chapter 25

Akansha took it with a tired nod, swallowing it down with a sip of water."Is everything okay, Maa?" Pari asked softly, her eyes scanning her mother-in-law's weary face.Akansha let out a long, heavy sigh before passing the glass back."Sarthak," she whispered.Pari froze. Her fingers instinctively tightened around the glass, brows drawing together in concern."What about him?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Akansha looked down at her hands, as though the truth was too painful to face."This morning, Sugandha received a call from City Hospital. Sarthak... he's been admitted. When she and Anubhav rushed there, they found him in a horrific condition."Pari's throat went dry. "What kind of condition?""Ranvijay said it looked like someone had... tortured him," Akansha's voice trembled, her eyes wide with horror. "There were cuts, burn marks... bruises all over. It was-" she paused, shaking her head as though trying to erase the image from her mind,"- it was brutal. I can't even begin to imagine how much pain he must have been in."She shut her eyes and clasped her hands together in silent prayer, her lips moving in whispered devotion for her son's safety.Sarthak. Tortured.The image hit her like a slap. Despite everything he had done to her, despite the scars he left on her soul, a small part of her heart recoiled at the thought of him suffering like that. But then-Hadn't he deserved it?Her throat tightened, the war inside her raging.He had humiliated her. Touched her without consent. Spoken filth, treated her like she was less than human. And now, he was lying in a hospital bed, broken. Burned. Bruised.The door creaked open, and Vikrant stepped inside, his phone pressed to his ear."No, I don't care what the commissioner said. Get it done by tonight. I want that file on my desk before sunrise," he said coldly, his voice sharp with authority.He barely spared a glance at anyone, but his eyes flicked quickly toward the couch where his mother and wife were sitting."I don't care if it's raining fire. Handle it, or find someone who can."Ending the call with a final, clipped order, he dropped himself onto the couch opposite them, leaning back with a tired exhale. His phone was still in his hand, screen facing down now.Silence lingered for a beat.He looked at Pari, long enough to speak without words. Then turned to Akansha with a polite nod."Did you take your medicine, maa?" he asked, tone softer than the one he'd used on the phone but still laced with fatigue.Akansha nodded and Vikrant turned his attention to the device in his mind as it hinged with notification. The glow of the screen reflected in his eyes as he scrolled through the message, eyes narrowing slightly at whatever he read.Pari watched quietly, her fingers now idle on her lap. She could feel the change in the air even before Akansha spoke again.Akansha shared a hesitant look with her daughter-in-law, as if silently asking for strength, then cleared her throat gently."Vikrant?""Ji maa," he responded, his tone distracted as his eyes stayed glued to the screen.She took a pause before speaking, her voice low and careful."Can I... can I go and meet Sarthak once?"There was no immediate reaction. Just the soft swipe of his thumb across the phone. But then, his jaw tensed."Why?" he asked flatly, still not looking up.Pari's gaze moved from her mother-in-law to her husband, breath held in her chest.Akansha continued with caution. "He's still family, beta. Whatever happened... he's in pain, and-""No." His voice cut clean through the room like the slice of a knife.He placed the phone face down on the table beside him and leaned back slightly, his eyes finally meeting his mother's."No family to us," he said, tone colder than winter winds. "You can talk to chachi. But no need to go and see a man who harassed my wife."Akansha had no words for a moment. Just a silence soaked in helplessness." He's not a good man. I could have end his game there but-"He stood up and ran his fingers in his hair as if this conversation did not matter to him at all." Let Karma meet him in the hospital," he finished and walked away from there.The room fell silent in the aftermath of his departure.Pari slowly reached out and placed a gentle hand over Akansha's."Maa," she said softly, "if you want... You can go meet him. Take Vijay bhaiya with you."Akansha looked at her daughter-in-law, searching her face for hesitation, but found only quiet sincerity. A faint, tired smile curved her lips."Vikrant is right," she