Our Journey Of Love (Completed)

23. The End

TAMARA'S POV:

"Don't even try to answer that. I know you would have already prepared a page-long answer with all the lies. So, please save it for yourself. I don't care about your answer because I love you, and I know I can make you fall in love," he said. How can anyone reply to that? I felt so happy knowing that he loves me. But I need to control my emotions. I can't marry Ram.

"Please understand, Ram. Just think from my point of view. I can't live my life with the guilt of breaking a girl's heart. Anyway, I am used to the pain, so I can bear this also. Go, Ram. Go to Jahnavi," I pleaded with him.

"As I said, don't utter one more word against what we have. What we have between us is more than what I can build with Jahnavi. I know about your past with Krish, but this is not the same story as yours. You both loved each other, for god sake. But didn't disclose that fact to each other. In contrast, I see Jahnavi just as a sister. Now don't even start with your one-sided love story. I talked with Krish, and I know the truth. So stop with your delusion that no one loves you. People love you and go to any extent to do anything for you. Just open your eyes and see around Tara," he told me in a frustrated tone. I was shocked by the new learning. When I recall everything, the signs were there all along, but both Krish and I ignored them.

"I don't know why both of you didn't act on your feelings, but I am really happy. Because of that only I got a chance to meet you and fall in love with you. Please tell me your true feelings, Tara. We can make this work. I know Jahnavi is not the sole reason for this, and I feel that it is related to the matter that made you cry the other night. Please tell me everything, Tara. We can work on that together," he said.

If what I felt for Ram was not love before, I surely fell in love with him now. How can someone be so understanding? He can read me like an open book. I think Ram has a special power to read my part of the book, which I have written in white ink pen. Because no one till now was able to read it, no one even tried to read it except Krish. When I think of it, God has sent me a better gift, Ram, since I couldn't get Krish. Krish was just a memory in my past while Ram is going to be my present and future. At that moment, a huge burden lifted off my shoulders. I am not going to back down now. With that, I hugged him tightly as my life depended on that hug. Hell yes, he is my life.

"I love you, Ram. I love you so much. Thank you so much for bearing with me. No one understood me the way you did. Heck, I didn't understand myself the way you did. I could not digest the fact that my life is going on a good track after so many years. So when I saw both of you, I found a reason to go back to my old life without questioning anything. I was ready to throw out what we have in an instant. How stupid of me, Ram. I am so sorry, Ram. I won't let this happen again. I will fight for us. Thanks for not listening to my words and not giving up on me, Ram. I love you, Ram. I love you. "

I let everything out. Without wasting a second, Ram pulled me even more closer and gave me a long kiss. Both of us poured every emotion into that. Damn this oxygen. We let off each other because of that. His eyes reflected pure love, and I bet mine would have reflected the same along with the admiration.

"Okay! Ready to hear the story which I haven't told to anyone?" I asked him. He nodded lightly. I took his hand into mine and guided him towards my bedroom, and closed the door.

"During my childhood, I used to have so many health issues. I spent more days in hospitals than schools. Sometimes I used to fake some symptoms, so that I could skip school. Because of that, I used to rest in my house most of the days. My family lived outside of our village because my parents have to look after our land and cattle. There werr nearly ten more families around us because of the same reasons. All of them are our relatives only. I can go to any house and spend my day there. I don't know what happened, but I regularly went to one of my cousins' houses. He was newly married at that time, and his wife went to her maternal house for some reason. He used to give me snacks and look after me sometimes. He did things to me which I didn't understand at that time. He used to get scared of people seeing us playing together. My parents didn't notice anything because they thought that I was just playing somewhere. And me being the closed-off person I am, I didn't share any of this with anyone, Not my parents nor my cousins. But when I was growing up,  I came to know things by reading books and newspapers, and that's when I realized that he didn't play with me. He used me. He raped me. He took advantage of my state. Again I didn't tell anyone about this even after knowing what he has done to me. I am a coward, Ram," I cried, recalling the dark foggy scenes. He wiped my tears while his tears started rolling down.

"No, you are not a coward Tara. Stop here if you don't want to continue," he offered. But no. I have decided to let go of everything. Till today, I haven't said all these out because of the fear that it would become a reality. Till today I was in denial. Until today, I didn't accept the truth, but I have this amazing man beside me who will stand with me. I am not afraid of anything now.

"No, Ram. Let me continue. So when I realized what happened to me, I blamed myself. I couldn't blame him, Ram. I blamed myself because it was my fault to not tell my parents about his abnormal behavior. I blame myself because I am not able to do anything to him. He has two children, Ram. What happens to them when they come to know about their father. How can their family lift their head knowing about what he did? His wife is like a sister to me, Ram. Pranavi and I used to tie Rakhi to him until I realized what happened to me. The horrible thought that this happens not only to me but to lakhs of other children pierce my heart, Ram. This made me hate myself, Ram. Even when I know it is his fault, not mine, I still feel guilty. I am such a spineless human being. How can someone accept me with all my flaws, Ram?" I asked him.

"Don't call yourself that. You are one of the strongest people I have known. If you think that whatever you said now changes my love for you, yes, it does. It increased my love for you even more. You didn't sit simply and watch. You helped many other children to not fall prey to such predators," he said. I wondered how he knew about this.

"Don't break your head thinking how I know. That day, when I called you to take you out, I was already there near your apartment gate to surprise you. So, imagine who got surprised that day. You let down my offer saying you want to sleep, but came out of that gate being all ready. I just followed just out of curiosity. So when you went inside the orphanage, I noted down the address and left to meet Arjun and Adi. I was first puzzled because why you need to lie to me to go to an orphanage. So, I went to the orphanage in the evening again. I asked the helper about you. Then she talked about what you do, how you spend your salary there, how you participate in the awareness campaigns and all. I have never been more proud in my life than at that moment. Now, when you tell me all these, my respect for you increased by many folds. Even though I am not convinced of why to leave that bastard without any punishment, I will leave that for now. I don't want anyone other than you to be the mother of my children. I love you." Even though I am angry with him for following me without my knowledge, I just let it go. I blushed even more because of his last statements and covered my face with my hands. After a heavy makeout session, we called our parents and asked them to prepone the marriage.

Even though my parents made a big fuss, we had an intimate wedding with only close friends and family of around 100 people. But later my parents arranged a grand reception though. And our life continued.......

Thank you so much for reading!

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