CHAPTER TWO - PAGE TWO https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/siya-ke-ram/4694933/of-fate-and-forgiveness-ramsiya-ss-preview-of-chap-4-page-3-1-9-16?pn=2
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The sleek black limousine came to a smooth stop in front on Kshatriya Steel Group of Companies, the business empire which was shouldered by the four young Suryavanshi brothers whose parents had perished in an accident five years prior. Inside the luxurious vehicle, the oldest of the brothers, Ram Suryavanshi, looked away from the file with a dominant air of authority while his brother Lakshman spoke to him. Even though he was only 28 years of age, his every demeanor made him appear stricter than his youth should allow him. His younger brother Lakshman was a twin with Satraughan, the two of them being 24 years old while his other brother, Bharath, who was the most gentle of them all, was 26. Bharath and Satraughan managed the advertising sector of the business while him and Lakshman took care of the meetings and partnerships of the company.
A luxurious gold ring decorated Ram's right ring finger regardless of the past he wished to forget. Yet, the trauma and ill fortune that clouded his life three years prior was one he desperately tried to extinguish from his memory. He wanted to forget it all. The pain that clawed in his bleeding heart was unbearable on those lonely nights when the memories threatened to drown him in their dark haunting depths. The memories of a life that was long gone... the memories of /her/.
"Bhaiya..."- at Lakshman's voice he looked at his little brother with a stern nod of his head.
"Yes you can fix the meeting and I will handle it."- he said with a small smile as he touched his brother's cheek fondly- "I can see you are excited to return home to Urmilla."
"Yes.. I am worried bhaiya. Her morning sickness this morning was unnerving."- Lakshman replied with fiery concern in his eyes for his wife at home.
"It's part of the pregnancy Lakshman."- Ram told him patiently as he closed the file and placed it in his briefcase. Lakshman stared at his brother with shimmering sorrow, his heart crying for the cruel hand fate had played on his brother. His Ram bhaiya deserved all the happiness in the world yet life was so heartless towards him. He had lost everything that made him happy. Oh how he wished and craved to see his Ram Bhaiya smiling cheerfully once more but it was years since he saw a sincere smile on his brother's face. When she left... she took his brother's smile with her...
"I can come back at lunchtime bhaiya."- Lakshman told him but Ram simply shook his head in disagreement.
"You stay home with Urmilla today and I will handle the office matters."- Ram replied firmly, his thumb brushing his beard in silent deliberation while he went through the checklist in his mind for all the matters he had to address that day. "I will see you this evening Lakshman. Message me about Urmilla if she begins to feel more ill, ok?"
Lakshman nodded at him, his brown gaze following his brother as the man exited the limousine and gave his briefcase to his driver before he adjusted his suit neatly and proceeded inside of the building, the driver following him.
A few minutes later, the elevator door opened and he gave a few of his employees a stiff nod of acknowledgment at their morning greetings as he walked past their desks and to his cabin. However, upon nearing his secretary's desk, he paused, his stern but calm gaze meeting the woman's black eyes as she stood and greeted him politely.
"Good morning Mr. Suryavanshi."
"Good morning Shurpa. I would like the list of meetings on my desk as soon as possible. And coffee. I want a cup of coffee delivered to my office as well. Black."- he said simply, the girl nodding at him before he walked away from her. Her eyes trailed after his handsome form in evident lust but she knew he did not have even the slightest bit of interest in her since he only spared her a glance when he had to speak to her. With a heavy sigh, she proceeded with her work hoping, like every day, that she would impress him with her work etiquette. After all he was single again so that meant she could get a brush of fortune and he could very well fall in love with her. Even in her mind, the thought seemed ludicrous but she did not want to damper her mood with such a depressing inclination.
Inside his office, Ram lowered himself onto his chair while he powered on his laptop, the tiredness of the week creeping onto his strong shoulders even though it early on that Thursday morning.
"Thursday..."- he thought bitterly, his thoughts stubbornly wandering down the dark path of his caged memories once more- "She always went to Mahadev's temple on a Thursday.."
Feeling the heat of tension biting his neck even after all of those years, he stood from the chair and walked over to the huge glass window in his office that overlooked the city below. Why couldn't he just forget her? Why was it so difficult?! Why couldn't he just move on!
"Sir.."- at the voice he turned around, his dark stern gaze meeting Shurpa's apologetic eyes- "Sir... Someone is here to see you."
"Now?"- he said with a hint of incredulity. After all it was only 8:00am and his first meeting was scheduled at nine. "Who is it?"- he queried with curiousity as he buried his hands in his pockets.
"Sir... it's..."
"I can introduce myself."
The familiar voice struck his heart like a lightning bolt, charged and unhindered in power and he remained paralyzed in the spot as the woman entered his office with bold steps forcing Shurpa to step aside. He stared at the familiar beautiful brown eyes speechlessly, his jaw clenching and unclenching in anger as she stepped further into the office, the sound of her stillettoes on the floor seemingly reverberating in his mind.
Three years... Three years he did not see that face nor hear that voice and now she was in front of him, her very presence seemingly mocking the raw bleeding wounds of his battered heart and soul.
"Siya..."- he all but gritted out. Siya stared at him levelly as she flicked her long wavy brown hair over her shoulder with an air of confidence that he once found to be so endearing... That he silently still found to be endearing.
