Chapter 77: chapter 77

That night, as the clock ticked into the late hours, Imara awoke to the discomfort of a dry throat and a stomach that growled like a restless beast. How much she tried, she couldn’t sleep again. To stave off the hunger that clawed at her insides, she wrapped herself in a shawl and stepped out of her room, casting a lingering glance at the empty space beside her on the bed. With a heavy heart, she turned away and softly closed the door behind her.As she made her way down the stairs, the sound of voices floated from Vandana’s room, causing her to frown in surprise. It was nearly one in the morning, and it felt strange for Adhiraj’s parents to be awake at this hour unless there was a pressing matter at hand. Intrigued, she approached the door to Vandana’s room, stopping just outside as she caught snippets of a conversation that centred around her.“Did you not see what she is doing to Raj, Papa?” Jaidev bellowed. “My son hasn’t been coming home since he saw her with her ex-boyfriend in her office!”Imara took a step back, feeling her throat tighten, and she gasped for air.“Jai,” Virender declared firmly. “I raised you better than to speak about a girl in that manner. It seems to me there’s been a misunderstanding, and that’s precisely why Raj mentioned she was leaving.”“I never wanted Raj to marry her. You know that. Vandana and I saw with our own eyes that she went into that room with Dheeraj,” Jaidev replied, making Imara stagger back against the wall, her heart racing.“And what difference does it make? That was all in the past,” Virender countered. “Vandana, I ask you—did you see any faults in Imara?”“Papaji, Imara is a wonderful girl. I wouldn’t want her to leave because I know Raj has feelings for her too,” Vandana responded earnestly.“It’s for the best that she is leaving. Can’t you see it was only our son trying to save the marriage? I don’t want that girl near him anymore. He has seen those photos and videos, hasn’t he? He knows how deeply she was involved with Dheeraj. If all of that was just in the past, what was that man doing alone in her office?” Jaidev pressed, his voice filled with frustration.“Jai, you are taking it all wrong, just like Raj did. I don’t know why Dheeraj came to meet her and what they were doing. We haven’t seen it. Let’s not jump to conclusions and talk it out.” Virender reasoned.“Talk to that girl? For what? She is his wife,” Jaidev spat, his voice laced with anger. “Does she even know why Raj was out of town? To shield her from any harm she brought upon us and upon herself by doing business with them. He didn’t even mind knowing that she had been in a physical relationship with Dheeraj, because it was in the past. And what did she do? Sign a contract with them! Meet her ex in the guise of business. That’s sheer betrayal.”“Jai..” Virender remarked sternly. “She is your daughter-in-law.”“Has she ever considered us as her parents-in-law? Everyone in this family accepted her with open arms. Did she? Does she even spare a glance at her own husband? Do you even understand how difficult it must be for Raj to keep trying to win her, to make this marriage work when she is hell bent on breaking it?”“We are unnecessarily stretching the topic,” Vandana reasoned. “Papaji is right, Jai. Imara told me what happened in the office and that Raj didn’t even give her a chance to explain.”“Did she tell you why Dheeraj came to meet her?” Jaidev countered.Silence!“I am not against her meeting with other men, but the one she was in a relationship with, despite knowing he is married now and she is married now and that too in the dead of the night, in her office. God knows what Raj saw, that he is so broken.”The words became too much for Imara to bear. She crept up the stairs, the sound of her pounding heart echoed in her ears. She burst into her room, her eyes brimming with new tears. The fact that Adhiraj already knew about the photos and his unwillingness to let her explain tore at her soul. It meant he believed in those photos and assumed she had ulterior motives for meeting Dheeraj in her office.She buried her face in her trembling hands, releasing a choked sob. The idea that Adhiraj could think so poorly of her was unbearable. Consequently, her eyes landed on her packed luggage.Meanwhile, Jaidev stepped out of his room. With his shoulders hunched, he sat on the dining table and reached for a glass of water. He couldn’t stop thinking about the night he and Vandana saw Imara and Dheeraj.That Night!It was the annual gathering of Jaidev and his college friends. Once a year, they would all meet up at a hotel for a night out with their partners. As Jaidev and Vandana were returning to their room after a hearty chit-chat, they noticed an elegantly dressed girl being guided by a man down the hallway.Jaidev shook his head and muttered, “This younger generation, I tell you.”Vandana rolled her eyes and reminded him, “Your sons are part of this generation, too.”“They could find a room,” he whispered.Vandana playfully teased him, “Like you ever waited to enter one when we were young.”The man passed a smile and stopped, raising an eyebrow, saying, “Want a repeat of those days? I can still compete with this generation.”Unable to resist, Vandana chuckled and linked her arm with his, saying, “Shut up!”Before Jaidev could make another comment, they heard a man speaking, “Imara, let me hold you,” as he firmly wrapped his arm around her waist.Jaidev and Vandana stopped and glanced back at the couple, who were heading towards a room. Just then, Imara’s slurred voice echoed in the hallway, “Kiss me, Dheeraj!”He chuckled and responded, “You’re drunk. Let’s go inside the room.”She stubbornly stopped and looped her arm around his neck, pulling him closer. Jaidev and Vandana averted their gaze while he muttered, “It’s a good thing Mummy already knows she likes someone else. Otherwise, she would have never believed us.”As Jaidev looked back one final time, Dheeraj opened the door and guided Imara inside, with her still clinging onto his neck.The next morning, it was time for Jaidev and Vandana to join their friends for breakfast. As fate would have it, just as they stepped outside, they spotted Dheeraj and Imara stepping out of the same room they entered last night. Imara rested her head gently against Dheeraj’s shoulder, his arm wrapped protectively around her waist. They both looked somewhat dishevelled, as if sleep had eluded both of them. He said, “For everyone else, you stayed at Isha’s place, alright?”Imara nodded, allowing him to lead her to the elevator. Meanwhile, Jaidev steered Vandana away, expressing, “I can’t say my mother is always right when it comes to judging people. Loving someone is fine, but I strongly oppose this generation’s interpretation of love. I’m happy we raised our children better.”Vandana, aware of Jaidev’s cultured perspective, chose to remain silent. Yet, she couldn’t help but notice the pure innocence radiating from Imara. It was as if she could understand why Devyani liked Imara so much. Imara seemed to trust wholeheartedly, to love deeply. Although Vandana was unsure about what happened in that room the previous night, she was convinced that this girl loved and trusted Dheeraj with every fibre of her being. In truth, the moment she first laid eyes on Imara’s photograph and heard Devyani’s glowing words about her, she too had secretly hoped that Imara would one day become Adhiraj’s wife.