Vedika stood in front of the dresser and stared at her reflection in the mirror. The dark circles under her eyes were quite prominent. She had barely slept for the past few weeks. Ever since she'd left the Kapoor Mansion, the guilt kept gnawing at her insides. Her nightmares were a constant companion. In her attempt to separate Ram and Priya, she ended up isolating herself from everyone. Especially Shashi, although she didn't regret that one bit. The man was despicable beyond measure. She was done with him for good.
She sighed internally. Ram and Priya had eventually parted ways but she didn't feel the joy and happiness she'd expected. Instead, she felt the guilt and remorse consuming her. Nandini had finally succeeded in her grand plan of separating Ram and Priya. Vedika knew an apology wouldn't fix a thing. If anything, it would only add insult to injury. Ram seldom got angry but whenever he did, it was frightening. Maybe that's what she needed. To finally face his wrath.
Vedika stood outside the Kapoor Mansion. She was dressed in loose denim jeans and a pink sweater. She hesitated to knock. She could turn back now and pretend this was all a bad dream. But even she knew the pretence wouldn't last long. The guilt would ultimately consume her whole being. Vedika shook her head and brought herself out of her thoughts. She rapped thrice on the oak-wood doors. A few seconds later, the door opened revealing one of the housekeepers.
Vedika was hesitant to cross the foyer. The last time she was here, it was to create a rift between the happy couple. Facing Ram after all she had done was going to be a major challenge. "Ma'am, Ram Sir is expecting you," the housekeeper informed. Vedika glanced at the tiny camera at the entrance and chuckled to herself. Of course, Ram saw her standing there. She nodded to the housekeeper and he led her to the living room. "Sir will be here soon, you may have a seat." He gestured towards the couch. Vedika nodded and the housekeeper retired to his quarters.
Vedika glanced at the living room; not much had changed since she was last here. The wallpaper was still a dark brown colour although it was chipped off in several places. The plush green couch looked relatively new. Photo frames hung on the walls with photos of Nandini, Shubham and Shivina. No Ram. She felt a pang of guilt inside her. Ram had once confessed to her about his insecurities regarding his stepfamily. And all she did was add one more insecurity to it by dumping him. She tore her eyes away from the frames and instead focused on a nearby painting. Shivina's painting. It depicted a boy and a girl on the beach playing a game of volleyball. An older boy watched them from a distance. Vedika figured the only time Shivina had thought of Ram was when she had painted this piece. Her eyes flickered to a broken photo frame on the table. It was a picture of Ram and Priya on their wedding day. Ram was his usual goofy self while Priya stood with a slight frown on her face.
Although Vedika felt extremely guilty about her actions, she knew Ram and Priya separating wasn't entirely her fault. Priya was partly the reason for them parting ways. Even Vedika knew Nandini's threat barely even passed off as a threat. Priya had been selfish, for reasons known only to her. It barely took Ram a week to figure out the actual culprit of Shivina's death. He'd sent Ishaan to a correction facility for a year. Ram cared deeply for Ishaan despite this, so he made sure Ishaan didn't face any sort of discomfort. Ram still couldn't confront him; the image of Shivina's lifeless body in his arms was still too fresh.
Ram knew she'd lied about the child being the investigator's as well. He demanded a paternity test despite Nandini's feeble attempts at trying to convince Ram that the child was indeed the product of an affair between Priya and the investigator. The paternity test had eventually confirmed his suspicions, Priya had indeed lied. And it didn't take a genius to figure out who was behind it. His stepmother. He sighed. He wasn't surprised at all. Nandini had lost her daughter because of Priya's family. Vengeance was in her blood. Ram broke all ties with his stepfamily. He transferred the majority of his assets to Nandini and Shubham, ensuring they lived a comfortable life in the future.
