chapter 55
Ishni's POV
I came back to the mansion, and I don't know what's happening... everything feels like it's collapsing around me.
The whole mansion was silent. Just the sound of my own heartbeat echoing in my ears.
I walked to the dining table, my hands slightly trembling. I poured myself a glass of water and drank it in one go.
"Relax, Ishni..." I murmured to myself.
Suddenly, I felt a warm hand wrap gently around my arm.
"Jaan..?"
That voice.
I turned quickly. "Rudra? Aap yahan?"
He was standing close too close his brows slightly furrowed, eyes scanning my face like he was trying to read every hidden thought.
"Kya hua? Why do you look so pale?" he asked, his tone low but filled with concern.
I forced a small smile. "Kuch nahi... bas thodi thakan hai."
He didn't look convinced.
He stepped closer, his fingers lifting my chin gently so I had no option but to look into his eyes.
"Ishni... mujhe jhoot mat bolo," he said softly. "Aapki aankhon mein thakan nahi... darr hai."
My breath hitched.
I immediately looked away. "Aap zyada soch rahe hain."
He sighed quietly and pulled a chair, sitting in front of me instead of towering over me.
"Office mein kuch hua?"
My mind flashed back to the flowers. The card.
Mrs Deewaan... missed me?
My fingers subconsciously tightened around the glass.
Rudra noticed.
He gently removed the glass from my hand before it slipped.
"Dekho meri taraf," he said.
I slowly lifted my eyes.
He reached out and held my cold hands between his warm palms.
"Jo bhi hai... hum dono saath handle karenge. Aap akeli nahi ho."
For a second, I wanted to tell him everything.
But I couldn't.
Not yet.
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"I'm fine, Rudra."
His thumb brushed softly over my knuckles.
"Fine log aise nahi kaapte, jaan."
And that's when I realized no matter how much I try to hide it... he always notices.
"Arey Rudra, aap overthink kar rahe hain... bas ek complicated case hai," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady, hoping praying that he would believe me.
He kept looking at me for a second longer, like he was trying to peel the truth out of my silence.
I quickly changed the topic. "By the way... aap is waqt mansion mein kya kar rahe hain? Office nahi gaye?"
He leaned slightly back, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Oh... well, bas aise hi."
That bas aise hi didn't convince me.
I nodded slowly anyway. "Hmm."
There was a small pause between us. Heavy. Unspoken.
Then he stepped closer again, but this time his voice was softer. "Anyway... aap jao aur rest karo."
I gave him a small nod. "Aap bhi."
He didn't reply. He just looked at me for a brief second that same unreadable expression and then turned, walking toward his study room.
I stood there for a moment after he left.
The mansion felt even quieter now.
I came to my room.
Kya karu...? I can't tell Rudra now. Mujhe pehle khud sure hona padega.
I walked toward the bed and lay down slowly, staring at the ceiling. "Bas so ja Ishni... bas so ja..." I whispered to myself and closed my eyes, hoping sleep would silence the storm inside me.
---
The sky had turned a deep orange. The sun was melting into the horizon, and from where they were sitting, the entire city looked golden and peaceful.
Tara and Vipul were sitting under the open sky, a soft breeze brushing past them.
"You know..." Tara said quietly, her eyes still fixed on the skyline, "I'm so grateful... that I found a family."
Vipul looked at her instead of the view. "Aur main... main toh ma'am ka shukr guzaar hoon. Unki wajah se mujhe tum mili."
She gave him a small smile, but it faded slowly.
"Vipul..." she whispered, her voice turning fragile. "Mera koi nahi hai. Mujhe nahi pata mere parents ne mujhe orphanage mein kyun chhod diya... maine kabhi family feel hi nahi ki. Pyaar kya hota hai... apnapan kya hota hai... mujhe pata hi nahi tha."
She swallowed, her fingers tightening around her own hands.
"Aur jab maine decide kiya ki main khud se udungi... apni zindagi banaungi... tab orphanage ke logon ne mere pankh kaatne ki koshish ki."
