Ch16 Faith and Fire
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Hey everyone,
I know I haven’t been updating regularly, and I truly appreciate your patience. The reason is that my health hasn’t been great lately. First, I injured my leg badly, and just as it started healing, I caught a cold and fever.
I know many of you have been eagerly waiting for the next chapters, so I pushed myself to upload this one despite not being fully well. I hope you understand, and I promise that once I get better, I’ll resume regular updates.
Thank you for sticking with me!
Rivanya continued singing the aarti, her voice soft yet glowing with devotion, filling the entire temple with a sacred warmth. But even as her lips recited each word with faith, her heart was whispering a single trembling question:
Will he come?
Every few moments, in the middle of the aarti, she felt something strange in the wind-
a gentle shift in the air, as if someone she deeply knew was drawing closer...
as if the universe itself was preparing to answer her prayer.
There are moments when faith becomes a force, and today, Rivanya's faith was blazing brighter than the sacred lamps lit before the deity.
Because when a devotee asks with rights, with pure heart, the Divine never remains silent.
And today, Maa Gauri was ready to show her daughter-her dear Rivanya-that no matter how dark the world becomes, a Goddess never abandons her child.
As soon as the aarti ended, the devotees gathered inside the temple and in its courtyard to begin the Ramayan Path. Their voices flowed sweetly through the air, narrating how Sita Maa once walked deep into the forest to pluck flowers for Maa Gauri...
and how destiny chose that very moment to bring her face-to-face with Lord Ram for the first time.
Yes.
In a garden...
that divine pair met for the very first time.
Rivanya stood with folded hands before the idol of Maa Gauri, her heart heavy yet full. Sometimes, simply looking at your God-really looking-brings a peace that words can never describe.
No demands.
No complaints.
Just a soul standing before the one who created it.
A sacred meeting of faith and devotion.
Meanwhile... destiny had already begun its move.
The same Rudraksh Vardhan who had never bowed to anyone, who had never waited for anything or anyone...
whose eyes held no softness for the world...
Today, he arrived to take back the woman he called his wife-
the wife he barely knew, yet somehow could not stop thinking about.
Kashi was once again becoming the witness of a union...
of a wife's unshakeable faith...
and of a husband's unspoken duty.
Outside the Gauri temple, a line of 10-12 black luxury cars rolled in, coming to a halt with perfect rhythm.
First, men in black suits stepped out-guards, alert and watchful.
And then from the center car stepped the soon-to-be King of Vardhanpur...
Prince Rudraksh Vardhan.
A name that made his enemies tremble.
The news of his arrival spread across Kashi like wildfire-
and it had already reached Rivanya's home too.
Naturally, anxious family members began rushing toward the Gauri Temple as well.
Rudraksh removed his shades, then his shoes.
His secret guards-who had been shadowing Rivanya for her safety-had informed him that she was currently at the temple.
He ordered all guards to stay back.
"If these well-built men walk inside together," he muttered,
"people will panic."
Composed yet restless, he stepped barefoot into the temple.
Rudraksh (in his mind):
Rivanya... I'm here.
Today I will take you back with full respect.
You've borne enough alone.
Not anymore.
But why... why do I worry for this girl so much?
I am Rudraksh Vardhan - I have never waited for anyone.
Yet here I am, leaving everything behind to come for a wife I barely know...
It hasn't even been a week since we met, since we married -
then why do I feel like I know her so deeply?
That smile she tries to hold while pain hides behind her eyes...
How do I see it so clearly when she never says a word?
Maybe...
maybe it's just sympathy.
Yes, that's all.
Otherwise why would I care?
Lost in these thoughts, Rudraksh stepped inside the temple.
And at that exact moment...
Rivanya's heartbeat stumbled.
She slowly turned around, her eyes brimming with tears, carrying a fragile hope she was almost afraid to believe.
But then-
Her gaze met his.
And in that one moment, her heart forgot to beat.
