Chapter 90: chapter 90

The moment the verdict is passed, Jagdeesh was spine chilled. However Kajal doesn’t blink. Not when they take him away. Not even when he turns back to look at her as if searching for something. Pity? Forgiveness?But Kajal has nothing left to give him.She clutches the edge of her shawl, her knuckles white.“So this is how the truth reveals itself,” she thinks. “Not in my therapy sessions. Not in the tears I swallowed. But in a courtroom… where finally, the world sees the monster I once loved.”Amar leans over, whispering, “It’s over.”Kajal’s eyes stay fixed on the door through which Jagdeesh is led out in handcuffs.“No,” she says, quietly. “It’s just beginning. For me. For her. For every woman who was silenced.”As he's being taken away, Jagdeesh tries to defend himself, but it's hollow. “It wasn’t like that!” he cries. “I never meant to hurt her!”But no one listens. Not this time. Kajal watches, unmoved. The sun outside is blinding after the dim courtroom. But Kajal doesn't squint. For the first time in months -maybe years, she doesn’t feel the weight of lies on her shoulders.Her parents stay close; Ram Mehta on her right, his arm brushing hers protectively. Shikha gently holds her daughter’s hand, like when Kajal was little and scared of school. Just then, Rhea breaks through the line of waiting people. Rhea almost breathless and tears already falling says "Kajal didi...." And hugs Kajal with all her heart. no hesitation, no words. Just arms wrapped around her with everything unsaid.Kajal exhales a long, trembling breath and hugs her back tighter than ever before. For the first time, she allows herself to melt. To lean. To let someone hold her up. Kajal voice lower and cracking speaks up “I thought I forgot how this felt… being held without conditions.” Rhea pulls back, cupping Kajal’s face. Rhea assures kajal “You never had to carry it all alone, didi. You never will again.” Amar comes beside them, resting his hand on Kajal’s head for a second like a blessing, or a quiet apology for not catching it all sooner. Amar with gentle voice says  “I should’ve dragged him out of your life long ago.” Kajal gives him a small, exhausted smile.  Kajal “No, Amar. You pulled me out… just in time.”Behind them, Adi and Smitha walk forward. Adi opens his arms and Kajal, for once, doesn’t hesitate. She steps into his hug like a little girl needing her uncle's warmth.Adi “Let this be the last time your tears are about someone else’s sins.” Smitha strokes Kajal’s hair, saying nothing. Just being there. Her presence alone feels like a lullaby.Adi " Okay guys it's almost time, no one had proper food from the moment this news broke out. So let's ... Saying he gestures his hands towards the car. And all walks to the car. As Rhea tries to get in with Kajal  Amar pulls her and pushes into the car. It happened in a kaleidoscopic moment that no one failed to notice it. And even Rhea couldn't react to his act. Amar locks the door immediately and Rhea doesn't look at him, and gazes through the window. Blushing all the way. Amar holds Rhea hand while driving all the way . And the three cars enters into the highly rated Tanwar Hotel. The room is serene and tastefully lit, with tall windows letting in the soft amber glow of the city skyline. The walls are a rich ivory and gold, and the air smells of fresh jasmine and warm ghee.The table is set with Kajal’s favourite dishes light, comforting North Indian food with a touch of South Indian spice. There’s paneer butter masala, soft phulkas, lemon rice, veg pulao, and a spread of sweets - rasmalai, jalebi, and gajar halwa.Kajal sits in the center, surrounded by her people. Shikha gently tucks Kajal’s hair behind her ear and places a spoonful of halwa on her plate. Shikha with soft smile says “Today isn’t a celebration… but it’s your first night of peace. That’s worth marking.”Kajal touches her mother’s hand and nods  eyes a little misty, but with warmth, not grief. Ram, sitting beside her, sips from a tall glass of warm kesar milk, his eyes watching Kajal like he’s finally able to breathe again. Ram gently says  “You didn’t break, beta. You bent and came back stronger.” Kajal smiles at her father, her voice low.“I didn’t break... because you were there to hold the pieces.”Across the table, Amar and Rhea are in their own bubble of affection. Amar tears a piece of phulka and feeds it to Rhea with a wink. She shyly takes it, then feeds him a bite of her rasmalai. Just then, Kajal notices it and  her eyebrows rise. She leans forward dramatically. Kajal “Excuse me, Romeo and Juliet- we’re still in a family dinner, not your suhaag raat sequel!”Rhea bursts into laughter, half-embarrassed, half-joyful. Amar grins shamelessly. Rhea “Didi, he’s the one starting! I’m just being polite.” Amar “Feeding your husband is a cultural value.”Kajal teases “Haan haan... and I’m the culture minister, issuing a public warning keep it cute, not corny!”Everyone laughs.Smitha and Aditya exchange a proud glance , the family is whole again.Adi raises a glass of chilled rose lemonade.Adi “To Kajal… for walking out when it was hardest, and standing tall when it mattered most.” The entire family echoes softly:“To Kajal.”Kajal, holding her glass of tender coconut water, smiles genuinely — for the first time in a very long time. Kajal “To healing… and to those who never let me forget who I was.”A Revenge...