Vipul's jaw tightened.
"Phir... sahi waqt par Ishni didi mili," she said softly. "Unhone mujhe sirf ghar nahi diya... unhone mujhe izzat di... pehchaan di... aur... aur himmat di."
There was silence for a moment.
Vipul gently held her hand.
"Tara," he said quietly, his thumb brushing over her knuckles, "jisa ne tumhe choda galti unki thi, tumhari nahi. Tumhe kisi ne adopt nahi kiya... kyunki shayad kismat ne decide kiya tha ki tum khud apni duniya choose karogi."
He shifted closer.
"Family khoon se nahi banti. Family woh hoti hai jo tumhe girne nahi deti. Aur agar kabhi koi tumhare pankh kaatne ki koshish karega na... toh sabse pehle usse mujhse deal karna padega."
Tara's eyes filled slightly.
"Tum akeli nahi ho," he continued softly. "Na pehle thi... na ab ho... aur na kabhi hogi."
The city lights began to flicker on one by one.And for the first time in a long time...
Tara didn't feel abandoned.
She felt chosen.
"...aur tumhara?" Tara asked softly.
Vipul stayed quiet for a moment. The wind brushed through his hair as he looked at the glowing city below... then back at her... then again at the skyline, as if the memories were written somewhere in those lights.
"When I was young," he began slowly, his voice unusually calm, "mere parents ka car accident ho gaya tha."
Tara's fingers tightened around his.
"Ek second mein sab khatam ho gaya. Ghar... awaaz... hasna... sab." He gave a small hollow smile. "Aur main reh gaya... akela."
"Main computers mein accha tha... hacking, coding, system break karna..." he exhaled lightly. "Toh survive karne ke liye ek aadmi ke liye kaam karta tha. Galat log the. Galat kaam the. Lekin uss waqt sahi ya galat ka choice nahi tha... bas zinda rehna tha."
Tara looked at him, her eyes soft with pain.
"Phir ek din boss mila," he said, and this time something changed in his expression respect... loyalty... gratitude. "Rudra sir sirf powerful nahi hai... woh insaan ko pehchante hai. Unhone mujhe doubt nahi kiya. Unhone mujhe use nahi kiya. Unhone mujhpe trust kiya."
He looked at his own hands for a second.
"Unhone apna haath badhaya... aur us din se main unka haath chhod nahi paya."
A small smile touched his lips.
"Tara... woh meri family hai. Mera sab kuch."
Then he turned to her fully.
"Lekin ab..." his voice softened, "ab meri family mein tum bhi ho."
There was no flirt this time. No teasing.
Just sincerity.
"Tum samajhti ho na? Jab kisi ke paas kuch nahi hota... aur phir achanak kisi ki fikr hone lagti hai... toh darr bhi lagta hai. Main tumhe lose nahi kar sakta."
Tara's eyes filled instantly.
He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Hum dono ko kisi ne chhoda tha... lekin shayad isliye... taaki hum ek dusre tak pahunch sake."
The city lights shimmered below them.Two broken people.Not abandoned anymore.
Just... finally found.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
---
Ishni's POV
I opened my eyes slowly.
For a moment I didn't even realise I had fallen asleep. The room was darker now soft evening light slipping through the curtains.
"Oh no..." I whispered. "It's already evening."
I immediately sat up. Something felt... off.
"Rudra?" I called out while stepping out of the room.
No response.
The mansion was unusually silent. Too silent. Even the staff footsteps were missing.
"Pata nahi ajeeb kyun lag raha hai..." I murmured under my breath as I walked downstairs.
Then I heard it.
A soft sound.
From one of the side rooms.
My heart started beating faster.
I slowly walked towards it and pushed the door open.
"Rudra...?"
He was sitting on the floor.
In front of him... a xerox copy of a medical scan.
And beside it a small diya, its flame flickering gently in the dim room.
My breath got stuck.
I walked closer.
"Rudra..." I knelt beside him. "Yeh kya hai?"
