26

Short chapter again. But the next one will be interesting for sure. Trust the process. And please vote and comment too :)

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The videos were shown on the TV. The media people leaned forward, whispering to each other. Cameras that were flashing for celebration just minutes ago were now recording something else entirely. The music had stopped.

On the screen, clips played one after another. Ayesha in the kitchen. The oil near the stairs. Padma's miscarriage. The timestamps. The calls. The small details that no one noticed before suddenly looked loud and obvious.

Savitri covered her mouth with her hand. Viden's face went pale but stern. Animesh removed his glasses slowly, as if he needed a clearer vision to accept what he was seeing. Harsh stood frozen. Kavya looked at Ayesha in disbelief.

And Vidya? She stayed silent. She wasn't crying. She wasn't shouting. She just stood there, staring at the screen like she was watching someone else's life fall apart. Her fingers slowly tightened around the edge of her poshak.

Ayesha stood a few steps behind. Her face had no expression now. No calm smile, no guilt, just silence. Like she had already accepted this moment somewhere inside her long ago. Avi's chest was rising heavily. He didn't look at Ayesha. He kept looking at the screen, as if forcing himself to watch every second of it. He was punishing himself.

The reporters immediately started shouting questions.

"Is this true?"

"Was this planned?"

"Is this an internal family matter?"

"Was the marriage forced?"

Microphones were pushed forward toward Vidya.

Adi stepped in front of Vidya instantly, shielding her from the cameras. His hand rested protectively on her waist. She was traumatized. His face was calm but his eyes were storming.

"Enough," he said firmly. "This function is over."

"But Rajsa, is the girl responsible-"

"I said enough."

His voice left no room for argument.

Everyone left the palace, leaving the whole family in disbelief. Adi looked at Ayesha, not with rage now - but with something colder. Colder than rage.

"This house gave you a name," he said slowly. "And you chose revenge."

Avi walked toward Ayesha slowly.

"You wanted revenge?" he asked, his voice low and shaking. "You played with my family for revenge?"

Ayesha stood still. She didn't cry. She didn't defend herself.

"You made me love you," he continued. "You let me protect you. You let me fight for you. Was that part of your plan too?"

Ayesha's fingers trembled slightly at her sides.

"Avi..." Vidya tried to speak softly.

"No, bhabhi maa. Please." His eyes never left Ayesha. "Let her answer."

Ayesha finally looked up. "I never forced you to love me."

That sentence hit him harder than any slap.

Avi let out a bitter laugh. "Of course. You didn't force me. You just stood there quietly while I destroyed myself for you."

He took a step closer.

"You entered this house with lies. You wore my name. You wore my mangalsutra. And all this time you were calculating?"

She swallowed but said nothing.

His voice hardened. "Leave."

"Pack your things and leave this house. Right now."

Savitri gasped softly. Vidya looked at Adi. Adi didn't interfere this time. His expression was unreadable.

"Adi... sto-" Vidya tried to interfere, but Adi grabbed her hands and took her to their room.

"Avi..." Ayesha whispered.

"Don't," he cut her off. "Don't say my name like you have any right to."

That broke something in her eyes.

"You don't deserve to stay here," he continued. "This house is not a battlefield for your revenge games."

She nodded slowly.

She turned toward the staircase. Her anklets made a faint sound with each step. That sound felt louder than the media chaos from a few minutes ago.

Avi stood frozen.

He had imagined her arguing, crying, denying everything. Maybe even blaming someone else.

But she stayed silent.

It unsettled him.

Halfway up the stairs, Ayesha paused. She didn't turn around.

"You think this is over?" she said quietly. "It's not."

She continued walking. It was a warning.

Downstairs, Savitri slowly sat on the couch as if her legs had given up. Viden stood stiff, his jaw tight. Animesh stared at the blank TV screen, as though still trying to process what had just shattered in front of the world.

Avi finally moved. He ran a hand through his hair, breathing heavily.

"Bhai..." Harsh spoke carefully. "What if-"

"What if what?" Avi snapped.

Harsh went silent.

Upstairs, Ayesha entered the room she had once shared with him. The bed was still neatly made. The cupboard was half-open. Her clothes were still hanging beside his. The room smells like him. She loved him. Maybe?

She walked to the dressing table and stared at herself in the mirror. The sindoor had already faded. The marks where the mangalsutra had been snatched away by Avi were still resting on her neck.

Slowly, she lifted the mangalsutra in her fingers. And kept it in the drawer safely. Gradually, She removed all the jewellery and kept it in the locker.

Back in Adi's room, Vidya pulled her hand away from his grip.

"Why did you stop me?" she asked, her voice shaking. "She deserves to explain."

Instead of replying to her questions, he took out two suitcases and said, "Pack your clothes fast."

Vidya's POV

Instead of replying to my questions, he told me to pack my clothes. I looked at him, really looked at him. Is he going to cancel the wedding? Is he telling me to leave? I was extremely scared. I went near him where he was doing something on his phone. I grabbed the phone and saw he was booking a trip to Vrindavan for six people!

First of all, just before our marriage? Second, 6? Is he mad or what?

I asked him, "Why 6?" just to hear, "You, me, Kavya, Harsh, Avi, Ayesha."

He was out of his mind. Avi and Ayesha had just had a fight that took the matter to divorce, and he was asking for a trip?

"How can you even think about a trip right now, Adi?"

He came close to me, his hands resting on my waist and his chin on my head. He sighed softly, then looked at me.

"Vidi, I can't delay my marriage because of them. You know that, right? A trip was needed, and we're going. I have a surprise for you there, so don't worry. Maa, Baba, and Dadaji won't come as they have other work. But you wanted your family to be there, and I have already told them. Don't worry."

He said this in a tone that left no room for argument. But I wasn't convinced.

He then took me to my room and started packing my clothes. Some lehengas - maybe more than eight. It was a four-day trip, but still eight lehengas? And that too of every color. He's gone mad.

He told Kavya to pack too, but she had nothing. Surprisingly, Harsh took her shopping. Cute.

We were in the room when we heard yelling downstairs. We looked at each other and ran downstairs. We saw Avi standing aside and Maa trying to stop Ayesha. No doubt, Maa really loved her, but she was betrayed. And leaving was the worst.

Ayesha wore a simple pink kurti, no bangles, no mangalsutra, but sindoor was there. Rings were not there but The bracelet that they purchased together with each other's name written on it was there. She was looking beautiful but she was broken inside.

Adi looked at me and took me back to our room. He told me not to interfere. He knew I would melt down and forgive her.

After a few minutes, the yelling sound disappeared, indicating that Ayesha w

as gone. And the trip from 6 changed to 4.

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