Chapter 66

Perks of happiness were beaming all around the lawn of the Bundela mansion after the historic confession of love of both Sanchi and Vihaan. The family members were laughing and giggling among themselves, wishing Vihaan for a successful married life with Sanchi.

The number of times Sanchi's name was being mentioned, Vihaan wished she were with him. Meeting Vidya near the coffee counter, he said, "Have you seen Sanchi? Did she move downstairs with her grandmother?"

"I haven't met her since then." Vidya shook her head. "I saw the children coming down for dinner. Maybe we can ask them."

Vihaan turned about, dropping a gesture for Chetan, who was enjoying a fried chicken steak at the second food counter. "Where is your Sanchi sis? She went to meet you all and just simply disappeared. Won't she come down for dinner?"

"Isn't she here for dinner?" Chetan asked surprisingly as he walked towards Vihaan in large strides. "Sanchi sis left the room long ago, most probably to meet her grandmother."

"So where are they?" Vihaan looked around with his hands on his hips, his eyes searching for Sanchi. A sudden light pull tugged at his blazer and he saw Tiara staring up at him. "What happened baby?"

"Sister is looking for you," Tiara said and sister Maria reached Vihaan behind her.

"Vihaan!" Sister Maria held Vihaan's palm, thrusting a piece of paper in his hand. "When I returned to your room after dinner, I found this paper lying on your bed. Sanchi wrote this and..."

Vihaan noticed the water droplets in her eyes and frowned. "Sanchi wrote this? What do you mean?"

"She wrote for you and most probably sneaked into your room when we weren't there... She mentioned your name in it..." Sister Maria bowed her head. "Read it..."

Jwala was standing far away from them, enjoying dinner with Kavita. Maahir was still sitting at the table quietly after a heated argument with his fiancée.

Smiling inwardly, Jwala thought, "It's not Sanchi or Vanya or whosoever she is, but I who had left the letter in the room where Kunwar's mother was previously gossiping with people before eavesdropping us. Now I'll happily see the looks on their faces and satisfy my perturbed heart. Vanya doesn't deserve to stay in this house and be their daughter-in-law, besides Vidya."

Kavita saw the thoughtful look of Jwala and elbowed her. "Have your dinner, auntie. Where's uncle? Won't he have his dinner?"

"He went to..to take a...a little rest in the guest room..." Jwala stammered before answering, attempting to deviate the topic. "What happened to Maahir? Why isn't he having dinner?"

"He fought with me again for Vanya or Sanchi, whoever she is now," Kavita said, poking the fork into the cheese burger angrily. "I don't have any enmity with your daughter but she is the one who keeps coming in my way of relationships. First it's Maahir who keeps arguing with me for her and, now when I thought I can try and have a thing with the DCP, she came in the way. Maahir isn't ready to understand that Vanya will never forgive him and says that he can't live with the guilt."

"So tell him to die, say that I suggested." Jwala smirked, glancing at her mobile. "You have your dinner, I'll be back right away."

Moving aside, Jwala gave a call to Kunwar, who was on his way. "What the hell Kunwar, why aren't you receiving my calls?"

"Will you stop calling me constantly? I'm on the way now. I've found a cab and am taking Vanya to the nearest railway station."

"I don't know why you hesitated to kill her Kunwar, and instead left her unconscious. Why are you sympathizing with her? She can be a danger for us if she remains alive!"

"I am not sympathizing with her but making things easier so that we don't get trapped in the crime. If we had killed her, police could have found evidences against us. It's better that I leave her in the nearest railway station on it's tracks for the last night train to crush her. It'll seem to be just an accident."

"Nobody should doubt you." Jwala whispered over the phone.

"Nobody will... I told the cab driver that I'm taking my sick daughter to a different city for treatment and so he agreed to drop me at the station... Everything is fine," Kunwar said in a lowered voice to prevent anyone from hearing him.

"Return quickly as soon as you complete with it. Their focus can shift on you any time if they find you missing. The letter has already reached Vihaan and they'll get worried for her."

"But Jwala, don't you think their focus will shift on mother too? My mother was the last one Vanya had met. We'll have to shift mother out of the metalled room before anyone reaches her."

