Start
At the address given by Pihu, Mannat reached the hospital. The moment she saw her mother and sister in such a condition, she broke down in tears.
Pihu came forward and said, "Look, Di... what's happened to Papa?"
Mannat hugged Pihu tightly and said while crying, "Nothing will happen... you'll see, Papa will get better very soon."
From a distance, Seema ji was watching Mannat and burning with anger. Grinding her teeth, she walked forward, grabbed Pihu's hand, and pulled her away from Mannat. "Why have you come here now? You've built your own life the way you wanted, didn't you? Now go enjoy with your businessman husband!"
Folding her hands, Mannat replied tearfully, "No, Mom, it's not what you think. I've been trapped in a conspiracy."
Seema ji raised her hand and interrupted, "Enough! Stop your nonsense! You're just like your mother—after all, you're her daughter. You'll never change."
Hearing this, Pihu shouted angrily, "Mom, please stop! You can't accuse Di without knowing the truth. If she says she's been trapped, then we need to stand with her and fight this conspiracy together."
Pihu emphasized each word, but Seema ji shook her and said, "Don't take her side so much! Your father's current condition is because of her deeds. She's the root of all this!"
Mannat covered her face with both hands and kept crying. She didn't know how to explain that she was wronged.
Outside the operation theater, Mannat looked through the round glass window and cried upon seeing her father. Just then, a serious voice hit her ears—
"So you're here?"
Yug's face was clearly filled with rage. He came near Mannat, grabbed her arms tightly, and said in a harsh tone, "How dare you come here without my permission? Didn't I warn you not to step outside without asking me? Still, you went?"
Startled by Yug, Mannat tried to pull her hand back and said, "Please, let me stay with my father. Please!"
Yug pulled her closer, gripping her arms harder, and said, "What did you think? You'd run off, and I wouldn't find out? You'll surely be punished for this."
Crying, Mannat said, "Can't you see how sick my father is? Please let me stay."
"Oh, so I should let you stay here? You've driven me mad! You left your husband's home and came here?"
Pulling her hand back again, Mannat pleaded, "Please let me stay here."
Yug glared with his bloodshot eyes and said, "Looks like you won't listen so easily."
Saying that, Yug grabbed Mannat's hand and began dragging her away. At that moment, Pihu and Sujata ji stepped in front of them. Sujata ji asked, "What are you doing? Where are you taking her like this?"
With his usual arrogant tone, Yug said, "Who are you? And why are you blocking my way?"
Pihu and Sujata looked at each other. Sujata ji replied, "I'm like a mother to her. And you cannot take her like this, understood?"
"And you can't stop me like this either. Maybe she was your daughter, but now she's my wife!" Yug retorted.
Sujata ji snapped, "Leave her hand!"
With an evil smile, Yug said, "The more you delay us here, the more your daughter will have to pay for it. Every second of my wasted time will be taken out on her. If you don't want her to be punished, then move out of my way."
Tears welled up in Sujata ji's eyes. Pihu too was heartbroken as Yug dragged Mannat away.
Mannat kept looking back again and again while Yug continued to pull her along. Sujata ji and Pihu just stood there, watching her disappear from their sight.
---
Back at the villa, Yug threw Mannat onto the sofa and said, "I must applaud your courage. How dare you go without my permission?"
He was so furious, he didn't know what to do.
Mannat stood up from the sofa and said, "Didn't you see my father's condition?"
"I didn't ask about your father! Why did you go?" Yug's voice echoed through the living area.
Raging, Yug added, "Nothing in your life should matter more than me! Not even your father, understood?"
Hearing that, Mannat's anger exploded too. She shouted, "Mr. Yug Bajaj! Who do you think you are? Don't compare yourself to my father! You don't understand the value of relationships. People like you can never see beyond themselves! You don't even know the bond between a father and his child!"
Yug clenched his fists in anger. Grabbing both of Mannat's arms, he shouted, "You're going to teach me the value of relationships?!"
Trying to free herself, Mannat yelled, "Who am I to teach you anything? You live in your arrogance. You're not a man—you're a beast! And beasts can never become human!"
In fury, Yug grabbed her jaw and gritted, "Stop your nonsense, or else…"
"Or else what? What more can you do to me than you already have? There's nothing left. You're the worst man in this world!"
Hearing such insults, Yug's anger hit the roof. He let go of her hand and stormed off to the mini bar. He pulled out a bottle of alcohol and started drinking. Then, in a fit of rage, he smashed the bottle on the ground.
The echo of Mannat's words still rang in his ears.
Hearing the crash, Mannat rushed in and saw him smashing more bottles on the floor.
As soon as Yug saw her, he approached with a bottle in hand. Grabbing her jaw again, he said, "If you ever call me a beast again, I'll break this bottle on your head instead of the floor."
He slammed the bottle down again. Hearing the noise, Mannat covered her ears with both hands. She realized how dangerous his anger was.
Maybe I spoke too much. I don't know what he'll do to me now. Maybe today he'll really kill me, she thought.
Seeing her frightened, Yug threw the bottle aside, let go of her arms, and said in a menacing tone, "I hope you've understood what I said. Otherwise, I won't take long to make you understand."
Yug stormed out. Even after he left, Mannat remained frozen in fear. Slowly, she lowered her hands from her ears, stood up, and began taking deep breaths.
Muttering to herself, Mannat said, "This man will really kill me one day. My death is written at his hands."
Without wasting time, she ran to her room and locked the door. Sitting down, she kept thinking about Yug's angry red eyes. I escaped today… but next time, maybe not.
Trying to calm herself, she picked up the water jug from the table, poured a glass, and drank it in one gulp. After about 10–15 minutes, once she felt calmer, she remembered—she had to call Pihu to ask about her father's condition.
---
On the other side, Yuvraj's family—his mother Kaushalya ji—said to Vishwanath ji, "See how clever that girl turned out to be. Thank God our son didn't marry her. If she had done all this after the wedding, what would've happened to us? She always looked so innocent, but she's just like her mother!"
Vishwanath ji placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "No, Kaushalya. I can't believe that Mannat would do something like this."
"You still don't believe it? The whole world knows now that she got married. Only you refuse to accept it. I only care about my son."
Vishwanath ji calmed her and said, "We won't tell Yuvraj anything right now. It won't be good for his health."
When Vishwanath ji learned about Keshav ji's condition, he rushed to the hospital. It didn't take long for everyone to understand that this happened because of Mannat's marriage.
Vishwanath ji was deeply hurt. If Mannat hadn't gotten married, none of this would have happened. He kept thinking about it sadly.
Meanwhile, Mayank also went to Mannat's house to inquire but found no one there. Seeing Keshav ji's condition, he decided it was better to stay silent for now. But how will I find out what really happened? he wondered.
To be continue...