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This is the one requested by Mittu(SleepyPsycho). Thanks a lot for the wonderful idea sweetheart. Hope you guys like it. Please let me know how it is. It means a lot. Love you all 🤗
PART l
"Suman, is your packing done beta?"
"Yes Nanu. Packing is done."
Suman smiled at her grandfather. Her tumultuous state of mind was evident in her voice. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. How could it? When it was fake. Instead of happiness it clearly contained the shadow of sorrow. Her grandfather came closer and lovingly caressed her face
"Suman, I know you are very strong beta. And I'm proud that you are pretty much sure what you did was the right thing to do. So what if people didn't get what you offered? It's their fault, not yours. And why are you upset for someone who doesn't even care? It's them who should be upset, not you."
He lightly patted her head before turning to leave. Taking a few steps, he stopped and turned around
"Never forget this, don't get upset over something you can't control because you'll be a fool to do so."
Suman flashed a smile again; this time genuine. She saw her grandfather walk up to her uncle asking him probably something about tickets. She opened the zipper of her bag for a last minute checking. When she was done, she heaved a sigh and dashed on the bed beside the bag
"Nanu is right. I shouldn't give a damn! Why would it matter to me if he's upset with me or not? He was the one who shattered my world. The place which was my pride, the one place adorned with my mother's name; my everything, he snatched it from me. He didn't show the slightest guilt. That broke even the least expectation I had. He said he did the right thing! Wow! When I wanted to make things right, he slashed me with bitter words. And now that he did 'the right thing' he isn't even willing to understand that he has caused an irreparable damage."
It was nearly three months since PCT was demolished and Suman's business had found a new place- Tiwari Villa. Though she had to struggle a lot for a few days, soon she overcame the obstacles. Thanks to the awesome employees and her family members who supported her in every step and encouraged her to fight. No one at her home knew that the culprit behind the drama was their beloved Shravan Malhotra and his father Ramnath Malhotra. Suman decided to keep it to herself cause she knew if her Nanu learned about it, he'll be extremely hurt just as she was.
The trust and respect that she had for Shravan was shattered by a striking thunderbolt. She knew even if he came to apologize and accepted his mistake then maybe she'll forgive him but trusting him again will not be easy. After all some mistakes can be forgiven but not forgotten. She knew she'll need time to rebuild that foundation. What was she even thinking? He'll ask for forgiveness? Really? Shravan Malhotra? He didn't even care. And she shouldn't also.
Everything was sorted now. Her business was back in full swing and also she got some really good clients. Surprisingly she had made a profit in the last three months which would have taken a year. Hard work and luck of course. Maybe it was her mother's blessing. Only she knew what she had to go through to rebuild PCT. She was able to repay her mother's debts which lifted a heavy burden off of her chest. And now she had found a new place to shift her business. It was time to show the world what a girl 'particularly her' was capable of. And the 'world' actually meant Shravan Malhotra. It was time to show him that she had won the challenge. She had rebuilt her business without any 'majestic interference' of 'men'. Which Shravan thought was impossible. And she was ready to throw it on his face.
It was not that she didn't meet him 'by mistake' since that fateful day. They had a few encounters and both did a very good job of avoiding each other. But after all 'the heart wants what it wants' and they wanted each other. They were in a dilemma. Fighting between their heart and mind. And mind won for the time being. But somehow their subconscious self knew that this wall of separation was going to break. Sooner or later. But it was going to happen. It had to happen. For the sake of love.
"Suman!"
"Yes Mami!"
Suman hurriedly got up and stumbled on her way. She still couldn't stop thinking about him. Her eyes darkened again
"See Shravan, you always cause me pain!"
********
Shravan played with the paperweight; sulking. A slight knock on the cabin door grabbed his attention. He let go of the object and spoke in his usual grumpy voice
"Come in."
His irritation level raised further as Pushkar entered with a file
"Chote I have really had enough! I don't need any more of your stupid lecture..."
"I am just here to hand over this file Bhaiya. I have no interest in what you think or do."
Only then Shravan noticed his dark circles. Had he not be sleeping? What on earth was bothering him? It was him who didn't get proper sleep for obvious reasons. But the stressed state of his brother worried him. What could it be?
"Did you break up with your girlfriend?"
"What?"
Pushkar looked at him thundered
"Did that girl ditch you? The one you took on a date?"
"She was never mine so..."
Shravan smirked. An evil smirk.
"I warned you. Girls are heartbreakers. I told you not to be serious."
"And I too have said this millions of times Bhaiya that your perception is wrong. Well let it be. I don't want to waste my time to convince someone who doesn't have the will to be. Not anymore. I'm done Bhaiya. And who are you to talk about heartbreak? He who is a heartbreaker himself. Even worse then that. What you did to Sumo was insane. I'm proud of her. She didn't let herself accept defeat. She has earned what she deserves."
