97. Shocking Truth!

Author's POV

Damon looked at the angelic woman standing a few feet away from him. Her long hair swayed with the chilly wind as she tightened her holds around her to pull the warm jacket close to her petite body.

She was mid age but there wasn't even a single wrinkle on her face, her skin was radiant and cold had given her a pink blush.

Her ocean blue eyes blinked innocently as admired the fallen Autumn leaves.

He has no idea why he feels the turmoil of emotions when he sees this woman. His heart clenches in a weird feeling when he thinks about the struggles of her.

He should hate her, her presence shouldn't affect him like this because she is the mother of his enemies. But whenever she comes in front of his eyes, he always wishes for her to glance at him once.

There is a weird magnetic pull towards the aura of this woman and Damon couldn't stop admiring her.

Maybe because he knows that she has gone through hell, there is a sympathy for her in his heart like he feels for every other woman.

He feels proud when he sees this woman, and wishes why can't his mother have courage like her. Why didn't she fight back like Anamika did. If his mother would have fought back then she would have been in a different situation right now.

It's just a thought, he doesn't want to compare them though. He loves his mother with his heart.

Anamika looked at the patient on the wheelchair who spilled the soup on herself. The nurse removed the dirty sweater from her.

"I'll get the new sweater..."

The nurse walked away.

Anamika saw the woman struggling with a cold and removed her own jacket to wrap around the woman.

Damon frowned, why did she give her jacket away when she herself is struggling with the cold.

He walked towards her while removing his own jacket and gently wrapped it around her.

Anamika turned around confused as she felt the warm jacket around her and looked at Damon.

"What are you doing, Young man?"

She smiled at his gentle gesture.

Damon felt a weird kind of soothing effect when he heard her voice.

"Someone needs to think about the person who thinks about others."

He smiled.

Anamika looked at him carefully.

"I have seen you somewhere"

Damon gulped not realising that she might know him because he once kidnapped her daughter.

"Delgado?"

She gasped and quickly stepped back and twisted her ankle.

She groaned in pain and he quickly held her.

"Please!"

Damon requested.

"I am not going to hurt you... Please, calm down!"

He made her sit on the bench and knelt down to check her foot.

Anamika watched him confused as he sat near her feet and removed her boot to check her ankle.

She calmed down when she felt his gentle touch like he knows how to be gentle.

"It's a minor twist... You will be fine."

He looked at her still holding her foot on his lap.

"I am Damon..."

He informed, when he noticed the confusion on her face.

Her face visibly calmed down and a soft smile appeared on her lips.

"Raan talked about you."

He smiled when she said that.

"She is really fond of you... I am really grateful to you for taking care of her."

Damon's heart melted when she placed her hand on his head and his eyes automatically closed at the gentle touch. She felt like a mother.

"How's she?"

He asked shaking his thoughts aside.

"She has bothered me a lot... Too demanding!"

He chuckled.

Anamika chuckled.

"But still you treated her like a sister... Why are you different from your brother?"

She asked.

"Why are you sitting down? come sit here."

Damon shook his head.

"I don't know, it's feeling good here"

He gently placed her foot back in her boot.

Anamika smiled at his sweet gesture.

"Your woman will be very lucky, Damon... You are a good man."

"If you are saying this then I won in life."

He couldn't stop smiling.

"I am your enemy's mother, I hope you are aware of that."

She asked amused.

"I don't fight with mothers, I am not that powerful!"

He chuckled making her smile.

"You know how to win hearts."

She patted his head.

"Your kind is rare, cherish your golden heart."

"I have got a woman who does."

He replied.

"She is a big fan of you."

She raised her eyebrows.

"Is she?.. I would love to meet her. She is Indian, I have heard."

"Yeah!"

He shook his head amused.

"Walking wild fire, I tell you."

She laughed.

"You can handle it... I can bet on that"

He nodded.

"I am sorry if I have hurt you indirectly..."

"It's okay!"

She assured.

"Raan is safe and that matters the most... I am so relieved that chaos are finally gone... By the way, why are you so gentle?... I know your father wasn't!"

He smiled bitterly.

"My mother was!"

Anamika nodded in understanding.

"She must be proud of you, I am sure!... What's her name?"

"Saroj!"

He replied.

Anamika's smile fell when she heard that name, her face visibly drained all colours.

"Saroj Mukharjee?"

She asked shocked but was still hoping for him to say no.

"How do you know?"

He asked confused and she felt the pang in her heart.

"Maa?"

They both heard Alex's voice and she quickly got up while blocking Damon behind her.

Damon also got up and walked away, knowing that Alex would create a scene unnecessarily thinking that Damon was trying to hurt his mother.

Alex looked at the back of the man who walked away.

"Who was he?"

Anamika shook her head.

"I twisted my ankle so he was helping me."

Alex looked at her worriedly.

"You do charity for the world but don't care about yourself..."

He knelt down to check her foot.

"Show me!"

"Alex, I am fine!"

She assured.

"Let's go!"

He sighed.

"We have a flight tonight... I hope you are done doing charity here."

Anamika turned her head and watched Damon walk away with his wife.

"I am done but something came up... You attend your meeting, I have something to do."

Anamika rushed inside avoiding faint pain in her ankle. She slowed down when she saw Damon and Mira.

"Where is your jacket?"

Mira asked him when she noticed that his jacket was missing.

Damon didn't want to tell her that he met Anamika or else she would demand meeting her and it's not possible because Alex won't allow it.

"I am feeling hot so I kept it in the car."

He led her upstairs and Anamika carefully followed them. She saw them entering into the personal ward and pipped inside from the slightly opened door.

She saw Damon's mother and her eyes widened.

"Saroj?"

She clasped her mouth.

"With Leonardo?"

Horror covered her face as she turned on her heels and ran downstairs.

