Chapter 10
The Rathore mansion, despite its grandeur, often had an unsettling stillness at night.
That night was no different. The chandeliers lit the hall with soft yellow light, and the family was gathered in the living area.
Shanti had insisted they all watch a movie together after dinner, hoping to keep the heaviness of life away for a while.
Rajnath sat at the head of the sofa, dignified even in casual silence, his eyes occasionally darting toward the screen.
Ridha sat gracefully beside her mother, offering quiet smiles at the lighter moments of the film.
Rudra leaned lazily against the armrest, pretending to be engrossed, though his restless eyes betrayed a mind elsewhere.
Shanti, as always, seemed the most relaxed, her laughter bubbling now and then, trying to infuse warmth into the atmosphere.
But the peaceful illusion shattered in the next instant.
The main door opened with a sharp creak, followed by hurried footsteps echoing through the marble floor.
The family turned at once. Veeransh entered first, his tall frame casting a heavy shadow under the hall’s lights. In his arms was a boy fragile, limp, unconscious. Aariv. His soft curls fell loosely over his pale face, his lips trembling as if caught in the aftermath of silent sobbing.
Shanti was the first to react, her face draining of color. She stood up so fast that the glass in her hand fell and shattered on the carpet.
“Aariv! Ye kya hua?” she gasped, rushing forward. Her eyes darted over the boy’s fragile frame, desperately searching for visible wounds. Panic sharpened her voice. “Veer… ye bacha aise… kya hua isse?”
Veeransh didn’t reply. His jaw was clenched, his eyes darker than night itself. He didn’t spare anyone a glance. Without breaking his stride, he walked past them all, straight toward the staircase. His arms tightened around Aariv as though shielding him from the world even from questions.
“Veer! Ruko toh....”
Shanti called after him, her voice cracking, but he was gone already. The heavy sound of his boots against the wooden stairs echoed until it faded into the silence of the upper floor.
The family stood frozen for a breath. It was Rajnath who finally broke it.
His sharp eyes shifted to the others who had followed behind Veeransh.
Harinarayan, panting slightly from exertion, and Yug, limping with a wound on his head, his clothes stained with dirt and traces of blood.
Rajnath’s gaze narrowed. His voice was calm but carried an authority that demanded answers.
“Yug… yeh sab kya hai beta? Tum dono is haal mein kyun ho?”
Before the boy could respond, Shanti rushed to Yug, guiding him to the sofa. Her motherly instincts took over immediately as she pressed him down gently, offering a glass of water with trembling hands.
“Pehle paani pi lo beta… tumhe chot lagi hai, baitho yahan.”
Yug’s fingers shook as he accepted the glass.
He took small sips, his throat dry, eyes still darting toward the staircase where Veeransh had disappeared with Aariv.
Ridha, ever observant, noticed the silent storm within Yug’s eyes.
She exchanged a worried glance with her mother before fetching a first aid box.
Shanti dabbed ointment onto Yug’s wound, her soft touch full of concern.
“Ye sab kaise hua? Tum dono bachche kis museebat mein the?”
Still Yug couldn’t form words. His lips quivered, but no sound came. Rudra, who had been silent till now, leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his gaze fixed on Yug’s trembling form. His tone was calm but piercing.
"Who did this to you?? Tell me."
Harinarayan sighed heavily, adjusting his shawl around his shoulders. His face bore the serenity of a man who had seen much, yet even he looked shaken. After a long pause, he spoke quietly, each word slicing through the silence of the room.
“Jo kuch hua hai, woh samajhna mushkil hoga tum sab ke liye… lekin aap logo ka jaanna zaroori hai.”
The family’s eyes snapped toward him. Even Rajnath’s composed mask shifted, curiosity and unease flickering across his features.
Harinarayan told everything to the family members.
Shanti gasped audibly, covering her mouth. “Hey Bhagwan…”
Ridha’s hand tightened around her dupatta, her eyes brimming with disbelief and horror.
Rajnath leaned forward, his knuckles white against the armrest. “Aap kehna kya chahte hain pandit ji? Woh log… Aariv ke saath…?”