He didn't look at me immediately.
His jaw was tight.
The room smelled faintly of oil from the diya... and something else.
Pain.
I slowly picked up the scan from his trembling hands.
The moment my eyes fell on it... my breath stopped.
It was our baby's scan.
The tiny blur... that once had a heartbeat.
My fingers began to shake. My vision blurred as tears pooled in my eyes.
"Yeh..." my voice cracked. "Yeh hamara...?"
Rudra finally spoke, his voice low... controlled... but broken from inside.
"Aaj paachawa mahine ho gaye."
Five months.
Five months since we lost the little life that never got to breathe.
My tears rolled down freely now, falling on the paper.
"Mera... bachaa..." I whispered, choking on my own sob.
The word felt heavy. Sacred. Painful.
I pressed the scan to my chest as if I could hold that child one last time.
Rudra's hands clenched into fists. He wasn't crying loudly. He never did. His pain was silent the most dangerous kind.
"I couldn't protect..." he stopped mid sentence, jaw tightening.
I turned to him immediately.
"Don't," I said through tears. "Don't say that."
He finally looked at me his eyes red, but dry.
"I light this diya every month," he admitted quietly. "Taaki kahin woh akela feel na kare."
My heart shattered completely.
I moved closer and held his face in my trembling hands.
"Woh akela nahi hai..." I whispered. "Woh humara hai... aur humesha rahega."
My voice broke again.
Rudra's composure cracked. He pulled me into his chest suddenly, tightly like he was scared I would disappear too.
"Ishni..." he breathed against my hair. "I lost my child... I can't lose you."
I clutched his shirt, crying into him.
"We didn't lose our baby," I said softly between sobs. "Woh bas... humein dekh raha hai kahin se."
The diya flame flickered stronger for a second.
And in that dim room... two broken parents held each other, mourning a life that was too pure for this cruel world.
"Rudra..." my voice trembled in his chest, barely audible, "kya mujhe kabhi... maa banne ka mauka milega...?"
The question felt heavier than the silence in that room.
He looked at me.
And this time... a tear escaped him.
One single tear. Slow. Unstoppable.
"Jaan..." he whispered, like even the word was fragile.
My lips quivered. "Rudra... what if I-"
Before I could finish, he pressed his fingers gently against my lips.
"Don't," he said firmly, his voice breaking despite the strength in it. "Kabhi bhi aisa mat kehna."
My tears spilled again.
He cupped my face carefully, as if I was something sacred.
"Listen to me," he said, his forehead resting against mine. "I would never force you. Never. Not for a child, not for the world, not for anything."
His thumb wiped my tears softly.
"But yaad rakhna... I love you. Bas aap. Aap meri duniya ho. Aap meri saans ho. Agar zindagi ne mujhe kuch aur na bhi diya... mujhe farq nahi padta. I can live without becoming a father..."
His voice cracked.
"But I cannot live without you."
My heart squeezed painfully.
He pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me like a shield.
"I've already lost too much," he whispered into my hair. "Main aur kuch nahi khona chahta. Not you. Not your smile. Not your life."
I buried my face in his chest.
He continued softly, his hand rubbing my back in slow circles.
"If fate gives us a child again... we will welcome them with all the love in the world."
He paused.
"And if it doesn't... then it's okay. We'll still have each other. And that's enough for me."
I tightened my grip around him.
For the first time in months... the fear inside me felt a little less suffocating.
------
Night had wrapped the city in soft golden lights.
"Vipul... I think we should go now," Tara said, glancing at him.
But her thoughts betrayed her.
Damn... he looks so good tonight.
Why is he so nervous? His hands were trembling earlier... even when he held mine... even when his fingers brushed my waist.
He turned to her. "Yes..." he replied, a little too quickly.
They walked toward the car, silence following them like a shy witness.
"Tara..." he called out.
"Hm?" She turned, eyebrows lifting softly.
"Bolo," she said gently.
He hesitated... then slowly reached for her hand.
His fingers brushed against hers first testing, asking without words.
