A celebration and sorrow

Before starting this chapter I want to tell you something that I had started a new story named "Falling For My Husband". That story is totally different from this one and also the male protagonist is not like Adrijay. So, do check it for once.

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Vishakha listened to him and gave him a stern look, to which Devansh smiled, kissed her forehead, and said, "Alright, Baba, stop being annoyed now. Come on, let's go outside; the guests have started arriving!" Saying this, he extended his arm, and Vishakha smiled, holding it as they both walked out of the room, smiling.

On the other hand, Adrijay stepped back after fixing Sarika's hair. Sarika tied her hair in a bun, applied light makeup, and glanced at herself in the mirror before leaving. Just then, Adrijay held her wrist and asked, "Aren't you going to wear any jewellery?"

Hearing his question, Sarika softly said without looking at him, "I don't have any!"

A pang of pain rose in Adrijay's chest upon hearing this, but he couldn't let her go like this. So, asking her to wait, he walked to the cupboard and started searching for something. Finally, after some time, he returned with a box, extending it toward Sarika, saying, "Here, wear these!"

Sarika looked at the box for a few moments, then hesitated and said, "How can I—?"

Adrijay interrupted her, saying firmly, "Just wear them!"

Hearing the firmness in his voice, Sarika got nervous and took the box. Seeing her anxious expression, Adrijay mentally cursed himself and then softened his tone, saying, "At least open it once. You'll surely like them. Papa had specially made them for you!"

Hearing this, Sarika opened the box and found a gold jewelry set inside. It looked old but was quite beautiful and simple.

Sarika smiled as she touched it, and seeing her smile, Adrijay sighed in relief and smiled as well.

She picked up the gold necklace, placed the box on the table, and moved to the dressing table to wear it. Just then, Adrijay came from behind and held her hand, making her lower her gaze and pull her hand back.

Adrijay smiled as he helped her wear the necklace. Meanwhile, Sarika looked at him in the mirror—he seemed different these days, but that change felt pleasant to her heart. However, she didn't want to break her heart again, so she lowered her gaze.

After fastening the necklace, Adrijay bent slightly and used his teeth to tighten the hook. As soon as Sarika felt his lips brush against her skin, her gaze instinctively locked onto his reflection in the mirror, and her heartbeat quickened. But the very next moment, recalling bitter memories, she stepped away and lowered her eyes, saying, "I can do it myself... Please go and attend to the guests. They must have arrived by now."

Adrijay looked at her with disappointment for a few moments, then nodded and left.

After he left, Sarika took a deep breath to calm herself and then started wearing the gold earrings.

Once she was ready, she looked at herself in the mirror and walked out of the room.

As soon as she reached downstairs, her eyes first fell on her family, who were standing with Kishori Ji, Neeta Ji, Mohit, and Niharika. Seeing her family, a soft smile spread across Sarika's face, and she felt a deep sense of peace in her heart.

Sarika stepped forward to meet her family, but before she could, Yamini Ji approached her with a frown and said, "Listen, go to the kitchen and—" (Just then, her eyes fell on Sarika's earrings and necklace. Her brows furrowed in anger as she asked in a low but sharp voice) "Who gave you these? Or did you take them from my room? Speak up! Why aren't you saying anything? I'm talking to you! Earlier, you don't say a word, and now you've grown wings, huh? Don't worry, let this event be over first; I'll deal with you later. But first, tell me, who gave you these?" Saying this, she gripped Sarika's hand tightly.

Sarika winced in pain, squeezed her eyes shut, and said softly, "He (Adrijay) gave them to me."

Hearing this, Yamini Ji's anger flared even more. She let go of Sarika's hand and said, "I won't spare you, Sarika!" Saying this, she stormed off to her room in rage.

Sarika looked at her hand, which now had red marks from the tight grip. This pain was nothing compared to the pain she endured every day, but she didn’t know why she was feeling so emotional today. Maybe it was because her family was here, or maybe it was because of Adrijay’s support? Even she couldn’t understand it.

Lost in thought, Sarika was staring at her hand with teary eyes when Adrijay tapped her shoulder from behind and said, "Hey, where are you lost? Look, Niharika has been calling you for so long!"

Hearing him, Sarika quickly wiped her tears, composed herself, and looked at Niharika with a faint smile before walking towards her. Adrijay watched her go for a few moments before heading towards Mohit and Niharika.

The party was going smoothly. Like always, Adrijay had arranged many games and a magic show for the kids, making them very happy.

