Enduring Fragments – Part 9

Geet was speechless. He was absolutely right, Ranjan will not top hunting for her.

“So, stop using your brain. This brain has lost all its capability. It only knows how to allure men.”

Maan took a deep breath—he hated the thought of taking her there, but it was the only place left where she would be safe. The only place where Ranjan could never reach her.

*****

Maan took his phone and dialed a number.

“Arrange two business class tickets from Delhi to Mumbai immediately. One is for me, and I will send you the details for the other shortly.”

Maan opened the passenger side gate for her and then settled behind the wheel himself. Geet stood at her place, consumed by her thoughts about what his plan might be. Where had he decided to take her? It was painfully clear she had no say in the matter. He would not leave her on her own, and deep down, she knew he was right. Now, all she wanted was to comply with his wishes, hoping somehow to convey how truly regretful she felt.

And above all, he is in front of her eyes after ten years. She doesn’t want to think of anything else but to cherish every moment she spends by his side. She will live her life treasuring this short time with him, cherishing the feel of his presence. Even if he is not in a pleasant mood to have her near, she will absorb every moment with him, everything that he offers. Seeing him after a decade, being with him – it’s a miracle and she wants to feel blessed getting it, even for a short span.

“If you’re dreaming, I’ll carry you, wake up. Sit down or I’ll drag you there myself”

Geet, without a word, came and settled on the seat.

“Maan..” Geet tried to articulate her words, but the way he gave her a strong look, she swallowed her words in her throat.

“No.. nothing…”

After that, silence enveloped the car as it drove towards the airport. Maan handed the keys over for valet parking before making his way inside. Geet followed closely behind.

After the security check and getting the boarding tickets, they were seated in the waiting area.

“Mumbai…? Where are you planning for my stay?”

“And what will you do with that information? The winning prize doesn’t ask the winner – what he or she is going to do with it. Don’t forget so soon.…”

“I will never forget that you have won me and that you are my master. And I have no hesitation in accepting that because you rule my heart. Anyway, you got me out of that hell. I will blindly accept anything you say.”

“Don’t give these twisted emotional excuses, won’t work on me. You, have no other option. And now shut up.”

Maan’s anger was raw and unmistakable; Geet felt pain realizing how badly she had hurt him and changed her sweet old Maan into this one.

Remembering her old Maan, tears threatened to escape from her eyes. Geet turned to the outside of the window and wiped her tears – her old Maan was lost, and it was all her fault.

They both settled into the flight. Though in business class, he made sure to keep her seat distant from him.

A sleek luxury sedan awaited Maan outside the airport, its polished exterior gleaming under the sunlight. Geet was instructed to occupy the rear cabin, while Maan took his place in the front, the lavish partition separating them, clearly showing a statement of status. Wherever he intended to take her, the message was loud and clear— indifference, implying that she held no significance in his world.

Their car neared a grand mansion. The wonderfully designed, very high golden gate had ‘The Khuranas’ written in metal letters at the top of it.

This is Maan’s opulent house. Beyond the majestic grandeur of the mansion, what surprised Geet the most was the fact that he brought her to his home.

But he was not in her vicinity so that she could ask him any question.

Maan knew that Geet would give him looks filled with thousands of questions, and he had no answers to her inquiries, nor did he want to answer any of them. All he knew was that this was the only place where she was safe and out of reach of Sandeep, aka Ranjan.

The car stopped at the patio in front of the main gate. He got out and signaled her with his finger to get out. Each distant attitude of his, killed her.

Geet quietly got down.

Maan’s presence in his empire commanded respect; staff stood ready for his service as the car approached. The gate opened for him, and he stepped down like royalty.

He didn’t ask the staff to open the gate for Geet; instead, he signaled for her to come out. By now, she was very clear about her status in his life. But why had he brought her here? Her own brother, who was fully aware of how she had been kidnapped by Ranjan, had not accepted her. Why would his family accept her after she had insulted their son?

Geet got down; her eyes cast down. How will she face them?

“Geet bitiya?” Geet looked up to see Nakul dada standing there

“Nakul Dada”

“Nakul dada, there’s no need to shower your emotions here. Can you call the family? They will decide if she can even step inside the house or not.”

“Maan baba, you finally found her?” Nakul was clearly surprised to see Geet.

“Will you do what I’m asking you to do?” Maan’s irritation was evident. Geet felt uncomfortable standing next to him; it was clear he didn’t want her there, and that feeling stung. It pained her to realize that the person who had once been incapable of bearing distance from her was now annoyed by her presence.

Geet followed him to the entrance of the house. It was magnificent, and it was all Maan’s diligent work.

He stepped inside the house, and when Geet slowly placed her foot forward.

