Chapter 108 Shadow Of Past
Rimjhim looks at him for a moment, then lowers her gaze and replies in a cold voice, “Nothing.”
Vihan stays quiet, then slowly takes her delicate hand into his own. Rimjhim’s heart trembles for a second. She lifts her face toward him. In her eyes, he can clearly see the pain, the love, and all the unspoken words that have been locked away for too long.
FLASHBACK START
Three years ago… Rimjhim is sitting in the hall, cradling little one-year-old Viransh in her arms, trying to lull him to sleep. Her soft hands gently caress his tiny head, while her lips hum a faint lullaby.
On the other side, Ruhi is sitting in front of the TV, watching cartoons. The atmosphere of the house is ordinary, calm… but in a single moment, everything shatters.
Suddenly, breaking news flashes across the screen.
“Look! The true face of the famous business tycoon, Vihan Rajput! Caught in a hotel room spending colorful nights, not with one, but with many women!”
The images that follow pull the ground from beneath Rimjhim’s feet. Pictures of Vihan not hidden but openly drenched in vulgarity with another woman flash across the screen.
But the greatest wound of all is standing right beside him… Drishti, with a smile on her face, captured in a frame that screams of her being with him.
At that moment, Rimjhim’s heart breaks into pieces. The man she has considered her entire world shatters her dignity and her trust into dust.
Her eyes brim with tears, her hands tremble uncontrollably. Viransh still sleeps peacefully in her arms, unaware, but inside Rimjhim, a storm rages.
Without thinking, she rushes to the wardrobe, pulling out clothes and hastily packing. With every garment she folds, it is as though she is gathering the fragments of her broken dreams. But the more she packs, the heavier her pain grows.
That night, under the shadow of darkness, Rimjhim steps out of her home. She says nothing to anyone, leaves without a word. Only one thought echoes in her mind, “Vihan Ji betrayed me.”
What she doesn’t know at that time is that she is carrying another life inside her. Another symbol of their love, little Pihu. It is only after reaching the haveli that the truth comes to light. A doctor’s check-up reveals she is pregnant.
That revelation breaks her all over again. On one side is the unbearable agony of Vihan’s betrayal, on the other, a new life growing within her. And in that moment, Rimjhim makes a vow, no matter how much she has to endure, she will fight for her children, but never again will she let her self-respect be stained.
Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, months into years… And yet, one scene repeats itself every evening. Vihan Rajput his aura, his power comes to stand at the gates of the haveli. In his eyes, there is shame, there is guilt, but there is also a desperate longing. He comes for only one reason to win Rimjhim back.
He waits for hours outside, but Rimjhim never steps out to meet him. Each time, a servant or bodyguards carry the same message “Rimjhim will not come out.”
And so, Vihan leaves silently, returning to his car, driving away with a heart heavier than before.
This continues for three long years.
He catches glimpses of Viransh in Rimjhim’s arms, sees him from afar… but there is one bond he has never even touched, never even realized fully his little daughter, Pihu.
FLASHBACK END
Tears shimmer in Rimjhim’s eyes, her heart still drowning in a storm of pain. Vihan gently holds her hand and whispers, “Rimjhim… those photos were fake. I swear on our children… I have never touched any other woman except you. You are my world, my whole life belongs only to you.”
There is such raw honesty in his voice that it pierces straight into her heart. Yet her tears don’t stop. With a choked voice, she replies, “You also hid from me that you are the head of the mafia world. Do you even know how shattered I felt when I discovered this truth?”
Vihan swallows his own pain seeing her tears. With hesitation, he speaks, “I was going to tell you, Rimjhim… but I was afraid. Afraid you would misunderstand. People see the mafia as nothing but criminals and killers. But my path is different. I joined only to protect my country. Believe me, I am not guilty the way the world thinks.”
Rimjhim, weary of her grief, breaks down further. Her voice trembles as she says, “But what if one day, because of your position, my children fall into danger? What if someone tries to hurt them? I cannot live without them.”
Vihan lifts his eyes to hers and replies firmly, “Rimjhim, they are not just your children, they are mine too. They are our blood. How could I ever let them face danger? I would give my life before I let any storm touch them. You all are my world, my greatest responsibility. I love them… and I love you.”
But his words catch in his throat, “Even if it costs my life...”
He stops mid-sentence, because Rimjhim softly places her hand over his lips.
For a moment, silence falls between them. Only their heartbeats echo in the stillness.
Vihan gently moves her hand away, smiles faintly, and asks, “You still love me as much as before, don’t you, Rimjhim?”
She lowers her gaze, turns her face away. Love lingers in her heart, but so does pain. She does not answer.
Yet Vihan smiles, as if he can read her heart anyway. “I will soon erase this distance between us, Rimjhim. I promise.”
Just then, a sweet, innocent voice startles them both, “Emp… Emp…tyyy!”
They turn and see little Pihu has finished her entire chocolate. Her tiny lips are smeared with chocolate, and she waves the empty wrapper at Vihan with a cheeky smile.
Vihan chuckles and says, “If I give you another chocolate now… your mom will surely punish me.”
Rimjhim shoots him a half-angry, half-tender look, then picks Pihu up into her lap, gently cleans her messy face and murmurs with love, “No more, my doll. Now go to sleep.”
But Vihan leans closer, carefully taking Pihu from her arms and says, “Let me put her to sleep. You should rest.”
He guides Rimjhim to the bed, lays her down softly, covering her with a blanket as though she is still his first love. Rimjhim looks at him silently, a strange calm filling her heart.
Meanwhile, Vihan paces gently around the room, cradling Pihu in his arms.
TO BE COUNTINUE...!!!