added after a pause. "We were raised to worship the word 'family' as if it meant unconditional loyalty, no matter what. But the truth is... not every relative is family, and not every family is worth protecting."Pari blinked, a little taken aback by her words."Years ago," Akansha continued, "I let those fake values silence me. I stood back while they crushed my son's innocence... and tried to do the same with you. Not again, beta. Not anymore."Her voice didn't shake. It was calm. Resigned. And fiercely protective.Akansha's eyes lingered on the path Vikrant had walked away through, her fingers curling around the edge of her dupatta as if anchoring herself to something fragile yet steady.She inhaled deeply and looked at Pari again, her eyes misty now, but still strong-like a woman who had long learned to swallow her pain and walk barefoot through storms."I don't expect a lot from this world anymore," she started, her voice laced with years of buried ache. "Not after seeing how it treated Vikrant... how it forced him to become what he is today."She paused and took a deep breath."But if there's one wish I hold onto," she continued, "just one thing I pray for every single day... it's that before I close my eyes forever, I want to see Vikrant accept Ranvijay. Truly accept him as his younger brother. Not out of duty, not out of guilt... but with his whole heart."Pari's lips parted, and her eyes glistened. She knew how strained and distant the bond between Vikrant and Ranvijay was. It wasn't hatred but it was never truly warmth either. More like quiet coexistence with walls built from old unspoken hurts.Akansha smiled sadly as she looked away. "I know my son. He loves fiercely... destructively, sometimes. But he also holds grudges like thorns in his palm. Silent. Bleeding. He never shows pain, only power."Pari gently rubbed her thumb over the back of Akansha's hand, encouraging her to go on."I failed once, when he was just a child. I let others twist him, use him, hurt him. And I couldn't protect Ranvijay either, not when he needed us the most. My boys grew up thinking they were alone, even when they had each other." Her voice cracked faintly. "And now... now, they're both men, scarred in different ways, living under the same roof with a wall of silence between them."Pari swallowed the lump in her throat. She had seen glimpses of the tension-the way Vikrant would go silent when Ranvijay's name came up, how Ranvijay would quietly slip away when Vikrant entered a room. No shouting matches. No fights. Just absence where there should have been brotherhood.Akansha turned back to her, eyes filled with desperate affection."Pari... you're the only one Vikrant truly listens to. You're the only person who has ever reached past that armor he wears so tightly. If... if someday you can help him let go of whatever chains he's wrapped around his heart... if you can help him see that forgiving doesn't make him weak... then maybe, just maybe, he'll open his arms to his brother."Pari blinked through the tears forming in her eyes, nodding slowly." I.. I will try," she uttered even though she herself didn't know how she would approach him.Vikrant stood tall by the window with a towel wrapping around his torso. Water dripping from his hair, indicated he had just taken a shower.His phone buzzed, and he walked toward the bed. He picked up the phone and answered the call without glancing at the id."Yes?" he said curtly."Sir, he has landed safely in Japan," came the voice on the other end. "The hotel arranged for him was confirmed. He met the business associate as planned, and everything went smoothly."Vikrant said nothing for a moment."Keep an eye on him," he said finally, his voice low. "If anything feels off, you call me before he even blinks.""Yes, sir," the man responded promptly.The call ended, and Vikrant placed the phone on the table beside him with a quiet clink. His jaw was tight.For what?Vikrant exhaled deeply, dragging a hand through his hair as guilt warred with pride and something far more dangerous-attachment.Ranvijay.He wasn't just keeping tabs on some troublemaker. He was protecting someone who had a talent for inviting chaos. Someone who acted with too much heart and not enough sense. Someone who could crash headfirst into a situation because he believed too much in goodness. And people like that didn't always survive in the real world.Vikrant scoffed under his breath, as if mocking his own thoughts.It's not about him.It's about Maa.She'd cry herself to