Chapter 5 (The Mask Falls)
Two Journeys
Within moments...
Karan, Nandini and Vaishnavi were inside the car.
Nandini sat beside Vaishnavi in the back seat, holding her hand tightly.
"Nothing will happen to you, beta."
"Please wake up."
Karan drove as fast as he could.
His hands trembled on the steering wheel.
"So much has happened already..."
"Please, God..."
"Don't test us again."
Vaishnavi remained unconscious.
Her head rested against Nandini's shoulder.
The only sound inside the car was the engine...
And Nandini's silent prayers.
At that very moment...
Outside the temple...
Tulsi and Mihir were about to leave.
Tulsi still couldn't shake off the strange uneasiness in her heart.
Just then...
Mihir's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
"Karan."
He answered immediately.
"Hello?"
"Karan?"
On the other end, Karan spoke hurriedly.
"Papa..."
"Reyansh has been arrested."
Mihir stopped in his tracks.
"What?"
Tulsi looked at him anxiously.
"What happened?"
Mihir put the call on speaker.
Karan continued,
"The police arrested Reyansh a few minutes ago."
Tulsi frowned in disbelief.
"Arrested?"
"Our Reyansh?"
"Why?"
Karan closed his eyes.
"I'll explain everything later, Maa."
"But believe me..."
"The police haven't made a mistake."
Tulsi stared ahead, stunned.
She couldn't reconcile the gentle, respectful Reyansh she knew with the word arrested.
Karan continued,
"There's something else."
"Vaishnavi suddenly fainted."
"We're taking her to City Hospital."
Tulsi's face paled.
"Vaishnavi..."
"My child..."
Mihir immediately asked,
"Is she alright?"
"We don't know yet."
"We're waiting for the doctors."
"I'll call you as soon as we know anything."
The call ended.
Silence.
Tulsi slowly sat down on the temple steps.
Her hands trembled.
"I don't understand..."
"Reyansh?"
"He always respected us."
"He always called me Dadi."
"He stood by this family when..."
Her voice trailed off.
Mihir gently held her hand.
"I don't understand it either."
After a long silence...
Tulsi looked up.
"I want to meet him."
Mihir frowned.
"Reyansh?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
"I want to hear from him."
"I want to know why he has been arrested."
"If there has been a misunderstanding..."
"We should know."
"And if there hasn't..."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I want to know where we failed."
Mihir sighed.
"Alright."
"We'll go to the jail."
"And from there..."
"We'll go straight to the hospital."
Tulsi folded her hands before the temple.
"Thakur ji..."
"Please keep Vaishnavi safe."
"And give me the strength..."
"To face whatever truth awaits us today."
Together...They walked towards their car.
The Truth That Changed Everything
The heavy iron gates of the city jail creaked open.
Tulsi and Mihir walked through the long corridor in silence.
Neither of them had spoken since leaving the temple.
Neither of them wanted to believe what they had heard.
Finally...
A jailer stopped before a prison cell.
"Five minutes."
He unlocked the visitor's partition and stepped aside.
Inside...
Reyansh sat quietly on the bench.
The confident smile that had once charmed the Viranis had disappeared.
He slowly looked up.
His eyes met Tulsi's.
"Dadi..."
The word echoed painfully.
Tulsi's eyes welled with tears.
"No."
She shook her head.
"Don't call me that."
Reyansh looked away.
Mihir stepped forward.
"Tell us one thing."
"Why?"
Reyansh remained silent.
Tulsi's voice trembled.
"You were never treated as an outsider."
"We loved you."
"We trusted you."
"You called this family your own."
Her tears rolled down her cheeks.
"So why?"
"Why did you want to destroy us?"
For a long moment...
Reyansh said nothing.
Then...
He slowly stood.
His eyes no longer held affection.
Only years of buried resentment.
"You really want to know?"
Tulsi nodded.
"Yes."
Reyansh laughed bitterly.
"I wanted to see your downfall."
"I wanted every Virani to suffer."
"I wanted all of you to lose everything."
Mihir stared at him in disbelief.
"But why?"
"What did we ever do to you?"
Reyansh's expression darkened.
"You killed my father."
Silence.
Tulsi froze.
"My... father."
"Ansh Virani."
The name itself filled the room with painful memories.
Reyansh's voice rose.
"You took him away from me."
"You decided he deserved to die."
"You never thought about the son he left behind."
"You never cared what I would go through."
"I grew up without my father because of you."
Tulsi slowly closed her eyes.
A tear escaped.
"So..."
"That is the hatred you carried all these years."
Reyansh glared at her.
"You murdered him."
Tulsi looked at him steadily.
"And do you grieve only for your father..."
"...or also for what he did?"
Reyansh frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Tulsi took a deep breath.
"Your father didn't die because of a misunderstanding."
"He died because he committed a terrible crime."
Reyansh looked confused.
"What crime?"
Tulsi's voice became firm despite the pain.
"He raped Nandini."
"His own wife."
"He violated her trust and her dignity."
"When she needed protection..."
"He became the one she needed protection from."
Mihir lowered his head.
Even after all these years...
The memory was unbearable.
Tulsi continued.
"My hand reached for the gun."
"My intention was to give Nandini justice!"
"The shot..."
"...ended his life."
Silence filled the cell.
Reyansh stared at her.
His breathing grew heavy.
"No..."
He whispered.
"No..."
His father...
The man he had worshipped all his life...
Had committed such a crime?
For a brief moment...
The hatred in his eyes faltered.
Then suddenly...
He laughed.
A low laugh.
Which slowly turned louder.
Tulsi and Mihir exchanged confused glances.
"Have you lost your mind?" Mihir asked.
Reyansh stopped laughing.
He looked directly at Tulsi.
"So that's your justification."
"You killed my father because of what he did."
Tulsi answered quietly.
"I did what I believed was necessary to give justice to Nandini."
