CHAPTER 39 #2
Avni stood frozen in shock. Her knees gave way as the truth hit her. She stumbled back, almost collapsing onto the edge of the bed. Mishti sat down beside her and told her everything. It was time, long overdue, for Avni to know every single truth that had been hidden from her all these years.
About how Dilip Goel had destroyed their lives. About how he had even tried to abduct Avni once to scare off Karan, and how that one incident had forced Karan to take the most painful decision of his life: sending Avni away.
Mishti told her how Karan never wanted Avni’s life to be tainted by any of it. How he had only one purpose left in him after that—revenge.
Tears streamed down Avni’s face as VK continued. He explained that changing Avni’s surname had been their decision, so she couldn’t be traced, and she could remain safe.
That every expense, from her childhood till today, had been borne by Karan alone. He had never allowed VK to spend even a single penny.
“He sacrificed everything,” VK said softly. “And never once spoke about it.”
Avni lifted her tear-filled eyes toward Karan, who now stood a little away from them, turned toward the window, lost in memories of the past, reliving everything he had once endured in silence.
Shame and pain washed over Avni.
She swallowed, then turned slowly toward Mishti, a realisation striking her.
“So… that means he married you for revenge?” she asked hesitantly. “You’re not happy with him… that’s why you left him?”
Mishti went blank. She shook her head. “I left him because the guilt that my father is responsible for everything that Karan had to suffer was too much to live with. I ran away not because he was torturing me, but because he was hurting himself in the process. Every time he would see me before him, he would never live in peace. That’s why I chose to leave. He's nowhere at fault.”
Karan turned toward her. His eyes softened instantly. He is nowhere at fault? Really? That’s what she still told his sister? How could someone be so selfless?
Avni didn’t wait another second.
She rushed into Karan’s arms, clutched him tightly, and broke down completely, sobbing against his chest.
“I’m sorry, bhai,” she cried. “I didn’t know this. I’m so sorry for hurting you all the time.”
Karan immediately cupped Avni’s face, gently wiping away her tears. But she kept speaking through her sobs.
“I always thought you wanted the inheritance,” she cried. “I believed you were selfish. And none of you ever corrected me. So I kept assuming I was right. I never even imagined this could be the truth.”
Karan nodded slowly. “None of us wanted your life to be stained with any of this. We just wanted you safe, Avni. I wanted to see you happy.”
Avni swallowed hard, her eyes lifting to meet his, filled with pain.
“I didn’t know Mom was shot,” she whispered. “You told me it was just an accident.”
Karan exhaled deeply and pulled her closer to him as she broke down again, sobbing into his chest.
After a moment, Avni looked up, her trembling fingers reaching out to wipe the moisture from his eyes this time.
“I will never forgive that man,” she said through clenched teeth. “The man took everything from us, bhai. Everything.”
Karan nodded, brushing the stray curls stuck to her damp forehead.
“He’s in prison,” he said firmly. “And he’ll die there. I promise you that. I will never let him touch our family again.”
Avni nodded and wrapped her arms around him even tighter.
That single embrace eased something deep inside Karan’s heart. He had never imagined this day would come—the day his sister would finally understand the truth behind his actions… and trust him again.
A little distance away, Mishti stood crying too, but these were different tears. Happy ones. Tears of relief as she watched the siblings finally reunite.
VK gently soothed her, and she nodded, wiping her cheeks before stepping closer to Avni and Karan. Avni was still clinging to her brother when Mishti spoke softly.
“I’m sorry, Avni,” she said. “For everything you and your brother had to endure because of my father. If anyone deserves that hatred, it’s me, not Karan. He is the best brother.”
Avni didn’t respond. She didn’t even look at Mishti, and Mishti hadn’t expected her to. Quietly, she wiped her own tears and turned to leave.
That was when Karan caught her hand.
His one arm remained wrapped protectively around his sister, Avni, while the other held his wife in place. His gaze locked onto Mishti’s. He didn’t want her walking away burdened with guilt.