"Kunwar, everybody knows Vanya was looking for her grandmother but no one knows whether she had met him or not. I couldn't open the metalled door at all, it's rock solid. Men possess more strength, maybe you can open it. Then we will blackmail mother saying that we have kept Vanya under our observation and so she won't open her mouth before them."

"See to it that nobody reaches the metalled door before I return. Keep them busy with something else." Kunwar instructed her.

"I have already planned what to do now, a little drama after the words of the letter get leaked in public." Jwala smirked before disconnecting the call.

*****

Vihaan found his fingers trembling the moment he unfolded the letter. He recognised Sanchi's handwriting at once and briskly read it.

¶

dear vihaan,

i know this is wrong that i am going to hurt the one i just confessed my love to but i have no other choice. if you don't know, let me tell you something. there's this guy maahir who is also present in the ceremony today. he was my ex-fiancé and i almost forgot about my horrible past upon seeing your pains on the stage.

i have never been able to erase maahir's memories till date. i reminisce my good days with him whenever i'm with you. if i accept to live my life with you but with maahir's memories still disturbing me, i'll be betraying both. it's better for me to leave like the coward i always was. i had left my own house years ago and i'm doing it again for your welfare. i'll always pray to GOD wherever i'm for your goodwill, health and safety.

sorry but my past is such that you deserve someone better than me. your family deserves a better daughter-in-law. tell dheeraj bro, vidya and your parents to search the best girl for you. tell MAA and PApa not to hate me for this because i am sacrificing my happiness for the happiness of their son.

yours,
sanchi.

¶

"How could she do this to me even after knowing what all we have faced in our relationship?" Vihaan said gritting his teeth and Vidya grabbed the letter from his hand, reading it to herself.

"Vihaan? This?" Vidya was equally dumbfounded.

"I don't get what her problem is with her past. Why does she think I won't accept her in my life if I got to know her past? I didn't confess my love to her before an audience only to reject her after knowing her past. Our relationship isn't so weak that it can fall apart with some horrible truth." Vihaan hollered aloud.

"Vihaan, calm down please. This isn't the time to get angry." Vidya touched Vihaan's arm. "We should search for her. She just can't run away from you."

"Believe me sister-in-law, she is not the same old coward Vanya as she was years ago... She is courageous now... She loves me... She can't run away like that... There's something wrong..." Vihaan felt his eyes pricking with tears.

"I think the same, Vihaan. I don't think she can do this with you at all. About Maahir, I'm sure she doesn't possess anything for him. She had started hating him long ago." Vidya tried explaining him.

Vihaan remembered Sanchi's avoidance towards him even after confessing her love for him. She hadn't even decided whether she would again stay with him in the same room as him and he knew it. Eyes glinting with rage, Vihaan darted immediately towards Maahir, who was seated all alone at the table.

Slamming the empty table as hard as he could, Vihaan groaned in his hoarse voice, attracting the family members towards him. "Why can't you just stay happy with your fiancée and leave my wife as she is? Why do you have to stay near her to remind her of the old memories again and again? Why does she have to say that she hasn't forgotten you yet?"

Maahir stood up from the table to face a scowling Vihaan, who was now pointing his finger at him. "I don't get what you are saying, man? What did you just blurted that she hasn't yet forgotten me?"

Vihaan fisted his palms together when he noticed a faint smile playing on Maahir's lips. "Stop pretending, Maahir. Just tell me what have you told her today? Why is she fearing her past again?"

"She has a past and her past belongs with me. Her past will always be related to me. I'll always be her first love." Maahir declared calmly, deteriorating the heated situation for the worst.

Grabbing Maahir's collar, Vihaan blowed a punch to his face. "And I'll always be her last love... Her present and future, both belongs with me... She belongs to me... Do you get it?"

Maahir tightened his knuckles, pushing Vihaan away from the table until Dheeraj and Shaurya came to their rescue. Shaurya caught hold of Maahir while Dheeraj pulled Vihaan backwards.

"What's wrong with you?" Dheeraj cupped his brother's chin. "We all know Sanchi and you love each other. This guy has nothing to do with it."

Vidya moved near them and gradually narrated the story of Sanchi's letter and departure. Maahir shook his head before saying, "You are a loser, Vihaan. You thought you gained her love by portraying your pains before an audience. But the truth is that she sympathised with you and just confessed it in a trance. She doesn't feel anything for you."

