Rishabh, did you do this?

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Alia was crying inconsolably. At that moment, Hardik knelt in front of her, wiped her tears, and said, "Stop! Just stop! I didn’t come here to see you like this, crying your eyes out. You weren’t like this as a child. You used to annoy me, but you never cried like this because you always believed that crying didn’t suit you, that it made you look less pretty. That’s why you didn’t cry much. And honestly, you don’t look good when you cry. You look like a monkey."

Saying this, Hardik lightly tapped her forehead, making Alia cry even more. Hugging him, she sobbed and said, "Bhai, please… please don’t leave us again. I… I promise I’ll never do anything wrong again. I’ll never do anything bad. You don’t know, even Papa misses you a lot. He regrets throwing you out of the house. Please, Bhai, forgive Papa and come back. Don’t leave us again."

Hardik hugged her tightly and said, "I’m not going anywhere. I won’t leave. And I’ve just come back from meeting Chachu."

"Really! You went to meet Papa?" Alia asked, pulling away in surprise.

Hardik nodded with a smile. He wiped her tears, fixed her hair, and said, "Yes, I met Chachu. And I… I’m never leaving you two again. You were right. I should have stood my ground. This time, I won’t leave, nor will I let anyone else leave. But you need to stop crying now. Look, your bhabhi has brought food for you. Eat quickly."

Shivika smiled and said, "Yes, Alia, eat quickly. I’m not sure how it tastes, and if it gets cold, it’ll taste even worse."

She quickly opened the tiffin. The three of them laughed as they ate together.

After finishing the meal, Hardik held Alia’s hand and said, "Alia, I’ll get you out of here soon."

Hearing this, Alia immediately refused. She pulled her hand away, held his hand instead, and said, "Bhai, I’m not asking you to get me out of here. I admit my mistake. I know I made a huge mistake. If you hadn’t arrived in time back then, I wouldn’t have just made a mistake; I would’ve committed a grave sin, something I’d never forgive myself for. Realizing this, I don’t want any favors. You forgiving me is already a big deal for me. Anyway, I’ll be out soon, and after that, I’ll start a new life. Truly."

"But Alia…" Hardik began to say something, but Alia placed his hand on her head and said, "No, Bhai, I swear on you. You won’t try to get me out early, nor will you tell anyone else to. I know if you tell your friends, they’ll have me out of here in no time. But I don’t want to come out before serving my punishment. Really, Bhai, I want to complete my punishment. And now that you’re back, I’m happy. Just wait for me. You’ll see, these days will pass quickly."

Alia was smiling as she spoke, and Hardik and Shivika smiled as they listened. Seeing this change in Alia gave them peace. Truly, Alia had changed.

A while later…

Private room in a hotel

Anokhi, Preeti, Omkar, Riya, Ruhi, and Shweta were already there. Hardik and Shivika walked in.

"What’s going on? Why’s everyone gathered here? Why did Rishabh call us all here? And where is he, along with the others?" Hardik asked as he sat on the sofa with Shivika.

Preeti replied, "Shanaya wanted to take a walk, so Riya took her outside for a bit. Rishabh and the others should be here any moment."

Just then, Riya and Shanaya entered. Riya gently seated Shanaya on the sofa and sat down herself. Looking at everyone, she said, "Something’s definitely up. Otherwise, Bhai wouldn’t invite everyone to dinner like this. Bhabhi, did you do something?" She looked at Anokhi.

Everyone else also looked at Anokhi, who pouted and said, "Why are you all looking at me? I didn’t do anything, honestly!"

"Yeah, yeah, Bhabhi didn’t do anything, so don’t say anything to her," said Rohit as he walked in.

Everyone turned to the door, where Rishabh and Praveen were leading, followed by Abhinav and Rohit, who were helping Vikram walk in.

Vikram looked exhausted. His hair was disheveled, and his face showed complete fatigue.

"What happened, Vikram? Are you okay?" everyone asked at once.

Ignoring them, Vikram walked straight to Anokhi, sat on the floor, rested his head on her lap, held her hand, and with a tearful face, said, "Princess, look at what your husband has done to your brother!"

"What did Rishabh Ji do? And why… why do you look so troubled, Bhaiya?" Anokhi asked with concern, but then she remembered something about vodka and frowned. "Whatever it is, tell someone else. I’m not talking to you."