He might have realised it far too late in life, but now he did. Mishti should have never been punished for the sins of her father. Karan was already drowning in regret for hurting her, for forcing her to bear the weight of someone else’s crimes. Never again.
Avni slowly eased herself out of Karan’s hold. Her eyes went to their joined hands, to the way Karan and Mishti looked at each other, raw and aching, as if words were no longer enough.
She wiped her own tears and finally turned toward Mishti.
“You don’t deserve that hatred either, Mishti,” Avni said softly. “None of this is your fault. You’ve suffered too, caught between everything.”
Karan gently released Mishti’s hand as Avni stepped closer to her.
“And I’m glad,” Avni continued, “that the sister I had always searched for in you… is actually my sister-in-law.”
She cupped Mishti’s cheek tenderly.
“No matter what you believe, you should never feel guilty for that man’s actions. You are family. And you always will be, Mishti Bhabhi.”
The moment those words left her lips, both women broke down and embraced each other, sobbing freely.
Karan smiled as he watched them, his heart full in a way it hadn’t been in years. The two most important women in his life, united, holding each other, truly understanding the depth of each other’s pain.
*****************
The very next day, Mishti was summoned urgently to VK’s room, and she had no idea what it was about.
She had just finished showering and, without wasting a moment, slipped into another ethnic kurta salwar.
She did not bother with her hair, letting the damp strands fall freely so they could dry on their own, and limited her makeup to nothing more than a light coat of lip gloss. With that, she hurried out of her room.
When she knocked on VK’s door, it was Avni who opened it. Avni greeted her with a warm smile and ushered her inside. The moment Mishti stepped in, she saw Rajat and Abhimanyu were already present, along with Komal and VK. Everyone looked serious.
Before anyone could speak, the doorbell rang again. Avni immediately rushed out and returned moments later, almost dragging Karan inside with her. Mishti’s eyes lifted instinctively, meeting Karan’s. Even his gaze paused on her briefly, assessing her presence, before he turned his attention to VK.
“What happened?” he asked calmly. “Why are we all called here?”
VK let out a slow sigh, as though bracing himself. “Actually, we have a small problem,” he said. “Do you remember I told you about my close friends from Delhi who are coming for the wedding?”
Karan nodded, recalling the conversation.
“They are coming with their families now,” VK continued.
Karan merely shrugged. “That’s good,” he said easily. “They are all welcome.”
Avni shook her head at him. “You don’t understand, bhai.”
The word made Mishti smile instantly. The way Avni addressed Karan as bhai now, the ease with which she spoke to him, the comfort that flowed naturally between them, felt like the very definition of sibling goals.
She recalled the previous night when Karan and Avni had spent hours together in the garden, strolling side by side, walking and talking without hesitation.
They spoke of their childhood, shared memories of joy and pain, filling in the emptiness of the sixteen years they had lost. Mishti had watched them quietly from her balcony, unable to look away.
She remembered seeing Karan literally chasing after Avni across the lawn, trying to catch her after she had teased him about something.
The sight had been strangely soothing, almost healing.
The way Karan smiled when he was with his sister, the way he laughed freely, made it clear that this was who they had been once, before everything had been taken from them.
Before life had stolen their happiness.
No. Not life.
Her father had taken it away.
Mishti brushed those thoughts aside just as Avni held up a sheet of paper and showed it to Karan.
“Look,” Avni said, pointing at the list. “The hotel is full. Almost seventy percent of the rooms have been booked by us, and the remaining thirty percent are already occupied. There are no vacant rooms left to accommodate any extra guests.”
Rajat cleared his throat before speaking. “So what, Dad? We can check them into another resort.”
Abhimanyu shook his head immediately. “No. That won’t look good. They can’t keep travelling back and forth between two resorts every single day for the wedding functions. We need to find another solution.”
Komal thought for a moment before suggesting, “What if a few of us stay double?”
