ch 70 forgotten room
The morning sun spilled into the Malhotra dining hall... but it couldn't reach her.
Ashiana sat at the long table, dressed beautifully but looking nothing like a new bride.
No glow.
No smile.
Just... shattered.
Her fingers were stiff on the spoon.
Her eyes didn't blink.
She stared at the food like she didn't even see it.
The table was filled Aarav, Kabir, Raghav, Meera, Prerna, Aditya, little Raj.
But the silence was deafening.
Kabir kept glancing at her, fists clenching unconsciously.
Meera whispered softly,
"Ashu... try to eat a little, beta..."
She didn't react.
Raghav's normally sharp, calculating eyes softened. He pushed the glass of juice a little toward her.
Raghav (quietly):
"Even two sips will help."
Still nothing.
Aditya leaned forward, voice gentle—nothing like the mafia man he was.
Aditya:
"Choti... you need strength. Please."
Her lips trembled just slightly. But she didn't lift her gaze.
Aarav watched her every tiny movement. Or rather... the lack of movement. His jaw tightened each time she stayed still.
He finally spoke, very softly, but the pain in his tone was sharp.
Aarav:
"Ashiana... look at me."
Slowly... mechanically... she raised her eyes. They were red. Empty. A storm after breaking.
Aarav's heart clenched.
He reached out, taking the spoon from her plate, scooping a little food, and lifted it toward her.
Aarav, voice low:
"Just one bite."
She stared... then whispered, voice cracking:
Ashiana:
"If... if he's alive... then who... who did I lose that day?"
Everyone stilled.
Her hands trembled violently and she pressed them together just to stop shaking.
Ashiana:
"If Papa is... alive..."
her breath hitched,"then why... did he never come back for me?"
Aarav's eyes softened painfully.
Prerna covered her mouth to stop herself from crying.
Meera's eyes filled instantly.
Kabir looked away, jaw tight.
Aarav placed the spoon down slowly and took her hands into his.
Aarav, voice steady but breaking inside:
"We will find the truth. I promise."
Her eyes filled tears slipping before she could stop them.
Ashiana (whisper):
"I'm scared... Aarav..."
She swallowed,"What if... I'm not even Ashiana? What if... everything was a lie?"
The table froze.
Even little Raj went silent.
Aarav immediately shifted closer, cupping her face gently.
Aarav:
"Listen to me."
His tone left no room for doubt.
"You are Ashiana. You are my wife. You are a Malhotra now—and I won't let anyone rewrite your life."
She blinked, tears streaming.
Aarav continued, thumb brushing her cheek
"And until we know who that man was... you are not leaving my sight. Not for a second."
Kabir leaned forward, voice low and dangerous"Whoever tried to break you... will regret stepping into this house."
Raghav nodded silently.
Aditya placed a protective hand on her head.
"We're all here, Choti. You're not facing this alone."
Ashiana slowly exhaled... breaking... but finally leaning sideways into Aarav's shoulder for support.
Aarav wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.
Aarav (softest whisper)
"Eat later... just breathe for now."
MEANWHILE IN A DARK, FORGOTTEN ROOM
A single projector flickers against the cracked wall, playing old footage... blurred faces, broken memories, shadows moving.
The only sound:
Tap... tap... tap...
His fingers drumming slowly on the armrest of an enormous throne-like chair carved from black teak.
Rings glint in the dimness but the skull ring catches the light sharply, almost mocking everything around it.
A glass of dark liquor swirls lazily in his other hand.
The man sitting there laughs... low, coarse, cold a laugh that crawls under the skin.
"Family... family... family..." he repeats, his voice echoing like a taunt.
He raises the glass, eyes locked on the projector screen.
"What a beautiful word, hmm?"
He smirks. "But the world runs on something stronger..."
He leans forward, the skull ring scraping lightly as he taps again.
"Money."
His right-hand man, standing beside him like a shadow, lowers his head respectfully.
"And money," the man continues, smile widening into something wicked and unhinged,
"comes faster...
easier...
cleaner "
He snaps his fingers once.
He leans back, crossing one leg over the other, looking satisfied with his own prophecy.
The projector's light flashes across his face revealing just a hint of familiarity, just enough to send a tremor through anyone who'd ever known him.
He lifts his skull ring to his lips, brushing it with a twisted affection.
"It's time," he whispers.
"Time for my little pattaka to break... so I can collect everything that should've been mine."
The screen flickers again and Ashiana's masked face appears in the footage.
His smile turns feral.
The projector flickers again.
A click... whirr...
