Fateful Contract

Emotions Unbound

Tejasswi's voice cracked with emotion as she spoke to Karan. "Why would they do this? Just the other day, everyone found out about my mushroom allergy. It can't be a mistake. Someone added it intentionally," she said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Despite Tejasswi being aware that a foe was manipulating Rashmi to harm her, Karan understood that she remained oblivious to the fact that her life was at stake.

Tejasswi turned her gaze towards Karan, who was deep in thought, his silence leading her to believe he was in shock.

"I can imagine, Karan; you're probably bewildered or even questioning my sanity, but I thought long and hard before coming to this conclusion," Tejasswi rambled, wiping away her tears.

"What's that?" Karan asked in a trance.

The impact of hearing the assailant's name still hung heavy on him, but seeing Tejasswi suffer through the same ordeal was even more unbearable.

"This isn't Rashmi spinning yarns. Sudha mom's agenda was not just to harm me but to wipe me out. All the pieces fit perfectly. From the car attack to the explosion, only someone close was privy to my whereabouts."

Fresh tears welled up in Tejasswi's eyes as she revisited the past events, each time narrowly evading danger.

"Karan, I know you must be thinking it's a groundless assumption since I lack tangible proof, but my intuition is too strong to dismiss."

A deep, mournful sigh escaped Karan's lips. Tejasswi's ramblings were no revelation to him; he had known all along, but fear had kept him from disclosing them to her. He could only offer his gratitude to Rashmi for unwittingly easing the burden.

"Karan, I hate to cause you pain. I acknowledge she's your mother, and it's undoubtedly hard for you to believe."

"I already had an inkling..." Karan narrowed his eyes, interjecting quickly and cutting Tejasswi off.

"What?"

"It's been clear to me for some time that the assailant is after your life, and she happens to be a member of my family. Recently, I discovered that she's Sudha mom," Karan admitted, his head lowered.

Tejasswi was skeptical of Karan's words. She mustered a faint smile and replied, "Sunny, there's no need to fabricate stories just to ease my burden."

Witnessing Tejasswi's evident trauma, Karan reflected, 'Teju, you're a tender-hearted woman with a forgiving spirit. It's a heavy truth to bear knowing you're in someone's crosshairs, especially when that someone is my mother.'

"This is no fabrication. I've been in the know for a long  time." Karan's voice carried a sharp edge to jolt Tejasswi.

Slowly, he unraveled the entire web of details from his investigation, revealing each piece and its conclusion.

Tejasswi was frozen for a long moment, then the floodgates opened once more. Karan enveloped her in a comforting embrace, allowing her to release her emotions and gently rubbing her back.

After a lengthy bout of tears, she regained her composure and spoke in a deep, resonant voice, "Why did you keep this from me?"

Gently, Karan let go of the hug, cupping her face and wiping away her tears. He spoke with affection, "This is exactly why I didn't want to burden you. I knew it would hurt your kind heart."

"But this is substantial. How could you keep such a thing under wraps for so long?"

The idea that Karan had been battling alone for days to apprehend a criminal was tormenting Tejasswi.