CHAPTER 24
Wadhwa Mansion – Two days later
She chose to wear a simple salwar suit today and slowly came out of her bedroom for the morning puja.
Ever since she had fallen ill, she had skipped praying in the morning, unable to go down to the temple space in the house.
But this morning, she felt a little stronger. Not fully recovered, but enough to try.
Holding the staircase railing, she slowly began descending the stairs, one step at a time. But halfway down, the weakness crept up on her without warning. The steps blurred before her eyes, her grip loosened, and her balance almost faltered.
Before she could lose her strength and fall, an arm wrapped firmly around her waist, steadying her. She did not need to look up to know who it was. She knew her husband that much. In the very next moment, his strong arms lifted her effortlessly off her feet, pulling her against a solid chest.
Karan held her in his arms protectively, bridal style, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Although Mishti was surprised by the way he carried her in his arms, she had also started realising one thing lately.
Whenever she was in trouble, Karan was always there. Before she could even call out.
Her arms instinctively went around his shoulder for balance, clutching the fabric of his shirt. The closeness of their bodies had always made her heart stumble. Today was no different.
Karan did not move immediately. He just looked down at her, in both anger and concern that he did not attempt to hide these days.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded. “You are barely back on your feet. You should be resting in your room.”
Mishti looked up at him and smiled apologetically. “I needed to do my morning puja,” she said gently. “I skipped it for two days already. I could not skip it today.”
Karan let out a low groan, and without saying anything more, he adjusted his hold on her and started descending the stairs, carrying her down.
“God is not running away,” he muttered under his breath. “And he is definitely not marking attendance for you to be this punctual.”
She chuckled softly, resting more comfortably against him. “For someone who claims he does not believe in God, you seem to know quite a lot about Him.”
He shot her a glare, the warning to stop teasing him was clear in his eyes, although there was no real bite in it.
Karan stopped at the entrance of the temple room and carefully lowered her to her feet, making sure she was steady before letting go. The moment her weight shifted back onto the floor, Maria appeared.
“Good morning, Sir, good morning, Ma’am, the breakfast is ready,” she said gently, her eyes flickering between the two of them.
“Serve it,” Karan said, checking his watch. “I’m already running late for work.”
Mishti shook her head at once though towards Maria. “I will not have anything, Maria. Just serve him and Abhimanyu.”
The flat refusal made him turn fully toward her again. “Why?” he asked sharply.
“Because I am fasting.” She smiled.
Karan frowned. “You fast only on Mondays for Lord Shiva. Today is not even Monday.”
The fact that he remembered it again surprised her. Mishti’s eyes softened for a fleeting second before she spoke again.
“Yes. I know,” she said quietly. “Yet, today I am observing a nirjala fast.”
His brows knit together. “Nirjala?” he repeated. “No food, no water?”
She nodded. “Not even a sip.”
“For what?” he almost snapped.
“For Abhimanyu and Komal.”
Karan looked at her as if trying to read between her words, but she continued before he could question her further.
“They have been waiting for so long to settle down,” she said.
“They deserve to get married without any further delay. Today is a very auspicious day for the nirjala fast. So, through this fast today, I want to pray to God to ease all their worries, to remove every obstacle from their path, so that they find their happily ever after, the soonest.”
Karan exactly knew which obstacle she meant.
There was no need for her to spell it out.
The only thing standing between Abhimanyu and that future was him.
His refusal to approve of their marriage.
And he knew his brother well enough to understand that without it, Abhimanyu would not move forward, no matter how deeply he loved Komal.
Mishti looked at him and continued. “Being Abhimanyu’s sister-in-law, if I do not pray for his happiness, then who will?”
Without waiting for his response, she turned away and walked toward the temple room, and started preparing the puja thali before the idols to begin her puja.
Karan stood where he was for a long moment, staring after her, battling his anger and conflict. Then, with a hard look, he turned back to the dining table, sat down, and began his breakfast.
Almost half an hour later, Mishti completed her morning prayers and stepped out of the temple room. Her dizziness returned in small waves, not strong enough to knock her down, but enough to make her slow her steps and steady herself against the doorframe before moving ahead on her own.
