Chapter 19: chapter 19

Imara approached Vandana, making a polite request, “My friend is here. Can you please...?”Vandana nodded, immediately approaching her husband and whispering in his ear. He then signalled to the security, allowing Isha to enter.Imara then approached Adhiraj, who was engaged in a conversation with Shaurya and Neel. In a whisper from behind, she said, “I need the keys to my car.”Adhiraj’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion as he turned around. This woman hadn’t spared him a single glance during lunch, and now she pops up out of the blue, requesting the keys. Annoyed, he couldn’t help but quip, “You’re coming in my car...”Suppressing her urge to retort, Imara composed herself and spoke in the calmest tone she could muster. “I need to send my car back to my apartment. My friend is here, and she’ll take it.”“Isha is here?” Neel blurted out, earning a pair of curious glances from Imara and Shaurya.Imara nodded, her eyes fixed on her brother’s reaction. “Yes…Isha is here,” while she extended her hand towards Adhiraj, demanding, “Keys!”Adhiraj retrieved the keys from his pocket and suggested, “We can take it home.”Without missing a beat, Imara blurted out, “I love Babli too much to park it at your place.”With that sharp remark, she turned around and strutted away, leaving a baffled Adhiraj. He couldn’t help but ask her brothers, “Who is Babli?”Amidst the confusion, Shaurya chuckled, while Neel trailed after Imara outside. He had lost not only his sister but also Isha. Now that Imara was back, maybe, just maybe, he could start afresh with Isha. He had missed her, his Isha.Meanwhile, Shaurya replied with a grin, “Her car…it’s Babli.”“What?!” exclaimed Adhiraj. Shaurya, with a proud smile on his face, simply nodded and added, “She’s crazy about cars, especially that one. She bought it second hand with the money she earned from her toy firm.”Adhiraj, his curiosity peaked, probed further, “How do you know this much? If I am not wrong, she opened that firm after she left home.”Shaurya locked eyes with Adhiraj, a determined expression on his face. “She did. I didn’t. I have been keeping an eye out on her ever since. Can’t leave her out like she is a nobody.”With intrigue building, Adhiraj couldn’t resist asking, “Has she been ever targeted?”After considering for a moment, Shaurya nodded and replied, “During her first year, someone tried to kidnap her while she was out jogging early in the morning.”Adhiraj’s curiosity piqued, prompting him to nod eagerly, desperate to hear more about her. Without skipping a beat, Shaurya delved into the story, saying, “Out of the blue, we got a phone call from the hospital that morning.”“Imara?” Adhiraj’s voice wavered with concern.Shaurya stifled a laugh as he shook his head. “No! The guy who dared to kidnap her ended up with more than just a bruised ego. He had broken bones and fractures all over. Imara, bless her heart, showed some mercy and spared his precious internal organs.”Adhiraj was left dumbfounded, rendered utterly speechless by the revelation. Observing his astonishment, Shaurya proudly added with a hint of amusement in his eyes, “You see, my sister is a master of Mixed Martial Arts! She could easily take down a man of your size.”Not wanting to reveal his shock, Adhiraj simply nodded, making a mental note of this newfound knowledge. It suddenly made sense why he had felt the impact when she ruthlessly struck his stomach with her knee and pummelled his back with her elbow. Being trained in Kalaripayattu himself, Adhiraj knew that without his own resilience, he wouldn’t have been able to carry Imara after she gave him a taste of her knockout skills.Adhiraj, now even more intrigued, delved deeper into the matter, questioning, “Why was the man in the hospital? Shouldn’t he had been in police custody?”“She was the one who took him there,” Shaurya responded.Adhiraj’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion, and Shaurya nodded knowingly, remarking, “That’s just who she is. She can’t stand seeing people in pain, and she also can’t resist giving a good beating when needed. You better watch out.”“Appreciate the heads up!” Adhiraj acknowledged, walking away, his curiosity mounting to witness Imara bidding farewell to Babli.“Babli!” he mumbled with a suppressed smile.Imara hurried towards Isha, embracing her tightly in a warm hug. In response, Isha returned the hug and soothingly stroked her back. Concern evident in her voice, she asked. “What kind of game did they play this time, Imara?”Imara pulled back, her head shaking slightly, but her grip on Isha’s hands remained firm, as if drawing strength. Isha examined Imara from head to toe, noticing her adorned appearance as a newly married woman. She refrained from making any remarks, fully aware of just how much Imara had longed for this phase of her life, when everything seemed perfect with her and Dheeraj.With a sigh, Isha slid a bag towards Imara and explained, “This is everything I received at Chennai airport, along with some clothes from your apartment.”Imara nodded and added, “I’ll return as soon as I can...” while accepting the bags from Isha and offering her the car keys.In a gentle gesture, Isha softly squeezed Imara’s shoulder and expressed her confusion. “None of this seems to add up. You got married to Adhiraj Singh Shekhawat...”Imara, overcome with emotion, bit her lip, causing Isha to pause. Gathering herself, Imara whispered, “I’ll call you, alright?”Before Isha could respond, a voice interrupted from behind them, calling out, “Imu...”Both Imara and Isha turned their gaze towards the source of the voice. Standing there was Neel, his eyes shifting back and forth between his sister and her friend. Feeling uneasy, Isha shifted her gaze away, took a step back, and whispered to Imara, “I’ll leave for now. We’ll catch up soon.”Imara, observing this unfolding scene, decided to inquire about it from Isha later. She nodded understandingly and embraced Isha gently before bidding her goodbye. Neel’s eyes lost their sparkle as she left once again, without granting him a single glance or an opportunity to explain himself. That particular day, after coming to know that Isha held feelings for him, his happiness knew no bounds. He had been prepared to express his own love for her, but circumstances took an unexpected turn. He desperately wished he could have revealed his own emotions to Isha before the incident with Dheeraj unfolded.