Anamika called her foster brother Chang.

"Pick up the call, damn it!"

She cursed frustrated when he didn't receive the call.

She called him again and he answered the call.

"Brother Chang, Saroj is alive!"

She didn't let him talk.

"She is alive, I saw her!"

Tears escaped her eyes.

"You said, she got killed in the same fire!"

Chang's face turned into horror too.

"What? How's this possible?"

"I saw her... Leonardo married her, that Delgado monster!..."

She couldn't control her tears.

"She is alive, brother..."

"Anamika, calm down. My sources told me that Saroj died in the fire, how can she be alive?... Come home!... Where is Alex?"

He asked her worriedly.

Anamika burst out in tears.

"Brother, she has a son with grey eyes"

Her legs gave up and she sat on the ground while trembling in anxiety.

Meanwhile Mira looked at the woman who was sitting on the hospital bed, she noticed Damon's sad face when he approached her.

"Damon!"

The woman's eyes filled with tears when she saw him.

He smiled and sat beside her as she pulled him in a motherly hug. Mira was standing there quietly, looking at the woman who had lost all her hair, was looking almost like a skeleton and extremely weak. It was obvious that she was suffering from some dangerous disease.

Damon had told her that her name is Saroj and she realised why her wedding bangles had lotus on it.

Saroj looked at Mira and smiled while admiring her.

"Mira?"

She called her and Mira realised that Damon had told his mother about her. She went to her and Saroj kissed her forehead.

"You are looking exactly the way I imagined you... Is he bothering you too much? Teach him a good lesson if he does!"

She chuckled weakly.

Damon released a heavy sigh.

"Should I ask you how are you or not?

She smiled while caressing his head.

"You should be happy that I am finally getting my freedom... Why these tears, Damon?..."

"Freedom?"

Mira looked at her confused.

"You think this cancer will let me live anymore, I am at the last stage and nothing can save me."

She smiled but pain was visible in her eyes.

"Now death will embrace me at any time!"

Mira was shocked. She thought his mother would be fine but here the situation was completely different, now how can she be selfish and ask her to attend rituals in this condition.

"I am sorry, I didn't know!"

She gulped down the lump in her throat and realised how difficult it would have been for Damon to live with this pain.

"How are my girls doing?"

She asked curiously.

"And Rafael, Mikhail?"

"Good!"

Damon sighed.

"All are good."

"Great!"

She smiled satisfied.

"My girls have grown so beautiful... Damon, promise me that you will never tell them about my condition... I can't see them in the same pain which I am seeing in your eyes. Let them be unaware of my presence and memories..."

"But what about Damon?"

Mira asked sadly.

"How can you ask him to hide this pain?"

"He is strong! It's in his blood."

Saroj caressed his head and smiled.

"He is brave and strong..."

Mira looked at Damon who was sitting silently there.

"Why are you looking restless, Mira?"

Damon nodded at Mira, gesturing her to tell her everything.

"Maa, I have Mangal Dosha and for that our pandit ji has suggested a ritual where Damon's mother's presence is mandatory. Without you the ritual is incomplete."

Mira explained.

Saroj slowly grew uncomfortable.

"But that ritual requires biological parents."

Mira nodded.

"Yes, and you are his only biological parent!"

Saroj shook her head nervously.

"I can't do this ritual!"

Damon and Mira both looked at her confused.

"Why?"

Mira asked her confused.

Saroj shook her head furiously and got up from the bed.

"I can't!... Just drop the topic"

Damon frowned when he noticed restlessness in her body. He knows that she acts like this when she is hiding something.

"Maa?"

"Damon, don't argue..."

She scolded.

"It's of no use because me attending your rituals will not make any difference!"

"Why?"

He asked confused.

"I am pregnant and it's important for me to do this... I don't want to lose my husband... It's about your son, why are you saying no!"

Mira requested her.

Saroj looked at her shocked when she declared that.

"You are pregnant?"

She touched her belly with glossy eyes and smiled happily.

"My grandchild!"

Mira nodded with a small smile.

"You have to do it!"

Damon stood in front of his mother.

"You are hiding something! What is it?"

He asked looking straight into her eyes.

Saroj looked away from him eyes which were asking for truth.

"I thought, I'll take this secret to my grave but you'll find out the way to get it out of me... I had buried it deep inside me because the truth was burnt many years back. What will you do after knowing the truth, Damon?... You will get nothing but pain... But now you are asking me to do rituals which should be performed by the woman whose blood is running in your veins and I can't deceive you when it's about your life..."

Damon could feel his heart slowly wrecking when she said that.

"You are not my real mother?"

He mumbled and his eyes filled with tears of pain.

Mira clasped her mouth shocked, realising the hidden meaning behind her encouraging words which she used to use for Damon.

Saroj nodded.

"I am but still I am not!.. Your mother is no more."

She declared and turned around.

"Who was she?"

Mira asked because Damon was in shock.

Saroj's eyes looked out of the window and she got alert when she saw a familiar woman outside.

"She is alive?"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Stop her!"

Damon frowned and tried to hold her when she panicked.

"Who?"

He couldn't understand what was happening.

Saroj pushed him away and ran out of the ward, Mira and Damon rushed behind her but she was running faster than a weak patient could.

"Wait!"

She ran like her life is dependent on it.

Damon cursed when she stumbled a few times while running downstairs. He noticed that she was running towards the car where Alex was placing unconscious Anamika inside.

When he was done, he closed the door.

Saroj tried to stop the car while screaming and crying at it but the car had left the premises.

"Maa, stop... Please!"

Damon grabbed her and stopped her from running behind Alex's car.

She was in complete panic.

"Damon, stop her..."

She cried while pointing towards the exit.

"Anamika! She is your mother."

Damon looked at her stunned when she declared that.