Reyansh smiled coldly.
"Interesting."
He slowly stepped closer to the bars.
"Then tell me something."
Tulsi looked at him.
"If your own grandson..."
"...committed the same crime..."
"What would you do?"
Tulsi frowned.
"What are you saying?"
Reyansh's smile widened.
"I'm talking about Parth."
The name hit them like lightning.
Tulsi's eyes widened.
Mihir stiffened.
Reyansh spoke each word deliberately.
"You punished my father."
"So..."
"What punishment will you give your beloved grandson?"
The corridor fell silent.
Tulsi felt the ground slip beneath her feet.
Mihir stared at Reyansh in utter disbelief.
Neither of them could understand...
Why Reyansh had suddenly dragged Parth into a conversation about Ansh.
And neither of them knew...
That the answer to that question...
Would shake the Virani family to its very core.
Poisoned Words
Tulsi stood frozen.
Her voice trembled.
"What do you mean...?"
Reyansh slowly leaned against the prison bars.
A mocking smile spread across his face.
"What I mean is very simple."
He looked directly into Tulsi's eyes.
"Just as you believe my father Ansh Virani raped Nandini Maa..."
"...your beloved grandson Parth has done the same to his own wife, Vaishnavi."
The words echoed through the prison corridor.
Tulsi staggered back.
"No..."
Her lips quivered.
"No..."
Mihir stared at Reyansh in disbelief.
"What the hell are you saying?"
His voice thundered through the visitors' hall.
"Parth is Karan's son."
"My grandson."
"He can never commit such a heinous crime."
Reyansh laughed.
A cold...
Merciless laugh.
"Karan Dad's son?"
He slowly shook his head.
"Interesting."
He looked at Mihir with undisguised contempt.
"If Parth is Karan Dad's reflection..."
"...then wasn't Karan Dad himself born because of your own mistake with Mandira?"
Silence.
Mihir's face turned crimson.
"Enough!"
He raised his hand in anger.
Before it could land—
Reyansh caught his wrist.
The two men locked eyes.
Reyansh's grip was firm.
His smile never faded.
"Violence won't change the truth, Dadu."
Mihir pulled his hand back furiously.
"You've lost your mind!"
Reyansh shrugged.
"Maybe."
"Or maybe I'm the only one willing to tell you what no one else will."
Tulsi stepped forward.
"Stop speaking in riddles."
"What exactly are you trying to prove?"
Reyansh looked at her calmly.
"I'm telling you the truth."
"I've watched Parth closely all this while he has been working for me."
"I've seen the darkness inside him."
"The same darkness I saw in my father."
He smiled bitterly.
"You may refuse to believe me today."
"You may defend him with all your heart."
"But one day..."
"The truth will stand before you."
"And when that day comes..."
"You'll realise that blood has a way of repeating itself."
Tulsi's eyes filled with tears.
"I refuse to believe that."
"My grandson is not his blood alone."
"He was raised with love."
"He was raised with values."
"He was raised by this family."
Reyansh laughed again.
"Then hold on to that faith."
"Because sooner or later..."
"It will be tested."
The jailer stepped forward.
"Time's up."
Tulsi continued staring at Reyansh.
For the first time...
She couldn't recognize the young man she had once embraced as her grandson.
There was only bitterness in his eyes.
Only hatred.
Mihir gently placed a hand on Tulsi's shoulder.
"Come."
"We're leaving."
Without another word, the two of them turned and walked away.
Behind them...
Reyansh's voice rang out one last time.
"You'll remember this conversation."
"When your faith in Parth begins to crumble..."
"You'll remember every word I said."
Neither Tulsi nor Mihir turned back.
But as they stepped out of the jail...
A heavy silence settled between them.
Tulsi clutched the end of her sari tightly.
"I don't believe him..."
she whispered.
"I don't want to believe him."
Mihir nodded, though Reyansh's words had unsettled him.
"Whatever game he's playing..."
"It ends today."
He opened the car door for Tulsi.
"Let's go."
"Vaishnavi needs us."
And together...
They drove towards the hospital.
Unaware that before the day ended...
They would learn a truth far greater than Reyansh's poisonous accusations.
Echoes of Doubt
The drive to the hospital was silent.
Painfully silent.
The city rushed past outside the window.
Inside the car...
Neither Tulsi nor Mihir spoke.
Yet one voice refused to leave Tulsi's mind.
Reyansh's.
"Just as you believe my father raped Nandini Maa..."
"...your grandson has done the same to his own wife."
Tulsi shut her eyes.
"No..."
she whispered to herself.
"No..."
She clasped her prayer beads tightly.
Her fingers trembled.
Beside her, Mihir noticed.
"Tulsi..."
She didn't answer.
He gently placed his hand over hers.
"Don't let Reyansh's words trouble you."
She slowly looked at him.
"But what if—"
"No."
Mihir interrupted firmly.
"He is trying to wound us."
"He knows exactly where to strike."
"He has already lost everything."
"Now he wants us to lose our faith in Parth as well."
Tulsi lowered her gaze.
"I know..."
"I know he could be lying..."
"But..."
Her voice broke.
"Those words..."
"They won't leave my mind."
Mihir sighed.
"Parth may have made mistakes."
"He may have hidden the truth from us."
"But I refuse to believe he could ever become a man like Ansh."
"He was raised by your dearest friend, Parvati."
"Then by us."
"By Karan and Nandini."
"He knows the value of a woman's dignity."
Tulsi nodded.
She wanted to believe every word.
She truly did.
Yet Reyansh's accusation lingered like poison.
Outside...
The hospital came into view.
A few minutes later...
Tulsi and Mihir hurried through the hospital entrance.
Mihir immediately called Karan.
"Karan?"
"Papa..."
Karan answered at once.
"Where are you?"
"We've just reached."
"Which floor?"
"The second."
"The doctors are still examining Vaishnavi."
"We're waiting outside."