“Don’t,” his sharp word stopped her in her way.

Maan’s parents and Dadima came out from wherever they were when they heard from Nakul that Maan had brought Geet along with him.

 Geet saw them approaching and looked down, feeling extremely nervous. Her family had already rejected her with a harsh insult about her life. Maan, too, seemed to hate her, and now his family likely felt the same way. They had every reason to dislike her and look down on her.

“Geet!!!” came the soft voice of Sandhya Aunty. Geet looked up at her and her eyes met all three elders.

“Where were you, dear? It’s been a decade! Come inside. Why are you standing there?” Sandhya came closer and pulled her into a tight hug, overflowing with joy and warmth.

“So-so relieved and happy to see.”

“Mom, you really need to understand her reality before wasting your trust and love on her.”

“Maan, it seems you’ve had one long journey. Why don’t you take some time to relax in your room?” said his dad.

“Fine.” He turned to Geet

“Don’t you dare think you can manipulate the emotions of my innocent family! Keep your distance—this is a clear warning! She will not be staying here in the main mansion; she’ll be in the outhouse, where she is far from the family”

“Right, Maan. You have rebuilt this empire, so we must all listen to you. You decide, and we don’t.”

“Dad!! When have I ever gone against any of your decisions? You are the head of the family.”

“Leave this decision to me. Now that you have brought Geet here, it is our responsibility to decide where and how she stays.”

“I have more important matters to focus on. Just make sure she is kept away from me.”

“Maan, Geet is a human, not an object that has to be kept anywhere,” scolded his Dadima.

“Yes, she is an object, Dadima. She was placed as a winning prize, and I won her – ‘In the casino’ .”

“Great! So, she was in the casino, and we can judge her character. What about you and men like you who go to the casino and bet on girls?” scolded his Dadima.

“Fine, do whatever. Anyway, she doesn’t exist for me.”

“Fine, she doesn’t matter to you, so carry on with your important work.”

“Fine.”

But before leaving, he turned to Geet and pointed his finger at her face. “You…” However, the softness, regret, and submission in her eyes made him simply turn and leave.

Maan hurried up the stairs, needing to escape her captivating gaze. The way she looked had the power to melt away all his bottled-up anger and hatred.

“Come, Geet, come inside”

“Maan is right; I do not belong here. He has seen my reality. For a girl like me, you all were harsh on Maan. That is not right.”

“Geet, come here. First, settle down and talk. You were with that monster for a decade, and just thinking about it sends shivers down us.”

Sandhya took Geet to one of their cozy family meeting rooms. “Come sit,” Sandhya made her sit beside her

“I broke Maan’s heart; how can you all still care for me? Even my family has distanced themselves from me.”

“Your family? And this is not your family? When did we differentiate between Maan, Annie, and you? Even that snake…”

“But my family did not do the same. They said they loved Maan, but just like I did, they threw him out of their lives.”

“And they did the same with you now. They left you on your own. Your family is weak, and they prioritize society over their own hearts. But for us, you are still the same as Maan and Annie. Everyone wronged Maan that time. Even we did. But we had to for the sake of Annie. Our letter against Maan was what confirmed your doubts about him. No one can be separately blamed.” Sandhya tried explaining to Geet.

“Sandhya is right, Geet. We have witnessed the pain that Annie endured in front of our eyes, and that is why we shiver at the thought of you being with that monster for ten years. If he could mercilessly kidnap and torture a girl who called him ‘brother’ for six years, we can only imagine what he would have done to you, someone he lusted after. We never knew,” said Raj uncle, tears rolling down his cheeks.

“I wronged Maan Raj uncle, don’t cry for me”

“You did more harm to yourself than to anyone else. Both you and Maan need to realize that if you broke his heart, you also ruined your own life. If we allowed ourselves to be deceived by that cunning man, you were just 22 at the time. While Maan has experienced the pain of a broken heart, he now has everything. He is living a luxurious life and achieving one success after another. We are unsure about your current situation. Just thinking about you being with that snake frightens us.”

“But I wronged Maan, and I do not belong here.”

“Geet, you wronged yourself, too. It was your youth, and things were presented in a way that shook you from within. It takes time to grasp such a scenario, and you did not get time to understand it. Understand, dear, we all were cheated; you were just too young to escape it,” Dadima tried to explain her.

“still, I am tainted and do not belong here. Maan is so upset and rightly so”

“Maan ko mana lena baad me. First, tell us, are you comfortable telling us what all happened with you?” asked Raj.

Geet nodded, “and then you all will hate me, just like Maan does.”

Sandhaya ignored her rant “Brij went on the trip with you, then how did he kidnap you and Brij was sent off”

“That day we three were at the airport…” Geet started her story, unknown to all.