Avni agreed instantly. “Cool. We actually need four rooms,” she said briskly. “So you and I can double up in my room.”
Komal nodded without hesitation.
Rajat turned to Abhimanyu. “You can share my room.”
Abhimanyu nodded with a smile that appeared far too ready, as though he had been waiting for the offer.
VK spoke next. “One of my friends is single, so I can share my room with him. But we are still one room short.”
Mishti had been quietly counting along, observing everyone’s expression. She had her suspicions over this entire doubling-up scenario, but she was not ready to voice them yet.
“I can give my room too,” Mishti said gently. “I don’t mind sharing.”
Karan spoke at the same time. “Likewise,” he said simply.
Suddenly, Avni’s eyes lit up. “That just means,” she said, turning excitedly, “if you two share the same room, the problem is solved. Right, Papa?”
She looked straight at VK, who cleared his throat and nodded with almost excessive enthusiasm. “Yes, yes. That would solve the problem.”
Mishti looked at Karan at once. He was already staring at her, his expression saying everything words did not. Say Yes.
She swallowed hard, her mind flashing back to the past. To the same man who had never once allowed her into his bedroom at the Wadhwa mansion. And now, he seemed to want her to live in the same room with him.
Of course, she understood now. Why he had done it then. To maintain distance. To deliberately hurt her. To make her believe that he hated her, so she would stay away.
But now, things were different.
Avni spoke up again, suddenly shaking her head. “No, no. We don’t want to force Mishti,” she said quickly. “I think Karan bhai and Rajat can share a room, and Mishti can stay with me. Komal can share with Abhimanyu.”
VK rejected the idea instantly. “What are you saying, Avni?” he said firmly. “Komal and Abhi are not married yet. Even though none of us would personally have an issue with them sharing a room, I don’t want the guests’ attention drawn to these living arrangements. Absolutely not.”
Mishti saw that every gaze in the room was now fixed on her, waiting. Waiting for her answer. Even Karan’s eyes were on her, and from the look on his face, he already seemed to be floating somewhere far above the ground.
Finally, Mishti nodded. She smiled at VK and said softly, “Karan and I will share a room. Unless he has a problem with it.”
She stressed the last part deliberately.
Karan remained silent, but his eyes never left her face as Mishti turned toward him and continued. “Because he did have a problem in the past, sharing his room with me. I don’t want to force him or intrude on his privacy.”
Karan understood exactly what she was doing. She was pressing salt into an old wound, reminding him how deeply that decision of his had hurt her back then, mirroring the pain he had once caused.
He stepped closer to her, just one step, not enough to intrude, but enough to draw her unmistakably into his space.
“A lot has changed between then and now,” he replied. “Things you are yet to see. I guess if we share the same room now, you will know. And you will believe it too.”
Mishti swallowed hard; their eyes remained locked, neither of them ready to look away.
Avni noticed the charged silence and broke it loudly. “If eye locks could make babies, these two would already have dozens by now.”
Everyone laughed. Mishti immediately looked down, hiding her embarrassment, whereas Karan shot his sister a mocking glare.
But Avni only grinned. “I don’t fear that look of yours anymore,” she said, looping her arms around his. Then she turned to everyone else. “Okay then. Meeting dispersed. Tomorrow is my mehndi and sangeet. Bhai is dancing too.”
Karan immediately shrugged out of her hold. “Abhimanyu will dance,” he said flatly. “Not me. I’ll just watch.”
Avni frowned at him, calling him a bore, before moving over to Abhimanyu and hugging him instead.
The mood in the room shifted back to excitement as everyone began discussing plans for the mehndi and sangeet the next day.
That was when Karan turned toward Mishti and asked casually, “Do you need help packing your things from your room?”
Mishti knew he was teasing her. “No, thanks,” she replied coolly. “I like doing things on my own.”
She turned and walked away.
Karan followed her out, trying to suppress the smile tugging at his lips, still unable to believe his luck that Mishti was going to share a room with him.