Ch15Ill Wait. Because He Will Come #2
“If the Prince Charming from every girl’s dream had a face, it would be his,” she whispered, her voice filled with warmth.
“His name suits him Rudraksh. Strong, calm, and intense. He acts like he doesn’t care, but I know he does. He’ll pretend to ignore me, act distant… and then secretly fast for my long life.”
Her tone softened, almost reverent. “You won’t believe it, Dhara, but Rudraksh is a deep devotee of Lord Shiva. His discipline… it’s something else. He wakes up at 4 a.m., works out, does his prayers everything with precision. He doesn’t show much, but he loves his family fiercely.
You can see it in the smallest things he does.”
As she spoke, her entire face lit up with an ethereal glow. Dhara just watched in silent wonder the way Rivanya’s eyes sparkled when she said his name, the way her lips curved unknowingly into a smile each time she mentioned him.
Dhara thought to herself, It’s barely been a week since the wedding… and yet she already understands him so deeply. How?
Finally, Rivanya looked at Dhara with helpless honesty.
“I don’t know what’s happening to me, Dhara. I just met him… but somehow, I already trust him. When Mamaji was taking me away today, I looked back one last time into Rudraksh’s eyes and I just knew. His eyes told me everything. The fire in them said, Rivanya, I will come for you. I don’t know how,
but I’ve started to understand even the language of his silence…”
Dhara smiled knowingly, shaking her head. “You don’t know what’s happening to you, hmm?”
Rivanya frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Dhara chuckled and pulled her closer, teasingly whispering, “You’ve fallen in love, my silly Rivu. Completely, madly, hopelessly in love.”
And in that moment, Rivanya froze her tears stopped, her breath caught. The word love echoed in her heart like a prayer she didn’t even know she had been saying all along.
The quiet in the room felt almost sacred, broken only by the soft rustling of the curtains swaying in the evening breeze.
Rivanya sat on the edge of her bed, eyes swollen from crying, while Dhara rested beside her, watching her with the concern of someone who’d seen her break too many times in one day.
Rivanya let out a deep sigh and said softly, her voice still trembling, “You’re impossible, Dhara. You keep saying the most ridiculous things… how can you even think that I’m in love?”
Dhara raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a half-smile as she teasingly brushed Rivanya’s hair away from her face. “Say whatever you want, Rivu, but your eyes tell a different story. They speak louder than your words ever could. I can see it how much faith you have in jiju.”
Rivanya lowered her gaze, playing nervously with the corner of her dupatta. A faint blush crept across her face, mixing awkwardness with unspoken emotion. “Yes, I trust him,” she admitted hesitantly, “but that doesn’t mean it’s love, Dhara.”
Dhara chuckled softly, shaking her head. “You silly girl,” she said warmly, “love always begins with trust. Bharosa it’s the first step, the one that not everyone can take. The kind of faith you have in Rudraksh... that’s where love begins, even if you don’t want to call it that yet.”
Her words hung in the air like a soft truth, one that Rivanya couldn’t ignore. She looked up, her eyes glistening with confusion and something deeper something that frightened her as much as it comforted her.
Dhara leaned closer, her tone calm yet full of affection. “The way you understand him, Rivu… the way you talk about him even when he’s not here it’s not normal. You trust him, you believe in him, even when the whole world stands against you. If that’s not love, then what is?”
Rivanya fell silent. Her chest rose and fell as if each breath carried the weight of emotions she hadn’t allowed herself to feel.
Dhara smiled playfully again, breaking the heavy silence. “Tell me one thing, Rivu you really believe he’ll come back for you, don’t you?”
Rivanya’s eyes flickered with that same fire that once silenced the entire hall downstairs. “Believe?” she whispered. “No, Dhara. I know. He will come. I’ve seen it in his eyes that promise, that determination. He’ll come for me. I don’t need proof, his eyes were enough.”
Dhara let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “Well, if you’re that sure, then freshen up right now,” she said dramatically, tapping Rivanya’s nose playfully. “If your jiju walks in and sees you like this red eyes, messy hair, and all he might just run away before even reaching the door.”
Rivanya couldn’t help but laugh, her tears finally giving way to a small, genuine smile. “You’re impossible, Dhara,” she said, trying to sound annoyed but failing miserably as her voice broke into laughter.
“Go, freshen up, my lady,” Dhara teased. “And yes, in the evening, we’re going to Gauri Mandir. You need to speak to your goddess, don’t you?”