Pushkar paused for a few seconds. Pin drop silence. Good. He could leave his brother speechless at least once
"And never say that my love was a mistake. I still love her and will always do. And I respect her feelings. But as I said, let it be Bhaiya. You don't even know what love is."
He threw the file on Shravan's desk and left the cabin just the way he arrived- calmly.
Two brothers, one with a clear view and the other lost in the darkness.
*******
Shravan felt tears brimming his eyes. Emotions that he tried to keep in check, feelings he wanted to hold back, thoughts he ran away from had been chasing him from that day when he witnessed her broken self. He knew he loved her. And it broke him to be cruel to her. But no one was allowed to mess with his father. Not even his Sumo. His father meant the world to him. And he could not tolerate anything against him. But his heart kept telling him that something was wrong. Something was amiss. Something that his eyes couldn't see, his ears couldn't hear, his brain couldn't function and his heart couldn't register but this 'something' was carefully hidden from him behind closed doors.
A few times he saw his father lost in some important 'secret' discussion with his Kamini Chachi. And he could tell they didn't want him to know about it. Though it bothered him but he convinced himself that even if Ramnath was hiding something from him then it was for the best. He was protecting him from getting hurt as always. Or so Shravan thought. He was too blinded by his father to see the truth which was served on a silver platter in front of him.
Shravan leaned back on the chair
"Trust me Chote. I know. Because I love her."
********
"How can you be so irresponsible? You couldn't manage the tickets?"
"Babuji, I tried really. I know I should have gone earlier. I am sorry Babuji. You're right. I was careless."
Tiwari ji glared at his son. He couldn't arrange the tickets and he let him know just when they were preparing to leave. His daughter in law intervened
"Babuji, we have to do something. They are our close relatives. If we don't attend this function, it won't go down well with them. We need to make other arrangements."
Tiwari ji nodded
"Ask your husband. He is the one responsible for it. We can only go if he does something about it."
"Maybe I can help."
Suman entered the scene
"We can use my car Nanu."
"But your car doesn't have enough space for our whole family Suman."
"No problem Babuji. The kids don't need to go."
And it was decided. The elders will go while Preeti and Dabboo will stay behind. Suman had to go because she had to drive the car of course.
********
Shravan kept the file back in it's place and locked the cabinet. His watch displayed 8:45 pm. It was time to return home. Though he wasn't willing to. He wanted to work through the night. Because work was the only thing that kept him distracted. Away from her thoughts. He opened the drawer of his desk and grabbed the car keys.
Ramnath greeted him on his way to his room. As everyone in the Malhotra family prepared for dinner, Shravan excused himself saying he was having a bad headache and he would just skip dinner and would rather go to sleep early. Ramnath showed concern for his son's health and also advised him to rest properly which made Pushkar roll his eyes.
Finally when Shravan was in his room all alone, he sighed running his fingers through his hair. It was a lame excuse. He knew it. He just didn't feel like eating. Something was bothering him like hell. As if something bad was going to happen. The disturbing thought made him want to break something. He was having an intuition. And it had a connection with Suman. He just didn't know what it was.
********
"I was right. They would have been really disappointed if we hadn't showed up."
"Yes Mami. And we also got to meet them after so long. I had met them maybe when I was 5 or 6 years old. I don't remember precisely. I have hazy memories."
The family continued their light banter on their way back home. Suman would have loved to join but she had to keep her attention on the road. This route was quite unfamiliar to her and also driving during night made things more difficult. She had to make a lot of efforts to reach their destination in the morning. Now she prayed not to go down the wrong way.
********
Shravan tossed and turned on his bed not knowing what to do. He took a look at the clock. 9:30 pm. He was trying hard to sleep but his head was buzzing. What was wrong with him? He picked up his phone and frantically searched for 'Sumo' in the contacts. Just before touching the 'call' option, he stopped. A battle between his heart and mind followed and heart won this time. He waited desperately for her to pick up. He wanted to hear her voice. No worries if she hangs up later. His heart was dried up like a desert and only her voice could quench the thirst.
But something unusual came up
"The phone you dialed is switched off. Please try again later."
She never kept her phone silent or switched off. What could have gone wrong. Was the battery dead? Could be but Suman always kept her phone charged. Then what? Horrifying scenarios haunted his mind and his heart squeezed
"Sumo, please be safe. For me."
**********
Suman saw the truck speeding towards the car and her fingers clenched around the steering wheel. Seconds before the truck collided with her car, she desperately tried to cover her grandfather who was sitting right next to her. And then all hell broke loose. The collision caused the airbag burst and Suman felt her skin getting pierced with glass pieces. A thump struck her head and a harsh pain covered her senses. The last thing she remembered was someone screaming her name before darkness consumed her.