sleep if something ever happened to Ranvijay. She'd shatter all over again. So no, Vikrant wasn't doing this for him.He was doing it for her.Only for her.But the tightness in his chest said otherwise.His eyes drifted to the mirror, and a crease formed on his forehead as he noticed a reflection, someone stepping quietly into the room, toying with the edge of her saree's pallu.Pari.She didn't seem to notice him at first, her head slightly bowed... until her gaze lifted and landed on him—shirtless, clad in nothing but a towel, his hair damp and tousled.She froze.A sharp gasp escaped her lips as crimson crept up her cheeks. In a flustered panic, she spun around and darted out of the room, at least, she tried to.Or so she thought.A soft chuckle rumbled from Vikrant's throat as he turned toward the door, amusement dancing in his eyes."Pari," he called out smoothly, "hum jaante hain tum bahar hi ho. Andar aa jao."( I know you are outside. Come inside.)Outside, Pari bit her tongue and lightly smacked her forehead in embarrassment.Why on earth did I even come here now?She remained quiet, trying to sneak away as subtly as possible. She lifted her saree just a bit to tiptoe but just as she raised her right foot, a deep voice called out again, sharper this time."Bhagna hai to pehle payal nikal ke bhagna, Pari."( If you want to run, remove your anklets.)She groaned inwardly and dropped her saree back down, mentally cursing her choice of jewellery and her timing.With a deep breath, she stepped inside the room.But the moment she stepped inside, her eyes landed on the towel tossed carelessly on the bed.Her breath hitched.Her gaze immediately snapped toward him, wide and horrified only to find him now in a pair of dark trousers, towel gone, but his upper body was still bare. Water droplets clung to his skin, tracing paths down his chest, disappearing into the waistband.Pari quickly looked away, cheeks burning as if she'd walked into fire. She focused hard on the curtain... or maybe the ceiling... anything but him.Meanwhile, Vikrant, half-turned toward the wardrobe, casually rummaged through it for a T-shirt."Any reason for the royal intrusion?" he asked, his voice low and slightly amused.Pari clasped her hands behind her back, willing her voice to stay steady."Uhm... dinner is ready," she said, avoiding his gaze entirely.He pulled out a black T-shirt and finally turned around. Her frown deepened as she noticed his his gaze leisurely roamed from her bangled wrist to the soft pleats of her pink saree."I see," he murmured, his tone carrying a double edge, admiration layered beneath the mischief.Pari blinked, not quite catching the undertone, but the way he looked at her made her suddenly all too aware of the way her pallu clung to her shoulder."I-I'll just tell maa you're coming," she mumbled, turning away, flustered again.Pari quickly walked away before she blushed harder and turned into a complete tomato.As she reached downstairs, she tried to compose herself, patting her cheeks gently to cool them down.Akansha, who was sitting in the dining room, looked up and narrowed her eyes, " Pari? What's wrong? Your face is so red."Before Pari could even open her mouth to respond, a familiar voice came from behind- calm, deep, and far too pleased with itself."Humse puchho, Maa," Vikrant said as he descended the stairs, buttoning the cuff of his sleeve with lazy confidence. "Aakhir hamare wajah se hi toh ye hua hai."( Ask me, maa. After all, it happened because of me.)Pari blushed even deeper, her cheeks flaming as she hurried to sit down opposite Akansha. The older woman frowned at first, then a knowing smile tugged at her lips as realization dawned." Ah- is that so?"Vikrant hummed in agreement, sliding into the head chair with his usual effortless swagger, spreading his legs forward."You did, after all, give birth to a dangerously handsome son," he added with a smirk.Akansha laughed heartily, clearly entertained, while Pari wished the earth would open up and swallow her whole. Her heart was racing, her face burned, and she couldn't even lift her eyes to look at him, not with that smug grin she could feel without even seeing it.She busied herself with adjusting the salt bowl, her fingers fidgeting as she tried to calm the storm inside her.The clinking of cutlery and the soft rustle of saree filled the dining room as the three of them began to eat.Light conversation drifted around until eventually, Akansha finished her meal and stood up with a soft sigh. She walked away.Once Akansha left, silence crept back into the room. Pari, now done with her meal, reached to pick up her plate.But before she could rise, Vikrant's voice stopped her. Low, firm. "Baitho."