When she didn't pull away, he laced his fingers with hers and pulled her a little closer.
Close enough to feel her breath.
"Tara..." his voice was low now, vulnerable. "Mujhe nahi pata main itna nervous kyun ho jaata hoon tumhare saamne."
He gave a soft, embarrassed smile.
"Main meetings handle kar sakta hoon, criminals handle kar sakta hoon... but you?" He let out a quiet chuckle. "Tumhare saamne toh system hang ho jaata hai."
She smiled faintly.
He swallowed, gathering courage.
"When I hold your hand... it's not because I want to rush anything," he said softly. "It's because I want to be sure you're really here... with me."
His thumb brushed gently over her knuckles.
"And when I touched your waist earlier..." he paused, eyes honest, "it wasn't to make you uncomfortable. It was just... I didn't want you to slip away."
There was no dominance in him right now.
Only sincerity.
"I'm scared," he admitted quietly. "Scared that one day you'll realise you deserve someone better."
He looked down for a second, then back at her.
"But until that day... I'll keep holding your hand like this. Carefully. Respectfully. Jaise koi cheez nahi... jaise koi dua pakad rakhi ho."
His grip tightened just a little.
"Because Tara... you're not just someone I like."
He stepped half a step closer.
"You're someone I'm scared to lose."
And for once... his hands weren't shaking anymore.
She smiled softly.
Before he could overthink again, she stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down to her.
Her lips met his.
Warm. Certain. Full of everything she had been feeling all day.
For a second he froze in surprise then his hands instinctively slid to her waist, holding her gently but firmly, as if anchoring himself to the moment.
"Stupid man..." she whispered between the kiss, her forehead brushing against his. "I love you."
His breath hitched.
He pulled her a little closer, deepening the kiss not rushed, not reckless but slow, intense, filled with unspoken promises.
The world around them blurred.
The city noise faded.
It was just the two of them under the night sky, hearts beating against each other.
When he finally pulled back slightly, his forehead rested against hers, his voice low and steady.
"I love you too... more than you think. More than I know how to say."
His thumb brushed softly against her cheek.
And this time, there was no nervousness in him. Only certainty.
He intertwined his fingers with hers and walked her to the car.
He opened the door for her like always, gently guiding her inside. "Careful," he murmured softly.
She smiled at him. "Ji, mister gentleman."
He gave a faint smirk and closed the door.
As he walked around to his side of the car, something made him pause.
A movement.Farther down the road. A few shadows shifting near the trees. His expression changed instantly.
The warmth in his eyes disappeared.
His body went alert.
He narrowed his gaze, trying to focus. Two... maybe three figures. Standing too still. Watching.
His jaw tightened.
"Vipul! Come fast!" Tara called from inside the car, unaware.
He blinked, forcing his expression back to normal. "Coming!" he replied, his tone light too light.
He quickly got into the driver's seat and shut the door.
Tara looked at him. "Kya hua? Itna serious kyun lag rahe ho?"
He started the engine smoothly.
"Kuch nahi," he said casually. But his eyes flicked to the rear-view mirror.
The shadows were gone.
Or maybe...
They were following.
In no time they reached the mansion.
Tara frowned as soon as she stepped out of the car.
"Why does the mansion look so dull?" she asked softly. The lights were dimmer than usual.
Vipul stepped out slowly, his eyes scanning the silent mansion.
Then something clicked.
"What's the date today?" he asked suddenly.
Tara checked her phone. "Uh... it's 23.09.2024."
His face changed.
Her smile faded. "Arey... what happened?"
He swallowed.
"Today..." his voice lowered, "was the day ma'am lost her unborn child."
Tara froze.
"What?"
He nodded slowly, eyes heavy.
"Mam was kidnapped by boss father and stepmother.. between this fight..." he paused, jaw tightening, "...they lost the baby."
Tara's hand slowly dropped to her side.
"Oh my God..."
Vipul exhaled deeply. "Boss never talks about it openly. But every year... this day... the mansion stays like this."
Silent.