“She has left…” Imara’s voice broke through his reverie.He looked at his sister, pressed his lips together, and silently nodded in agreement, whispering back, “Yes... she did.”Without uttering a single word, he performed his routine act for Imara. Gripping her bag firmly, he led the way indoors. Imara glanced at his receding figure and then at her car, which had disappeared into the distance. Her attention shifted back to her brother, who silently carried her bag. This was his manner of indulging her, a testament to their unbreakable bond. Whether she returned from school, the market, or college, Neel would unfailingly assume the responsibility of lugging her belongings without uttering a word. He shielded her from any form of burden, be it physical or emotional. Neel was more than just a brother; he was her closest confidant, with whom she felt safe to divulge her deepest secrets, forgetting momentarily that he was not just a friend, but her Rathore brother, a man of high esteem who prioritised reputation over emotions.Imara took a deep, trembling breath before mustering the courage to follow Neel indoors. These emotions, flooded with nostalgia, were exactly why she had chosen to distance herself from her family. And now, not even a day had passed, yet she found herself being pulled back into the whirlpool of those emotions.Meanwhile, Adhiraj stood at a distance, quietly observing the interaction. Though he couldn’t hear their words, their expressions spoke volumes. He witnessed Isha’s reaction, the way she instinctively recoiled upon seeing Neel. He noticed Neel’s desperation to speak with Isha. And he saw Imara, too, attentively observing the scene, a longing evident in her gaze as Neel dragged her luggage inside. Nonetheless, he restrained himself. This version of Imara puzzled him. His thoughts teetered between giving things a try or letting them be. However, as long as she behaved, he decided to let her be.“Raj...” Vandana’s voice came from behind as she gently placed her hand on his shoulder. He turned around, and Vandana, peering over his shoulder at Imara, expressed, “You must be patient with her. Understand that she hasn’t had the best relationship with her family, and now, all of a sudden, she is expected to take on the role of a responsible daughter. Make her feel cherished, make her feel at home. Every girl should be able to turn to her husband if she feels uncomfortable, rather than relying on her mother-in-law or others.” She looked at her son and continued, “Do you understand what I’m saying?”Adhiraj nodded, and just then, Jaidev joined them, suggesting, “We should leave. It’s already four o’clock.”Receiving a nod from Vandana, the Shekhawat family prepared to check out of the palace.Anika and Tarushi couldn’t hold back their tears as they said goodbye to their family, but Imara seemed unfazed by it all. She didn’t reach out to her parents, brothers, or even Dilip and Vibha. However, they did.Sanjay, disregarding Imara’s apparent disinterest, pulled her into a warm embrace. Whispers gently escaping his lips, he expressed, “I have always been there for you, Imu, and I always will be.” As he pulled back, he tenderly caressed her face, while assuring her, “I never took away your spot. I would never do that. But I promise to find out what happened.”Imara stepped away, shaking her head and stating, “I can take care of myself.”Understanding Imara’s strong-willed nature, Sanjay nodded, wanting to avoid triggering his daughter. He then allowed Suvika to envelop Imara in a warm hug.“Imu, whatever is meant to happen will happen. Destiny is a force beyond our control, but we can hold accountable those who become the reason behind a destined event unfolding.” Suvika gently touched her face, drawing herself back, and whispered, “If not us, it would have been something or someone else, but he was destined to leave your life.”Imara shook her head, her voice filled with a mix of resignation and blame. “Maybe, but it was all because of you. I find myself in this situation because of all of you,” she whispered, pulling away.Before her brothers could even attempt to embrace her, she stepped back and entered the car.Adhiraj, observing this, waved to the Rathores and joined her inside. His gaze lingered on Imara’s impassive face, for a moment wondering what she would look like with a smile.Meanwhile, outside the car, Virender placed a comforting hand on Sanjay’s shoulder and whispered, “I am confident that Adhiraj will bring your Imara back.”Sanjay gave a hesitant nod and expressed his concerns, “You pulled Adhiraj into a mess, Uncle. My daughter is a mess. She is deeply rooted in her past. I didn’t want to destroy Adhiraj’s life, and that’s why I had returned the proposal then. But now, I hope it’s not too late when she decides to move on.”Virender disagreed with a gentle shake of his head and a warm smile, “We never realised the depth of the connection the day Imara was born. When I approached you for their wedding, I said it then, and I say it now, they are truly meant for each other. They will realise it soon.”With those words of reassurance, Virender got into the car and the Shekhawat family left, now with three daughters from the Rathore Clan as their daughters-in-law.