( Sit.)Startled, she froze and slowly lowered herself back into the chair. Her brows furrowed slightly as she looked at him, confused. "Kya hua?"( What happened?)He didn't answer right away.He was focused on his food, calmly mixing daal and rice, scooping it with his fingers, and eating without a care in the world. The contrast of his composed posture and her nervous one filled the air with unspoken tension.Pari sat back, watching him with growing curiosity, wondering what he wanted or what he was thinking, yet too hesitant to break the silence first.Vikrant wanted nothing but her presence.No words. No questions. Just her sitting there, across from him, as if her mere existence soothed something raw inside him.Pari exhaled quietly and spread her right arm on the table, resting her head on it. Her eyes watched the tablecloth absently, until a crease formed on her forehead, sensing the weight of his gaze.She slowly lifted her eyes and found him looking at her.He didn't speak.He just wiggled his eyebrows playfully.She blinked in surprise.And then, he winked.A sudden warmth bloomed in her cheeks, and she quickly fluttered her eyelashes down, biting back a smile. Her face burned, and she instinctively tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.He chuckled.That laugh made her look at him again, this time longer. Her gaze settled on his face, on the soft curve of his smile, the sharp cut of his jaw, the glint of mischief in his eyes.How handsome could someone be?She caught herself thinking before quickly looking away, flustered again. But it was too late, he had already seen the admiration in her eyes."You can watch me," he said casually, voice laced with amusement. "After all, I am your husband."Pari's mouth parted in mock outrage as she looked back at him, eyes narrowing in playful disbelief. " You don't even keep your face straight. If I look at you, you make me so embarrassed and make me re-think my decision-""Hold on. Hold on." Vikrant raised both hands as if stopping traffic.Pari straightened up instantly, startled."Hum jaye kamre mein?" she asked, almost too quickly.( Can I go to my room?)He nodded slowly, chewing as he looked at her. "Humse bhaag rahi ho?"( Are you running from me?)He took another bite, calm as ever.She stood up in a fluster, "No."Well... she was. She didn't know why, but right now she just couldn't handle him. His presence felt overpowering, too intense like her every nerve was tuned to him. And those stupid butterflies in her stomach? Uninvited guests."Jao," he said nonchalantly. "Kamre mein to aa hi rahe hain hum."( Go. I am coming there.)His tone made it sound like he was about to march into a battleground, not a bedroom.She narrowed her eyes at him but quickly looked away when he caught her staring. Her throat felt dry. She cleared it awkwardly, "Okay."And with that, she walked away, trying hard to look normal... and failing.Vikrant entered the bedroom, only to find the bed already occupied. A suspiciously still Pari lay buried under the duvet, the blanket pulled over her head like a fortress. He paused, one brow arched.A soft chuckle escaped him as he shut the door behind, the click of the lock echoing a little too purposefully. He walked towards the bed, the air shifting slightly with his movement.Without a word, he sat down beside her and casually pulled off his shirt then deliberately tossed it over the mound that was clearly her.A muffled noise of protest came from under the cover as the shirt landed on her face.She peeked her head out with a frown, only to find him reaching for the bedside lamp. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of his bare upper body under the warm glow.Before she could react, the light clicked off, plunging the room into the shadows.She gasped softly and ducked right back under the blanket, clutching it tightly around herself. Her heart thudded loudly enough she was afraid he might hear it.But it didn't help.A second later, she felt the shift of the mattress as Vikrant climbed in, right into the same duvet.He didn't say a word. He didn't need to.His presence was enough. Close. Warm. Dangerous.She chewed her lower and snapped her eyes open when she felt his arm slipping around her waist, over the night dress." Turn around."And she swallowed.⋆⋅✧⋅⋆★⋆⋅✧⋅⋆Read in scrollstack as early access.