"We'll be there."
The call ended.
Together...
Tulsi and Mihir walked towards the second floor.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
As they turned the corner...
They saw Karan and Nandini standing outside the consultation room.
Both looked anxious.
Before Tulsi could call out—
The consultation room door opened.
The doctor stepped outside with a warm smile.
Looking at Karan and Nandini, he said,
"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Virani."
"Your daughter-in-law is pregnant."
For a brief moment...
Time stood still.
Karan and Nandini looked at one another in stunned silence.
Then joy flooded their faces.
Nandini's eyes filled with tears.
"Our Vaishnavi..."
Karan closed his eyes in gratitude.
"Thank you, God..."
But a few steps away...
Tulsi didn't move.
Her smile never came.
Instead...
Her face slowly drained of colour.
Pregnant.
The doctor's words seemed to echo endlessly through the corridor.
And with it...
Another voice.
Reyansh's.
"Your grandson has raped his own wife."
Tulsi's breathing became uneven.
She remembered every moment since Parth and Vaishnavi's wedding.
The bitterness.
The humiliation.
The constant conflict between them.
She had never seen them share the peaceful, affectionate married life she had dreamed of for them.
Her heart began to pound.
"No..."
she whispered.
"No..."
Mihir immediately noticed her distress.
"Tulsi?"
She looked at Mihir with frightened eyes.
Before he could stop her...
She turned and hurried out of the corridor.
"Tulsi!"
Mihir immediately followed her, leaving Karan and Nandini too overwhelmed by the news to notice their departure.
The seed of doubt Reyansh had planted was no longer just a thought.
It had become a fear.
And for the first time in her life...
Tulsi Virani prayed not for happiness...
But for the strength to face whatever truth awaited her family.
A Grandmother's Nightmare
Tulsi stumbled out of the hospital corridor.
Her breathing became uneven.
The walls seemed to close in around her.
"No..."
she whispered.
"No..."
She pressed a trembling hand against her chest.
The doctor's words echoed relentlessly.
"Your daughter-in-law is pregnant."
Then...
Another voice.
Reyansh's.
"Just as you believe my father raped Nandini Maa..."
"...your grandson has done the same to his own wife."
Tulsi shut her eyes.
"No!"
Suddenly...
The past came rushing back.
Nandini...
Terrified.
Crying.
Begging for help.
Ansh's rage.
The sound of her own desperate pleas.
The gun in her trembling hands.
The gunshot.
The memories she had buried for years returned with unbearable force.
Tulsi gasped.
"No..."
"My child..."
Her vision blurred.
She could no longer tell where the past ended...
And the present began.
She saw Nandini's tear-streaked face.
Then...
Vaishnavi's.
The two faces merged in her mind.
"Stop..."
she pleaded with no one.
"Please..."
"I can't see this again..."
The hospital corridor began spinning around her.
She hurried outside, desperate for air.
But the voices followed.
"Your grandson has done the same to his own wife."
"Your grandson..."
"Your grandson..."
Tulsi covered her ears.
"Enough!"
"Please..."
"Enough..."
Her legs finally gave way.
She collapsed onto the hospital steps.
The prayer beads slipped from her trembling fingers, scattering across the ground.
For the first time after many years since Ansh’s death...
Tulsi Virani broke down.
Not as the strong matriarch of the Virani family.
But as a helpless grandmother.
"What if..."
she sobbed.
"What if I failed again?"
"What if I couldn't protect another daughter?"
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
"I couldn't save Nandini from that nightmare..."
"Have I failed Vaishnavi too?"
Her cries echoed through the hospital entrance.
"Tulsi!"
Mihir came running outside.
He had followed her the moment he saw her leave the corridor.
His heart sank at the sight before him.
Tulsi sat on the steps, weeping inconsolably.
He had not seen her like this...
Not after Ansh's death.
He immediately knelt beside her.
"Tulsi..."
She didn't respond.
She continued staring blankly ahead.
Her lips moved almost soundlessly.
"No..."
"Not Parth..."
"Please..."
"Not my Parth..."
Mihir gently held her shoulders.
"Tulsi!"
She slowly looked at him.
Her eyes were filled with fear.
Not anger.
Not hatred.
Fear.
The fear of a grandmother whose faith was crumbling under the weight of doubt.
"Mihir..."
she whispered.
"What if Reyansh wasn't lying?"
Mihir's heart tightened.
He took both her hands firmly in his own.
"Listen to me."
"Reyansh has spent months deceiving this family."
"He wants us to doubt each other."
"He wants to poison every relationship we have."
"He knows exactly which wounds never healed."
Tulsi lowered her head.
"But why now?"
"Why today?"
"Why... after hearing that Vaishnavi is pregnant?"
Her voice cracked.
"I prayed every day that Parth and Vaishnavi would find happiness."
"I prayed that their marriage would blossom."
"But all I saw was bitterness..."
"Distance..."
"Pain..."
She looked up at Mihir, tears flowing freely.
"And now..."
"I don't know what to believe anymore."
Mihir pulled her gently into his embrace.
"We don't have all the answers yet."
"So don't punish Parth in your heart before knowing the truth."
"Promise me."
Tulsi closed her eyes.
She wanted to promise him.
She wanted to trust the grandson she had raised.
But Reyansh's words lingered like a shadow she could not escape.
Somewhere deep inside...
The battle between a grandmother's faith...
And a grandmother's fear...
Had only just begun.
A Promise She Could Not Make
As Tulsi sat motionless on the hospital steps.
Her prayer beads lay scattered beside her.
Mihir quietly gathered them and placed them back in her trembling hands.
For a long time...
Neither of them spoke.
Only the distant sounds of ambulances and hurried footsteps filled the silence.
Finally...
Tulsi wiped her tears.
"Mihir..."
Her voice was barely audible.
"Leave me alone for a little while."
Mihir looked at her with concern.
"Tulsi..."