"Princess, you too! Fine, I’m sorry!" Vikram said, sitting beside her and holding his ears. "Look, it was a mistake. I didn’t mean to do it. Forgive your brother. Your husband’s punishments have already drained me. Don’t be angry anymore."

"I don’t care. I’m not talking to you. I’m upset with you," Anokhi said, turning her face away.

Those who knew why Anokhi was angry laughed at Vikram’s plight, while those who didn’t were confused, looking at the two of them.

Then Vikram leaned in and whispered in Anokhi’s ear, "Alright, if you forgive me, I’ll show you some of Rishabh’s antique childhood photos where he looks hilariously weird. You’ll laugh so hard you’ll go crazy."

Hearing this, Anokhi’s eyes widened. She whispered back, "Really? You’re not tricking me, are you?"

"Do I look like someone who’d pull a trick in this state?" Vikram replied.

Anokhi smiled slightly, glanced at everyone, and said, "Fine, fine. You’re already so troubled and have been punished enough, so I forgive you."

Her smile and her words were a relief to Vikram. At that moment, Rishabh’s brow furrowed. He walked up to them and asked, "What deal have you two struck? And Cupcake, what did he say to make you so happy?"

Both Vikram and Anokhi shook their heads in unison and said, "Nothing."

Rishabh grabbed Vikram by the collar and warned, "Vikram, if you mess up again, remember this—next time, Maxi will definitely have his dinner—and it’ll be fully non-veg!"

Hearing this threatening statement, remembering Maxi, and seeing Rishabh’s dangerous look, Vikram gulped and nodded hesitantly.

At this point, Riya couldn’t hold back and asked, “Bhai, what’s going on here? I don’t understand anything. We’ve been called here, Vikram Bhai is apologizing to Bhabhi, Bhabhi is angry, then she forgives him. And now you’re threatening Vikram Bhai again. What exactly has Vikram Bhai done?”

“Nothing happened. Leave my matter. I’m not the topic. The topic is, why has this gathering taken place here? And leave my collar, bro! Leave my collar! You’ve done what you wanted. Now let me go. I barely escaped alive,” Vikram said and quickly got up, going to sit beside Preeti.

Preeti asked softly, “What did you do that both of them were so angry at you?”

“Wify, you also keep quiet now. I’m already very tired,” Vikram said, making a tired face, and then rested his head on Preeti’s shoulder, silently watching everyone.

Just then, Abhinav said, “Sir, why have you called all of us here?”

“Why? Can’t I invite all of you for dinner?” Vikram asked, looking at Abhinav.

Although Rishabh spoke casually, it sounded like he was annoyed. Understanding this, Anokhi said, “Rishabh Ji, can’t you talk sweetly? You always speak as if you’re angry!”

“Hey, where am I angry? I said it casually,” Rishabh said, confused.

To which Anokhi made a face and said, “Rishabh Ji, nothing can be done about you. I’m going to order food because I’m very hungry.”

“Yes, I’m starving too, so I’m going to order something as well,” Ruhi added.

To this, Rohit said, “Fine, then order something for me too.”

“Why? Why should I? You do it yourself. You’re the one who’s hungry,” Ruhi snapped back instantly.

Rohit pouted, and everyone else started laughing. Everyone ordered their food individually.

When the food arrived, Vikram was the first to dive into it. He was eating as if he hadn’t eaten for ages.

“Bhaiya, eat slowly. Why are you in such a hurry? And were you that hungry?” Anokhi asked.

With his mouth full of food, Vikram replied, “You don’t know, Princess! I’ve been running for the past four hours. I’m starving.”

No one understood what he meant. Everyone was just staring at the “four” he indicated with his fingers.

“What does that mean?” Anokhi asked.

Rishabh, placing food on his plate, said, “Don’t pay attention to what he’s saying. Focus on your own food.”

A while later, Abhinav asked again, “Sir, can you just tell us why you’ve called everyone here? Because you wouldn’t call us without a reason.”

Just as he finished speaking, a man entered the room and handed five envelopes to Rishabh before leaving.

Rishabh placed all five envelopes on the table and, looking at Abhinav, Vikram, Rohit, Hardik, and Omkar, said, “These are for all of you, from me and cupcake.”