“Haan, Rajnath,” Harinarayan interrupted firmly, his gaze grave.
The room fell into a stunned silence. The ticking of the clock on the wall suddenly seemed deafening.
Yug’s hands tightened around the glass of water until it almost slipped.
His voice, weak but burning with anger, finally broke free.
“maine aaru ko bachane ki koshish ki lekin un logo ne mujhe rok diya jab maine Aariv ko bachane ki koshish ki. Lekin… agar ye log waqt par na aate… toh Aariv…” He choked on his words, his eyes wet.
Shanti’s tears spilled at once. She drew Yug into a protective embrace, her hand stroking his hair. “Bas beta, ab sab theek hai… Aariv ab surakshit hai.”
But Rudra was not looking at Yug anymore. His eyes were fixed toward the staircase, a strange intensity glimmering within them. He muttered under his breath,
“Aur bhaiya ne… Aariv ko bachaya kaise?…”
Ridha looked sharply at him. “Kya matlab ?”
Harinarayan’s lips curved into a faint smile, the kind that carried more secrets than answers. His eyes lifted toward the ceiling as though thanking the heavens. Then he spoke, deliberately, letting the weight of the revelation settle.
“Veeransh ne usse sirf bachaya nahi… usse apna bana liya. Aap sabko jaanna hoga… usne sabke saamne, Aariv ke maang mein sindoor bhara. Usse apni patni sweekar kar liya. Vo dono ab ek hain”
The words hit like a thunderclap.
Shanti staggered back in shock, her hands clutching her chest. “Kya… Veeransh ne… shaadi kar li?”
No one had an answer. The silence returned, heavy and suffocating.
Only the faint echo of Shanti’s muffled sobs filled the space.
...................
The heavy door of Veeransh’s room closed behind him with a muffled thud.
For the first time since the chaos of the night, silence wrapped around him.
The only sound was Aariv’s shallow breathing, fragile and unsteady, against his chest.
Veeransh walked to the bed, his steps uncharacteristically careful.
Usually, the room echoed with his dominating presence, but now it felt as though every wall, every piece of furniture, held its breath, waiting for his next move.
Lowering himself, he placed Aariv gently on the mattress.
For a man who was feared for his ruthless strength, his hands tonight trembled slightly as though he was holding porcelain that might shatter at the slightest touch.
He adjusted the pillow under Aariv’s head, brushing a stray curl away from the boy’s damp forehead.
Aariv stirred faintly at the contact, his lips parting, but he didn’t wake.
His face, delicate and pale, looked almost angelic under the soft glow of the bedside lamp.
Veeransh’s throat tightened at the sight.
He pulled the blanket up, covering Aariv’s small frame, tucking it carefully around him, as if shielding him from the nightmares that had nearly consumed him tonight.
For a long moment, Veeransh simply stood there, his tall shadow falling protectively over the fragile boy. A storm brewed inside his chest rage at those men who had dared to touch even the thought of Aariv, and something else… something far more dangerous, something that clawed at his control.
Finally, he stepped back, his movements deliberate.
He turned away from the bed, unwilling to let his emotions betray him.
But when he reached the sofa at the far end of the room, he didn’t leave.
He sat down heavily, elbows resting on his knees, his dark eyes fixed unwaveringly on the boy lying beneath the blanket.
Aariv looked so small there, almost blending into the white sheets, as if he had always belonged to this room, this house… to him.
Veeransh leaned back against the sofa, jaw tightening.
The image of Aariv’s tear filled doe eyes flashed in his mind the terror, the helplessness, the way his whole body had trembled when that man had dared to step close.
And then the relief, the surrender in his lashes when Veeransh had pulled him away.
“I can't destroy you... I can't…” he whispered under his breath, the words carrying the same fierce vow he had shouted before everyone.
His gaze softened almost imperceptibly as it lingered on the boy. Covered in the blanket, breathing peacefully now, Aariv looked untouched by the horrors of the night. For the first time, Veeransh felt a strange calm settle inside him.
As if Aariv’s mere presence in his room completed something in him that had been empty for far too long.