"I just need some time."
"Please."
He remained seated beside her.
"No."
"Not until you promise me something."
Tulsi slowly turned towards him.
"What?"
Mihir held both her hands firmly.
"Whatever is going through your mind..."
"Don't decide anything today."
"Don't confront anyone."
"Don't punish anyone."
"Not before knowing the complete truth."
His voice trembled.
"Promise me."
Tulsi closed her eyes.
She wanted to say yes.
She wanted to trust Parth.
The little boy she had raised.
The grandson who had once held her finger and taken his first steps.
The young man she had lovingly called her Kanha.
Her lips parted.
"I..."
But before the promise could leave her mouth...
Reyansh's voice echoed inside her mind.
"You believed my father deserved punishment for what he did..."
"What will you do now if your own grandson has committed the same sin?"
Tulsi flinched.
Her fingers tightened around the prayer beads.
"No..."
she whispered.
The voice wouldn't stop.
Again.
And again.
Like a curse.
She covered her ears.
But it continued to haunt her.
Tears streamed down her face.
"I don't know what to believe anymore..."
Mihir gently squeezed her hands.
"You don't have to believe anyone today."
"Not Reyansh."
"Not your fears."
"Only the truth."
"When we know the whole truth..."
"Then we'll decide what to do."
Tulsi lowered her head.
She desperately wished she could make him that promise.
But the doubt in her heart had taken root.
Slowly...
She rose to her feet.
Mihir stood with her.
"Tulsi..."
She looked at him.
Her eyes were filled with anguish.
"I can't promise you."
Mihir's heart sank.
"Tulsi..."
Without another word...
She turned and walked away.
Not in anger.
Not with certainty.
But with a heart torn between faith...
And fear.
Mihir watched her go, helpless.
For the first time in years...
He could not understand what was happening inside the woman who had always been the strongest pillar of their family.
He looked in the direction she had disappeared and he whispered
"Please, Thakur ji..."
"Don't let this family be torn apart by a lie..."
Then, taking a deep breath, Mihir went into the hospital, unaware that the answers they sought were within their reach.
A Grandmother's Breaking Point
Tulsi walked without knowing where she was going.
The city bustled around her.
Cars sped past.
People hurried along the footpaths.
But to her...
Everything had faded into silence.
Only her heartbeat remained.
Heavy.
Restless.
She clutched her prayer beads tightly.
"Thakur ji..."
she whispered.
"Don't test me like this."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
Then...
A memory surfaced.
A little boy of barely two years stood clutching Parvati's saree.
His innocent eyes were filled with confusion.
Parvati knelt before him, tears streaming down her face.
She gently cupped his face.
"Parth..."
"From today..."
"Tulsi Baa will take care of you."
The little boy shook his head.
"I want you..."
His tiny voice broke Tulsi's heart.
Parvati kissed his forehead one last time before placing his small hand into Tulsi's.
"Love him as your own, Tulsi."
"Promise me he'll never feel that I've left him."
Tulsi's own eyes filled with tears.
She knelt before the frightened child and opened her arms.
"Come to me, Kanha."
For a moment, little Parth hesitated.
Then, wiping away his tears with the back of his tiny hand, he slowly walked into Tulsi's embrace.
His little fingers tightly wrapped around hers...
As though he had found a home.
Tulsi hugged him close and whispered,
"My grandson..."
"My Kanha..."
Another memory followed.
A five-year-old Parth running barefoot through Shanti Niketan.
"Baa!"
He laughed as he hid behind her saree.
Tulsi pretended not to see him.
"Where has my Kanha gone?"
The little boy giggled before throwing his arms around her.
"I'm here!"
Tulsi hugged him tightly.
"My naughty Krishna..."
Her lips curved into a faint smile.
Only for it to disappear again.
Another memory.
Parth as a teenager.
A frightened young housemaid accidentally dropped an expensive vase.
She trembled, expecting punishment.
Before anyone could speak...
Parth bent down.
"It's alright."
He helped her gather the broken pieces.
Then he looked at Tulsi.
"You always say respect isn't measured by someone's wealth."
"It's measured by how we treat them."
Tulsi had smiled proudly.
"Exactly."
"Never forget that."
"I won't, Baa."
Another memory.
A young Parth touching Tulsi's feet before leaving for work.
"Bless me."
She placed her hand on his head.
"Always remember one thing."
He looked up.
"What?"
"A woman is never weak."
"Respect her."
"Protect her."
"That is the greatest strength a man can possess."
Parth smiled.
"I promise."
The memories flowed one after another.
A grandson.
A protector.
Her Kanha.
Then...
Without warning...
Reyansh's voice cut through them like a blade.
"Your grandson has done the same..."
Tulsi stopped walking.
"No..."
she whispered.
She shut her eyes tightly.
But the words refused to leave.
Her mind began betraying her.
A horrifying image—born not from memory, but from fear—flashed across her thoughts.
A furious Parth.
Vaishnavi in tears.
The accusation Reyansh had planted twisted itself into a nightmare she could not escape.
Tulsi gasped.
"No!"
She covered her face.
"No..."
"My Kanha..."
"This cannot be true."
Her breathing became frantic.
The happy memories of Parth as a child collided with the fear Reyansh had planted.
"I taught you..."
she cried.
"I taught you to honour every woman."
"So why am I even thinking this?"
She shook her head desperately.
"No."
"I don't know the truth."
"I don't know..."
"But why won't these thoughts leave me?"
She looked up.
In the distance...
She could see the road leading towards Shanti Niketan.
The home where every memory of Parth had begun.
Without another thought...
Tulsi started running.
Faster.
And faster.
Tears blurred her vision.
"My Kanha..."
she sobbed.
"Tell me I'm wrong."
"Please..."
"Tell me I'm wrong."
The prayer beads slipped from her hand and fell onto the road.
Tulsi never noticed.
