Hey peeps,
I'm back, this time with my first story for BALH3. We had enough to talk (actually rant đ) about in the first 10 episodes itself and while I could let a few things pass, a few thorns still remain.
One such thorny issue is Ram entering into a contract marriage with Priya without ending his relationship with Kriti, even if it's a sham marriage. Neither me nor the audience in general are interested in seeing a repeat of the Vedika track in this season. So this is how I chose to deal with it.
If it sounds interesting, jump right in!
Tagging a few I think may be interested in reading! đ
PS: The question mark in the title is because I'm undecided yet if I want to write a second part to this or not, so leaving it like this for now!
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- Part 1 -
"Dr. Priya Sood, is it true that you and Mr. Ram Kapoor are having a contract marriage?"
"What has Ram Kapoor offered you in exchange for marrying him?"
"Are you marrying him for his wealth?"
"Mrs. Sood, are you aware of this contract?"
"Mr. Sood, why are you getting your daughter married to a man who you already know will leave her?"
"Is your family trying to hide something?"
Priya stepped out of the car and stood motionless, surrounded by reporters, dazed by the barrage of inquiries. Her parents stood shell-shocked, furious at the allegations being made. Ritika cast a glance at Priya and shook her head in despair. Her sisterâs impulsive decision to marry Ram Kapoor was backfiring before they had so much as set foot in Kapoor Mansion. Why, why didnât she try harder to persuade her Di to drop her ridiculous idea? She scolded herself mentally, rushing to Priyaâs side and putting a protective arm around her, jolting her back to reality.
The news of the reporters hounding the Sood family and the allegations being thrown around travelled instantly to Ram. He rushed outside with Shardul, Alekha, and Yuvraj to see what the issue was. He couldnât believe what he was witnessing or hearing, and neither could any of the othersâexcept one! How had the news leaked when he had made sure that no one other than Shardul, Alekha, and Kriti was in on this plan? He gestured to his security staff to push back the reporters and make way for the Soods to enter. He followed them into Kapoor Mansion, seething with anger after what he saw. But before he could vent..
"Ram, what is all this commotion? What is happening outside?" Shalini weaved her way through the guests, coming face-to-face with Ram and Priya.
"Is this true? Is any of this true?" She demanded, starting to gasp for breath.
"Jaan, relax," Ram beseeched her, holding her hand. "Itâs just a big misunderstanding. Iâll tell you everything. Letâs just go inside and speak," he pleaded.
"No. You will tell me right now if what I heard is true or not." Shalini was adamant.
"Did you do all this just to get me to agree to the operation? Tell me, Ram," she demanded, panting for breath.
"Maa, please calm down. Drink some water." Shardul offered, trying to pacify her. "No oneâs trying to trick you."
Shalini collapsed on the sofa in a heap.
"Jaan!" Ram screamed. "Jaan, please wake up," he cried, sprinkling some water on her face. "Shardul, call the doctor. Now!" He yelled.
With the help of the staff, they took Shalini to her room and made her lie on the bed. She was still unconscious.
"Priya, what is all this?" Anju demanded, taking Priya by her arm to a corner, as soon as Shalini had been taken indoors.
"Is it true that you are doing a contract marriage with Ram? Why? When were you going to tell us?" She asked angrily through gritted teeth.
"Anju, calm down. At least let Priya speak," Mr. Sood interjected. "Iâm sure itâs all a misunderstanding. Do you really think Priya would take such a big step without even telling us? Priya, you know you can talk to me, right? Help me understand what is happening, beta. Ritika, did you know about this?" he asked his younger daughter, who looked extremely guilty as she stood twisting her fingers.
Before either Priya or Ritika could answer him, the doctor entered, and a hush fell over the room. Shardul accompanied the doctor upstairs while everyone else looked on anxiously.
"Ram," the doctor said gravely, "she is not okay. I already told you she needed to be operated on urgently. Why are you not taking my advice seriously? You need to convince her to have the surgery before itâs too late. Iâve sedated her; she needs to rest. And you need to make sure that whatever happened that caused her anxiety levels to go up like this doesnât happen again."
"Doctor, she's okay, right?" Ram asked, his voice quivering.
"For now, yes. The effect of the sedative will wear off in a couple of hours. You need to decide what to do next. Call me if you need anything," he said, lightly patting Ram on the shoulder.
Shardul led the doctor out, while Ram drowned in worry. What could he possibly do now that the cat was out of the bag? There was only one thing that could sort out this entire mess. He dialled Kritiâs number, explained all that had happened, and asked her to rush to Kapoor Mansion immediately. He proceeded to go downstairs and update the rest of the family about Shaliniâs condition. Priya overheard him from the corner she was standing in, feeling extremely guilty for her part in the whole fiasco.
Who could have anticipated this turn of events?
Ram went back upstairs and sat at Shaliniâs bedside, holding her hand in his and fervently praying that the plan he had in mind worked and they could put this entire mess behind them and move on.
As soon as Kriti came, Ram led her and Priya to the guest room so they could talk in private.
"Mr. Kapoor, why am I here? I think the two of you should talk alone. Iâll wait outside."
"No, stay. You are a part of this, so you need to be here." He said it quietly.
Priya just nodded, but went back a few steps and stood against the wall on the side.
"Baby, before you say anything, I need to tell you something," Kriti said with a heavy voice, walking up close to Ram and cupping his face in her hands.
Priya turned to leave the room to give them some space when Kriti called after her.