“What’s this?” the five of them asked as they each picked up an envelope, which had their names and their wives’ names written on them.

They all opened the envelopes and found tickets—destinations like Maldives, Paris, Bali, Switzerland, and Santorini.

"Bhai, did you arrange a honeymoon for all of us?" Rohit asked excitedly.

Rishabh nodded slightly in agreement.

Immediately, Vikram, filled with joy, took Rishabh’s blessings and said, "Oh man, you’re my brother indeed! I knew that no matter how angry you get at me, you’d never forget to care for me. That’s why you arranged such a great honeymoon for me in Bali! You knew I wanted to go there for my honeymoon. You take such good care of me, my wife, and my future kids as well."

Hearing this, everyone started staring at Vikram. Preeti elbowed him lightly in the stomach and gave him a stern look.

Vikram, holding his stomach, said, "Oh, haven’t I had enough torture since morning that you’re adding to it?"

"Your antics deserve it. You really like to say ridiculous things!" Preeti scolded him.

Vikram’s open remarks about kids made Preeti blush deeply.

Meanwhile, Anokhi noticed Shweta looked a bit worried. She asked, "Shweta Didi, why are you so quiet? Didn’t you like our gift?"

"No, Anokhi. It’s not that... I was just thinking about Shwet," Shweta replied softly, glancing at Abhinav.

Abhinav nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, we’ve only recently started spending time with him. If we leave him behind to go on this trip..."

"Oh, are you planning to take your kid on your honeymoon? And if you do, where will the second one come from?" Praveen joked, making everyone chuckle.

Shanaya playfully hit Praveen’s shoulder and said, "Praveen, stop saying nonsense. And Shweta, why are you worrying so much? Just let Shwet stay with Swati for a few days. Anyway, we’ve all seen how much Shwet and Swati miss each other. This way, they’ll get to spend time together."

Shanaya’s suggestion seemed reasonable to both Shweta and Abhinav, so they nodded in agreement.

Looking at the tickets, Rohit said, "But brother, you’ve also booked return tickets for us—just 12 days later. What will I do with only a 12-day honeymoon?"

"Rohit!" Ruhi shouted and threw a cushion at his face.

"Hey, I was just joking," Rohit said, dodging the cushion.

Rishabh then said sternly, "Two weeks later, Shanaya’s delivery is due. That’s why you all have 12 days. If you want to go on a 12-day honeymoon trip, go. Otherwise, I’ll cancel all the bookings."

"What? Are you mad? Once prey enters the lion’s mouth can go back, but my honeymoon tickets are definitely not going anywhere," Vikram exclaimed, standing up. "Come, Preeti, before this crazy man changes his mind and ruins my honeymoon. Let’s go pack."

Preeti asked, "Vikram, where are you going?"

"To packing, of course," he said, dragging her out of the room.

Preeti looked back at everyone while leaving, and Anokhi waved at her, saying, "Bye, Bhabhi Maa! I’ll come to drop you at the airport tomorrow."

Watching Vikram’s haste, everyone laughed. He seemed genuinely worried Rishabh might suddenly change his mind and cancel everything.

Meanwhile, Shanaya turned to Hardik and Shivika and asked, "By the way, where were you both coming from earlier? Where did you go?"

Shanaya had asked because she hadn’t seen them during breakfast that morning, as she’d been in her room.

Hardik glanced at Anokhi and said, "Well... I went to meet Chachu, and then... Alia." He stopped mid-sentence and looked at Anokhi, who was staring at the floor.

The room fell silent. Everyone seemed to be looking at Anokhi and, simultaneously, at Rishabh.

Rishabh’s face was expressionless, and Anokhi remained quiet, her gaze fixed downward. No one understood what was happening.

Suddenly, Anokhi stood up and said, "Well, Bhaiya did the right thing by leaving early. You all should hurry up and start packing too. Otherwise, if you’re late tomorrow, don’t blame Rishabh Ji for canceling the plan. So, go, go! Everyone, pack quickly!"

Turning to Ruhi, she added, "Come, Ruhi, I’ll help you."

She grabbed Ruhi’s hand and left the room.

Everyone watched her leave silently. Rishabh also stood up and walked out of the room without saying a word. Watching them go, Hardik looked a little downcast.