Vihaan was struggling like a caged lion under Dheeraj's grip, trying to free himself to knock Maahir out of his way. "Brother, just leave me. I'll kill this bloody bastard!"

"How dare you abuse me and hit me like that?" Maahir tried freeing himself from Shaurya. "You are a cop, aren't you? Don't you know touching someone is liable for punishment? I can lodge a complaint against you now."

"I wish that I did the same thing years ago, Maahir." Nidhi screamed from behind them. "I wish I could have sent you to jail for touching someone instead of just bruising you left and right!"

"What do you mean by that?" Vihaan asked when he noticed Maahir's face losing it's color. "What did he do, Nidhi?"

Nidhi shook her head. "I know it's not right to tell you anything that can hamper Vanya's dignity, but I feel it's necessary now. You should know what all Vanya has gone through in her life after Vidya left for abroad."

Vidya held Nidhi's arms, shaking her. "Tell me what had happened after I left?"

"Maahir hadn't broken up with Vanya for Kavita at all. It was just the vice-versa. Vanya had herself broken her engagement with him," As Nidhi said, Vihaan frowned in confusion.

"But Vanya told me that Maahir was seeing a different girl and so she broke the engagement," Vidya said with a little shrug of her shoulders.

"She had lied to you because she thought that the truth could hurt you and you wouldn't want to continue with your degree in London," Nidhi told her before turning towards Vihaan. "Maahir was physically attracted towards Vanya but she never liked him due to his flirtatious nature. When he brought his parents and promised her to mend his ways, she agreed to get engaged to him."

"And then?" Vidya asked, glaring at Maahir in anger.

Nidhi lowered her voice, "Maahir thought that getting engaged to her meant he had achieved her consent for everything. Vanya had already cleared it to him that she was not in love with him to be in a sexual relationship with him. They were just engaged due to their families and she would need time to know him or fall in love with him. He somewhat agreed and befriended her, but later, he started showing his true colors. When Vanya refused to his sexual advances, he sneaked into her room one night."

Shaurya tightened his hold on Maahir. "Are you so insane? You attempted to indignify my sister because she didn't give you what you wanted!"

"I already apologized to her for it. I was young then but now I've realised it was wrong." Maahir bowed his head before them.

Nidhi continued, "Luckily, I was sleeping in the next room and heard their loud voices. As I knocked on her door, Vanya threw it open and fell against me. She was weeping profusely and Maahir paused the moment he saw me. I caught hold of a chair and hit him hard. I was even going to call for the cops when Vanya stopped me. She convinced me nothing wrong had happened that night and calling the police would damage his career as well as her dignity."

Vihaan's limbs faltered on the revelation and his nerves stiffened. "This is the reason why she used to get scared upon seeing me near her in our room! Does she suffer from insomnia or any sort of coming of nightmares?"

"She murmurs in sleep most of the time since childhood. Her stuttering got never cured, Vihaan. She used to get nightmares sometimes." Vidya added, leaning into Dheeraj's arms. "I feel guilty now for leaving Vanya in Maahir's hands, thinking he was the right guy for her."

"He was never the right guy." Nidhi gulped harder. "He even lied to Vanya recently, saying that I've forgiven him. He's a snake in human's clothing."

Vihaan snapped out of Dheeraj's grip, shoving a punch at Maahir's stomach and almost knocking him to the ground. "You are the reason for my Sanchi's miseries.. I'll love to see the end of you... You are the wicked kind of a human I've ever seen in my life..."

"Vihaan!" Dheeraj tugged at his arm, trying to calm him. "This is not the time to punish him or indulge into a fight. You need to find Sanchi. You need to let her know that you don't care about her past or anything. You need to explain to her that her past isn't as scary as she thinks. You need to make her believe that you only deserve her and not someone better than her."

"No brother, I need to know more.. This Maahir knows many things about her which I don't..." Vihaan grabbed Maahir by his collar, pulling him up. "You were speaking about some disease she's suffering from. Tell me what it is. Open your mouth before I drain out all of my PATIENCE..."

Maahir straightened himself before shoving Vihaan's hands off him. "You will regret for raising your hands on me, Vihaan." He paved his way towards Jwala, narrowing his eyes at her. "Shall I disclose everything to them?"