She kept running towards Shanti Niketan...
Desperate to find an answer before her heart shattered beneath the weight of doubt.
The Truth Vaishnavi Spoke
Meanwhile...
Back at the hospital...
Mihir slowly walked towards Vaishnavi's room.
His heart was still heavy.
Tulsi's tear-filled face refused to leave his mind.
He gently pushed the door open.
The sight before him made him stop.
Karan and Nandini stood beside Vaishnavi's bed.
Both had tears of joy in their eyes.
Nandini lovingly cupped Vaishnavi's face.
"You've given us the greatest happiness, beta."
"We're going to become grandparents."
Karan smiled through his tears.
"Our family..."
"Our family has received a new blessing."
Vaishnavi looked from one to the other.
Her eyes widened.
"I'm..."
She instinctively placed a trembling hand over her stomach.
"Pregnant?"
The doctor smiled warmly.
"Yes."
"Congratulations."
"For nearly six weeks."
For a few seconds...
Vaishnavi couldn't speak.
Tears slowly welled up in her eyes.
A faint smile spread across her lips.
"Our baby..."
she whispered.
"Our baby..."
She gently rested her palm over her womb.
The memories of that rain-soaked night flashed before her.
Their tears.
Their embrace.
Their silent confession of love.
A blush mixed with tears appeared on her face.
"Parth..."
she whispered softly.
Karan and Nandini smiled at each other.
For the first time in months...
Hope had returned.
Just then...
Mihir slowly entered the room.
Everyone turned towards him.
"Papa!"
Karan smiled.
"You heard the good news?"
Mihir forced a faint smile.
But his face remained troubled.
Vaishnavi immediately noticed.
"Dadu..."
"What happened?"
Mihir looked at her for a long moment.
Then, with great hesitation, he spoke.
"Beta..."
"I need to ask you something."
Vaishnavi nodded.
"Anything."
His voice trembled.
"Did..."
He struggled to complete the sentence.
"...did Parth ever cross your boundaries?"
Vaishnavi looked at him in confusion.
Mihir closed his eyes briefly before asking the question that had haunted him ever since leaving the jail.
"Did Parth ever force himself on you?"
Silence.
The room froze.
Karan and Nandini stared at Mihir in shock.
Vaishnavi looked utterly bewildered.
"What?"
"Dadu..."
"No."
She answered without hesitation.
"Never."
Her voice was calm.
Certain.
She slowly placed both hands over her stomach.
"The little life growing inside me..."
"...is a symbol of our love."
"We were both overwhelmed that night."
"We cried."
"We spoke."
"We chose each other."
"No one forced the other."
She smiled through her tears.
"This child was conceived with love."
"Not fear."
Mihir stood speechless.
His eyes widened.
A wave of relief washed over him.
But it lasted only a moment.
Because almost instantly...
He remembered Tulsi.
Her trembling hands.
Her shattered faith.
Her inability to make him a promise.
"Oh no..."
he whispered.
Karan stepped forward.
"Papa..."
"What happened?"
Mihir slowly looked at all three of them.
"You don't know."
He took a deep breath.
Then narrated everything.
Their visit to the jail.
Reyansh's confession.
His accusations against Parth.
The poison he had deliberately planted in Tulsi's heart.
And finally...
Tulsi's emotional collapse outside the hospital.
When he finished...
The room fell silent.
Nandini covered her mouth.
"My God..."
Vaishnavi's face drained of colour.
“Tulsi Kaki..."
Karan looked towards the door.
"Where is Maa now?"
"I don't know."
Mihir shook his head.
"She asked me to leave her alone."
"I begged her not to do anything before learning the complete truth."
"She couldn't even promise me."
His voice broke.
"I'm afraid she's carrying Reyansh's words in her heart."
Vaishnavi immediately threw aside her blanket.
"I have to find her."
The doctor tried to stop her.
"Mrs. Virani, you need to rest."
"I can't."
"My Tulsi Kaki is alone."
Karan helped her carefully to her feet.
"We'll all go."
"No one should be alone right now."
Within moments...
Karan, Nandini, Mihir and Vaishnavi hurried out of the room.
Each of them carried the same fear.
What one poisonous lie might compel Tulsi Virani to do before the truth reached her.
The Question Before the Verdict
The gates of Shanti Niketan slowly creaked open.
Tulsi stepped inside.
The mansion stood before her...
The home she had once left in tears.
She looked around.
Everything felt strangely different.
Fresh flowers decorated the entrance.
Strings of marigolds hung from the pillars.
The rangoli at the doorstep looked newly made.
Tulsi frowned.
"What...?"
Just then—
She heard a familiar voice humming softly.
She turned.
Parth.
He stood on a ladder, carefully hanging another garland across the entrance.
A carton full of decorations lay beside him.
The cold, ruthless businessman had vanished.
For the first time in months...
His face carried genuine happiness.
He climbed down from the ladder.
Turning around—
He saw her.
"Baa!"
His eyes lit up instantly.
He hurried towards her like an excited child.
"Baa..."
"You came!"
Without a second thought, he bent down and touched her feet.
Before Tulsi could react...
He wrapped his arms tightly around her.
"Baa..."
"It's over."
"It's finally over."
"We won."
"I told you one day I'd bring everyone back."
His voice was filled with excitement.
"I've been decorating the house since morning."
"I wanted everything to look exactly the way you like it."
"Our family is coming home again."
"Our Shanti Niketan will be complete again."
Tulsi remained still.
Her hands never rose to bless him.
She didn't return his embrace.
Parth slowly loosened his hold.
The smile on his face faded.
He looked at her.
"Baa...?"
Her face was unreadable.
No anger.
No affection.
Only silence.
Parth tried to smile again.
"I know..."
"I've hurt all of you."
"But now everything is over."
"I'll explain every—"
Tulsi slowly raised her hand.
He fell silent immediately.
"I want to know something."
Her voice was calm.
