Agape & Eros

Ensnared

Ram had thousands of questions but Priya hardly had any answers. 

After a while Ram broke the hug and held her hands.

Ram- Mere dad mere sab kuch the, Priya. Mere sab kuch. I can't forgive his murderers. 

Priya- You should never forgive his murderers. 

Ram- After Dad's death I became an orphan, Priya. Mera apna koi na raha iss duniya me. How can I forgive them? 

Priya- You don't have to forgive them. 

Ram- And mom... mom deserves justice, Priya. She lost her husband for them. She has spent her entire life all alone. She deserves justice, Priya. She... she loved him... She deserves. 

Priya said nothing. She only shed tears. 

Ram- I won't spare them. Neither Shashi Babbar nor Mahendra Sood. 

Ram stood up while stating his thoughts. His voice started to sound angrier. 

Ram- They must pay for their sins. If I could I would drag Sahil Babbar out of hell and punish him too. 

He screamed in frustration. Priya said nothing. She kept watching him. He paced back and forth, each turn more agitated than the last, his strides growing longer as his frustration boiled over. His red eyes scared Priya. Suddenly he stopped and sat in front of Priya again. He cupped her face. 

Ram- But... but I can't lose you. I lost everyone and then I found you. I can't lose you, Priya. 

Priya broke down once again listening to him. He hugged her once again.

Ram- Why didn't you tell me before? 

Priya- I was scared. I feared that you'd hate me...

Ram- Why would I hate you? I can never... It was Mahendra Sood's fault not yours... 

Priya- But his blood runs through my vein, Mr. Kapoor...

Ram- But you are Priya Ram Kapoor. You are mine. Listen to me, Priya. Whatever happens, we won't be separated, ok?

Priya- Hmm. 

Priya finally looked into his eyes. She found assurance and trust in those eyes. 

Ram- But promise me something, Priya. That you'd never hide anything from me. And you'd never take so much time to tell me anything, ok? 

Priya- Okay. 

Ram- And tell me honestly, did Meera ma know about this? 

Priya- No. 

Priya cried out. 

Priya- She didn't know anything about this. None of us did. How could you think that? 

Ram- I'm sorry, I didn't think before saying this. My mind is just... It's scattered. And of course, she didn't know. Meera maa isn't anything like him. I don't know what I was thinking. My world is just so blur right now. I still can't believe that Sahil uncle did that. I don't know whom to believe and whom to not. I just know I can trust you. I can believe in you. You'll never leave me. And you'll never lie to me. I know, meri Priya kabhi jhoot nahi bolti. Kabhi bhi kisi ko dhoka nahi deti. 

He spoke with pride. Priya felt guilty for a moment. She felt guilty cause for a moment she thought to hide this truth from him. Her fear had almost made her do something that was so out of her character. She hated telling lies. But that was exactly what she wanted to do. Even if it was for a second. 

But she was glad to have taken the right decision. She smiled meekly. 

Priya- Even now, mumma doesn't know anything. I haven't told anything to anyone. I wanted to tell you first. Because more than anyone else, you deserve to know the truth, you deserve justice. You should punish them. You really should. 

Ram looked at Priya with teary eyes. Someone was prioritizing him. Someone was ready to sacrifice everything, even her blood relations, just for him. Even in the midst of this tragic revelation, Ram felt good to be someone's first priority. 

Priya- Also, I don't know how to tell this to mumma. She will break down. God knows if she will be able to handle the truth or... She already had a stroke before. Do you know Mr. Kapoor, when we got to know about Mahendra Sood's second family, mumma was completely devastated. I was so young back then. But I promised something. I promised to protect her. I promised to protect her from every misery, every heart break, every humiliation. And I have kept my promise... Until now... I have one request Ram, can we not disclose this to her? I mean, I don't want to let Mahendra Sood out of jail. I won't request you to not to punish him. He should be punished. But can we not inform mumma about this? I am concerned about her health. 

Ram- I understand. We can do that. But we must inform mom. She has been waiting her whole life to know if dad's accident was a mere accident or... We had our suspicions. We always had but there was no evidence so the case was closed. Mom doesn't say much about her thoughts and feelings about dad. But I understand, Priya. I understand her pain. How can I hide the truth from her? How can I let her die waiting for the truth, Priya? And both of the murderers were in our family circle. The truth will come out by itself. Mom is going to know about this, today or tomorrow. How will I handle her then? 

Both of them were perplexed. They wanted the best for their families. But they didn't know what to do when there was an inevitable collision between both families. They sat side by side. Not knowing what to do. Both of their concern for their mothers were valid. But to prioritize one means to hurt the other. 

Ram and Priya felt suffocated. They felt to be ensnared by a prickly poisonous truth. It was choking them, making them paralyzed.  

The bitter truth ensnared their hearts and limbs and turned them into mere puppets in the hand of fate.