Chapter 79: chapter 79

Sanjay, along with his wife, was sitting in the living room of the Shekhawat Mansion. When Adhiraj had announced on the dinner table about Imara leaving, Anika had told her mother about it, who in turn had informed everyone in the Rathore Mansion.Sanjay and Suvika were perplexed at the sudden turn of events. They had already decided to visit Shekhawat Mansion to solve the matter. But early that morning, they received a call from Virender, informing that Imara had already left in the middle of the night.Sanjay’s face wore a pensive expression as he looked at Virender, who was equally baffled by the unexpected turn of events. Adhiraj sat opposite Virender, his shoulders hunched in defeat as he twiddled a thumb.“I demand an explanation, Adhiraj. Why did you ask her to leave?” Sanjay’s voice trembled with barely contained fury as he confronted his son-in-law. Despite Imara telling him it was she who was responsible for this, he couldn’t shake off the resentment he felt towards Adhiraj for failing to take care of his daughter.“She wasn’t into this…. marriage,” Adhiraj whispered, staring at a blank space.Sanjay’s frustration boiled over. “And what made you conclude that?”“There is no need for conclusion,” Jaidev interjected, his tone sharp and commanding, drawing everyone’s attention. “We all know she was never up for it. Raj had been trying everything for it to work, but she never did.”“Jai, hold up right there,” Virender warned, aware that his son was thinking the worst of Imara at this moment.Jaidev ignored the unspoken warning from his father. He was hurt, his heart aching for his son, whose life was ruined. He could see how deeply Adhiraj had fallen for Imara, and the pain of it all became too much to bear. Unable to contain himself any longer, he turned to Sanjay and revealed, “She was with his ex-boyfriend in her office when Adhiraj went to bring her back amidst the riots.”Adhiraj’s head whipped around, shock etched across his face. Sanjay’s eyes widened in disbelief, mirrored by Suvika’s stunned expression. Vandana squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that Jaidev’s rash words wouldn’t worsen the situation. Atharv and the others stared at Jaidev, their faces a mix of shock and concern. Virender shot a scathing glare at Jaidev, disappointment radiating from him.“Dad, you are taking it wrong,” Adhiraj interjected, drawing everyone’s attention. His gaze was fierce, filled with conviction as he asserted, “I believe in her. Infidelity is not in her nature.”With those words, Adhiraj rose from the couch and Jaidev belted out, “Then why did you ask her to leave? Everything was going on well unless you saw her with Dheeraj.”“They were meeting because of some official work. And as for us, I didn’t want her to feel obligated to stay with me just because we’re married,” he concluded and left for the office.Inside, Sanjay stood up too, followed by Suvika and said, “Jaidev, next time I won’t mind giving you a piece of my mind if I hear you berating my daughter. She might not love Adhiraj, but she respects relationships, this much I know about her. And about her leaving, I won’t rest until I have got to the bottom of what happened between them.”Virender seemed defeated. The situation was getting worse. Jaidev, ever defiant, replied, “You don’t know your daughter, then.”Sanjay raised his hand, his voice sharp. “Enough! The way you are speaking about her, it’s no wonder she left in the middle of the night.”With a fierce glare at Jaidev, Sanjay led Suvika out of the Shekhawat Mansion, heading to where they would find their daughter.—————Imara sat at her desk, her elbow propped up as her head rested heavily in the palm of her left hand. Her gaze drifted into the distance, looking at nothing, yet everything. The laptop before her remained untouched, a silent witness to her inability to focus or act.Suddenly, Isha burst into the office. Imara looked up, a frown creasing her forehead as she took in Isha’s swollen, red-rimmed eyes. Instinctively, she rose from her chair, worry etched across her face as she moved closer.“Ish, what’s wrong?” Imara asked, her voice laced with concern, her brows knitting together.Isha pulled her down into the chair, settling in with a sigh. “Just an eye infection. Leave it. What happened? Don’t leave out any details, Imu.”Imara felt a heavy weight on her heart. She was unwilling to pull anyone into the chaos that was consuming her. Someone was trying to take control of her life by dredging up a past that never happened. The way those events were twisted made it seem as if she had spent that night with Dheeraj. If those photos ever come out and Isha stood up to confirm that she had been with Imara instead, it would hardly matter. First, Isha was her friend, and people would likely dismiss her testimony as biased. Second, the harm would already be done, leaving scars that could never heal. Third, Dheeraj would be dragged into this mess, who, being a gentleman, had spent the entire night outside. His wife would be broken to no end.Moreover, if she opened up to Isha, she could already picture her friend jumping in to help her. But that was a risk she couldn’t take; the thought of Isha putting herself in harm’s way for her was unbearable.Hence, Imara shook her head, rose from the chair and marched out of her office, declaring, “I couldn’t stay there anymore.”“Imu, stop!” Isha called out, following her out. “Where are you going?”“To make something,” Imara responded and headed towards the production floor. Funny enough, even her own workplace reminded her of Adhiraj.It was an hour later when Imara sensed a presence at the door of the production floor. She turned around, only to find Sanjay standing there with Suvika beside him. Imara knew, didn’t she? She knew the moment her parents would come to know, they would come. Even though she told them she needed some time, she was aware they would come.Yet, as she looked into their eyes, she felt relieved. There was no hint of blame; instead, she saw the same warmth and love they had always showered upon her. It struck her how foolish she had been to ignore that love over the past year. She lost sight of what truly mattered.Smiling through her tears, she rushed towards her father and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his chest, feeling finally at peace.As Sanjay returned her hug, Suvika gently stroked Imara’s head, saying, “Let’s go home, Imu. You are not going back there.”Imara’s brows furrowed as she looked up at Suvika, who, sensing the meaning behind her gaze, responded by telling her what went down at the Shekhawat Mansion.“But I told you it wasn’t his fault.” Imara looked at her father.Sanjay glared down at her, stating, “I don’t care what went down between you two. What I care about is your respect! You are not going back to a house where people don’t respect you.”“Papa…”“No, Imu. He defended you, but as I have always said, it is not just the person you live with, it is the family, too. So I am supporting your decision to move out. You can tell me what happened whenever you are comfortable, but no one will force you.”Imara’s gaze dropped, her heart heavy as she nestled back against her father’s chest, desperately trying to reassure herself that she was doing the right thing.That night, after convincing Sanjay that she needed to stay alone for sometime, Imara returned to her apartment.She had just changed and came out into the living room when the doorbell rang. Frowning, she hesitated before opening the door and asked, “Who is it?”“There is a parcel for you!” came the reply.