"Ram..."- she said firmly and for a moment his eyes lowered to her left hand and he noticed that the wedding ring still decorated her finger. She kept it... Like how he did? He wondered with a hint of shock but before he could deliberate on it for much longer, she continued speaking. "You've lost a bit of weight."
"So have you."- he replied a bit mockingly as his brown gaze lingered on her beautiful fair face. He could not help but notice that she truthfully looked thinner and there were the hint of dark circles under her eyes which her make up did not cover completely. Was she ill? -he found himself thinking in concern but no sooner did the thought and emotion rise within him, he tried to stifle it yet again. He shouldn't feel anything for her anymore. They were not one again. They were divided. And they will never ever regain the life they once had.
"Hmm well... life has a way of playing tricks on us.."- she said as walked closer to his desk. By that time Shurpa had already left with growing envy since she was still reeling from the sudden return of the man's wife. She had to remind herself that Siya was still his wife since they never divorced even though they were separated.
Ram observed Siya with growing intolerance, his fingers balling into fists in his pockets while she idly picked up one of his pens before she lowered it back onto the glass desk. She was acting so casually, as though nothing had happened but he knew that was just an act of hers. There had to be a reason she had shown up to his office unannounced and she knew it wasn't because of her family business since their businesses had severed ties when him and Siya separated.
"What the hell do you want?"- he queried a bit harshly and looked at him with an arched brow at his tone.
"I will answer you when you decide to speak to me in a better tone."-she retorted with fiery bluntness that caused his jaw to clench even more.
"You walk into my office unannounced after three years and you expect me to welcome you with open arms and a damn smile! Why the hell are you here!!"
"Mama..."- at the shy voice, he immediately halted his rant, his brown eyes shifting to the door where a man, dressed in the driver's suit of her father's company, was holding onto two young boys, twins about 3 years old. "Mama no car mama." -the other child spoke up and Ram stared at the children in shock at their address to Siya. She was their mother? How? When? Did she remarry and he didn't know? But that wasn't possible!! They weren't legally divorced!!
"I'm sorry ma'am.."- the driver apologized as the children let go of his hands and ran to Siya, her hands touching the back of their heads while they hugged her close. "They didn't want to stay in the car."
"That's fine.."- she said simply as she looked down at her children with a soft motherly smile even as Ram stared at them in paralyzed shock.
"I know man.."- One of the child said as he looked at Ram- "Is he man in picture mama?"- the child enquired with broken words because of his young speech.
"Yes..."- Siya replied steadily- "Yes he is Kushal."
Kushal looked at Ram with a small smile while his brother stepped away from his mother's arms and stared at Ram with a small frown.
"That's papa?"- the child said and for the second time that day, Ram felt as though his heart and soul was hit with another powerful lightning bolt that destroyed him continously in those few moments. "Papa?"- he looked at Siya who stared at the innocence in her child's eyes before she looked back at Ram whom she could see was rooted to the spot in overwhelming shock. God knows, she never wanted him to know about the children because she felt as though the both of their lives had already separated into different paths but circumstances was now forcing her hand to reveal to him the secrets she kept hidden for all of those years.
"Yes Luvan." Siya said slowly- "That's papa."
Even at her revelation, the children did not approach the man because of the thunderous anger that was overcoming his expression. Instead, they stepped closer to their mother while Ram stared at her with fiery, ferocious rage, the tears of anger biting his red gaze.
"Ram... I never wanted to do this but I have to now because I think our children deserve to have atleast one parental figure in their life. I'm sick Ram..."- she revealed with great difficult but her words did little to diminish the anger in his raging gaze- "I was in an accident a year ago and I hit my head. I didn't think much on it until a few months back when the pain got worse and..."- she momentarily closed her eyes and bowed her head, a slow breath leaving her- "Brain tumour.."- she said quietly but in the silence of the room, the word seemingly echoed in his mind, her words like daggers, carving his heart apart, slowly and torturously- "Final stage..."
She looked at him then and for the first time since she entered that office, her eyes softened in a sliver of affection with which she used to once beheld him.
In that moment all that was reflected in her eyes was the image of a broken man, riddled with despair and anguish.
"Ram I am not asking for anything other than for you to know our children and give them the love and care---"- she paused when he held up a trembling hand to stop her, her voice cracking with emotion at the tormented tears pooling in his eyes for her. He stared at her quietly, disbelievingly and she felt as though he was searching her soul to see if she was speaking lies and deceit to him.
It was too much... All at once... he found out about his children and about her impending death but his heart was refusing to believe she was slowly dying. He once had so many plans for their life together! So many! But life! This cruel life ruined it all and now it was dealing another devastating blow on him!
"Ram.."- she began again but without another word, he quickly walked past her, the beads of sweat travelling down his forehead as he loosened the tie around his neck. He was feeling suffocated. Something was wrong. This was all a dream, he thought with desperation, his thoughts in chaotic carnage. His children... his wife... his baby boys... All of this time he didn't know... And Siya... his Siya... she stayed away... She is dying...
He punched the button in the elevator and quickly entered it.
The moment the door closed in front of him he dropped to his knees, his fingers gripping his long strands of hair as an agonized scream left him, one which spoke of a soul crying in despair and helplessness at the cruel hand of fate which was dealt upon his life.
He was broken. For three years he was broken. And today, he was destroyed completely.
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