-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DO NOT COPY THIS POST AS IT IS EXCLUSIVE TO INDIA FORUMS
[This is a members only post]
The author of this post has chosen to restrict this to members only
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright - All rights reserved to IF member, MrDarcyfan. Do not copy and/or post any part/sections of this fiction on any other forums or use it anywhere at all without permission. Contact MrDarcyfan for any queries via PM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Honesty!" - A ShraMan Three Shot
Part 1 - "Revelations"
*"Honesty...is such a lonely word...everyone is so untrue...Honesty is hardly ever heard and mostly what I need from you!
A soft knock on the door of his study altered Ramnath to someone's presence. He looked up to see Suman standing in the doorway. He was a bit taken aback, but he hid his reaction well enough adopting a poker face.
"Suman?" he said looking at her.
"Can I come in Uncle?" asked Suman tentatively.
"Yes of course, come in Suman" said Ramnath and he stood up from behind his desk. "While you're here let me take the opportunity to congratulate you. I mean... I know I wished you at home yesterday, but anyway...just want to reiterate...Congratulations on your impending marriage with Aditya!"
"Thank you Uncle!" said Suman in a quite tone. She then looked around for a moment, as she was not sure how to broach the subject. She knew she had to tell Ramnath uncle who Aditya was, and who his Mother was, before Aditya inadvertently says anything. After the way he had announced their intention to marry in front of everyone, she didn't know how much longer the truth of who he was could be kept under wraps. She didn't think it was safe to stall anymore. Not after what had happened last night. Her sole purpose in telling Ramnath uncle the truth was so that he can inform Shravan. Because in the mood he was in, he won't even speak to her, she was sure of that!
Last night after Preeti's Ghar Pravesh, Shravan had made a huge tamasha. He was clearly intoxicated and had insisted on having a party to celebrate her engagement. She had stayed for a while on his repeated insistence, even though it was the last place she wanted to be. It had been clear from everyone's expressions that they had found Shravan's intoxication and overall behaviour very strange, and especially the Malhotra's had looked uncomfortable and embarrassed. She didn't want a repeat of the same happening again, especially if they found out who Aditya was. She had to tell Ramnath uncle the truth before it got out of control. She didn't know how he would react, but she had no choice in the matter. Maybe his happiness at removing her from Shravan's life meant that he will not take this news too badly.
Suman took a deep breath and started. "Actually Uncle...Main..." she started to say when she was stopped by Ramnath.
"Kya baath hai Suman? Whatever you want to say you can say without hesitation!" said Ramnath giving her a small smile. Suman was about to take his cue and speak when he interjected.
"I must say I am impressed!" said Ramnath and he looking at her squarely. "You kept your side of the bargain. You stayed away from Shravan as per your promise to me, in exchange for my support for Preeti's marriage to Pushkar! To be frank, sometimes I had my doubts. But you turned out to be a women of your word! Clearly a quality you got from Tiwariji!" he added.
Suman looked at Ramnath and held his gaze. "Actually Uncle...it's a quality I got from my Mother!" she said. "But I agree, my grandfather is a man of his word too! But my Mother in the short time she was in my life, taught me the value of keeping your promises. I promised you I would not come between you and Shravan, and that promise I kept!" said Suman gravely.
"And I appreciate it!" said Ramnath glancing at her.
"I also appreciate the fact that you let Preeti and Pushkar's marriage proceed without any issue, and accommodating us about having the wedding at home, because of Nanu's health!" said Suman.
"Tiwariji is like a Father to me. I wanted him to have his wish! Besides, you did a good job organising the wedding functions. You could have taken my blank cheque and made life easier for yourself, but you didn't! I don't know if that was your ego or your pride, but you still managed to pull it off!" Said Ramnath in his high handed manner.
"It's called self-respect uncle. I don't know why you can't see the difference between ego, pride and self-respect. I didn't take your money because that would have been like putting a monetary value on my feelings, on my emotions. The feelings I have for your son, were not for sale, and neither was I!" said Suman with pride.
"The feelings you have? Don't you want to rephrase that as had? Don't forget...tum kisi aur ki patni hone ja rahi ho!"
"Ha muje yaad hai! Trust me, Uncle that is not something I can forget. But my feelings are also not something I can forget. Main ek achchi biwi banungi. I will never betray my husband. But I will also stay faithful to my love!" said Suman with resolve.
Ramnath took in those words and nodded his head slightly. "Anyways, I think you made a very wise choice in Aditya. He's very laid back. The kind that does not mind having an independent headstrong woman in his life. Unlike Shravan, he will know how to handle you!"
"I am a person, not a project to be handled!" said Suman trying to keep her anger in check.
"Tum independent ladakiya bohot jaldi har baath dil pe lagathi ho! See this is the reason I didn't think you were suitable for Shravan, and I think I was right in my estimation!"
"If you were that confident in your assertions Uncle, then you would have let Shravan make up his mind on his own. You would not have had to try and buy me out, or try to coerce me into staying away from him. The truth is, you were not sure what would happen if you left the choice to Shravan, so you made sure you got the outcome you wanted by coming to me first!"
