Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Suchitra(Ranveer's Mom) POV

"You are not surprised to see me?" I asked as I sat on the chair.

I was seeing him after so many years and he has changed so much in all these years. He was looking so weak and has lost all his hair.

Nobody could imagine the man sleeping on the bed abused me.

"Rajesh's wife told me about you. Rajesh was always like a brother to me," I said but he didn't say anything.

"Ranveer doesn’t know I am here otherwise he would have got very angry,” I said and that caught his attention.

"How is Ranveer? Last time I saw him he was almost ten years old. You went far away from me that I could not even see him on the streets."

That was true. After our divorce I moved to a place which was two to three hours away from his house because I never wanted him to cross path with us.

"Now he is twenty eight years old and he got married,” I told him.

"What? He got married?"

"Yes,” I said.

"Suchitra I don’t know why you have came to see me but..."

"Ashok, frankly speaking I also don’t know why I came to see the man who destroyed me in the worst way,” I told him the truth.

"Suchitra I know sorry will not make up for what I did.."

"You are not sorry Ashok when I came to meet you, you are saying sorry and you think I will believe it?" I said, almost shouted.

I never wanted to shout at him but all of my frustration came out after seeing him.

"I am sorry for shouting at you. You are not well and moreover I don’t have any right over you to shout like that," I said.

"You are the only woman in my life so in that sense you can shout at me."

"Just one question Ashok. Why you ruined everything?" I asked and he was quiet for few seconds.

"You destroyed my whole life. You ruined me and our family. Why Ashok? Why?" I asked again.

"I don’t know Suchitra. I thought I will keep you near me forever if I control you,” he said.

"But I was yours,” I shouted, again.

"You were young and beautiful and me being ten years older than you was so different from you. Everyone loved you. My colleague, neighbours as you had the capacity to capture anyone's attention without even knowing and that's how you captured my heart too. When I saw you spending time with Rajesh I lost it and I thought I can control you by hurting you but I lost you," he said and I didn't know what to say.

"And you know first time I hit you I cried in the bathroom but after that it was like a power to me, that I can control you. I used to hit you over any small thing. I forgot everything even about our son. Every night after hitting you for any small reason I felt powerful but I was the most powerless man who lost everything for his stupidity."

"Goodbye Ashok. I don’t know why I came here but I am glad I did,” I was about to leave but he started coughing.

I gave him a glass of water and he drank it and my eyes betrayed me and tears started rolling down my cheek.

I never wanted to cry in front of him.

"Who had given you the right to destroy a girl Ashok? Physical pain is gone but my heart is in pain Ashok. You had no right to destroy me and I am glad I left you. I hate you," I said and ran from the place before I could say something more.

Naina's POV

As soon as Mom left Ranveer went inside angrily and held the collar of his Dad.

"I will kill you. You are the most disgusting person I have ever seen," Ranveer shouted at him

"Ranveer stop,” I tried to break his grip but failed.

"I am ashamed to call you my Dad. Did you ever loved me? You don’t have to answer because I know you never did because you don’t destroy the people you love,” he said.

"Ranveer let’s go before you do something," I said and he angrily stormed out of the hospital.

I looked at his Dad to see that he was crying but instead of talking with him I followed Ranveer.

We sat in the car and with one hand he was driving the car and with other hand he held my hand tightly.

After few seconds my hand was hurting but I didn’t utter a word.

The whole ride he had a strong grip on my hand.

He stopped the car in front of Mom's house.

As soon he loosened the grip I saw that my hand had became red.

He went and rang the doorbell and I got out of car and followed him.

As soon as Mom opened the door he took Mom in his arms and both of them were crying.

"Mom calm down," he said breaking the hug.

They both went and sat on the sofa and I sat on the chair far away from them.

"I had gone to visit him. I heard everything Mom," he told her but her face was blank.

"Mom let's forget everything. He is not worth your tears,” he said.

"It's hurting Ranveer,” she said.

"I know Mom but he ruined our lives but we have no other option other than accepting it and moving on but promise me you will not meet him even if his condition deteriorate," he said as he extended his hand.

"But he is also a human being. He needs someone now and I hate him but I can't leave him. I will be with him for the remaining days," she said.

"You still want to be with him?" he was disappointed.

"I just want to help and he needs someone,” she said.

"I hate him Mom but it's your choice. How can you still think about him Mom?" Ranveer asked.

"You know Ranveer when you hate someone there is a relation between them and that is the relation of hate but now I don’t even hate him because I don’t want to waste any energy on that person. After today.."

"After today?" he asked curiously cutting her off.

"He is just like a stranger to me whom I found on the road and I have to help him because I will feel guilty if I leave him like that on the road," she said and I could not decipher her feelings right now as her face showed no emotion.

"Okay Mom as you wish,” he said and we left.

I didn’t talk with Mom as I wanted to give her time.

*****

It had been a week and Mom was normal. For the past week Mom along with me used to go and give breakfast, lunch and dinner to him and come back.

There were no words between them.

He tried to talk for first two days but eventually stopped and for the past week Ranveer had not talked properly to me.

He used to go to office, come back, have dinner and sleep.

But he had never forgotten to have breakfast together and giving me flowers.

We were having dinner when I got a call. I picked it up to see Mom was calling me.

"He is no more," Mom said.

"Oh.. okay," I said as I had nothing to say and gave the mobile to Ranveer.

"What?" he asked after some time and gave the mobile to me and went outside the room.

"Mom?" I greeted her to check if she was on the line.

"Please ask him to send him off properly. Please ask him to do the last ritual as his son," Mom told me and by her voice I knew that she was crying.

Before I could say anything she cut the call.

I went in the hall to see Ranveer sitting on the sofa and by the way he was tapping his leg I knew he was very angry.

I went and sat beside him and held his hand.

"Please let's send him off in a proper manner," I said and he started crying.

"Why Naina? Why he changed into a monster? Why I have to fulfill my job as a son when he didn't fulfill his job as a father and a husband? Why?" he asked and I pulled him in a hug and he cried his heart out in my arms.

After we broke our hug, I wiped his tears and kissed his forehead.

"Sleep on my lap," I said and he laid his head on my lap and once I started stroking his hair he slept off.

The next morning I woke up to see that he was still sleeping on my lap.

I caressed his cheek and he suddenly woke up.

"You didn't sleep the whole night?" he asked as he saw me sitting in the same position I sat yesterday night.

"It's okay Ranveer. I am fine," I told him and he suddenly hugged me.

"Thank you for being there by my side Naina. I love you," he said and kissed my forehead.

"Let's go and send him off in a proper manner," I said and he nodded his head in a 'yes'.

"I am so proud of you Ranveer. I know how much it takes to do what you are doing right now but trust me, you will feel at ease knowing you didn't fail as a son," I told him and once again he kissed my forehead and went in the bedroom to get ready.

*****