Drishti Singhania was pacing the room like a caged tiger.
Damn!! she muttered under her breath.
She just hopes everything will be alright and she could escape from here without any harm.
Her phone rang at that exact moment and when she saw the caller ID she sighed in relief.
About time he called, she thought.
She picked up the call on the second ring.
"I have been waiting and waiting for God knows how long," she said to the person on the other end of the phone aka her best friend Siddharth Agnihotri. In short Siddhu.
"Don't exaggerate. It has been only ten minutes since my last call," he said and she can literally see him rolling his eyes at her. He always does that.
"Whatever, Siddharth Agnihotri. What's the status now?? Is everything set there?" She asked straight to the point.
"Yeah almost. Kiara bhabhi went ballistic when she realised she was being kidnapped. Now she is getting calm and listening to bhai. We are on the way to the airport. D?? I think it's better we come and pick you up from there. I don't think it's safe to leave you alone there." Siddhu said and it was her turn to roll her eyes.
Are you guys wondering which bhai he is talking about??
Oh yes, it's the same brother she has had a huge crush on when she was a teenager.
Look what a wonderful kind hearted and generous girl she is, to help her ex-crush get married to the woman he loves.
And how brave she is to carry on with this drama to help the man she once dreamed of marrying, that too giving up on a vacation with her beloved family.
Okay!! That's a bit of an exaggeration.
She didn't dream of marrying him. She just had a teeny weeny crush on him which changed into brotherly affection when she got to know him dearly.
"Do I look like a damsel in distress to you, Siddharth Agnihotri??" She asked arrogantly and heard him huff in irritation.
"Moreover, what's not safe is bringing Kiara bhabhi back here. These people don't know that she got kidnapped early in the morning. And if they see her coming here with a man in tow, you know right what will happen?? Heads will roll. Yours and mine included," She said dramatically.
"You are right." Siddhu said with a sigh.
"I am always right," she said smugly.
"Now don't start praising yourself, Drishti. How are you going to escape from there? Do you have a plan?" He asked making her sigh.
She really doesn't have a plan for that.
And just because she doesn't have a plan for escaping, don't make the mistake of thinking that she is dumb.
She is not! She is smart as hell!
In fact, kidnapping Kiara bhabhi from her wedding was her own wonderful idea.
She is one hell of a matchmaker!
And the blissful marriage of her parents is the prime example of that.
Okay back to the topic!!
How to escape from this place?
Before that she will have to talk to the ex groom of Kiara bhabhi and apologise
After all he is an innocent party here and he needs to be informed prior.
****
Somehow she convinced a young caretaker of the orphanage to let her talk to the ex groom and man!! Doesn't she regret it?
To think that for a moment she felt sympathetic of that a**hole jerk...
Haa!!!
'It doesn't matter, you or her. You are looking very beautiful. Drishti? Isn't it? Much more beautiful than Kiara, honestly. So I don't mind marrying you.'
That's what the bloody jerk said.
But who was he kidding!
No one messes with Drishti Singhania!! Ever!
She had poured the hot cup of coffee onto his lap and told him this is how she will be waking him up every morning if he is ill-fated enough to marry her.
And the jerk had run off terrified.
Good riddance!
Now she can hear the commotion outside about the groom running away from the wedding.
The authorities will come in and apologise to Kiara bhabhi, that's her under the veil.
And she would gracefully accept the apology and make her escape. Perfect plan!
Now tell me!! Aren't I smart??
Drishti had a smug look on her face when she thought of what was going to happen next!
****
Shravan was checking his mails when he heard the commotion.
He looked up from his phone to see his parents and grandfather talking with the orphanage authorities and the atmosphere was tense.
Very very tense!
Grandpa clutched his chest and stumbled on his feet and Shravan rushed towards them.
Somehow they consoled Tej Maheswari and then he came to know about the issue.
One of the grooms had run away.
Irresponsible idiot!
If he didn't want to get married, why the hell did he wait till the last minute.
He could have informed at least a day before.
Now they will have to deal with a hysterical female.
"Dadu. Relax. We will talk to the bride. We will explain. We can get the other nine couples married today and find a better groom for this girl and get her married soon," he tried to make his grandpa understand, but he was adamant.
"No!! I can't break one girl's heart and get the other nine married. They all will have to be married today. If not, the curse of her tears might haunt all the others too. I can't let that happen," Tej Maheswari said.
"We don't have any other option, father." Pratap said and Anuradha nodded in agreement.
"We do," Tej said in a dangerously calm voice which made the hairs on the nape of his neck rise.
Why does he get the feeling that he is not going to like this one bit? Shravan wondered.
"What is it, papa ji??" Anuradha asked.
"Shravan will marry her. The girl will become the daughter in law of the Maheswari family." Tej Mahewasri decreed and everyone else stared at him in astonishment.