Rivanya’s eyes softened. “Yes,” she whispered, her voice full of quiet determination. “I need to tell Maa everything in my heart today.”
Dhara grinned, pressing her palms together dramatically. “As you wish, my dear jiju ki dulhaniya. We’ll go wherever you want.”
Rivanya chuckled again, shaking her head. “You’re impossible.”
And for the first time in days, a small spark of peace returned to her face the kind that comes when love begins to quietly take root in the heart, even before one dares to name it.
In Kashi, the air carried the weight of longing.
Rivanya’s heart ached with every passing minute, her eyes flickering toward the temple bells and the horizon as though both might carry a sign a whisper that her husband was on his way.
Each beat of her heart echoed a single name: Rudraksh.
She clutched the edge of her dupatta close to her chest, her mind replaying his voice, his gaze, his silence.
A silence that had said a thousand words the day they were separated.
And far away, in Mumbai, even the Vardhan Mansion seemed to feel her absence.
The marble corridors that once echoed with her soft footsteps were now still, the air heavy with quiet grief.
The staff spoke in hushed tones, and in Rudraksh’s room, the flickering light of the evening sun fell across his face the same face that had forgotten what peace felt like.
Rudraksh stood by the wide glass window, his posture rigid, his eyes lost somewhere beyond the horizon. His fingers clenched the edge of the frame as if anchoring himself to something real.
But what replayed in his mind wasn’t the mission or the danger it was her.
Her tearful eyes, the tremor in her voice when she said she trusted him… the way she had looked back, one last time, waiting for him to stop her.
He had wanted to.
He had wanted nothing more than to pull her back into his arms, to tell her she was never going anywhere without him.
But he couldn’t.
Two reasons had shackled his heart that day.
The first Vyom’s words. When Rudraksh had taken that one impulsive step forward to stop her, Vyom had grabbed his arm and warned, “If you interfere now, her family will take it as an insult. You’ll break her pride in front of the people she grew up with.”
And Rudraksh had frozen because the last thing he wanted was to make her cry again, this time for her family’s honor.
And the second his mission. The dangerous, all-consuming mission that now stood at its final stage. One wrong move could destroy everything. Even within his own mansion, enemies lurked. His life was at constant risk, and he knew… if he kept Rivanya near him, she would be the first target.
So he made the hardest decision of his life.
He let her go.
But what the world didn’t know was that he hadn’t sent her away unprotected.
His most trusted men guards who had sworn loyalty to him shadowed her every step in Kashi.
His secretary sent daily updates about her safety.
Rudraksh read every report, his heart tightening each time her name appeared on the screen.
And when he learned that she had stood up to her own family for him, defending their bond with pride and conviction, something inside him shifted.
His eyes softened. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
“She still believes in me…” he murmured. “Even when I’m not there to hold her.”
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, and when he opened them again, there was a storm in them fierce, determined, unstoppable.
“Just a few more hours, Rivanya,” he whispered under his breath. “Just a few more hours, and I’ll come for you. I swear by everything I am, by everything I’ve ever fought for tonight, I’ll be standing before you.”
With that silent promise, Rudraksh fastened his loaded gun to his belt, his expression shifting into the cold, composed mask the world knew too well. He stepped out of his room and descended the stairs, each stride heavy with purpose.
Just as he was about to step out of the mansion gates, Vyom entered from the opposite side, his pace quick and his face triumphant.
Rudraksh’s sharp gaze lifted. “Any update?” he asked, his voice calm, but his eyes demanded an answer.
Vyom nodded once, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Mission successful, sir.”
For a moment, the corner of Rudraksh’s jaw tightened. He didn’t smile he rarely did but the flicker of relief in his eyes was unmistakable. “Good,” he said in his deep, commanding tone. “Then prepare to bring the Queen of Vardhanpur back home.”
Vyom’s grin widened. “Everything’s ready. Your private jet has been cleared for takeoff. In about five hours, we’ll be in Kashi.”
Rudraksh gave a curt nod, his hand tightening around his gun. “Perfect. And Vyom ” his tone grew darker, colder,
“I want full security. Every second, every turn. No mistakes. I want her back, safe, untouched, unharmed. Understood?”
Vyom straightened, his voice crisp. “Understood, sir. Mrs. Vardhan will be back home tonight.”
As Vyom walked away to make the arrangements, Rudraksh turned back toward the open door.
His heart, armored though it was, whispered one last time I’m coming, Rivanya.