Kumkum: Ties of Love and Lies (COMPLETED)

Chapter 20

The morning air was cool and crisp as Sandhya and Pugazh drove to the hospital. The silence in the car was oppressive, broken only by the hum of the engine. Pugazh glanced at Sandhya, who sat with her arms crossed, staring out the window.

"Sandhya," he began softly, his tone laced with weariness, "how long are we going to keep doing this? I'm tired of these walls between us."

She turned to him, her gaze sharp. "Then why did you put them there, Pugazh? Why did you hide what your brother did?"

Her words cut deep, and Pugazh tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't hide it to hurt you. I had my reasons."

"Reasons?" she repeated, her voice rising. "You knew how restless I've been trying to figure out who killed Shravani, and you still didn't tell me? Do you know what that feels like?"

Pugazh parked the car in a quiet spot near the hospital and turned to her. His expression was tired but resolute. "You're right, Sandhya. You deserve to know everything. I've been trying to protect everyone, but maybe it's time to stop."

She frowned, her heart racing. "Then tell me. What did Ezhil do?"

Pugazh hesitated for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I don't know who killed Shravani, I didn't really think this would have ties with her death till you started investigating it and Ezhil is my brother no matter what and this hospital... It's very important for me. I thought you'd eventually stop your search." he admitted, his voice steady. 

"She was my best friend. My best friend's death is just as important to me as much as how you wanted to save your brother." 

"I know Sandhya... I'm really sorry. I should have told you. Another reason why i didn't tell you was cause I knew that man would do something to you if you found out about Ezhil. Only Dad and I knew. You remember how when you asked why he wasn't CEO? Cause Dad lost his trust in him after that incident." he said.

"What happened?" She didn't care about why he hid it from her nomore. She just wanted to know how this would tie in with Shravani's Death. 

"But Ezhil was involved in something terrible. A man he was working with—someone I didn't know at the time—was running an illegal organ trafficking ring. They were kidnapping orphans, using this hospital to perform surgeries, and selling the organs on the black market."

Sandhya's breath hitched, her stomach churning at the horror of his words.

"When I found out," Pugazh continued, "I confronted Ezhil. I forced him to stop and made sure the man was driven out of the hospital. I thought about going to the police, but if the truth had come out, it would have destroyed the hospital's reputation—and hundreds of innocent employees would have lost their jobs. So I kept it a secret." 

Sandhya's hands trembled as she processed what he had said. "You... you knew about this all along?"

"You didn't care about the orphans who were just brought to your hospital to be killed but you cared about your hospital's reputaions? What do you plan on doing with this reputation of yours?" 

"I know. I'm sorry. It was very selfish of me. That's why dad asked me to kick him out and step up and make sure things like this never occur at our hospital again. I made sure another innocent soul didn't die for a selfish reason after that." He said. 

"I didn't know it was connected to Shravani," he said firmly. "I swear, Sandhya. If I thought for a second that Ezhil had anything to do with her death, I wouldn't have spared him. I only wanted to protect the hospital."

"Doesn't change anything Pugazh. I regret falling in love with someone like you." 

"sandhya... please don't say that. You know how much I love you." He had guilt and hurt written all over his face. 

Sandhya felt a wave of conflicting emotions—relief that he was finally opening up, anger that he had kept this from her, and heartbreak at the horror of the situation.

"You should have told me, I would have kept trusting you if I had not heard what Rekha said." she said softly, her voice trembling. "I trusted you."

Pugazh reached for her hand, his expression pained. "I know I broke that trust, Sandhya, and I'm sorry. But I didn't know how to tell you without losing you. Please believe me—I didn't know Rekha had anything to do with this. If she's involved, it's news to me."

Her eyes narrowed. "You didn't know?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Rekha's always been loyal to Ezhil, but I never thought she'd be tied to something like this."

Sandhya sighed, pulling her hand away. "I saw her with Gautham," she said, her voice hard. "They were arguing about you and me. She said that if you opened your mouth about Ezhil's actions, both of them would end up in jail."

Pugazh's eyes widened in shock. "Rekha knew about this? And she's working with Gautham?"

Sandhya nodded, her jaw tightening. "That's why I'm upset, Pugazh. It's not just about Shravani anymore. It's about everyone I trusted lying to me."

He looked at her, his heart heavy with guilt. "I've let you down," he admitted. "I don't blame you for being angry. But please, Sandhya, believe me when I say I'll do whatever it takes to make this right."

For a long moment, Sandhya said nothing. She could see the sincerity in his eyes, but the scars of betrayal ran deep. "We'll see," she said finally, her voice cold. "Right now, I need time to figure things out."

Pugazh nodded, his shoulders slumping. "Take all the time you need," he said quietly.

As they entered the hospital, the distance between them felt greater than ever, even though they were walking side by side.