LOGINInaayat's fingers tightened around the phone. Suddenly she forgot how to speak. It is the very first time after her childhood that she's talking on the phone. Only her quiet breathing reached him. Silence. On the other side Ryker stood alone on the terrace of a hospital. The city lights stretched endlessly below him. Doctors occasionally passed through the corridor behind him. But none of it held his attention anymore. The moment he heard that soft breathing he already knew. A faint smile appeared on his face. "Bacche." She didn't answer. (Translation: Kiddo.) "Mujhe bata hai ki aap hain. Boliye." He spoke again. (Translation: I know it's you. Speak up.) His voice became gentler. Only then she finally found her voice. "Ji..." The single word carried so much relief that Ryker unconsciously closed his eyes. He had missed hearing it. Far more than he had expected. But before he could say anything Inaayat began complaining all at once. "Aap hamein chhod kar kyun chale gaye?" (T
Night had settled over the haveli once again. Unlike the previous nights filled with wedding songs and laughter. Tonight the old mansion felt strangely hollow. Most of the guest rooms stood empty. The corridors echoed with silence. Even the servants spoke in hushed voices. Inside Inaayat and Ryker's room Inaayat sat cross-legged on the bed. The secret notebook lay open before her. She had been staring at the same page for almost ten minutes. The pencil rested in her fingers. But nothing had been written. She sighed. Again. Her eyes unconsciously drifted toward the door. "Abhi tak nahi aaye ye." She whispered to herself. (Translation: He didn't come till now.) The room suddenly felt much bigger without him. She closed the notebook carefully and hid it back inside the drawer beneath the folded cloth. Then quietly stood up. "Tab tak hum Piya aur Sunaina ke paas chale jaate hain." She said and started walking out of her room. (Translation: In the meantime, let's go over to Piya and
The haveli had become unusually quiet. The last of the decorations were being taken down by the servants. The echoes of wedding songs had disappeared, replaced by the soft chirping of birds preparing for the evening. It almost felt empty. Urvashi sat alone on the terrace of a carved stone railing. The cool breeze played with the loose strands of her hair. Her back rested on the pillar, staring blankly at the endless fields surrounding the haveli. She wasn't crying. She wasn't smiling either. Her eyes simply looked lost. As though she had left a part of herself somewhere behind. A few minutes later the terrace door creaked open. Raghu walked upstairs carrying a large carton filled with leftover wedding decorations. "Ye bhi yahin rakh dete hain." He muttered to himself. (Translation: Let's put this here too.) He placed the carton inside the small storeroom on the terrace. As he turned his eyes landed on Urvashi. Sitting on the railing completely alone. She hadn't even noticed him.
"Haan. Itne acche gharon ke rishte aa rahe hain. Kisi achhe khandaan ki ladki dekh lenge." Dadi nodded immediately. (Translation: Yes. Proposals are coming in from such good families. We'll find a girl from a good family.) "There won't be another girl." Arjun looked at the three of them. His expression didn't change. The room became quiet again. "Kya matlab?" Sudha frowned. (Translation: What does that mean?) Arjun inhaled slowly. Then spoke the words that had remained buried inside him for years. "Main Nancy se pyaar karta hoon." He confessed. (Translation: I love Nancy.) Silence. Absolute silence. It felt as though the walls themselves had stopped breathing. "Kya? Nancy?" Dadi's eyes widened. (Translation: What? Nancy?) Sudha stared at him. As if she had misheard. Ranvijay slowly stood up. His face hardened immediately. "Woh ladki?" He asked just to confirm if he had heard it right or not. (Translation: That girl?) "Haan. Main usse pyaar karta hoon." Arjun nodded.
He nodded once. Satisfied. Then his gaze returned to the bed. Inaayat still slept peacefully. He walked closer. Sat down carefully beside her. For a moment he simply watched her. Then leaned down. Very gently he brushed a loose strand of hair away from her forehead. His lips moved close to her ear. "Моя любовь." Barely above a whisper. (Translation: My Love *in Russian*.) "Hmmm..." She hummed softly in her sleep. "I'm going for some important work. I'll be back soon. You'll be safe here." He said gently to her. Her brows relaxed. "Hmm..." She gave another sleepy little hum. Without opening her eyes she unconsciously shifted a little toward the sound of his voice and placed her hand on his thigh as if trying to stop him from going away. A faint smile appeared on Ryker's lips. "So you heard me." His voice was almost inaudible. "I promised. I wouldn't leave without telling you. And I keep my promises." He said. Very gently he pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. And moved h
Slowly the guests began dispersing. Whispers still filled the air. But there was no outrage anymore. Only surprise. Near the chairs Vibha's parents remained standing. Motionless. Unsure. The reality had settled before them. Their daughter was already married. Legally. Religiously. Completely. Vibha slowly walked towards them. She folded her hands. "Maa..." Her mother looked away, unable to meet her eyes. (Translation: Mom...) "Papa...mujhe pata hai maine aap dono ko dukh diya." Vibha's voice trembled. (Translation: Dad... I know I caused both of you pain.) "Lekin yahi woh insaan hai jisse maine hamesha pyaar kiya. Aur koi nahi. Hamein bas aap ka ashirvaad chahiye." She gently held Vishesh's hand. (Translation: But this is the person I have always loved. No one else. We just need your blessings.) Her father closed his eyes. His shoulders slumped. He looked at his wife. She silently nodded. What else could they do? She was their only child. They had already lost the right to choo
They were different from each other and their worlds are apart. They can't belong to each other's worlds. Neither Inaayat can go to that place where she has to survive between gangsters and smugglers who are always greedy and out for blood; nor Ryker could stay here and live like a simple man becau
The next morning, the haveli was completely silent still shaken by Ryker's wrath and Nancy's painful whimpers. The haveli people felt them as outsiders after having no role in yesterday's whole confrontation drama but they know best to put their nose in someone else's business when that someone els
Ryker could feel her shaking her head in denial and his lips twitched to turn into a sad smile because he knew that she wasn't saying the truth. The way she was crying, he wanted to take her in his arms and take every single tear away from her eyes but he couldn't. She was scared of him, the monste
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







