can you make a sketch of that person?” Virendra asked smoothly.

Earlier, Ekansh was about to ask the same thing, but he had received the call and had to leave. In a way, they wanted to start from somewhere. To get to that person they knew nothing about. Ekta could at least give them a face. The rest they would take care of.

Ekta stiffened. Putting a face to that monster wasn’t in her plans. She couldn’t bring herself to do it because somewhere inside her she had forced herself to believe that the man was already dead. Malik was dead. He had taken his last breath before her. Yet the words he uttered, the promise he made before she ran away, still rang in her ears. That was a fear she had carried for years without even knowing whether he was alive or dead.

“Ek kahaani sunogi?” Virendra asked gently, sitting a little distance away from her and picking up another thread and needle. His wife had taught him how to earn a child’s trust with patience rather than force. He could do that much better than scaring the girl away.

Ekta glanced at him hesitantly before nodding. Her grip tightened on the flower in her hand, almost crushing it. She could feel the new episode on its way. She needed a distraction. She didn’t want to embarrass herself. Ekansh wasn’t even there to hold her. She hated feeling this helpless.

Virendra carefully threaded another flower into the garland before speaking, “Bahut purane samay mein Himalaya par ek bahut hi shaktishaali raja rehta tha.” His tone softened. “Uske ghar mein ek beti paida hui. Vo koi saadharan ladki nhi thi. Vo khud ek devi thi. Jo Sati ke roop mein pehle iss duniya mein aa chuki thi aur ab dobara janam le rahi thi Himalaya Raja ki beti, Shailputri yaani ‘Parvat ki Beti’ ban kar.”

“Ghar mein sab unse bahut pyaar karte the. Vo phoolon se khelti, apni gaiyon ki dekhbhaal karti, apne mata-pita ka khayaal rakhti. Aur jab koi udaas hota toh uske paas baith jaati. Maano kisi ki udaasi unse bardaasht hi nahi hoti thi. Unke paas itna pyaar tha ki jungle ke jaanwar bhi unke aas-paas rehte, unke saath baithte.”

As Virendra reached for the rose, Ekta gently took it from his hand. Carefully, she removed the thorns from the stem before snapping off the branch and placing the delicate rose back into his palm.

Virendra continued, “Ek baar ek bahut bada rakshas tha jo tapasya karke itna shaktishaali ban gaya ki devta bhi uska saamna nhi kar paa rahe the. Vo masoom logon ke ghar jala deta, sabko apni shaktiyon se nuksaan pahunchaata, jaanwaron ko maar deta, roz bina kisi darr ke paap karta jaata. Tabhi Maa Shailputri aayi. Log unhe unki sheelta ke liye jaante the. Unki komalta ke liye.”

He held her gaze,”Lekin kisi ka shaant ya komal hone ka matlab yeh toh nhi ki vo galat sehate rahe? Anyay sehate rahe? Jab Maa ne galat hote dekha toh unhone apni shaktiyon ko jagaya.”

He glanced at the frame of the nine forms of Goddess Durga Inside the temple. Ekta followed his gaze.

“Ek haath mein trishul, doosre haath mein kamal ka phool,” Virendra continued. “Apne vahan Nandi par baith kar unhone rakshas ka saamna kiya. Agar devi pyaar karna jaanti hai, toh nyaay karna bhi jaanti hai.”

“Rakshas bahut hassa. Maa ka mazaak banaya. Unpar vaar bhi kiya. Lekin Maa nhi dari. Jin aankhon mein apne parivaar aur jaanwaron ke liye mamta thi... vo gusse mein lal ho gayi. Unhone apna trishul uthaya aur rakshas par vaar kiya. Aur jis rakshas ko koi devta nhi maar paaye, jisse vo khud darr rahe the... Mata ke ek vaar se vo mar gaya.”

He met Ekta’s gaze. “Darr aur himmat dono saath ho sakte hain, Ekta. Himmat ka matlab yeh nhi ki darr na lage. Himmat ka matlab yeh hai... ki darr ke baad bhi hum khade ho sakte hain. Those who deserve punishment deserve it! There is no other way to see it. Bhagwan ne har ek ladki mein devi ka ansh diya hai. Agar koi ladki shaant rahe krr sabh seh rahi hai toh vo he apne saath galat karne walon ko saza bhi de sakti hai. Sawal sirf itna hai...”

Gently he took away the petals from her grasp and placed the scissors in her hands. “Kya tum trishul uthane ki himmat rakhti ho ya nhi?”

Virendra would never impose who Ekta should become. She was who she was, soft, kind, and far stronger than she gave herself credit for.

He had always taught Eshita to deal with people who misbehaved with her in any way she wished. He would deal with the world, but he refused to let his daughter shrink herself to fit society’s expectations. His daughter was free to live life on her own terms, with the same freedom boys were born with. That’s why Eshita was so outspoken, hot-tempered, sometimes even reckless, but she was also kind, soft, and gentle with her family.

However, Ekta was a different story. The girl wasn’t fiery like Eshita. Ekta was kind, and far too forgiving for her own good. He didn’t mind that either. He wouldn’t change the girl for who she was. She wasn’t fiery like Eshita, he could deal with that. He even refused to let the world change her.

It was high time he accepted that Ekta was his family now. Once the case was over, she would be Ekta Virendra Sehgal. His daughter. He could love her just like he loved his daughter. Her kindness was her greatest strength. To still see goodness in a world that had wronged her so deeply was something rare and beautiful.

But he would teach Ekta one thing. How to wield a weapon when needed. He will protect her kind heart, but also teach her how to protect herself. That was his promise to himself.

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Your thoughts on Virendra and Ekta’s bond beginnings?

Is Mailk dead or alive? Your thoughts on it so far?

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Share your views!!!

Next Update: Sunday!

Thanks for reading!!!

 

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