"Is mom involved in this mess too?" Nidhi suddenly interrupted, striding over to them.

Jwala flinched at this, finding no way to escape. She had all the while been enjoying the scenario before her until the entire limelight shifted towards her. Stuttering, she mumbled in an unclear way, "He's a petty liar... He can do anything to save himself..."

"Let him speak , Mrs Jwala Patel." Vihaan rolled his eyes in rage. "Be it true or untrue, I need to know things today."

"Here I go, Vihaan, hark properly." Maahir wiped the little blood oozing out from the corner of his lips as a result of Vihaan's blows. "Your mother-in-law had disclosed the truth of Vanya's disease to my family and they immediately compelled me to break the engagement. I really respected Vanya's innocence and hurting her was getting difficult for me. Considering to give the first priority to my family, I accepted Jwala's aunt's advice."

"And what was that?" Nidhi had her hands on her hips.

"She devised a plan to create hatred in Vanya's heart for me. Upon her advice, I sneaked into Vanya's room and pretended to physically assault her, knowing very well that Nidhi was in the next room. Somehow after I had escaped with the incident, Vanya herself broke off the engagement with me." Maahir crossed his arms. "I then started hooking up with Kavita at college to forget Vanya but consequently, my family came to know about us. I had to get engaged to her and here we are."

"Mom, how could you plan such a thing against your own daughter?" Nidhi pushed Jwala, glowering at her.

"Because Sanchi isn't her daughter at all." Vihaan intervened, taking shorter steps towards Jwala. "You can go to any extent to scare Sanchi."

Jwala suddenly found her limbs trembling for the first time in her life, and with Vihaan's raging glare at her, the shuddering intensified. "What do...do you...you mean?"

"My first priority is Sanchi at the moment. I'll get back to you later." Vihaan stomped his feet on the ground before turning towards the rest. "I'm going to look out for Sanchi and I'll only return after I have found her. She should know that her past hasn't affected me."

"Then you should also know about her disease which is terribly included in her horrible past." Jwala twitched her lips into a smirk, trying to avert Vihaan from raising more doubts on her. "If you think you can spend your entire life with Vanya, then you and your family should also be ready to face the consequences."

Vihaan found his voice cracking as he nodded. "What is she suffering from?"

"Mom, you can't tell him anything without Vanya's consent, please." Nidhi was pleading from the other side. "It's not something you disclose in public..."

"No Nidhi, I don't want anybody accusing me for what I did. I wanted to save Maahir and his family after knowing the truth, and in return I had to hurt my own daughter Vanya." Jwala pretended to wipe a tear. "Vihaan, you are like my son and I don't want you or your family to suffer because of her. She was betraying you by hiding her truth."

"Mom, please... This is too much." Nidhi caught hold of Jwala's arms. "You can't pretend as and when you like. You don't sympathise with Vanya, I know.."

Jwala shoved Nidhi's hands away and stood facing Vihaan. "Your beautiful wife is an infertile by birth and her incapability of becoming a mother is sure to bring misfortune to your family. It's better you accept the truth that she has left you for your own good. You surely deserve someone better and fitter than her who can carry your baby and give birth in a healthy way."

"You told them, mom." Nidhi felt her heart aching for Sanchi for the first time in her life and she rubbed her wet eyes. Facing Vihaan, she murmured, "Vihaan, will you behave the same with her like others used to? She was born a stutterer and was humiliated since childhood. When her truth of infertility was discovered, she was bashed and derogated more than you can imagine. Mom also didn't skip a chance of humiliating her."

Dheeraj found Vidya frozen in her place already upon the discovery of Sanchi's horrible truth, her hands skimming the surface of her own belly. She was preparing for the welcome of her unborn child but her soulmate was suffering from a very different pain than hers. She was aware that her own foetus was not normal but she couldn't refuse giving birth to it. On the contrary, there was Sanchi who was not even capable of bearing a single child. The only thought of it was traumatizing her and she could clearly feel Sanchi's pain and suffering, being a woman herself.

Jwala's harsh and sharp words reverberated in Vihaan's ears for the hundredth time and he blurted out all of a sudden, glaring deeply at Jwala. "So what if Sanchi thinks I don't deserve her? She should know that she DESERVES