"Aur main ne kya galath kiya? Wahi huwa na jo main keh raha tha? What did you say? He will come to you on his own, when he felt your love for him? But he didn't did he? He didn't feel anything. In fact, he thinks you care nothing for him. And by choosing to marry Aditya, you have confirmed that belief!"
"I agreed to the marriage because it's what Nanu wants. He was very worried about my future life. He knows I will be fine financially. But he wanted me to have a family after him!" Suman's voice broke on the last words. "My uncle and aunt want to move to the US, and he was worried that I would be alone. So this was his way of making sure I had a family! That's why I said yes to Aditya!"
"Well whatever it is, it all happened for the best. Because now Shravan will be free to find someone more suited to his temperament, and he will never have to know any of this!"
"Too late for that...Papa!" said a voice from the doorway.
Ramnath and Suman both froze where they were when they heard Shravan's voice.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Shravan!" said Ramnath with some hesitation in his voice. Suman was frozen to the spot she was in, she didn't even look back as she heard Shravan walking further into the room. He walked past her and came to stand in front of his Father desk. He didn't look at Suman as he looked at his Father squarely.
"What did you say to me Papa? Choose your life partner wisely. See if she is "worthy" of occupying that place in your life. See if she will stand by you in everything! Well you won! She didn't!" said Shravan with a sarcastic laugh. "You were right Papa. You were right all along!"
"Shravan...listen..." said Ramnath hesitantly.
"No you listen, Papa! Main apki tharif kar raha hu! Aap sahi te! Hamesha! You're always right Papa. You were right. You told me not to trust my feelings? Well it turns out my feelings are always wrong! Feelings hamesha doka hi dethe hai! Feelings ka kya barosa, jab aapne hi doka dethai ho?" said Shravan bitterly.
"Shravan you don't understand. Main sirf tumahara kushi chatha tha! I just wanted you to be happy!"
"Happy? You wanted me to be happy? Main kush lag raha hu aap ko? Kis angle se kush lag raha hu main aapko Papa?" asked Shravan in a low whisper. "Anyone can see how miserable I am. How miserable I have been for weeks! Kya aapo yeh dikai nahi diya main kithne daard main tha? Aapko dikai nahi diya Papa?" asked Shravan as his voice broke.
Ramnath was unable to sustain Shravan's gaze and looked away. Suman was simply staring at Shravan. She was almost unable to react, as she still was not able to believe that Shravan had heard what they had been discussing.
"All you had to do was tell me, tell me that you didn't want me to be with Suman. Ask me to choose between you and her. Maybe I would have even chosen you. Just like she chose her family over me!"
Suman wanted to protest, but she controlled her feelings and stayed silent. She had never chosen her family over him. She had just wanted to buy time for him to come to her and in the meantime ensure her sister's happiness. But things had gone badly wrong.
"If only you had told me the TRUTH. If only you'd been straight with me? Why these games? Why pretend to me that your supporting me, just trying to guide me to make a wise choice, while ensuring that I won't have a choice? Because you had already set the outcome you wanted, hadn't you Papa? Three days ago I told you that Suman used me. At the time I didn't realise it was actually you who did! You used my love and trust in you against me! How could you do that to me Papa?"
"Shravan...tum samaj nahi rahe ho! I didn't want you to end up in the same place that I have. Nirmala se shadi kar ke...use barosa kar ke...main ne bohot badi galti ki thi! I just didn't want you to make the same mistake!"
"It was MY mistake to make Papa. You cant save me from everything. Aur aisa doka de kart to bilkul bhi nahi!"
"Shravan...I only did this to make sure that you didn't end up in the same place that I did. When Suman tried to bring Nirmala back in your life I realised how wrong she was for you, and then when I found that letter of yours I...I panicked. I didn't know what to do...I..." Ramnath was saying when Shravan cut him off.
"What letter?" he asked in a deathly quiet tone.
"The letter you wrote Suman...I found it, when I came to your room to pick up a file for the Berry case!" said Ramnath in a matter of fact way.
Suddenly Shravan froze. His mind started to work in over drive. He felt like a huge boulder had been lifted away from his eyes and he had sudden clarity.
"You knew!" he said. "You knew all along!"
"Knew what?" asked Ramnath raising his brows.
"PCT. You knew PCT was on Mr Berry's land. You always knew!" said Shravan with a slow shake of his head. "You made sure I didn't know so that I would fight the case and win! You knew exactly what would happen when I won the case. Maan gaya aapko papa...kya strategist nikale aap?"
"What are you saying Shravan?" said Ramnath pretending outrage.
"Sachi hi toh kahe rahe hain wo!" said another voice. Everyone's head's turned as they saw Kamini standing inside the room. No one had even realised when she had walked in.
To be continued...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Lyrics derived from the song "Honesty" by Billy Joel - Album - 52nd Street.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"HONESTY" - INDEX
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi All,
This is a little something I wrote on the current conundrum / mess in the story. Just my own take on how the truth should be revealed to Shravan.
As always, please comment and dont forget to like!
Thanks
Mandy❤️
Arjun
