ShraMan SS - Dawning of Realisation| Epilogue - Pg 57 | COMPLETED - Page 32

Suman was inside PCT. She saw the men including Khosla leave. She knew she had to act fast. She looked around to see if there was anyone who could help her. She couldn't see a single soul. Her cries for help were met by silence. She saw her phone. There was a glimmer of hope in her eyes. She went towards it only to see that it was charred by the fire. She looked around for something heavy so that she could try to break the door but couldn't find anything. the thought of jumping out of the window came to her but they had grills on them. This nullified that option too.

Tiwari Qila,

Meanwhile, Shravan was waiting for Suman and having small talk with her family. He felt uncomfortable and something was troubling him, he couldn't tell what. "Shravan beta, dinner is served. Come to eat" said Mamiji. He smiled wryly and followed her to dining table. He looked at his phone. There was no sign of her. "Where are you, Sumo? What the hell is taking you so long?" he thought.

Chapter 9

On the other hand, Suman was surrounded by the flames. She slumped to the floor, defeated. There was nothing she could do. All that she could do was wait. Wait for death to come to her. Her life flashed before her eyes. The hazy memories of her childhood with her parents, their death, her entry to Tiwari Qila with Nanu, her admission to her new school, her first encounter with Shravan, their friendship, her harsh words to him in the school ground, her ditching him at the prom, her nonchalance to his letter, his departure to London, the halt to their friendship, his return 10 years later, his revenge at the party, both of them fighting against Khosla, the revival of their friendship, the showdown with Nirmala, his apology... AND their LOVE. "I am so glad I met you Shravan. Our friendship was the best thing that ever happened to me. To fall in love with you was something I never thought of, when we were friends in childhood. But I am so glad to have fallen in love with a man like you. I love you Shravan. I am so thankful for the time we have had together. My only regret at this point in time is that I couldn't say this to you. Thank you for being my friend. For being there for me, every step of the way. I love you." She smiled, with tears in her eyes.

This was the first of many realizations that dawned on Suman. She wasn't scared of death. But when death was at her doorstep, she was filled with but regret, the regret of not telling Shravan of her love and how she felt for him, her wait and yearning for him. Her ego, self respect and circumstances robbed her of the chance of letting him know what was in her heart.

The smoke inside the burning structure had thickened and Suman lost consciousness due to excess of carbon dioxide she had inhaled.

The PCT employees arrived at their workplace and were shocked at what they saw. They also saw Suman's car on fire. There were 4 of them. One of them called the police, the second called the fire brigade, one went to call people for help and the last one phoned Tiwari Qila. Preeti picked up the phone. She couldn't believe what she heard. On being asked by Nanu, she answered, struggling for words, "One of the PCT employees called. She said that PCT is on fire. So is Suman di's car." They couldn't believe what they heard. Shravan sprinted to his car. He drove as fast as he could.

During the drive he recalled all the times he felt uneasy, the moments where he felt something being amiss, the ill foreboding regarding Suman, all of it. He felt a chill up his spine. He was filled with fear. "Please Sumo, be safe. I am not going to let anything happen to you. Please God, if you actually exist, I only ask one thing of you. Please keep Sumo safe. I promise I'll do everything in my power to protect her."

He had reached PCT. He saw Sumo's car charred. The PCT employees had put out the flames engulfing it. But one look at PCT, or the structure that housed PCT sent him into a state of numbness. All he saw was fire. The broken down structures surrounding it had also caught fire. He was scared. He saw that the door of PCT was latched.

He stood there like a statue, his eyes bloodshot and teary. He was struggling to comprehend what could have happened. But he could only think of one thing, rather one person. SUMO.

"What if? What if, Sumo is in there? No. No, that cannot... That cannot happen." The mere thought of her being inside a burning PCT sent him into an overdrive. He started shouting, calling out her name, frantically looking for her. He walked towards the burning structure. But before he could reach it, the police blocked his way. The police and fire brigade had arrived. The former barricaded the area surrounding PCT while the latter took all the necessary measures to put out the fire. The PCT employees along with strangers stood watching the commotion. Shravan might have been with them physically but mentally he wasn't. Once the fire was put out, one could partially look inside PCT. There was one window next to the door at the entrance. Through that Shravan saw something. It was Suman's bag, of what remained of it.

His worst fears had come true. Sumo was inside. The next moment saw him sprint towards the door. The policemen tried their best to stop him but to no avail. He pushed his way through them, lifted a barricade and threw it aside. He stepped inside a smoke filled room to search for Suman. He strained his eyes and moved his hands frantically so that the smoke cleared but his attempts failed. The smoke was too thick. The firemen entered the room and opened the windows, thus allowing the smoke to clear. Shravan kept on with his attempts of searching for Suman. While he was searching for her, he tripped and would have almost fallen if he hadn't held onto a slab for support. He tried moving his legs but found them entangled. "What the hell is stuck between my feet?" He bent down to see what was restricting his movement.

He was shocked at what he saw. It was Suman. She lay unconscious, unable to breathe with slight burns her nose and jawline. Her face had lost all colour. She was showing signs of excess smoke inhalation. He picked her up and led her out. He rushed her to the paramedics on site. They put an oxygen mask on her face and headed to the hospital. As soon as they reached, she was treated immediately. "Doctor, I don't care about anything. Do whatever it takes but Sumo should be fine" Shravan said, in all seriousness. The doctors knew who he was. They had to do ALL that it takes otherwise they were done for.

Meanwhile, the Tiwaris, Malhotras and Nirmala had reached the hospital. They were scared for both Suman and Shravan. They feared for Suman's condition as well as Shravan's reaction if this ended badly.

"Sumo, please wake up. See, I am right next to you. Please..." he whispered. He had tears in his eyes. All his strength was over. He was done hiding his emotions. He sat by her bed holding her hand and cried. He cried to his hearts content. No one had it in their heart to stop him.

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