Shivika placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Hardik, it’s okay."

Praveen added, "Hardik, you can’t blame them for reacting this way. It’s normal, considering everything that happened."

"I know, Praveen. I’m not blaming them. I just hope that one day, both of them will forgive Alia," Hardik replied.

"By the way, how is Alia?" Shanaya asked.

Hardik narrated everything from Khurana Mansion to his visit to Alia.

After hearing his story, Praveen hugged him tightly, patted his back, and said, "I’m so happy for you, Hardik. After all, you got your family back." Hardik smiled at his words.

---

Abhinav’s house

When Abhinav told everyone about their upcoming honeymoon, they were thrilled. Shweta held Shwet’s hand and asked, "Shwet, will you come with us?"

Shwet shook his head and replied, "No, no, Mama. You go enjoy your trip. I’ll stay with Maasi Maa. I miss her a lot anyway. I’ll have so much fun with her. Don’t worry about me. Besides, when I’m with Maasi Maa, you don’t need to worry about anything."

Shwet spoke with a big smile, and though Shweta didn’t say anything, she kissed his forehead and hugged him tightly. Later, she carried him to the room and tucked him into bed. Once he was asleep, she stood by the window, lost in thought.

Abhinav came up from behind, wrapped his arms around her, and asked, "So, are you ready for the honeymoon?"

Shweta nodded slightly, but her expressions showed she was lost in her own thoughts. Noticing this, Abhinav turned her around, cupped her face, and asked, "Shweta, what’s wrong? What are you thinking about?"

Shweta replied, "Abhinav, sometimes I wonder if we did the right thing."

"What do you mean?" Abhinav asked, confused.

"I mean Swati and Shwet. They always miss each other so much. Most of Shwet’s stories revolve around her. He misses her deeply, and we can’t ignore that. Sometimes, I feel we made a mistake by keeping him with us, away from Swati," Shweta said.

Abhinav replied, "Shweta, we didn’t take him away. Besides, we were away from Shwet too. We weren’t with him either. And they’ve been together since Shwet was born, so it’s natural for him to miss her. But with time, he’ll adapt and accept us completely."

"Hmm, you’re right," Shweta said softly.

Abhinav hugged her tightly and said, "Don’t worry so much. I know you’re concerned about Swati because she’s alone now. But don’t worry. She’ll find her family soon, and then you won’t have to worry this much. Whatever has happened so far has been for the best, and so will everything ahead. We’re here for Swati. We’ll never leave her alone."

"Hmm," Shweta murmured, tightening her hold on Abhinav and closing her eyes.

---

The Next Day at Shergill Mansion

Everyone was ready with their luggage in the hall. Dada Ji glared at them and said, "What’s this new drama of yours? You’re all going to different places, with separate flights and timings, so why are you heading to the airport together? Planning to stage a protest there?"

Vikram said, "Oh, Dada Ji, it’s not our fault. It’s because of the devil in this house. She said she’d see everyone off together. That’s why we had to bring all our belongings here."

"Bhaiya, are you badmouthing me behind my back?" Anokhi asked, glaring at him as she came downstairs.

With a small smile, Vikram replied, "Me? Badmouth you? That’s impossible. If I ever did, the earth would crack open, and I’d fall inside. But see, nothing like that happened. So, I didn’t say anything about you."

Even after Vikram’s explanation, Anokhi kept glaring at him, as if to say, "Bhaiya, I don’t trust you."

Just then, Hardik entered hurriedly. Seeing him so flustered, everyone turned to look at him. Alok asked, "Hardik, what happened? Why do you look so worried?"

Hardik didn’t respond to Alok. Instead, he walked straight to Anokhi and Rishabh, holding his phone screen out to them. "Rishabh, did you do this?" he asked.

Anokhi and Rishabh first looked at Hardik, then at the phone screen, and finally at each other. Everyone else in the room looked at the trio in confusion.

Shanaya asked Shivika, "Shivika, what’s going on? Did something happen?"

Shivika glanced at Hardik and then explained to everyone, "Actually, Chachu sent Hardik a photo of a legal papers stating that Alia will be released in a few days."

Hearing this, everyone was shocked and turned to look at Rishabh, knowing that only he could be behind this.

Hardik once again asked Rishabh, "Rishabh, did you do this?"