Sarika and Vishakha were busy attending to the guests, while Yamini Ji, after calming her anger from the incident, joined the guests in the hall.

Watching Vishakha handle everything so efficiently, Nishchay said to Shivika, "See, Shivika, how well Vishu has managed everything! Honestly, at first, I was worried about how she would adjust to a joint family. After losing Mom and Dad in childhood, she lost faith in relationships. But Devansh changed everything. Our Vishu, who used to be so bubbly and outspoken, now manages everything with such maturity and understanding, doesn’t she?"

Shivika smiled and nodded in agreement. On the other side, Vishakha was talking to Yamini Ji’s sister when her aunt said, “By the way, Vishakha, dear, it’s been over five months since your wedding. You should start thinking about having a baby now. If you don’t plan in time, you might face a lot of difficulties later!”

Hearing this, Vishakha’s smile disappeared, and a look of concern took over her face as she asked, “Why, Maasi ji (Aunt)? What problems come later?”

Shashi Ji, Yamini Ji’s sister, said, “Look, dear, right now, you are at the right age, so everything will go smoothly. But the more you delay, the more problems you may face. Some people can’t even conceive after a certain age, so you should start thinking about it now. Just consider my words, though you and Dev still have time.”

Vishakha nodded at her words and went into the kitchen, but her mind was still stuck on what had been said. Just then, Sarika entered and said, “Devrani Ji, Nishchay Bhaiya is calling you!”

Hearing her, Vishakha came out of her thoughts, nodded, and walked out of the kitchen.

A little while later, everyone gathered in the hall because it was time for Tanishk to cut his birthday cake.

Tanishk was eagerly eyeing his dark forest chocolate cake. If it were up to him, he would have eaten it right away, but somehow, he controlled himself.

Just then, Sarika came in with an aarti plate, applied a small tilak on Tanishk’s forehead, sprinkled rice over him, and performed his aarti. Then, smiling, she said, “Now you can cut the cake!”

As soon as Sarika said this, Tanishk blew out all the candles and began cutting the cake while everyone sang the Happy Birthday song together.

After cutting the cake, Sarika took a piece and offered it to him. He happily extended his hand, but Sarika shook her head and gestured towards Yamini Ji. Reluctantly, Tanishk fed Yamini Ji the first piece and then shared it with everyone else.

Yamini Ji, watching Sarika’s gesture, felt resentment burning inside her, but she maintained a fake smile in front of everyone.

Unaware of her gaze, Sarika continued distributing the cake to everyone. The party was going well; the children were busy with their games, and the adults were engaged in conversations, while Sarika and Vishakha were busy in the kitchen.

A little later, everyone had dinner together. After finishing the meal, Mohit and Nihar bid farewell with their families and left.

Just then, Diwakar Ji said to Adrijay, “Damad ji, we should also leave now because Shlok has to go to work tomorrow. It’s a new job, so he can’t take many leaves.”

Adrijay said calmly, “But Baba, how will you travel so late at night? It would be better to leave in the morning.”

Diwakar Ji smiled slightly and said, “No, you know how long it takes to reach Delhi from here. If we leave in the morning, we’ll reach only by evening. That’s why we must leave now. We have a night train, so we need to go if we want to reach by morning.”

Hearing this, Adrijay said sadly, “What is this? You all came today, and you’re leaving today itself! If you had stayed a few more days, we all would have enjoyed it.”

Krishna Ji smiled and said, “Then you should come, damad ji. You’ve never visited our home, and next week is Diwali. Why don’t you bring everyone for Diwali? We celebrate it with great enthusiasm in the village, and this year, too, we will be celebrating there. So, will you come?” Saying this, she looked at Adrijay with hopeful eyes.

Hearing this, Yamini Ji clenched her fists in anger and said, “No, he can’t come!”

Adrijay looked at her in surprise, so she quickly composed herself, forced a smile, and said, “I mean, you know that on Bhai Dooj, Adrijay’s sister (Kishori Ji’s daughter) comes over. So, how can he leave? And then, Sarika takes care of everything at home during the festival. How can we let her go? You understand what I mean, right?”

Listening to her, Sarika lowered her head while Krishna Ji’s face turned sad. However, forcing a smile, she said, “It’s okay, we understand.” Then, turning to Adrijay, she added, “Alright, son, we will leave now.”