PART l
"Suman, is your packing done beta?"
"Yes Nanu. Packing is done."
Suman smiled at her grandfather. Her tumultuous state of mind was evident in her voice. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. How could it? When it was fake. Instead of happiness it clearly contained the shadow of sorrow. Her grandfather came closer and lovingly caressed her face
"Suman, I know you are very strong beta. And I'm proud that you are pretty much sure what you did was the right thing to do. So what if people didn't get what you offered? It's their fault, not yours. And why are you upset for someone who doesn't even care? It's them who should be upset, not you."
He lightly patted her head before turning to leave. Taking a few steps, he stopped and turned around
"Never forget this, don't get upset over something you can't control because you'll be a fool to do so."
Suman flashed a smile again; this time genuine. She saw her grandfather walk up to her uncle asking him probably something about tickets. She opened the zipper of her bag for a last minute checking. When she was done, she heaved a sigh and dashed on the bed beside the bag
"Nanu is right. I shouldn't give a damn! Why would it matter to me if he's upset with me or not? He was the one who shattered my world. The place which was my pride, the one place adorned with my mother's name; my everything, he snatched it from me. He didn't show the slightest guilt. That broke even the least expectation I had. He said he did the right thing! Wow! When I wanted to make things right, he slashed me with bitter words. And now that he did 'the right thing' he isn't even willing to understand that he has caused an irreparable damage."
It was nearly three months since PCT was demolished and Suman's business had found a new place- Tiwari Villa. Though she had to struggle a lot for a few days, soon she overcame the obstacles. Thanks to the awesome employees and her family members who supported her in every step and encouraged her to fight. No one at her home knew that the culprit behind the drama was their beloved Shravan Malhotra and his father Ramnath Malhotra. Suman decided to keep it to herself cause she knew if her Nanu learned about it, he'll be extremely hurt just as she was.
The trust and respect that she had for Shravan was shattered by a striking thunderbolt. She knew even if he came to apologize and accepted his mistake then maybe she'll forgive him but trusting him again will not be easy. After all some mistakes can be forgiven but not forgotten. She knew she'll need time to rebuild that foundation. What was she even thinking? He'll ask for forgiveness? Really? Shravan Malhotra? He didn't even care. And she shouldn't also.
Everything was sorted now. Her business was back in full swing and also she got some really good clients. Surprisingly she had made a profit in the last three months which would have taken a year. Hard work and luck of course. Maybe it was her mother's blessing. Only she knew what she had to go through to rebuild PCT. She was able to repay her mother's debts which lifted a heavy burden off of her chest. And now she had found a new place to shift her business. It was time to show the world what a girl 'particularly her' was capable of. And the 'world' actually meant Shravan Malhotra. It was time to show him that she had won the challenge. She had rebuilt her business without any 'majestic interference' of 'men'. Which Shravan thought was impossible. And she was ready to throw it on his face.
It was not that she didn't meet him 'by mistake' since that fateful day. They had a few encounters and both did a very good job of avoiding each other. But after all 'the heart wants what it wants' and they wanted each other. They were in a dilemma. Fighting between their heart and mind. And mind won for the time being. But somehow their subconscious self knew that this wall of separation was going to break. Sooner or later. But it was going to happen. It had to happen. For the sake of love.
"Suman!"
"Yes Mami!"
Suman hurriedly got up and stumbled on her way. She still couldn't stop thinking about him. Her eyes darkened again
"See Shravan, you always cause me pain!"
********
Shravan played with the paperweight; sulking. A slight knock on the cabin door grabbed his attention. He let go of the object and spoke in his usual grumpy voice
"Come in."
His irritation level raised further as Pushkar entered with a file
"Chote I have really had enough! I don't need any more of your stupid lecture..."
"I am just here to hand over this file Bhaiya. I have no interest in what you think or do."
Only then Shravan noticed his dark circles. Had he not be sleeping? What on earth was bothering him? It was him who didn't get proper sleep for obvious reasons. But the stressed state of his brother worried him. What could it be?
"Did you break up with your girlfriend?"
"What?"
Pushkar looked at him thundered
"Did that girl ditch you? The one you took on a date?"
"She was never mine so..."
Shravan smirked. An evil smirk.
"I warned you. Girls are heartbreakers. I told you not to be serious."
"And I too have said this millions of times Bhaiya that your perception is wrong. Well let it be. I don't want to waste my time to convince someone who doesn't have the will to be. Not anymore. I'm done Bhaiya. And who are you to talk about heartbreak? He who is a heartbreaker himself. Even worse then that. What you did to Sumo was insane. I'm proud of her. She didn't let herself accept defeat. She has earned what she deserves."
