Homecoming emotions

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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On the other side, Sarika hugged Vishakha while crying and said, "Thank you, Devrani ji!"

Without saying anything, Vishakha embraced her. Seeing this, Yamini ji angrily walked to her room.

Just then, Shruti placed a hand on Sarika’s shoulder and said, "I’m sorry, Sarika, for whatever Aruna said…."

Hearing this, Sarika wiped her tears, stepped back from Vishakha, and looked at Shruti as she said, "It’s okay, it wasn’t your fault…."

Changing the topic, Shruti smiled and said, "By the way, I must say, you and Vishakha share a bond like sisters despite being co-sisters."

Listening to her, Sarika glanced at Vishakha with teary eyes and gave a faint smile.

Shruti continued, "Alright, we should leave now. It’s getting quite late, isn’t it?"

Sarika looked at her and said, "Oh, why so soon? Stay a little longer!"

Shruti held her hand and smiled, saying, "We’ll come again when we have more time. Besides, it’s already quite late, and staying any longer wouldn’t be safe. These days, so many cases are happening, so we should be cautious too."

Understanding her point, Sarika nodded. Shruti then walked toward the stairs to get her daughter.

A while later, Shruti came downstairs with her daughter and told Ajit they should leave. Ajit bid farewell to everyone and left with his family.

After Ajit left, Adrijay walked up to Sarika and asked, "Sarika, what happened that made Aruna so angry?"

Before Sarika could say anything, Vishakha spoke up, "Sorry, Bhaiya, but your friend is nothing less than a naagin!"

Hearing this, Adrijay controlled his anger and said, "Vishakha, think before you speak!"

Vishakha gave a fake smile and said, "Oh, sorry, I forgot! You notice everything except Bhabhi’s suffering. Well, what else can I expect from you? But I’ll say one thing, Bhaiya—sometimes, think about your wife too. Thinking about your wife is not wrong. And if possible, keep your eyes, ears, and mind open so that the truth doesn’t stay hidden from you." Saying this, she left without listening to Adrijay’s response.

Frustrated, Adrijay turned to Devansh and said, "Dev, what is this? Why does your wife always talk to me like I’ve stolen her property?"

Feeling helpless, Devansh said, "Sorry, Bhaiya, I’ll talk to her," and quickly walked toward his room.

Meanwhile, seeing Adrijay angry, Sarika hurriedly brought him a glass of water. Controlling his temper, Adrijay took the glass and said, "Thank you!"

After drinking water, Adrijay looked at Sarika closely and asked, "Tell me, what did Aruna say? Did she say something to you? If she did, tell me the truth. I can see from your face that you’ve been crying. So, come on, tell me what happened. And tell me the truth— tumhe meri kasam (swear on me)!"

Hearing him, Sarika lowered her head and told him everything from start to finish.

After knowing everything, Adrijay felt deeply hurt, but what pained him even more was seeing Sarika standing before him with her head lowered like a culprit. He stepped closer, gently cupped her face in his hands, and looked at her with affection as he said, "Whatever happened was not your fault, Sarika. So don’t stand before me with your head down like this. I know Aruna well. I will never misunderstand you!"

Hearing him, Sarika lifted her head, looked at Adrijay with teary eyes, and said, "But she wasn’t wrong, was she? I am not worthy of—"

Before she could finish, Adrijay placed his finger on her lips and lovingly scolded, "Shhh! Don’t you dare say another word! Do you know? You are the world’s best wife. Not just a wife, but also the best mother and the best daughter-in-law. No one could ever be better for me than you, Sarika. I know I have made many mistakes and haven’t been a good husband, but you—you are the best wife. I am so lucky to have you in my life, Sarika."

Hearing his words, Sarika looked at him with teary eyes for a moment, then stepped forward and hugged him.

As Sarika embraced him, Adrijay’s heartbeat raced for the first time because, for the first time, Sarika had hugged him on her own. He didn’t understand what was happening to him lately, but he had started liking Sarika’s presence, her bond with the children, and her innocence. These were feelings he had never experienced before—perhaps because he had never connected with Sarika before. But now, after getting closer to her and knowing her a little more, even Sarika’s pain had started to hurt him.

What were these feelings? Adrijay didn’t know, but he was sure of one thing—these feelings were not ordinary.

Thinking this, he smiled and wrapped Sarika in his arms.

While Yamini Ji had come to get water, she saw Sarika and Adrijay in each other's arms. Her face turned red with anger, and she deliberately dropped the spoon placed on the dining table. Startled, Sarika and Adrijay quickly pulled away from each other, averting their gazes. When they looked up and saw Yamini Ji, Sarika swallowed nervously and lowered her eyes.

