Chapter 26: chapter 26

Isha had prepared two cups of cold coffee, one for herself and one for Imara. As she offered it to Imara, she hesitated and seemed unsure about accepting it. Adhiraj’s interference in her food intake during her menstrual cycle had proven helpful in relieving her stomach cramps. Consequently, she shook her head and said, “I am on my period. Maybe I shouldn’t have cold coffee.”Observing Imara with skepticism, Isha couldn’t resist asking, “Since when did you….”“Ish, please...” Imara interrupted, busying herself with organising her apartment, paying no heed to Isha’s unconvinced expressions.Choosing not to delve deeper, Isha gently remarked, “You had the option to walk away, you know. You didn’t have to agree…”“I didn’t have to...” Imara responded. “But when I saw Vibha Maa’s concern for Anu and Taru, I had no other option. Adhiraj’s grandfather was already on his way to inform the media that the wedding would be called off.”“I highly doubt he would have done that!” Isha asserted, taking a sip of her cold coffee.Imara nodded, simultaneously dusting off the wooden chairs in her living room. She replied, “When it comes to reputation, I don’t trust anyone. At that moment, all he cared about was ensuring his eldest grandson didn’t remain unmarried while his younger ones were going through the rituals. Moreover, the announcement of finding another bride only added to their reputation. It demonstrated that his grandson was so remarkable that he found another girl in no time.”With those words, Imara’s mind drifted back to that day—her own wedding, her resolute refusal, and the way she was cornered.As Isha neared her, she softly murmured, “Imara...” and her hands tenderly grasped her shoulders. “What have you thought of next?”Just as Imara was about to respond, a knock sounded at the door. Assuming it was their landlord, she swiftly opened the door. However, her eyes narrowed with displeasure upon finding Neel standing on the other side.Before she could react, he barged in, shutting the door behind him and raising his hands in frustration. “Imu, can you please move on and look ahead? What will we tell Adhiraj when he comes to pick you up tomorrow?”Imara snapped back, “I’m in my own home. If he wants me back for the sake of his reputation, he’ll have to come here. And as for your reputation, that’s not my problem.”“Imu…” Neel reached out to gently grasp her shoulder, his words momentarily stuck in his throat as he noticed Isha standing at the other end. But he quickly refocused on his sister, pleading, “Imu, please... Mummy has been waiting for you. Can we just move past all this?”Imara took a step back from her brother, her voice calm as she directed him towards the exit, “The door is that way...””Imu...” Neel snapped, his frustration evident.Imara brushed past him and opened the door, signalling for him to leave. She had reached her breaking point with all of this. It was all becoming too much for her to handle. She was filled with regret and anger at herself for confronting their father that day. If only she hadn’t, she would still be unmarried, she would still be Dheeraj’s Imara.Neel slammed the door shut once again, his eyes burning with anger as he addressed his sister. “I am done with this shit of yours. He really did mean a lot to you, right? More than our parents, me, Bhaiya, Chachu, Vibha Maa, Anu, and Taru. We never meant anything to you? You left everything because he left you. Him! Whose ego was bigger than your love for him and his for you! How many times did we try to contact you in the past year? And how many times did he reach out to you to know if you are alive or dead? Don’t pretend you’re unaware that he’s now happily married, moved on, agreed to the match his parents proposed, and is soon to become a father.”“Leave!” Imara hissed between clenched teeth, desperately trying to hold back her tears. “His family didn’t betray our love like mine did. Your actions gave him every right to move on.”Neel nodded, closing in on Imara, who stood defiantly. He hissed back fiercely, “He was aware you left us, didn’t he? He loved you, didn’t he? The two of you could have lived happily without our…”“Enough!” Isha interrupted, embracing Imara firmly and glaring defiantly at Neel. “You expected Dheeraj to turn a blind eye to your manipulations and accept Imara, knowing that her presence would only remind him of the tricks you played to separate them.”“I’m talking to my sister,” he hissed.Imara sobbed, her mind flooded with the memory of the day she lost everything. Isha soothingly rubbed her back and locked eyes with Neel, her voice resolute, “Funny how you suddenly remember she is your sister when it conveniently serves your purpose, for the sake of Adhiraj. Where was your sense of brotherhood and family until now?”Isha’s words pierced Neel’s heart, causing him to flinch. With a resigned nod, he took a step back and accepted, “It was guilt, Isha. Guilt that stopped us from being there for her because we were in the wrong. But now, it’s hope. Hope that we can make things right by bringing her closer to Adhiraj, her legally wedded husband. And to me, it’s crystal clear that despite our wrong ways, the result was exactly what we expected. Dheeraj left her when she needed him the most, and I am sure he wouldn’t have even defended her against his orthodox mother. My sister never deserved a spineless man like him who couldn’t call wrong, wrong.”With that, he swung open the door and stepped out of Imara’s apartment, forcefully slamming the door shut behind him.—————That night, Adhiraj found himself hesitating, his fingers hovering over Imara’s contact number on his phone. Deep down, he had a gut feeling that Imara would be feeling unsettled and on edge at her home. Despite knowing how much love and support she received from her family, he couldn’t help but worry about his wife’s unwillingness to openly admit her longing for her own family.He understood that, given the complex circumstances between them, Imara would not easily reveal her true feelings to him. This awareness made him pause and hold back from dialling her number. However, the unexplained distance between her and her family compelled him to reach out for Imara’s file.Meanwhile, in the Rathore Mansion, Sanjay’s face displayed deep concern as Dilip proposed, “Bhaisahab, we should have disclosed everything to Virender Uncle and his family on that very day. Imu wouldn’t have been cornered like this...”“He already knows!” Sanjay declared, leaving Dilip speechless. “When I told him the reason behind Imara leaving home, he claimed to be aware of everything. Yet, he persistently insisted on Imara marrying Adhiraj.”Feeling a sense of urgency, Sanjay quickly dialled Virender to inform him that Imara hadn’t come home. And that only he could persuade Adhiraj to bring her back from her apartment.