Almost frighteningly calm.
Parth nodded without hesitation.
"Anything, Baa."
"Ask me anything."
"I won't hide anything from you anymore."
Tulsi looked into his eyes for several moments.
Then she quietly turned around.
"Wait here."
Without another word...
She walked upstairs.
Parth watched her in confusion.
"What happened?"
He followed her with his eyes as she disappeared into her room.
Inside...
Tulsi walked towards the old wooden cupboard.
Her trembling fingers reached for a small hidden compartment.
She hesitated.
Closed her eyes.
Then slowly opened it.
Inside lay an old metal box.
Untouched for years.
With trembling hands, she lifted it out.
She opened the lid.
There it was.
The pistol.
The same one she had once used on Ansh.
For years...
She had prayed never to touch it again.
Her fingers shook as she picked it up.
Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.
"Thakur ji..."
she whispered.
"Please..."
"Don't let history repeat itself."
She took a deep breath...
Closed the cupboard...
And walked downstairs.
Parth looked up as she returned.
His smile disappeared.
His eyes fell upon the pistol in her hand.
He froze.
"Baa..."
The colour drained from his face.
For the first time since she had entered Shanti Niketan...
Fear crossed Parth Virani's eyes.
"What... are you doing with that?"
Tulsi stood in the middle of the room, her trembling hand gripping the pistol.
Before Parth could comprehend what she was about to do, she slowly raised it and pressed the barrel against her own temple.
A horrified gasp echoed through the room.
"Baa!" Parth cried.
His heart nearly stopped.
Without thinking, he rushed towards her.
But Tulsi's voice thundered through the silence.
"STOP!"
Parth froze mid-step.
"If you take one more step..." she warned, her finger tightening around the trigger, "...I will pull it."
The room fell deathly silent.
Parth's face drained of colour.
"Baa..." he pleaded, raising both hands helplessly. "What are you doing?"
Tears streamed down Tulsi's cheeks, but the pistol never wavered.
"Don't come any closer."
Parth's voice shook.
"Please... lower the gun."
"No!"
Her scream echoed through the house.
Parth stood rooted to the spot, terrified that even a single movement might push her over the edge.
His eyes brimmed with tears.
"Baa..." he whispered. "What's wrong with you? Why are you doing this?"
Tulsi looked at him with eyes filled with unbearable pain.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then, with a voice that carried years of guilt, heartbreak, and anguish, she asked "Do you know what this pistol is?"
Parth slowly nodded.
"Yes."
"It changed our family's life forever."
A tear rolled down Tulsi's cheek.
"Years ago..."
"I believed I had ended the darkness that had entered this family."
Her voice trembled.
"I thought Ansh Virani would be the last monster my family would ever see."
She looked directly into Parth's eyes.
"But today..."
"I am terrified that history has repeated itself."
Parth frowned.
"Baa..."
"I don't understand."
Tulsi's composure finally shattered.
"You don't understand?"
She cried openly.
"I have spent my entire life teaching this family one lesson."
"To protect women."
"To respect them."
"I taught it to Karan."
"I taught it to you."
Her voice cracked.
"You were my Kanha..."
"My pride..."
"My grandson."
Parth felt his heart sink.
He had never seen Tulsi look at him with such anguish.
Slowly...
She asked the question that had been tearing her apart.
"Tell me one thing."
Parth nodded.
"Anything."
Tulsi struggled to find the words.
Then, with tears streaming down her face, she whispered,
"Did you ever cross Vaishnavi's boundaries?"
The question struck him like lightning.
For a long moment...
He couldn't breathe.
His mind was dragged back to that rain-soaked night.
Vaishnavi's tears.
Her attempt to leave.
His desperate kiss.
Their embrace.
The night that had changed both their lives.
He looked back at Tulsi.
She was waiting.
Not with anger.
But with a grandmother's desperate hope that the answer would save the grandson she loved.
A Silence More Dangerous Than Words
Parth stood frozen.
Tulsi's question echoed through the silent hall.
"Did you ever cross Vaishnavi's boundaries?"
He opened his mouth.
But no words came.
His mind returned to that rain-soaked night.
Vaishnavi's tears.
His desperation to stop her from leaving.
The kiss.
The emotions they had both been unable to suppress.
The morning after...
The guilt that had consumed him.
He lowered his eyes.
That one moment of silence...
Lasted only a few seconds.
But to Tulsi...
It felt like a confession.
Her heart shattered.
A sob escaped her lips.
"No..."
She staggered back a step.
"No..."
Parth immediately looked up.
"Baa..."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I asked you one question..."
"And you cannot even deny it."
Parth's breathing became uneven.
"Baa, please..."
But Tulsi continued, unable to stop.
"This..."
She pointed at him with a trembling finger.
"This is not how Parvati raised you."
"It is not what Mihir and I taught you."
"It is not what Karan and Nandini taught you."
"We taught you to protect every woman."
"To respect her."
"To become her strength."
Her voice rose with every word.
"And today..."
"My own grandson stands before me unable to answer a single question."
Parth's eyes glistened.
"Baa..."
"You called me your Kanha."
"You said I would become the pride of this family."
She shook her head violently.
"What happened to that child?"
"Where did I lose him?"
Parth's vision blurred with tears.
"I didn't..."
His voice cracked.
"I never wanted..."
Tulsi interrupted him.
"At least Ansh..."
She stopped, struggling to speak.
"At least Ansh's life had become twisted by the darkness he chose."
"But you..."
"You had every blessing."
"A loving family."
"A mother."
"A father."
"Grandparents."
"You had everything."
"So why?"
"Why would you walk the same path?"
Parth felt each word pierce his heart.
Slowly...
He folded his hands before her.
The proud Parth Virani...
Who had stood unshaken before Reyansh...
Who had sacrificed his name for his family...
Now stood before his grandmother like a broken child.
"Baa..."
Tears streamed down his face.