Pushkar paused for a few seconds. Pin drop silence. Good. He could leave his brother speechless at least once
"And never say that my love was a mistake. I still love her and will always do. And I respect her feelings. But as I said, let it be Bhaiya. You don't even know what love is."
He threw the file on Shravan's desk and left the cabin just the way he arrived- calmly.
Two brothers, one with a clear view and the other lost in the darkness.
*******
Shravan felt tears brimming his eyes. Emotions that he tried to keep in check, feelings he wanted to hold back, thoughts he ran away from had been chasing him from that day when he witnessed her broken self. He knew he loved her. And it broke him to be cruel to her. But no one was allowed to mess with his father. Not even his Sumo. His father meant the world to him. And he could not tolerate anything against him. But his heart kept telling him that something was wrong. Something was amiss. Something that his eyes couldn't see, his ears couldn't hear, his brain couldn't function and his heart couldn't register but this 'something' was carefully hidden from him behind closed doors.
A few times he saw his father lost in some important 'secret' discussion with his Kamini Chachi. And he could tell they didn't want him to know about it. Though it bothered him but he convinced himself that even if Ramnath was hiding something from him then it was for the best. He was protecting him from getting hurt as always. Or so Shravan thought. He was too blinded by his father to see the truth which was served on a silver platter in front of him.
Shravan leaned back on the chair
"Trust me Chote. I know. Because I love her."
********
"How can you be so irresponsible? You couldn't manage the tickets?"
"Babuji, I tried really. I know I should have gone earlier. I am sorry Babuji. You're right. I was careless."
Tiwari ji glared at his son. He couldn't arrange the tickets and he let him know just when they were preparing to leave. His daughter in law intervened
"Babuji, we have to do something. They are our close relatives. If we don't attend this function, it won't go down well with them. We need to make other arrangements."
Tiwari ji nodded
"Ask your husband. He is the one responsible for it. We can only go if he does something about it."
"Maybe I can help."
Suman entered the scene
"We can use my car Nanu."
"But your car doesn't have enough space for our whole family Suman."
"No problem Babuji. The kids don't need to go."
And it was decided. The elders will go while Preeti and Dabboo will stay behind. Suman had to go because she had to drive the car of course.
********
Shravan kept the file back in it's place and locked the cabinet. His watch displayed 8:45 pm. It was time to return home. Though he wasn't willing to. He wanted to work through the night. Because work was the only thing that kept him distracted. Away from her thoughts. He opened the drawer of his desk and grabbed the car keys.
Ramnath greeted him on his way to his room. As everyone in the Malhotra family prepared for dinner, Shravan excused himself saying he was having a bad headache and he would just skip dinner and would rather go to sleep early. Ramnath showed concern for his son's health and also advised him to rest properly which made Pushkar roll his eyes.
Finally when Shravan was in his room all alone, he sighed running his fingers through his hair. It was a lame excuse. He knew it. He just didn't feel like eating. Something was bothering him like hell. As if something bad was going to happen. The disturbing thought made him want to break something. He was having an intuition. And it had a connection with Suman. He just didn't know what it was.
********
"I was right. They would have been really disappointed if we hadn't showed up."
"Yes Mami. And we also got to meet them after so long. I had met them maybe when I was 5 or 6 years old. I don't remember precisely. I have hazy memories."
The family continued their light banter on their way back home. Suman would have loved to join but she had to keep her attention on the road. This route was quite unfamiliar to her and also driving during night made things more difficult. She had to make a lot of efforts to reach their destination in the morning. Now she prayed not to go down the wrong way.
********
Shravan tossed and turned on his bed not knowing what to do. He took a look at the clock. 9:30 pm. He was trying hard to sleep but his head was buzzing. What was wrong with him? He picked up his phone and frantically searched for 'Sumo' in the contacts. Just before touching the 'call' option, he stopped. A battle between his heart and mind followed and heart won this time. He waited desperately for her to pick up. He wanted to hear her voice. No worries if she hangs up later. His heart was dried up like a desert and only her voice could quench the thirst.
But something unusual came up
"The phone you dialed is switched off. Please try again later."
She never kept her phone silent or switched off. What could have gone wrong. Was the battery dead? Could be but Suman always kept her phone charged. Then what? Horrifying scenarios haunted his mind and his heart squeezed
"Sumo, please be safe. For me."
**********
Suman saw the truck speeding towards the car and her fingers clenched around the steering wheel. Seconds before the truck collided with her car, she desperately tried to cover her grandfather who was sitting right next to her. And then all hell broke loose. The collision caused the airbag burst and Suman felt her skin getting pierced with glass pieces. A thump struck her head and a harsh pain covered her senses. The last thing she remembered was someone screaming her name before darkness consumed her.
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