What she did not expect to see was Karan still at home. Wasn’t he running late for work now?
Maria, who stood near him, quickly offered him a strip of tablets and a glass of water. The sight confused Mishti instantly. She walked toward them, her brows knitting together in concern.
“Are you not feeling well?” she asked softly. “What medicine is that?”
Karan turned to her, sternly. “These are not for me. They are yours. Today’s dose.”
Mishti stiffened. “But I cannot take them today,” she said at once. “I said I’m fasting.”
He moved toward her in two quick steps, closing the space between them before she could turn away. “Take them,” he ordered.
She shook her head, looking aside, being stubborn despite her weakness. “I cannot.”
His patience snapped. He lifted his hand, holding her chin firmly and turned her face back toward him, forcing her to meet his eyes. The touch was commanding and intimate.
“Your God has already fulfilled your wish,” he said. “So you do not need to fast anymore. Take the medicines.”
Her heart skipped. “What do you mean?” she asked, confused.
He rolled his eyes as if the answer was obvious. “I approve,” he said. “Abhimanyu can marry the woman he loves.”
For a second, Mishti only stared at him.
“Really?” she whispered in disbelief. “You… you approve?”
Without responding to the emotion in her eyes, he placed the tablets into her palm himself, his fingers closing around her hand for a brief moment before releasing it. “Yes,” he said firmly. “Now take them. Immediately.”
She studied his face closely, searching for any sign that this was a lie meant only to make her swallow the medicines. But there was none. Karan Wadhwa did not lie about things like this. Not about something that mattered so deeply to him.
Her resistance crumbled. She took the tablets, lifted the glass, and swallowed them without another word. The moment she set the glass aside, relief and happiness bloomed across her face.
Karan turned away, satisfied that she had taken the medicines, and began to walk off.
That was when her voice stopped him.
“You made such a huge sacrifice,” she said lightly, though emotion shimmered beneath it, “just to make me take my medicines?”
He froze where he stood, saying nothing as she walked closer and stood in front of him, looking up at his face.
“I hope you do realise,” she added quietly, “this almost means you care about your wife’s health more than your stubborn ego.”
He looked away for a moment, then back at her, his expression hardening once again as he put his walls back in place.
“Now who’s living in delusion?” he asked coldly. “I did this only for Abhi because I love my brother very much. His happiness is all that matters to me. You are not the only one who cares for his well-being. I do that more than you.”
Mishti smiled again. Somewhere along the way, she had learned to hear what he never said aloud.
Yes, he loved Abhimanyu deeply and would do anything for him.
But this time, that was not the whole truth.
He had also not wanted her to continue the fast, not wanted her already weak body to suffer any more strain.
And for that, he had bent his own rigid resolve, choosing to give his approval sooner than he had originally planned to, abandoning the idea of delaying it out of stubborn control.
“I like this version of you,” she said softly.
“The one who stands firmly for the people he loves, who protects them without making a show of it, and who is sensitive to emotions he pretends not to have. The version of you that does not hide behind strength all the time, but allows himself to feel.”
As she spoke, she lifted her hand and placed her palm over his chest, right over his heart, pressing gently against the fabric of his shirt. The gesture was too intimate, and it left him momentarily surprised.
“It proves that Karan Wadhwa has a heart of gold,” she continued, her eyes never leaving his. “Not a stone heart, the one you keep pretending to the world. I wish you would show this side of yourself more often.”
The effect of her words on him was immediate.
Karan froze, shocked first by her tender touch, and then by the affection in her words.
Praise had never unsettled him before, but coming from her, spoken with such conviction, it struck far deeper in his heart.
And lately, there was something else too.
He had begun to notice the way her eyes changed when she looked at him.
There was a softness there, a glow that had nothing to do with gratitude or respect.
But he did not want to name what he suspected it was.
Love.
He rebuked that thought, not wanting Mishti to fall in love with him, because he knew he would never be able to return it. And the last thing he wanted was to be the reason for another disappointment in her life.
Footsteps echoed down the stairs.