Marriage Contract With Heartless Husband

Chapter Twelve ( Jaane Kahan Mera jigar Gaya ji)

I woke up and sat on the bed, taking my duvet and wrapping it around my body until my head was covered. Only my face was visible. "What do I do now? Tomorrow is the last day to pay the money," I thought to myself. "If I don't pay tomorrow, that monster will devour me."

I opened the drawer beside my table and took a chocolate from it, eating it as I thought to myself, "Kuch soch, Reva, nahi to tu gayi." I was lost in my thoughts when I heard my mother calling me, "Reva... Reva, uth ja, it's 10 am!" I replied,
"Haa, maa, coming."
I went to the washroom, did my morning routine, and then went downstairs. I was in the hall when I saw my brother at home, which was a surprise since he is usually at the hospital. He is so dedicated to his work.

I greeted my brother with a warm smile, "Hey, Bhai! What are you doing at home today?

Bhai chuckled and replied, "Well, it's a rare occasion. I had some important paperwork to finish, and since it's my day off from surgeries, I thought I'd take care of it at home."

I nodded, understanding his dedication to his work. "You never seem to take a break, bhai. But I'm glad you're here. It's always nice to have you around."

He grinned, ruffling my hair playfully, "And it's always great to be home with my little sister. "

Bhai was in the middle of talking about random things when suddenly the door opened, and the police barged in, asking for Ms. Shukla. Bhai looked surprised and inquired, "Yes, sir, please tell me." The police responded, "We've come to arrest Ms. Reva Shukla." Bhai was taken aback and asked, "Why? What did she do?" The police explained,

"Ms. Shukla broke someone else's property and didn't pay the compensation amount."

Papa came from behind and inquired about the commotion. Mom also appeared from the kitchen, and I could feel the sweat on my forehead. "Oh God, I think Mr. Mahnotra filed a case. Reva, don't run from the truth; face it," I tried to reassure myself. I was about to speak, but before I could, papa exclaimed, "It's not true! My daughter can never do such a thing, and she could never lie about something so significant. Whoever accused her is lying!"

"Papa, please, it's becoming hard for me," I thought as I tried to approach him and tell him. But before I could, someone else interjected, confirming that the accusations were true. Papa turned and saw Rajiv and accused him of falsely implicating me. Rajiv seemed unaffected and stared at me, making me feel uneasy.

He asked, "Tell me, dear, is all this a lie?" Papa asked I stood there silently as Maa came to my side, pleading for me to tell them I hadn't done anything. "It's true, papa," I finally confessed, and the room fell into pin-drop silence. Everyone, my papa, Bhai, and Maa looked at me with disbelief in their eyes.

Mr. Mahnotra looked at my miserable state and laughed, further breaking my heart. "Why did you do this? All for money? I'll never forgive you for this," I thought angrily. He then shouted,

"Arrest her!"

The lady police came forward to take me into custody. As they led me out, I could feel the neighbors' judgmental eyes on me.

Tears pooled in my eyes as I turned and saw my dad crying. Bhai put his hand on my cheek and tried to reassure me, saying he had hired an advocate for my case. The support of my family overwhelmed me, and I couldn't hold back my tears.

Soon, I found myself standing in front of the judge. He delivered his judgment, demanding 10 lakh rupees plus 1 lakh as compensation and two years in jail for the forgery. I pleaded desperately, "Please don't do this to me, I didn't do it on purpose. Please, Judge, don't do this to me." But my pleas fell on deaf ears, and the lady police dragged me away.