LOGINA few days later, one fine afternoon, the city was unusually quiet. Even the haveli was silent because everyone was resting in their rooms. Late afternoon light filtered softly through the window, falling across the small wooden table where Inaayat sat in her room, completely focused or at least trying to be. A frown on her face and disappointment in her eyes. A notebook lay open in front of her. On the page there were crooked, uneven lines. A... B... C... Or at least… attempts to write them. Her fingers tightened around the pencil, knuckles turning slightly pale as she tried again. Slowly. Carefully. She drew a line. Then sighed and then another line. Then she tried to connect them but the shape came out wrong again. She tried again and this time more carefully as if she would hurt the page but her grip on the pencil said otherwise. She gently moved the pencil and drew the lines but it came out wrong again. Her breath hitched in frustration. "Nahi…hamein kuchh nahi aata."she
"Kuch chahiye aap ko, bacche?" he asked finally without breaking his focus. Inaayat shook her head instinctively. Then realized he couldn't see that. (Translation: Do you want anything, kiddo?) "Nahi ji…" she said softly. Now he looked up. His gaze landed on her standing there, uncertain, fingers nervously twisting the edge of her dupatta. A pause. (Translation: No...) "Phir? Aap soyi kyun nahi abhi tak?" He said and shifted slightly, closing the laptop halfway like she needed more attention than his work. (Translation: Then? Why haven't you gone to sleep yet?) "Aap… isme kya karte hain?" She hesitated. (Translation: What... Do you do in it?) Then pointed faintly toward the laptop. The question was simple. Childlike. Honest. For a second, Ryker just looked at her. As if deciding how much to say. Or whether to say anything at all. Then ge closed the laptop completely. Set it aside. Picked up his phone. And held it out toward her. She didn't hold it but looked at it care
A few days had passed in silence since the roka. But two hearts were too loud inside the chests. The decorations were gone. The lights had dimmed. The haveli had returned to its usual grandeur- calm, controlled, almost regal. But beneath that calm something had shifted. Something unsettled. The servants walked a little more carefully. Conversations lowered when certain people entered the room. Even the walls seemed to hold onto whispers they weren't supposed to hear. And today- The main hall was once again prepared. Not for celebration this time. But for the decision. A low wooden chowki had been placed in the center, covered with a clean white cloth. Brass plates, flowers, incense, and a small sacred fire arrangement were set neatly. The pandit sat cross-legged, flipping through his worn panchang, murmuring calculations under his breath. Sudha sat nearby, her posture straight, eyes sharp with anticipation. Beside her, Dadi leaned slightly forward, curiosity and control gleamin
"Roke ke baad Shaadi hoti hai?" She asked. The question was so simple. So pure. It almost felt out of place in a haveli filled with manipulation and silent wars. Ryker looked away this time. Toward the window. Toward nothing. (Translation: Wedding happens after engagement?) "Hanjii." He replied. (Translation: Yes.) "To phir hamari kab hogi?" She questioned. He turned back to her, expression unreadable. (Translation: Then, when will ours happen?) "Jab aap in sab baat'on ka matlab acche se samajh jayengi." He answered maturely instead of getting out of words by her innocent questions. (Translation: When you fully understand the meaning of all these things.) Inaayat frowned slightly. Her lips parted slightly. As if that answer didn't sit right with her. But before she could ask more- A knock came at the door, again. "Inaayat! Jaldi aa jaao neeche! Sab tumhe bula rahe hain!" a servant called out. (Translation: Inaayat! Come downstairs quickly! Everyone is calling y
He started going through the stuff and took out a pair of green bangles- exactly the colour of her dupatta. He went to her and just for the confirmation held the bangles closer to her dupatta and when the colours actually matched he put some golden bangles between them as per the reference image suggested by the internet. Inaayat kept looking at him curiously. "Laiye apna haath dijiye." He asked extending his hand towards her. (Translation: Give me your hand.) Inaayat looked at him for a while in hesitation and he stood there patiently not pushing, not forcing just calm and steady. She gently placed her small palm in his big and calloused one. A sudden spark passed through them. Inaayat exhaled softly while Ryker tried to do his best in getting her ready. One by one, with utter care he slid all of the bangles in both of her wrists with clinking sounds of the glass bangles. When he was done Inaayat shook her hands gently and there was a clicking and jingling sound of the bangle
The haveli had never looked more alive. Or more suffocating. Voices echoed through the long corridors- servants rushing back and forth, trays clinking, fabrics rustling, instructions flying from every direction. The air was thick with the scent of incense, fresh marigold garlands, and something else- Expectation. Pressure. Decoration had taken over every inch of the place. Golden drapes hung from the arches, strings of flowers framed every doorway, and the main hall glowed under warm lights prepared for the ceremony that would soon bind two lives together. Or at least, that's what everyone believed. Arjun stood at the far end of the corridor, watching it all like an outsider. His reflection in the polished pillar beside him looked like a stranger- dressed perfectly, posture straight, face calm. But his eyes- His eyes were hollow. The envelope still burned in his mind. Every word. Every truth. Every moment he had was destroyed with his own hands. And yet- He was here. Getting e
Her knees almost buckled. He wasn't yelling anymore. He was tired and that hurt worse. Before she could speak the penthouse's security alarm beeped twice and Arjun's phone buzzed at the same time. "Yeah?" He answered instantly. His eyes narrowed as he listened. "What? Send me the footage." H
She had only one goal: save Arjun's project, his company, his future, his reputation, even if she had to stand in front of sharks. Because when she had no purpose in life, and her life was nothing but a body with a hollow soul, then he was there to pull her out of the darkness. He became the part
It was midnight now, Arjun was settled beside her, holding her hands, and leaning against the headboard. His head tilted to her side and eyes closed. It was clear that he had fallen asleep while looking at her, as if he was watching every rise and fall of her breath. His posture was uncomfortable
A knock broke the silence and the chain of his thoughts. He turned around and saw Doctor Sanyal standing at the door step. "Come inside, please." Arjun said quickly. The doctor rushed to Nancy's side. "What happened?" The doctor patiently asked at Nancy's injured form. "She was... pushed







