[THIS STORY IS PURELY FICTION AND BASED ON THE AUTHOR'S IMAGINATION. THE EVENTS AND CHARACTERS OF THE STORY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH REALITY.]
***
Rumours affect everyone.
Even if one pretends otherwise.
Such was the case with TV's superstar Harshad...
As Harshad and Pranali walked out of the courtroom, Reem's parents were standing there in their wait. Pranali tensed for a moment but her worry eased out when Mrs. Joshi joined her hands in front of her.
“Forgive us dear. We said such bad things to you. I even tried to attack you. Please forgive me...” - Mrs. Joshi apologized, fresh tears falling from her eyes.
Pranali shook her head and held the lady's hands between hers. “Please don't embarrass me Mrs. Joshi. I understand you are grieving. And I am genuinely sorry for your loss...” - she said gently.
Mrs. Joshi gave a tearful smile and caressed Pranali's head. “God bless you dear.”
There was a longing in her eyes and voice that panged sharply at Pranali's heart. If only Reem had been sensible enough to not get involved with a married man, to focus just on her career, than her parents would not have been suffering from such pain.
Pranali watched with a heavy heart as Reem's parents slowly walked away. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and turned to find her mother smiling at her. She hugged her mother tightly, feeling blessed to have her loved ones around herself. No profession, career or job was above one's dignity and life. She already believed that but after the whole Reem's debacle, her belief had only strengthened.
Pulling back, they all started descending the stairs where media surrounded them, their focus being Harshad and Pranali.
“Pranali how do you feel after being acquitted ?”
“What are your feelings at Harshad's unwavering support for you throughout ?”
“Harshad how were you so sure Pranali is innocent ?”
At that question, Harshad paused at the second last step and grinned at them. “There's a thing called trust that I have on Pranali. I know she can never do such a thing. That's out of the question.”
Pranali's heart skipped a beat. Such unquestionable trust on her ? Why ? Apart from her family, he was the only one who stood by her, adamant at her not being guilty. He alone stood against the entire world, fought and then won. For her.
The media smiled at his answer. “Well congratulations to you Pranali. You are free now.”
Harshad looked at her with a smile and everything else faded away. His smiling face was all she could see. It's warmth reaching her and protecting against the cold wind of December. His eyes shone brightly in the sunlight, a glint of happiness in them. And a question reared its head in her brain.
Was she really free ?
~
The Chopda House in Gondia was all set to host the celebration party Harshad was throwing for Pranali that evening. The guests, which were their relatives, family friends, and friends — almost half of the television industry — had started to arrive an hour prior to the party.
The social media, on the other hand, was on fire all thanks to the Instagram story Harshad posted an hour ago.
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