Adrijay didn’t like the sadness on her face, so he gave a slight smile and said, “Don’t worry, Maa Ji. I will definitely bring Sarika and the kids for Diwali. There is nothing important the day after the big Diwali, and then the next day is Pareva, followed by Bhai Dooj. So, we’ll come the day after Diwali, and on the morning of Bhai Dooj, Sarika can perform Shlok’s tika early. That way, we’ll return on time, and I can celebrate Bhai dooj with my sister. Is that okay?”

Hearing this, Krishna Ji’s eyes welled up, and she said, “Thank you, son! May God bless you with great success!”

Adrijay just smiled at her words, while Sarika, surprised by his response, stared at him. But after so many years, the happiness of going home filled her heart with an overwhelming sense of peace.

Meanwhile, Yamini Ji’s anger kept growing. Everything was slipping out of her hands—the son who never went against her words was now siding with his mother-in-law. She couldn’t digest this at all. If she had her way, she would have humiliated Sarika and her family right then and there, but she didn’t want to ruin her image in front of Adrijay. So, she stood there, forcing a smile, but this silence, this calmness, was a sign of an approaching storm—one that would directly hit Sarika. However, she was unaware that this storm might push Adrijay away from her instead.

Diwakar Ji handed out the gifts they had brought, bid farewell to everyone, and left with Shlok and Krishna Ji. Adrijay accompanied them to the station.

After everyone left, Sarika went into the kitchen and started washing the dirty dishes. But her heart was filled with happiness. She was extremely excited to return home after so many years—the place where she had spent her childhood, the most beautiful moments of her life. Thinking about this, a soft, contented smile appeared on her face.

On the other side, Vishakha was lying in Devansh’s arms after changing when suddenly she remembered something. She asked, “Dev, where did you go with Bhabhi this afternoon? And why did Bhabhi make two cakes tonight? Is there something I don’t know?”

Devansh let out a deep sigh, gently ran his fingers through her hair, and said, “There are many things you don’t know, Vishu. You only know what you’ve been told or what you see, but there are so many things beyond that.”

Hearing this, Vishakha looked at him and asked, “And what are those things, Dev?”

Devansh took another deep breath and said, “Bhabhi was supposed to have twins, but in the ninth month, she somehow fell, and only Tanishk survived. The other baby couldn’t make it. It was a huge loss for her and Bhaiya. Since then, every year on Tanishk’s birthday, Bhabhi makes an extra cake, which she distributes among poor children. She also donates some snacks, but Bhaiya doesn’t know about this because Bhabhi doesn’t want to remind him of that painful past. That’s why I take her to the temple every year.”

Hearing this, Vishakha was shocked. After a few moments, she composed herself and asked, “So, when her baby passed away, how was Bhabhi’s condition? I mean, how did she handle everything?”

Looking straight ahead, Devansh said, “She didn’t handle it. She was completely shattered.”

Devansh, looking straight ahead, said, “She couldn’t handle it at all! I had told her that I would save her and her babies, but I couldn’t… I still remember that day when she was pleading with me, saying, ‘Save my children, let me go… because no one cares whether I live or not!’ I can never forget that day, Vishu… After that, when Bhabhi found out that her baby didn’t survive, her condition worsened. She was in depression for six months. I told Bhaiya multiple times to talk to her, but he didn’t have the courage to face her. So, he spent all his time at the office. But I saw Bhabhi in that depression… Her condition was terrible. It was only because of Tanishk’s mischief, his little antics, that she slowly came out of it. Since childhood, Tanishk has been very mischievous, and it was his innocence and playfulness that helped Bhabhi return to normal.”

Hearing his words, Vishakha was shocked. She didn’t know what to say. Sarika had truly endured a lot, but what Yamini Ji had told her about Sarika was entirely different from what she actually was. And now, Vishakha was beginning to realize it.

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"Guys, I want to say something. People are constantly commenting that this story is a copy, not just one, but multiple stories. So, I just want to say that during exams, everyone gets the same questions, right? And the answers are usually similar, not entirely different. So, does that mean everyone copied from each other? No, right? Then, if some scenes are similar, it doesn't mean I copied from someone.

Actually, the theme of the stories is the same, so maybe that's why it seems that way. But that doesn't mean I'm plagiarizing someone's work.

Anyway, to avoid any issues, I've already uploaded all the parts of the story on Scrollstack, so if someone reports it here, the story will continue on Scrollstack and the chapters will be free for my followers. I hope it doesn't come to that, but if it does, I'm prepared."

BTW How was the chapter?

Tell me in the comment section.

Next chapter is already updated on scrollstack for ₹10.

Next chapter target for Wattpad:- 1k votes and 180 comments.