"Please..."
"Just let me explain."
"Once."
"Only once."
"If, after hearing everything..."
"You still believe I've failed you..."
"I'll accept whatever punishment you give me."
Tulsi's face remained hardened by anguish.
"I don't want explanations."
"I want the truth."
"It is the truth."
Parth pleaded.
"Please..."
"You have trusted me all my life."
"Trust me one last time."
Tulsi's trembling hand tightened around the pistol.
Parth's heart sank.
For the first time...
He realised this was no longer a conversation.
This was a grandmother standing between faith and fear.
And fear was winning.
Parth took a slow breath.
He didn't move.
He didn't try to rush towards her.
He simply stood where he was, his hands still folded.
"Baa..."
"I am begging you."
"Please..."
"Listen to me."
The silence that followed felt endless.
Outside...
The sound of hurried footsteps began to draw closer to Shanti Niketan.
But inside the mansion...
Neither Tulsi nor Parth heard them.
Both stood locked in the most painful moment of their lives—
One desperately trying to speak.
The other desperately afraid of what she believed she already knew.
History Repeats
Tulsi's hands trembled.
The pistol felt heavier than it ever had before.
Tears streamed endlessly down her face.
Parth stood before her...
His hands still folded.
His eyes pleaded with her.
"Baa..."
"Please..."
"Just once..."
"Listen to me."
But Tulsi no longer heard his voice.
She heard only the echoes of the past.
Nandini's cries.
Ansh's rage.
The gunshot that had changed her life forever.
And then...
Reyansh's poisonous words.
"What will you do now... when your own grandson has committed the same crime?"
Tulsi shut her eyes.
When she opened them again...
She wasn't looking at the grandson she had raised.
She was looking at the nightmare her fear had created.
Her voice rose in anguish.
"Thirty years ago..."
"I fought the Ravan of this family."
Her grip tightened around the pistol.
"And today..."
Her tears fell faster.
"I will not let another Ravan win."
Parth's face drained of colour.
"No..."
he whispered.
"Baa..."
"You are mistaken."
"Please..."
"Don't do this."
"I swear on you..."
"I—"
Tulsi cried out,
"Stop!"
"I cannot listen anymore!"
"My heart cannot bear another lie!"
Parth remained where he was.
He did not move towards her.
He did not try to wrest the pistol away.
He simply looked at the woman who had been his entire world.
The woman who had taught him right from wrong.
The woman whose blessing he had sought before every important step in his life.
His tears flowed freely.
"If this is your judgment..."
he whispered brokenly,
"I accept it..."
"But, Baa..."
"I never betrayed your values."
"I only failed to tell you the truth."
Tulsi's finger rested on the trigger.
Her entire body shook.
For one fleeting instant...
The little boy who had once hidden behind her sari flashed before her eyes.
"Baa..."
"I'll always be your Kanha."
Her resolve wavered.
Then...
Reyansh's voice returned like a curse.
"Your grandson has done the same..."
Tulsi cried out in agony.
"No!"
At that very moment—
The main door of Shanti Niketan burst open.
"Tulsi!"
Mihir's desperate voice echoed through the mansion.
He ran inside at full speed.
Behind him came Karan.
Nandini.
Vaishnavi.
All of them shouting.
"Maa! Tulsi Kaki!"
But they were too late.
A deafening gunshot echoed through Shanti Niketan.
Time seemed to stop.
Parth looked down.
A dark stain slowly spread across his shirt.
The bullet had struck him square in the chest.
His folded hands slowly fell to his sides.
His eyes remained fixed on Tulsi.
Not with anger.
Not with fear.
Only with heartbreak.
"Baa..."
he whispered faintly.
Then his knees gave way.
A Family Torn Apart
Parth's body swayed.
The world around him blurred.
As he fell backwards—
"Parth!"
Vaishnavi ran towards him with a desperate cry.
Before his head could strike the marble floor, she slipped beneath him and gently cradled his head in her lap.
Her trembling hands cupped his face.
"No..."
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.
"No, Parth..."
"You can't leave now."
His half-closed eyes slowly opened.
He looked up.
"Va..."
His voice was barely a whisper.
Vaishnavi held him even closer.
"You can't leave after everything you've done for this family."
"You can't leave me."
"You can't leave..."
She instinctively placed one hand over her stomach.
"...our child."
Parth froze.
For a brief moment...
The pain disappeared from his face.
"Our..."
He looked at her trembling hand.
Then at her tear-filled eyes.
"Our child?"
Vaishnavi nodded through her sobs.
"Yes..."
"You are going to be a father."
"Our baby..."
A faint smile slowly appeared on Parth's face.
His eyes filled with tears.
A single tear escaped and rolled down his cheek.
"My..."
"Our baby..."
He let out a shaky laugh that dissolved into a cough.
"I..."
"I was going to become a father..."
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, overcome with emotion.
Then he looked back at Vaishnavi.
"I wish..."
"I had found out differently."
Karan rushed forward and knelt beside him.
"Parth!"
His hands trembled as he pressed his handkerchief against the wound.
"We're wasting time."
"We have to get you to a hospital."
Nandini knelt beside her son, unable to stop crying.
"My child..."
"Nothing will happen to you."
"Do you hear me?"
"We're taking you right now."
She looked frantically towards Mihir.
"Papa!"
"Help me!"
"We have to lift him."
Parth slowly raised a weak hand.
"No..."
Everyone looked at him.
"Parth, don't speak," Karan pleaded.
"We'll save you."
Parth gently shook his head.
"My time..."
His breathing grew uneven.
"...is very little."
"No!"
Vaishnavi cried.
"Don't say that."
"You promised..."
"You promised you'd bring this family back together."
"You promised me."
Parth looked around the hall.
The decorations.
The flowers.
The rangoli.
Everything he had prepared with such hope.
A bittersweet smile touched his lips.
"I wanted..."