"Dr. Priya, donât leave. Maybe you should hear what I have to say too."
Priya nodded and went back to where she was standing, wondering why she was being asked to be a witness to what was clearly a conversation between the couple.
"Ram, I know youâre worried about Aunty right now, plus all the mess that the media has caused. Iâve thought long and hard about this, and Iâm really sorry I have to do this now, but I really donât see a way out." Kriti continued.
"Sorry for what, baby?" Ram asked, anxious, his heart sinking as he observed her manner and tone.
"All this can be fixed. It will all go away. As soon as Jaan wakes up, Iâll tell her about you. Iâll explain everything, and Iâm sure sheâll understand. She herself told me a few days ago that she would accept the girl I love, no matter what. I know sheâll be angry with us for a while, but sheâll forgive us. You were ready to sacrifice your contract for her the other day, remember? Please, letâs end this drama once and for all. Iâm sure youâll find a bigger and better project," he pressed on, desperate.
He glanced up at Priya as he spoke, and she nodded in support.
Suddenly, the prospect of marrying Ram Kapoor to spite Yuvraj didnât seem like such a great idea. The media would hound her either way; what difference did it make if what was to happen after 3 months happened now? Sure, Yuvraj would get the chance to take another jab at her. But at least this way, Ram will get to be with the person he loves. She sighed, tears pricking her eyes, unable to contain the wave of self-pity that overtook her momentarily.
"No!" Ram cried, and Priyaâs attention was once again drawn to the conversation happening in front of her.
"How can you say this? I love you!" he spluttered. "What about our plans for the future? All these yearsâŚ" he sat with a thud on the edge of bed, looking absolutely shattered.
"I waited⌠our dreams, our wedding, Jaan.." he muttered incoherently.
He buried his head in his hands, feeling slightly nauseous, like he had walked into a nightmare with his eyes open.
"Ram, get a grip on yourself," Kriti said in a slightly high pitched voice.
"Why donât you understand? Right now, this is the best thing for both of us. When Aunty wakes up, tell her itâs all a lie. Tell her that your marriage to Priya is real, not contractual. Make her believe that the media is spreading false storiesâmaybe theyâve been paid off by someone!"
Ram looked up at her disbelievingly. He could not process what he was hearing.
"I canât ruin my career over a relationship. You know how long Iâve struggled to get to where I am today! Ram, Aunty doesnât like me at all; we both know it. Sheâs never going to accept me, and frankly, I always thought it would be only us. But itâs clear that you will never be able to live independently of her," Kriti continued.
"Trust me, itâs better this way for both of us. Itâs up to you and her now," she said, gesturing towards Priya.
"We're done. Goodbye Ram!" She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and left without turning back.
Priya watched Ram silentlyâhis drooped shoulders, his ashen face, and his red eyesâand she felt a sudden stab of pain in her chest for him. She knew only too well how it felt to go through the pain of your love cutting you away from their life for good. She was torn between wanting to console Ram or walking away and giving him some space to come to terms with what just happened. She took a step towards the door but stopped hearing a sniffle. One look at Ramâs face, and she knew she couldnât leave him in that state. She walked over to the desk, grabbed a few tissues, and sat next to him.
"Iâm sorry," she whispered softly, holding the tissues in front of him. He took the tissue and wiped his eyes without looking up.
"Mr. Kapoor, trust me, I know youâre hurting, but you canât break now. Your mom needs you now, more than ever. You need to be strong for her sake. PleaseâŚ" she reasoned.
Ram blinked away his tears and sat still for a few minutes. When he finally looked up, there was a determined expression on his face.
"Priya, I know what Iâm going to ask of you is big. Frankly, I donât even know if I should be asking you this, but I canât think of another way to save Jaan. Sheâs my life. Should anything happen to her, I wonât be able to..." His voice cracked.
Priya stood up, looking at him anxiously. She sensed what Ram was about to ask her.
"Will you marry me? For real? You just saw what happened," he said, shaking his head and pointing to the place where Kriti had stood a few moments ago.
"Iâm not going to lie to you. I donât know how else to save Jaan. I donât have any other answer to the question sheâs going to ask me the moment she wakes up. I know you donât like me very much; I annoy you, and you only agreed to this contract marriage because we both got something out of it. What Iâm asking you now is only because I think you will understand my position. I will be forever indebted to you if you agree. But I wonât hold it against you if you refuse. Itâs my mess, and I need to find a solution," he said dejectedly.
"But if you agree, I promise you can live your life the way you want; Iâll make sure of that. Just that there wonât be any love between us... I donât think I have it in me anymore after what just happened, and youâre not interested in a relationship either. But I will always be your friend and your support system, no matter what; in fact, we can be partners for lifeâjust not romantically. I saw the faces of your family downstairs, and clearly this news is as much of a shock for them as it was for Jaan. Think about it. My Jaan will be happy, and so will your family. This could work for both of us. This is the only way I have left to fix this mess," he said gloomily.
Priya drew in a long breath. Her mind, completely numb. She didnât imagine something like this happening, even once, in her wildest of dreams. The nervousness she felt a while back was nothing compared to the anxiety and turmoil in her mind right now. Was she ready for a lifetime commitment to a loveless marriage? Wasnât that the exact reason she had agreed to the 3-month dealâso that she could shut everyone up at once? Once she had separated from Ram, she would be seen as "damaged goods," and that would have been more than enough to keep her nosy relatives at bay and live the rest of her single life in peace.
The decision was hers to make nowâŚ
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