CHAPTER 46
Two Days Later
Two days later, Avni, Rajat, and VK finally came to see Karan. They were supposed to be here the very next day after the incident, but it was Karan himself who had refused. The reason had been simple.
The man who had shot him was still at large.
The police were doing everything they could, and they had a solid lead, one that promised results soon.
Very soon, the man would be caught. Until then, Karan was not willing to let Avni or anyone else in the family bypass the security protocols just to meet him.
No matter how much it hurt him to say no, he had stood firm.
Avni, however, had her limits. She worried too much, loved her brother too fiercely, and once that worry crossed a certain line, no logic could hold her back. She insisted, argued, pleaded, and finally, Karan relented. Today, they were at the Wadhwa mansion, here to see him with their own eyes.
The moment Avni saw Karan, all her restraint broke apart.
Tears welled up as she pulled him into a tight hug.
He was recovering well, everyone said so, but for a sister, that reassurance was never enough.
She had imagined too many worst outcomes, lived sleepless nights.
Seeing him standing there, alive and healing, finally put her at ease.
Mishti did not let the family leave without having lunch together.
After all these years, Avni had come back to the Wadhwa mansion, and Mishti made sure she was treated not just as a guest but as family.
She had personally overseen the lunch preparations, moving through the kitchen, ensuring everything the family liked was cooked, and she had made the dessert herself.
Moong dal halwa, because Karan liked it.
They were seated at the dining table, VK speaking to Karan about how far the police investigation had progressed. Karan answered calmly, filling them in on what he knew, while Mishti moved around the table serving everyone.
Even when everyone began to eat, Karan did not. He waited. Only when Mishti finally settled into the chair beside him, only when she began serving herself, did he lift the spoon to his mouth.
She noticed it.
Lately, every such gesture from him had started touching something deeper than her heart. It reached her soul, leaving her breath a little uneven every time. Without even trying, he was becoming the husband she had once dreamed of.
Midway through lunch, she noticed him struggling.
There was a plate of galouti kebabs placed in front of him, soft but delicate enough to need both hands to break properly.
It required a steady grip, a fork to hold it in place, and controlled pressure to cut through without crushing it.
With his left hand injured, Karan could not manage it the way he usually did.
He tried once, then again, his jaw tightening slightly in frustration.
Mishti noticed it instantly.
Without a word, she picked up a piece from her own plate, broke it carefully, and lifted it to his mouth. He leaned in and ate it, accepting her help as naturally as breathing, as though this was how it had always been between them.
Only after he swallowed did their eyes meet.
They held each other’s gaze for longer than necessary, the world around them fading again into a blur. The ease with which they recognised each other’s needs, each other’s pain, was written plainly across their faces, in their expressions.
The rest of them noticed it, too. VK, Abhimanyu, Rajat, Avni, all of them saw how she fed him, how natural it looked.
Every single time their gazes met, there was a spark that refused to be subtle.
The way Mishti’s eyes flickered from his, taking in both his eyes, then instinctively dropping to his mouth as he ate the bite from the spoon she held for him.
It was far more intimate in a way than even touching each other.
Rajat finally cleared his throat, unable to ignore it any longer. Turning to Avni with a half-resigned smile, he said softly, “We are just married… but the real newlywed feels are sitting right in front of us.”
Mishti immediately looked down, her cheeks warming under the attention, while Karan merely smirked, unbothered and entirely aware that Rajat was right.
What he shared with Mishti, this ease, this understanding, this pull between them, was no less than what newlywed couples felt. If anything, it ran deeper.
Avni leaned toward Rajat and said teasingly, “You should learn from my brother then.”
Rajat nodded, accepting that without argument, before turning to Karan. “What say, Karan? Anything you would like to say to us? What needs to be done for a successful marriage?”
Karan did not look at Rajat when the question was asked.
For a moment, it was as if he hadn’t even heard it. His attention drifted back to Mishti instead, settling on her face.
“I don’t know how to explain that,” he said, “I’m still learning.” His gaze stayed on her as he continued, “But whatever I have learnt so far about marriage … I’ve learnt it from her.”