Adrijay, noticing her, asked, "Did you need something, Maa?"

Yamini Ji glared at Sarika before looking at Adrijay and said in a slightly angry tone, "If you two want to do all this, haven’t I given you a room? What’s the need to behave like this in the hall? I just saw it, but what if the kids had seen it? Do you have any shame left, or have you sold that too?"

Hearing her words, Adrijay felt embarrassed and said, "Sorry, Maa! We were just heading to the room…" Saying this, he grabbed Sarika’s hand and quickly walked towards the stairs.

Yamini Ji glared at their intertwined hands in anger before storming into the kitchen.

On the other hand, as soon as they entered the room, Sarika pulled her hand away, lowered her gaze, and said, "I’ll just check on the kids." Without waiting for Adrijay’s response, she hurried out of the room.

After she left, Adrijay sighed in relief and said, "Uff, that was so awkward listening to Maa's words. But she wasn’t wrong… If the kids had seen it, it would have been even more awkward. Well, I should be more careful from now on." Saying this, he took out his clothes from the cupboard and went to the washroom.

Meanwhile, outside the room, Sarika placed a hand on her chest and said, "I don’t know how I suddenly ended up in his arms. I shouldn’t have behaved like that. Anyway, he’s just showing sympathy for a few moments. If Maa ji says something, he’ll get angry at me again. He hasn’t even apologized for his past actions yet. Maybe he thinks saying sorry isn’t necessary, but the way he hurt my self-respect that day… Moving on without an apology is difficult for me. I won’t forgive him until he truly realizes his mistakes." She took a deep breath to calm herself and then walked toward the kids' room.

In Vishakha and Devansh’s Room,

Vishakha was lying on the bed, looking at the photos from the day, when Devansh lay beside her and asked, "Hmmm… so what was that all about?"

Playing innocent, Vishakha said, "What do you mean?"

Devansh narrowed his eyes and said, "You’re not that innocent! Come on, tell me, why did you say all that to Bhaiya?"

Vishakha turned toward him and said, "Because it was necessary, Dev. We can’t just sit around doing nothing. Someone has to show Bhaiya the mirror. He should know what happens to his wife in his absence. Honestly, a lot happens even when he’s present! That’s why it’s important that he opens his mind and ears to what’s happening around him. That’s why I said all that." Saying this, she lay back comfortably.

Devansh listened to her words with surprise, shook his head, and pulled her into his arms, saying, "Alright, forget that… Tell me, what are you looking at?"

Excitedly, Vishakha said, "I’m looking at our photos from this evening! Look how beautiful they’ve turned out!" She then started showing him the pictures and videos.

Meanwhile, in the Kids’ Room,

Sarika entered the kids’ room, put them to sleep, turned off the lights, and then returned to her room. Seeing Adrijay already changed and lying on the bed, she went to change as well.

A few minutes later, Sarika lay down beside Adrijay. As soon as she did, Adrijay turned toward her, smiled, and asked, "Are you happy? We’re going to your home tomorrow."

Without looking at him, Sarika simply said, "Hmm, I’m happy…"

Hearing her cold response, Adrijay felt disheartened but composed himself. Moving closer, he placed his hand on her waist, buried his face in her neck, and said, "Good night!"

Sarika’s breath hitched at his sudden move, and she widened her eyes, staring at him as he remained nestled against her neck.

Without looking at her, Adrijay said, "Go to sleep. We have to wake up early."

Sarika, flustered, thought to herself, How am I supposed to sleep after this? Why does he suddenly act like this? She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, and forced herself to sleep.

Meanwhile, Adrijay, sensing her restlessness, smiled to himself before drifting off to sleep.

The Next Morning,

Early in the morning, Adrijay and Sarika left with the kids, bidding farewell to everyone before beginning their three-hour journey.

During the ride, Tanishk looked out the window in excitement and said, "Mumma, this is my first time seeing a village! Everything looks so beautiful!"

Sarika turned back, smiled at him, and said, "Yes, because villages are truly beautiful. There’s no noise here, only peace and greenery. It looks really serene. When you reach our village, you’ll love it even more!"

Hearing this, Tanishk became even happier.

Adrijay, keeping his eyes on the road, asked, "So, Sarika, since you spent your childhood there, tell us something about your village?" He had asked this hoping she would talk to him, even if just a little.

Sarika looked out the window and started reminiscing about her village and childhood memories, her excitement evident in her voice.