"I wanted to welcome all of you home."
His gaze moved from one familiar face to another.
Karan.
Nandini.
Mihir.
Finally...
Tulsi.
She still stood where she was.
Motionless.
The pistol lay on the floor beside her.
She stared at Parth as though unable to believe what had happened.
Parth's eyes softened.
"Baa..."
His voice was barely audible.
"Please..."
"Don't cry."
"You've cried enough..."
He slowly reached out a trembling hand towards her.
"I don't want..."
"...my last moments..."
"...to be filled with tears."
"I only..."
He struggled to breathe.
"I only want to be..."
"...with my family."
Silence filled Shanti Niketan.
The very family Parth had sacrificed everything to protect...
Now surrounded him.
Bound together...
By love.
By truth.
And by a tragedy none of them had ever imagined.
The Last Goodbye
Silence filled Shanti Niketan.
Only Parth's laboured breathing could be heard.
Vaishnavi gently stroked his hair, her tears falling onto his face.
"Nothing will happen to you..."
she whispered repeatedly.
"Please..."
"Stay with me."
Parth gave her a faint smile.
"I've always been terrible..."
"...at listening to you."
Even through her tears, Vaishnavi let out a broken laugh.
"Don't joke..."
"Please don't joke..."
Parth slowly turned his head.
His fading eyes searched for Karan.
"Dad..."
Karan immediately held his hand.
"I'm here, son."
Parth's lips trembled.
"I'm sorry."
"I disappointed you."
"I made you believe your son had become a monster."
"I made you raise your hand against me."
"I made you hate me."
A tear escaped Karan's eyes.
"No..."
"No, Parth."
"You protected all of us."
"I was the one who failed to understand you."
Parth weakly shook his head.
"I should have trusted you."
"I should have shared the burden."
His gaze shifted towards Nandini.
"Maa..."
Nandini broke down completely.
"My child..."
"You don't have to apologise."
Parth smiled faintly.
"I made you cry every single day."
"I humiliated you..."
"The woman who gave me nothing but love."
"I'm sorry."
Nandini kissed his forehead.
"I forgave you long before I knew the truth."
"And today..."
"I'm proud to call you my son."
Parth's eyes slowly moved to Mihir.
"Dadu..."
Mihir knelt beside him.
"My brave boy..."
Parth's fingers tightened weakly around his grandfather's hand.
"I couldn't protect your faith in me."
"I made you question the values you taught me."
Mihir's voice trembled.
"No."
"You protected those values until your very last breath."
"You have nothing to ask forgiveness for."
Parth's eyes finally searched for Tulsi.
She had not moved.
She stood frozen...
Unable to lift her eyes towards him.
"Baa..."
His voice was barely audible.
Tulsi collapsed beside him.
"My Kanha..."
she sobbed.
"My child..."
"I..."
She tried to speak.
No words came.
Parth slowly lifted his trembling hand.
With great effort...
He wiped away one of her tears.
The same way he had done as a little boy whenever she cried.
"Baa..."
he whispered.
"Don't..."
"Don't blame yourself."
"You always taught me..."
"...that protecting family sometimes means bearing pain alone."
"I was only following..."
"...what you taught me."
Tulsi broke down.
"No!"
"No, Parth!"
"I misunderstood you."
"I judged you."
"I..."
Her voice shattered.
"Forgive me..."
Parth gave the faintest smile.
"There is..."
"...nothing to forgive."
"You'll always be..."
"...my Baa."
Tulsi gently pressed his hand against her forehead.
Crying like a helpless mother.
Parth slowly turned towards Vaishnavi.
She was holding him close.
One hand in his.
The other resting protectively over her womb.
He looked at her stomach.
A smile brighter than any he had worn in months appeared on his face.
"Our baby..."
he whispered.
Vaishnavi nodded through her tears.
"Our baby."
Parth gently placed his trembling hand over hers.
"Tell..."
"...our child..."
"...that..."
His breathing faltered.
"...his father..."
"...loved..."
"...both of you..."
"...more than..."
"...his own life."
Vaishnavi clutched his hand desperately.
"No."
"You'll tell our child yourself."
"You promised we'd raise our baby together."
"You promised..."
Parth looked into her eyes.
"I'll always..."
"...be with you."
His fingers slowly intertwined with hers.
"I love you..."
His gaze lingered on her face.
Then slowly drifted across the room.
His family.
Together.
Again.
Exactly as he had dreamed.
A peaceful smile settled on his lips.
The pain disappeared from his face.
His breathing became slower.
Softer.
Until...
It stopped.
His hand slipped gently from Vaishnavi's.
The smile remained.
As though he had finally found peace.
"Parth?"
Vaishnavi whispered.
No answer.
She shook him gently.
"Parth..."
"Get up."
No response.
Her voice broke into a scream.
"PARTH!"
She pulled him into her embrace, weeping uncontrollably.
Karan buried his face in his hands.
"My son..."
Nandini collapsed beside Parth's feet, crying inconsolably.
Mihir stood motionless, tears streaming silently down his face.
The decorations Parth had lovingly hung to welcome his family home swayed gently in the breeze.
The home he had fought to save...
Had become the place where he said goodbye.
Slowly...
Every pair of tear-filled eyes turned towards Tulsi.
No words of blame were uttered.
None were needed.
The silence itself became an accusation.
And for the first time in her life...
Tulsi Virani felt the unbearable weight of every pair of eyes fixed upon her.
And before Tulsi Virani...
Lay the lifeless body of Parth Virani.
The man the world had condemned as a monster.
The son who had sacrificed his own name to save his family.
The husband who had loved silently.
The father who had smiled at the news of his unborn child only moments before his death.
The grandson who had died with folded hands before the woman he worshipped most.
At last...
His mask had fallen.
But it had fallen only after taking the man beneath it away forever.
------
The End.
Edited by Aleyamma47 - 2 hours ago
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