Mishti tried to keep her expression neutral as Karan continued.
“Marriage isn’t about sharing a house or responsibilities,” he went on. “It’s about standing by each other, understanding each other without being told, and choosing your partner every single day.”
Mishti couldn’t take her eyes off as he said this.
“I failed at that once,” he admitted, without flinching. “I didn’t choose her when I should have. I didn’t stand by her when I should have.”
His eyes softened, only for her.
“But she did,” he said, this time palming her cheek. “She always did.”
The smallest curve touched his lips. “And that’s why,” he murmured, no longer speaking to the table at all, “I don’t need to think before saying this… that Mishti iss duniya ki sabse acchi patni hai. (Mishti is the best wife in this world.)”
Mishti wasn’t prepared for this. It was the same line she always used for him, calling him the best husband in the world, and now he was saying it for her. As she looked at him now, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her lips trembling with a smile she could not control anymore.
Overwhelmed by the blush, the emotion, and the happiness threatening to spill over, Mishti rose quickly. “I… I’ll bring the desserts,” she murmured and left the table.
Karan watched her go, the smirk returning to his lips, allowing her that escape without stopping her.
VK finally let out a slow breath, the tension easing from his shoulders as he replied, “I am so happy, Karan. Seeing you and Mishti coming close, you understanding her pain and she loving you back like she never stopped. This is what you both always deserved. To be happy. Together.”
Karan nodded once, then added, “I was anyway going to talk to you about her London plans.”
VK nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
“Now that this incident has happened,” Karan said calmly, though there was worry beneath it, “I don’t want to take any risks. I’ve already spoken to the best private agencies there for security. Mishti will have her own guards from now on.”
Mishti, who had just stepped out of the kitchen again, heard it all and stopped short. She hadn’t expected this. The extent of the measures he had already put in place for her safety in London left her momentarily stunned.
Karan continued, unaware of her presence. “Also, I’ll need your help in finding the best penthouses in London, somewhere close to the Sahara Foundation. I want a secure place for her to stay.”
“But I already have a studio apartment,” Mishti finally interrupted, returning to the table.
Karan turned to her at once. “You’re not living there anymore,” he said, his tone leaving no room for doubt. “It’s too unguarded. And besides…” his gaze softened for just a second, “…you deserve much more than that little place.”
He paused before adding, “The last time, I couldn’t make this happen because you didn’t know that I was aware where you are. This time, I don’t want a single inconvenience for you. Or any loopholes in your security.”
Mishti opened her mouth to argue, but VK intervened before she could. “Karan is right, Mishti. He’s thinking like a husband. And he has every right to protect you, especially when he won’t be with you and will be living miles away.”
Karan went quiet for a second. Then, as if a thought struck him mid-breath, he said slowly, “Actually… that’s the real problem, isn’t it?”
Everyone looked at him, waiting.
He turned to Mishti. “I’ll come with you,” he said, already deciding. “To London.”
Her eyes widened.
“Actually, yes,” he continued, as if convincing himself aloud. “Why didn’t I think of this before? I’ll be there with you. That way, I won’t have to worry about how you’re living.”
Rajat frowned slightly. “And what about the business here?”
“You and Abhimanyu are here,” Karan replied without hesitation. “Besides, I can work from there. What’s the big deal?”
Both men nodded, and Karan concluded, “That’s the best solution.”
“No,” Mishti said firmly. “You’re not coming with me.”
Annoyance flared in Karan’s eyes, anger too, but he didn’t want to take this discussion further in front of everyone. He nodded once, meeting her gaze with a look that clearly said this isn’t up for debate. He didn’t voice it, though. What he said instead was, “We’ll talk about this later.”
Mishti caught both, his words and the unspoken warning beneath them. Angrily, she turned away and began serving the desserts.
When she served the bowl of dessert to Karan, his smile was back. He didn’t waste a second tasting the halwa, and the look he gave her afterwards said everything—how badly he wanted to pull her close and kiss her for making it so perfectly.
If only the family weren’t around.
Mishti realised that these days she was reading him far too well. But the truth was, every time she read what he didn’t say aloud… she was right. He did want to kiss her. Right now!
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