Remarriage

"What?" Samrat's voice cracked, the single word laced with disbelief and a rising fury as he clenched his fist around the phone. Brinda, witnessing his sudden shift in demeanor, looked at him with deep concern etched on her face. He slowly lowered the phone, placing it heavily on the bedside table.

"What happened, Samrat ji?" she asked softly, her eyes searching his.
Samrat's gaze was distant, his voice flat as he delivered the devastating news. "That man... the one who violated Pooja... he committed suicide inside the jail."

Shock registered on Brinda's face as she looked at Samrat.

"Suicide?" Samrat nodded heavily, his eyes finding hers, filled with a complex mix of emotions. He sank onto the edge of the bed, the weight of the news pressing down on him. "Yes. According to the police, he was consumed by shame from the moment he was incarcerated. The guilt overwhelmed him, and he took his own life."

Brinda sat beside him, her heart aching with a profound sense of unease. The medical reports had triggered a swift police investigation, but this unexpected turn felt like a cruel twist of fate.

"They said... he was under the influence of alcohol and drugs when he... when he committed the act," Samrat continued, his voice low and strained. "Once the alcohol and drugs cleared his system in jail, the reality of his actions crashed down on him. He apparently cried out for forgiveness, desperately seeking apologies, but the crushing guilt proved too much to bear."

Brinda reached out, her hand covering his right hand, her touch offering silent comfort.

"I don't know what to say, Samrat ji," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "Tomorrow, the court would have delivered its judgment, perhaps a life sentence, perhaps even hanging. But did Pooja truly get justice? If you had asked me my honest feelings, I would have wished for that man to die. And he is dead... but what about the suffering Pooja is still enduring?"

Samrat looked at Brinda, his own pain mirroring hers. She paused, her voice catching in her throat before she continued, the next words heavy with sorrow. "She... she slipped into a coma. There's no guarantee she will ever regain consciousness. Her tormentor is gone, but her suffering continues. And the repercussions of his actions... they will haunt his family too. You protected them from the villagers that day, but the entire village is filled with animosity towards them. They will have to live a life steeped in hate. His son, barely seven years old, will bear the weight of his father's sins. And his wife, Kanta, who worked tirelessly as a maid to provide for them... she now faces the scorn of everyone."

Samrat nodded slowly, the injustice of it all weighing heavily on him. "Why don't people think before they commit such atrocities? They not only inflict unimaginable pain on their victims but also shatter their own families. Now, all we can do is pray for that little girl to recover soon."

Brinda nodded in agreement. "You know, Samrat ji, Kanta was weeping as she told me how she used to earn, and her husband would steal her meager earnings to fuel his addiction. He sold her jewelry, even their cooking utensils. She cried, recounting how he even stole the money she had painstakingly saved for their son's medical treatment. That's when she came here, and Maaji gave her the money. And now... because of him, his entire family is facing such bitterness."

Samrat's expression hardened with resolve. "Kanta and her child are innocent. Nothing will happen to them. Ramesh is dead now. Our focus must be on Pooja. I will speak with the doctor tomorrow to get an update on her condition and explore any other treatment she might need."

Brinda nodded, her heart heavy but finding a sliver of solace in Samrat's unwavering compassion. "Yes, Samrat ji."

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