Chapter 46: chapter 46

“It was then that Imara met Dheeraj. He was her team lead,” Sanjay shared with Adhiraj, who gestured for him to continue.“I only found out later about Imara’s consistent contributions to the NGO where her friend Isha used to live. Every weekend, she would make it a point to visit and educate the children as part of her company’s CSR initiative. Being her father, I knew deep down that her intentions went beyond just teaching those kids. There was something more to it. That’s why, one weekend, I decided to accompany her and finally met Dheeraj,” Sanjay added.Adhiraj inhaled deeply before standing up from the chair and pacing across the room. It was difficult for him to hear firsthand about Imara’s past. Perhaps it was because she was still emotionally attached to that man, even though he was now married and had a child. Two days ago, Adhiraj received an investigation report on Dheeraj that revealed all these details.“It wasn’t difficult for me to figure out that Imara had feelings for him,” Sanjay whispered, his gaze fixed in the distance, as if reliving the past. “I also liked him!”Adhiraj looked at Sanjay with confusion, and Sanjay clarified, “I liked Dheeraj as a person. He was kind. I could see it. Later that day, when I probed, Imara admitted her feelings for him. I didn’t protest. But I wanted to make sure his family was just as good as he was.”“As I understand, Dadu told me that families didn’t agree,” Adhiraj responded.Sanjay’s eyes softened as he spoke. “No! It wasn’t like that at all.” He gazed at Adhiraj, adding, “When we checked Dheeraj’s family background, everything seemed fine. We told Imara we had no objection, as long as Dheeraj was as committed as she was. It was then that she confessed she wasn’t sure if he felt the same way. Because she never expressed her feelings to him.”“But Dadu mentioned she proposed to him at that children’s fair,” Adhiraj sought clarification.“Yes, she did,” Sanjay nodded. “It was after she was sure that I approved of Dheeraj enough to allow them to get married. She was never the type to be involved with multiple boys. She always wanted to be with the one man she would marry. However, she didn’t want to go against our wishes. So, when I agreed, only then did she take a step forward.”Adhiraj’s heart raced with a mix of emotions as he absorbed the information. The path to winning Imara’s heart seemed like a challenging journey ahead.“But things took a turn once they entered a relationship,” Sanjay explained, pulling Adhiraj back from his thoughts. “His mother was narrow-minded. Dheeraj told this to Imara and requested his parents shouldn’t know that they were already in a relationship when we proceed with the marriage proposal.”Adhiraj looked puzzled, prompting Sanjay to continue. “I had my doubts, but Imara was already too invested. So, for her sake, we went along with it. We proposed the marriage by introducing Dheeraj as a potential match for my daughter during a visit to an NGO. His parents were hesitant, but eventually agreed. However, things took a turn for the worse when his mother found out about Imara’s proposal through a colleague of Dheeraj...” Sanjay trailed off, deep in thought.“And…” Adhiraj asked, pulling Sanjay back into reality.“His mother’s perspective completely shifted. Gradually, she began expressing her negative opinions about Imara. It was a breaking point for me when Suvika informed me about his mother’s visit to our home, just a few days before the engagement. She desired a daughter-in-law who would cater to their needs unquestioningly, wake up at the crack of dawn, handle all tasks by herself as she was against hiring help. She even hinted at her disapproval of a career-oriented woman, citing stories of divorces due to prioritising work and engaging in extramarital affairs. She didn’t hesitate to insinuate that if a modern girl like Imara had the audacity to propose to a man, she could easily be involved with someone else in the future if her feelings for Dheeraj waned.”Adhiraj was left utterly speechless. He had always known that such narrow-minded individuals still existed in society, but to witness someone actually pointing fingers at Imara and uttering such derogatory remarks about her, it deeply unsettled him.“What were his thoughts on this?” Adhiraj couldn’t resist asking, his brows creased in worry.“I couldn’t care less about his thoughts on this matter. It was clear to me that I would never allow my daughter to marry into a family that couldn’t accept her for who she was and respect her choices. Their blatant shaming of my daughter for being in love was unacceptable. I never intended for Imara to be a part of our circle. That’s why I agreed to Dheeraj, because I knew my daughter didn’t need material possessions to be happy, she just needed love and support from a family. While Dheeraj could provide that, his family clearly couldn’t. I regretted giving Imara false hope of a happily ever after with Dheeraj before discovering the kind of people his parents were. Suvika tried to reason with Imara, to help her understand, but Imara refused to budge. All she had to say was that she and Dheeraj loved each other and would stand by each other no matter what. So, in that moment, I did what I thought was best,” Sanjay said, exhaling a deep breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding.“What did you do?” Adhiraj asked.Sanjay took a deep, shuddered breath before confessing, “We invited him and his family to our place for lunch while Imara was away. It was then that I...” Sanjay cleared his throat before continuing. “I offered them a home in our neighbourhood with all the luxuries, including round-the-clock maids and a business for Dheeraj to run. I knew his parents wouldn’t take it well. I also believed that this would provoke his mother, and she would openly express her thoughts about Imara. Additionally, I wanted to test how much Imara meant to him. I wanted to see if he had the courage to stand up for my daughter, because love and money alone are not enough in life; it’s the support we receive when we’re lost. Though Dheeraj was shocked by my proposal, his family didn’t react, not until I lost my temper and confronted him in front of his parents about the derogatory remarks his mother made about Imara a few days ago when she visited our home.”Before Adhiraj could say anything, Sanjay continued, “His mother didn’t deny any of it. Instead, she expressed her satisfaction that Dheeraj had seen our true colours. And to my surprise, Dheeraj remained silent even when she spoke ill of my daughter, even though she didn’t even know her. Without saying a word, he left with his family after that. We didn’t inform Imara about it. I told them not to. I wanted Imara to see that when the time came, Dheeraj couldn’t stand up for her. I knew she would eventually find out what I did, but I believed she would understand my reasons. Unfortunately, she didn’t.”Sanjay paused, his eyes tightly shut as he gently massaged his temples, vividly recalling those agonizing days. “I pushed my daughter into that despair,” he whispered.The room was then filled with a heavy silence, broken only by the sound of Adhiraj’s restless footsteps, echoing on the wooden floor. He absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the tension building up within him as he imagined Imara’s shattered state during that time.“Dheeraj ignored all of her calls for two whole days,” Sanjay disclosed. “She was devastated because he didn’t even show up at the office. On that particular day, she came back home early and accidentally overheard Suvika and Vibha discussing the day when Dheeraj visited with his parents. Before either of them could react or clarify the situation, Imara rushed off to meet Dheeraj. When Suvika informed me about this, I became extremely worried, not because Imara knew everything, but because I knew her heart was about to shatter. However, deep down, I also understood that this confrontation was necessary. To ensure that Imara had someone to rely on until she returned home, I sent Neel after her. However, when she eventually came back, Neel wasn’t with her. He came after a few minutes later and informed us that Dheeraj had callously slammed the door in Imara’s face, announcing that he was going to marry someone his mother had chosen. That is not what I expected to happen to my daughter. As from Imu, I had expected a showdown, but what she did left all of us broken.”Imara’s heart was in pieces as she stepped into her home that day. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision, yet she refused to blink or acknowledge her family’s concerned stares. Ignoring their worried glances, she made a beeline for her room and shut the door. The weight of her despair enveloped the Rathore mansion. With a resounding thud, Suvika pounded on the door, desperately calling out to her daughter, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.The silence was suffocating, amplifying Sanjay’s growing fear that Imara might harm herself. Frantically, he attempted to open the door with a duplicate key, but to no avail. The door, bolted from the inside, remained steadfast. Upon his instruction, Shaurya and Neel had to break through the door to her room.When everyone entered her dimly lit room, they saw her wordlessly sitting on the cold hardwood floor, her back pressing against the bed. Her vacant eyes stared off into the distance. The room was filled with a heavy silence, broken only by the soft whisper of Sanjay’s voice, “Imu,” as he slid down to the floor beside his daughter.“You insulted him, his parents, his self-esteem, Papa,” she said, her voice echoed hollowly, devoid of any emotion.“No,” Sanjay persisted, his words barely audible.“You did,” Imara said, her voice devoid of any inflection, as she slowly rose from the floor. She walked towards her wooden wardrobe, the creaking hinges filling the room with an eerie sound. Retrieving her documents, she held them in her hands, her fingers trembling slightly.“Each one of you did,” she continued, her voice filled with resignation. “You showed them, with your extravagant displays of wealth, that we believe the world revolves around us. You proved his mother’s accusations right—that my family has spoiled me enough to expect a son-in-law who is filthy rich, capable of fulfilling my every desire.”