Seeing her happiness, the glow on her face, and the enthusiasm in her words, Adrijay felt a strange sense of peace in his heart.

Finally, after three hours, they reached Kunwarpura, a beautiful village situated a little away from Raebareli.

As Adrijay’s car entered the village, children playing nearby ran excitedly behind it.

A while later, the car stopped, and Sarika immediately called Shlok.

Within minutes, Shlok arrived with Diwakar Ji and Krishna Ji. They greeted everyone warmly.

Adrijay touched Diwakar Ji and Krishna Ji’s feet in respect before casually greeting Shlok, who, however, didn’t respond and instead focused on meeting Tanishk and Adhik.

Seeing this, Adrijay simply smiled and turned toward Diwakar Ji, engaging in conversation.

Diwakar Ji instructed Shlok to bring the luggage inside while he led everyone toward their home.

After a short walk, they arrived at a house that was once made of mud but had now been rebuilt beautifully.

Krishna Ji stopped them at the entrance, hurried inside, and returned with an aarti plate. With joy, she performed the welcoming ritual for everyone.

Afterward, she applied tilak on Adrijay, Sarika, Tanishk, and Adhik’s foreheads, sprinkled rice over them, and welcomed them inside.

Once inside, Krishna Ji asked everyone to sit while she rushed to the small kitchen at the back of the courtyard.

Sarika followed her.

Meanwhile, Diwakar Ji sat beside Adrijay and began chatting.

Just then, some villagers arrived at the doorstep. An elderly man among them asked Shlok, "Hey, Anu, has someone come to your house?"

Shlok smiled and said, "Yes, Dadda! Sarika Didi is here with her family."

Hearing this, the elderly man said happily, "Sarika Bitiya is here?! Where is she? I want to meet her and her children! And has your jija ji come too?"

Shlok hesitantly replied, "Yes, he’s here too. Come inside."

The villagers happily entered.

Diwakar Ji stood up to greet them.

The elderly man eagerly asked, "Diwakar, we heard Sarika Bitiya has come! Where is she?"

Smiling, Diwakar Ji said, "Yes, she’s here. She’s in the kitchen right now. Meanwhile, meet our son-in-law, Adrijay Chaudhary."

Hearing this, Adrijay stood up and touched the old man’s feet. The elderly man smiled and said, "Bless you, son! You are our son-in-law too because Sarika is not just our daughter; she belongs to all of us."

Adrijay smiled at his words, while Diwakar Ji introduced him to the rest of the villagers.

Adrijay touched the feet of all the elders and greeted everyone, receiving their blessings with joy. After that, Diwakar Ji introduced everyone to Adhik and Tanishk, who looked confused upon seeing so many people.

When introduced by Diwakar Ji, Tanishk and Adhik also touched everyone's feet and said "Namaste." Seeing their values, everyone said they were overjoyed and praised both children immensely.

Just then, Sarika arrived with Krishna Ji, carrying a tray with glasses of water and sweets.

As soon as an elderly man saw her, he said happily, "Sarika bitiya, how are you?"

Seeing him, Sarika placed the tray on the table, touched his feet, and said, "I am very well, Dadda! How are you? And how is everyone at home? Kaka, Kaki, Rohit—how are they all?"

The elderly man smiled and, with a hint of complaint, said, "Everyone is doing well, bitiya! But we all missed you so much... It's been so many years since you came. Didn’t you miss us at all?" As he spoke, his eyes welled up with tears.

Hearing his words, Sarika's eyes also filled with emotion. She said, "It's not like that, Dadda. I missed you all so much, but the circumstances weren’t right, so I couldn’t come! But now I am here, and I’ll be staying for two days. You all better take good care of me!" she said playfully.

The elderly man smiled at her words and said, "You haven’t changed at all! You’re still just as mischievous."

Sarika heard his words and smiled. Meanwhile, Adrijay saw this side of Sarika for the first time, so he said he was quite surprised but also happy, thinking that even if just for a moment, Sarika was opening up and returning to her old self. He had seen this glimpse of her at the beginning of their marriage, but after that, it was as if Sarika had completely changed her personality. But then again, Adrijay himself was the reason for that change. Thinking this, Adrijay kept looking at Sarika.

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First of all Happy Holi to all of you. May this Holi has given you lots of laughter, happiness and joy. On the occasion of this beautiful festival I updated this chapter. I hope you got your gift, now give me my gift by giving your votes and feedback.

So, don't forget to tell me that how was the chapter?

Next chapter will be updated on Monday.

Target:- 1k votes and 280 comments.