Mourning.
Respecting a life that never got to begin.
Tara's eyes softened instantly. "Didi..."
Vipul looked at the mansion again, something dark passing through his expression.
"Boss changed after that," he said quietly. "Woh pehle bhi dangerous the... lekin us din ke baad... unhone kisi ko maaf nahi kiya."
Tara felt a chill.
"Careful rehna," he added unconsciously.
She looked at him. "Kis se?"
He didn't answer immediately.
His mind flashed back to the shadows near the road.
He forced a calm expression.
"Kuch nahi," he said lightly. "Jao arama karo"
Tara stepped inside the mansion after saying goodbye to Vipul.
The heavy doors closed behind her with a soft thud, and the silence inside felt even deeper than before.
She spotted one of the maid near the staircase.
"Uhm... did Ishni didi and Rudra jiju come?" she asked quietly.
"Ma'am, both are in their room," the maid replied respectfully.
Tara nodded. "Okay... thank you."
As she began walking toward her own room, her steps slowed.
Should I go and check on them?
Her heart felt uneasy.
But then she stopped halfway.
No... maybe they need each other more right now.
Today wasn't just any day.
It was the day they lost something irreplaceable.
She exhaled softly and turned toward her room instead.
"I'll talk to didi tomorrow," she whispered to herself.
Sometimes love doesn't mean asking questions.
Sometimes it means giving space.
And tonight...
The entire mansion needed that space.
Tara came to her room quietly and closed the door behind her.
The silence felt different now softer than the heavy silence downstairs.
She freshened up, changed into her night clothes, and sat on her bed, hugging a pillow absentmindedly.
Her mind replayed the entire day like a movie.
The bangles.
The way he slid them onto her wrist.
The way he said he notices everything she likes.
Her cheeks slowly turned pink.
"Oh my God..." she whispered to herself.
And then-That kiss.The way she had pulled him close. The way he held her like she was precious.
She fell back onto the bed dramatically and covered her face with both hands.
"Yeh sab sach mein ho raha hai kya?" she mumbled from behind her palms.
Her heart was beating ridiculously fast just thinking about it.
She kicked both her legs in the air like an excited teenager.
"Omg omg omg..." she squealed softly into the pillow.
She turned to her side, staring at the bangles still in her hand. They made a soft clinking sound as she moved.
"He said I'm his family..." she whispered.
A soft smile spread across her face slow, dreamy, uncontrollable.
Her phone rang.
She smiled the moment she saw his name and picked up.
"Miss Tara, you're still awake?" he asked in a soft, teasing tone.
"Oh hello, that's my choice," she replied, trying to sound confident while secretly staring at the bangles on her wrist.
He chuckled quietly. "Stop staring at the bangles so much. They might get shy."
She instantly sat up. "What? I am not staring at them! Are you spying on me?"
"No," he laughed softly. "I just know you. You're lying on your bed, holding your hand up, looking at them... and smiling like an idiot."
Her cheeks turned pink. "you're blushing," he added calmly.
"I am not!"
"You are," he said gently. "Because I am too."
She went silent for a second.
"I keep replaying today in my head," he continued, voice softer now. "The way you looked at me... the way you kissed me."
Her breath slowed.
"Do you even know what you did to me today?" he asked quietly.
"What did I do?" she whispered.
"You made me fall harder," he said honestly. "When you said you love me... it felt like everything finally made sense."
Her heart fluttered.
"And when I was putting those bangles on your wrist," he continued, "I wasn't just thinking about today."
"Then what were you thinking about?" she asked softly.
"I was imagining a future where I never let go of that hand."
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
"And when you smile like that," he added, voice warm and low, "I swear... you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
She covered her face with her pillow, trying to hide her smile even though he couldn't see her.
"Why are you suddenly so romantic?" she asked shyly.
He paused for a second.
"Because you're mine... and I don't want to waste a single chance to tell you how much you mean to me."
Her heart melted completely.
"Good night, stupid man," she murmured softly.
"Good night, my love," he replied gently.