And suddenly a family photo fills the wall bright, warm, full of love:
A man.
A woman.
A tiny baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket in her mother's arms.
And a twelve-year-old boy standing proudly beside them.
The happiness in the picture is almost painful compared to the dark room around it.
The assistant his right hand laughs under his breath.
"Wow, sir..." he murmurs with admiration.
"You really... played a big game."
The man on the throne tilts his head, staring at the photo without blinking.
"That's the thing about games," he says softly, swirling the liquor again.
"Everyone thinks they're winning... until the board flips."
The assistant nods.
"Sir... this photo... you want it on the screen now?"
He smirks.
"Of course."
He taps the skull ring twice against the armrest. "Let them all remember... what they lost."
His gaze moves to the baby in the picture a softer look for a second, then gone.
"That little girl..." he whispers.
"Destined for everything. And yet"
He chuckles darkly.
"Look how beautifully she's walking straight into the trap."
He raises his glass toward the photo like a toast.
"To family reunions."
The projector hums on, the smiling family frozen on the wall a memory turned into a weapon.
AARAV'S OFFICE MORNING
The cabin is quiet, sunlight slicing through the blinds. Aditya sits on the leather couch, files spread before him... untouched.
He isn't reading. He isn't even blinking.
His fingers hold tightly onto a small silver locket, turning it over and over. The hinge is old, slightly scratched opened so many times it almost feels fragile.
Inside it
HIS FAMILY PHOTO
His mother smiling softly...
His father with an arm around her...
His mother cradling a tiny baby girl wrapped in a pink cloth...
And beside her stands a twelve-year-old Aditya, proudly, protectively.
Aarav walks in quietly, noticing the stillness.
"Adi...?" he says gently.
"No work today?"
Aditya doesn't answer. He just keeps staring at the tiny picture as if trying to remember something... or trying to forget.
Aarav sits beside him.
"Nightmare again?"
His voice is careful, knowing.
Concerned.
Aditya shuts the locket slowly... exhaling a shaky breath.
"Yes."
He nods.
"Again. The same one."
His voice cracks slightly.
"And... for the past few days... it's getting worse. I'm getting it continuously."
Aarav places a steadying hand on his shoulder.
"What do you see this time?"
Aditya shut his eyes for a moment... then nodded.
"Yes..." he whispered, voice heavy.
"Since few days... it's coming continuously. Same dream. Same cries. Same pink cloth."
His grip tightened around the locket. "Every night, Aarav... her face comes clearer. Like someone is trying to remind me."
Aarav placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Adi... you've been suffering like this since childhood..."
"This is different," Aditya said, opening his eyes haunted, disturbed.
"There's something wrong. I can feel it. Something big is coming."
He swallowed hard.
"And this time... the nightmare doesn't feel like a memory."
His voice trembled.
"It feels like... a warning."
JUST THEN THE DOOR SWINGS OPEN
Raghav and Kabir entered the cabin, both looking tense, urgency written on their faces.
Aarav straightened immediately.
Aditya closed the locket, jaw tightening.
Kabir spoke first, slightly breathless.
"Bhai... the mask."
Aarav's eyes sharpened.
"Did you find anything?"
Raghav stepped forward, placing a file on the table.
"We traced where it was made. That design... it's not something we see in normal stores. It was custom-made."
Kabir continued, "The workshop is a small, unregistered one. Hidden. Almost no records. But—"
he exchanged a look with Raghav—
"we found the order logs."
Raghav exhaled deeply.
"The mask was commissioned by someone using the alias 'SKULL.'"
Aditya froze.
Aarav's brows furrowed.
"Skull?"
Kabir nodded.
"And there's more..."
He pulled out a blurry CCTV stillthe silhouette of a man wearing a long coat, handing over payment at the workshop.
But the ring on his finger gleamed unmistakably.
A skull ring.
Aditya's breath hitched.
Aarav clenched his fists.
Raghav spoke quietly, "The maker says the man visited multiple times. Paid a heavy amount. Gave strict instructions not to keep digital records. Only cash."
Kabir added in a low voice,
"Bhai... whoever he is, he planned this months in advance."
A heavy silence engulfed the room.
Aditya swallowed, voice hoarse.
"That ring... I've seen it before."
Aarav looked at him sharply.
"When?"
Aditya's fingers trembled slightly as he touched his locket.
"In my nightmares."
Raghav and Kabir stiffened.
Aarav's jaw tightened.
"This is connected to Ashiana.
And to you, Aditya."
Aditya looked pale, breath uneven.
Kabir whispered, "Bhai... the game has already started."