“Imu,” Suvika interjected, her heart thudding at the way Imara’s voice sounded, like a distant rumble before a storm.“Don’t touch me,” Imara shot back, her voice filled with anger, as she swiftly packed her documents into her bag and prepared to leave the room.“Imara,” Shaurya grasped her elbow, stopping her in her tracks. “Where are you going?”She forcefully withdrew her hand from Shaurya’s grip, revealing a side of her he had never witnessed before—a trembling figure consumed by anger.“It’s none of your damn business,” she snapped, her words dripping with fury. “To all of you, I am as good as dead.”“IMARA,” Sanjay’s voice boomed, as he approached her with intensity. “Is this how you talk?”A smirk formed on her face, but the pain in her eyes shattered Sanjay’s heart as she retorted, “Look who’s talking?”“Imu, that’s enough,” Neel cautioned, pulling her back into the room. “Stay here, and we’ll discuss this tomorrow when you’re in a better state.”Imara forcefully freed herself from his grasp, her jaw clenched as she fired back, “You’ve lost these rights. Each and every one of you lost your claim on me the moment you drove Dheeraj out of my life.”“Imu,” Vibha whispered softly, empathising with the immense pain Imara must be enduring.“I LOVE HIM,” Imara shouted. “And my so-called family destroyed my relationship with the one I love. I don’t blame him,” she cried out, pointing at everyone. “All of you are at fault. None of you could make the other understand how broken I would be without him. Did I ever say I won’t be able to adjust to his home? I never did. Because I knew he would take care of me. How dare you decide on my behalf?”“IMARA!” Dilip yelled. “Watch your words! You are our daughter and we have every right to decide for our children.”“Without even asking me,” she wailed, tears streaming down her face, a clear sign of her vulnerability. “I am an adult, capable of determining what is best for me and what is not. And today, I choose to leave this bloody house forever.”The weight of her words hung heavy in the air, suffocating the room with an oppressive stillness. In a moment of sheer panic, Sanjay took a step forward, only to be met with Imara’s retreat, her voice dripping with venom as she hissed, “I hate all of you. You claimed to love me unconditionally. But why? Just because I am the first girl to survive after generations? I wish I hadn’t. And now that I have, just forget that you ever had a daughter.”With those cutting words, she whirled around, but Sanjay managed to catch her just in time, his voice filled with desperation as he shouted, “Enough! Do you even understand the gravity of your words? You are doubting, forsaking your own family for someone who lacked the courage to stand up against his mother for you.”“Would you like Bhaiya standing up against you and Mummy for a girl who had just entered his life?” Imara’s retort was swift, her voice laced with bitterness as she stepped away from Sanjay, plunging the room into a heavy silence once more.A smirk played on her lips, her anguish shining through. “No,” she whispered. “Then how can you expect him to? I trusted him enough to believe he would face it all. But you, being my own family, lacked faith in my trust.”Tears continued to pour from her eyes as she whispered, her voice filled with anguish, “I swear, if any of you try to pull any more tricks to bring me back here, you will find me dead. And you won’t even get to see my body.”Sanjay’s gaze shifted downward, his tear-stained cheeks glistening in the dim light. The weight of that day bore heavily on him, the searing pain cutting through his heart with each recollection. Adhiraj, empathetic, extended a glass of water and offered a comforting pat on the shoulder. Sanjay, his trembling hand grasping the glass, drank it, feeling the coolness of the water soothing his parched throat.Taking a deep breath, he mustered the strength to continue. “I didn’t stop her then. I was scared because she was angry, afraid she would live up to her words. Shaurya and Neel tried to protect her, but she kept on punishing herself to punish us. She made me realize my mistake, my failure as a father. I should have communicated, sought a compromise with Dheeraj and his family. Maybe things would have turned out differently. Maybe I should have talked to Imara, trusted that she would understand my concerns. She was right to call me out for expecting Dheeraj to stand up for her. I replay the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’ in my mind every day, drowning in guilt for pushing my daughter into despair. I promised to shield her from sadness, yet I became the source of her suffering. I failed her. The first time I tried to reach out to her after she left, her words pierced my heart—she would rather die than return home. I was too ashamed to try again.”Adhiraj sat across from Sanjay, who had his head buried in his hands, feeling defeated. He reached out and placed a comforting hand on Sanjay’s shoulder, saying, “Every father’s instinct is to shield their child from harm. You acted out of love, Uncle. There’s no need to blame yourself. I understand what you did why you did. Imara will see that too, I assure you. She will come around soon.”