5 years later.Diya draped her saree and was about to wear the sindoor when a hand caught hers, stopping her. Vihaan took the box of vermilion from her with a charming smile."Do I have to remind you every day that this is my haqq biwi?" Vihaan asked as he took the vermilion between his thumb and forefinger and applied it on her partition."I thought you would be busy downstairs with preparations," Diya said, smiling contentedly."I'm never too busy for you, love," Vihaan said as he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest."Vihaan, what are you doing?? Someone will come. We have lots of work to do," Diya said, trying to wriggle out of his hold."No one will come, and all works are done. The house is all set for Diwali," Vihaan said before bending down and pecking her on her lips.Vihaan caressed her exposed waist with his fingers, earning a light moan from Diya."Vihaan. It's morning.""So?? Do I have to wait till night to love my wife??"Diya wound her arms ar
Drishti walked to the front door, pausing before making her exit, sweeping them both with another grin, her eyes twinkling like stars. "Happy Diwali," she called out. Then off she went down the hallway singing.As Drishti went out of sight, Vihaan's hands slid around Divyaa, turning her around to face him, making her heart flutter wildly. "Thank you. Thank you for being you, for having my child and giving her to me. But above everything else, thank you for waiting for me, Diya.""Oh Vihaan," Relief gushed through her. The love in his voice was unmistakable. "I'm sorry I gave up on you. I...""No..." He placed a finger on her lips, hushing the stream of regret. "I was wrong. You don't have anything to answer for. God knows I've seen enough, been with you enough to appreciate, in some small measure, how it's been for you. I'm sorry I got so screwed up about being left out.""Well, at least I'm not too young for you anymore."He frowned, pained by the reminder."I don't know that you eve
Tears streamed down Drishti's cheeks, but she seemed unaware of them. She was still staring at Vihaan, her desperate plea for him to make things right for her evident in her gaze. Twisting the hem of her nightshirt, her open hair hung around her face, giving her a bedraggled appearance. She looked like a lost little waif, and Divyanshi wanted to gather her child in her arms and hug her insecurities away. However, it was to Vihaan that her daughter looked for what she needed now, and Divya held herself back. It was up to him to answer his daughter, to answer all the questions now.Yet, Vihaan looked as lost as Drishti, struck by the realisation of all she might have overheard - the role her adoptive parents had played in taking her from Divyanshi, in preventing Vihaan from knowing about his fatherhood, ensuring he didn't reunite with her mother, and keeping the knowledge of her real parentage from her. The world they had known had been torn up, and the pieces couldn't be put togethe
"This is the final round, Drishti," Vihaan warned as he set up the game board again."You're just jealous that I've been winning all the games so far," Drishti crowed proudly."Yeah, by cheating," Vihaan said, and Drishti rolled her eyes as if it wasn't a big deal.They had played three rounds of Snake and Ladder and two rounds of Ludo at Drishti's insistence. Drishti had won all the games, using her sneaky tricks to avoid the snakes and win at Ludo.He looked tired. He had been rather quiet, almost distant, all evening, only responding to Drishti's demands.Divya hoped he wasn't too tired to stay up with her after Drishti went to bed. It had been an active day filled with swimming, windsurfing, drawing rangolis, decorating the house, and setting up the pooja room. Besides, he couldn't have had much sleep last night as he had been up early with Drishti this morning. What would she do if he suggested they retire early?"It's Diwali tomorrow, Vihaan Uncle. I'm too excited to go to bed,"
Not knowing was killing him. He knew that he had unsettled Divya with his brooding. Well, she wouldn't have the slightest idea as to what was eating him up, and he couldn't just blurt it out. If she realised what he was thinking, and if he was wrong, she would think he had lost his marbles, imagining himself to be her one great love. He didn't want to confuse her feelings for him. But... he had to know!He paced the living room, impatient to get a little time to himself so that he could make the much-needed phone call. If anyone would know the critical details of what had happened to him that Diwali season thirteen years ago, Omkara and Aditya had the inside track. They'd been with him from the start to the end of the vacation, and they had told him nothing worth mentioning had happened during the trip. Is there any point in asking them again? What is he going to lose anyway?The sculptures set along the corner Divya had set up to do the pooja caught his eyes, and he stopped, struck b
Vihaan engaged Drishti in conversation while Divya had her breakfast.Observing the two of them together, so similar in more ways than they realised, was heartwarming.Is it wise of her to leave the past in the past?It felt wrong for Vihaan not to know he was Drishti's father.She shouldn't keep such a special flesh and blood bond from him, from either of them. They both had a right to know.Telling him was not going to be easy, especially after she had briefly mentioned the adoption last night.Her reasoning for holding back had seemed right at the time.She didn't want to burden him with a truth he'd find disturbing and painful, considering the part his sister had played in taking responsibility from him, the long-played deceit that had denied him his true relationship with his own child.However, the circumstances are different now.Vihaan felt the same about her as he had all those years before, and Sandhya Rathore was out of the picture.Now she wouldn't be putting any sense of