Finally, the moment arrived.
Finally, her faith won.
Finally...
Rudraksh came for her.
His eyes held a calm, steady assurance-
hers overflowed with pure, trembling joy.
The tear rolling down her cheek wasn't sorrow anymore.
It was relief.
It was victory.
It was devotion being answered.
The devotees who were reading the Ramayan began singing and swaying with joy, as if the universe itself was celebrating this reunion. And their voices echoed through the temple:
Before Maa Gauri, Rivanya's faith and her marriage both triumphed.
She walked forward with trembling steps.
Rudraksh stood rooted for a second-
because for the first time in a long, long while...
something in his heart shifted.
Then he too stepped forward.
Their eyes were locked.
Unblinking.
Unwavering.
As if their souls were already holding hands long before their bodies moved.
Neither looked away.
Neither broke the moment.
They moved toward each other through the sacred glow of the aarti flames-
two people unknowingly bound by destiny,
guided by faith,
witnessed by the divine.
Lost in each other’s eyes, Rudraksh and Rivanya slowly walked closer, as if drawn by an invisible force neither of them could resist.
The world around them the chanting, the bells, the footsteps faded into nothing.
Only two souls existed in that moment.
When they finally stood face-to-face, Rudraksh noticed the tears glistening in Rivanya’s eyes.
Something inside him… something he didn’t understand…
hurt.
He had no right to her feelings, no right to her tears
but still, her pain stung him like it was his own.
Before he could stop himself, Rivanya whispered in a shaking voice,
“You… you came?”
Her voice broke on the last word.
Rudraksh lifted his hand slowly, almost as if afraid she might disappear, and with one long finger, he gently wiped both her tears.
His voice lowered, unexpectedly soft:
“How could I not?
If I hadn’t come, these two eyes of yours would keep flowing like Ganga and Yamuna together, Mrs. Vardhan…”
A faint, broken sigh escaped Rivanya’s lips as she dropped her gaze to the floor.
“I thought you wouldn’t come,” she said quietly.
“After what Mamaji told you… after everything… I thought you wouldn’t come at all.”
Rudraksh exhaled sharply.
“Rivanya,” he said firmly,
“even if I consider you my wife only in name… you are still my responsibility.
As long as my name is tied to yours, I cannot… and will not… let you go anywhere.”
And yet, the moment her eyes lowered again, Rudraksh’s heartbeat stumbled.
For the first time, he saw Rivanya like this
vulnerable
quiet
unguarded
and heartbreakingly gentle.
Her downcast eyes held more truth than her lifted gaze ever did.
Those lowered lashes… those trembling breaths…
said things she would never dare speak.
Rudraksh (in his mind):
How can someone look this beautiful with their eyes lowered?
These deep eyes of hers… like two calm rivers.
And those lashes… like lotus petals floating on water…
But just as he was lost in that moment, something shifted in Rivanya’s expression.
Her face suddenly filled with anger.
Rudraksh blinked, confused.
A second ago she was shy like a scared deer…
and now she looks like she wants to burn me alive… why??
Rivanya’s voice sharpened:
“If you didn’t want us to separate, then why didn’t you stop Mamaji when he dragged me away?
Why did you just stand there quietly and watch?”
Rudraksh froze.
What should I even say?
That her life was actually in danger?
That I had planned to take her somewhere safe anyway?
And since her Mamaji took her away first, I let it happen?
How do I explain all this without exposing things she shouldn’t know yet?
Rivanya stepped closer, eyes blazing:
“Why are you standing like a statue now?
Speak!”
Rudraksh opened his mouth and immediately got stuck.
“Woh… woh… woh…”
Rivanya folded her arms.
“Woh woh what?
Speak clearly!
Come home once, then I swear I will deal with you properly!”
Rudraksh’s jaw clenched.
This tiny girl…
What exactly does she think she can do to me?
Just then, footsteps and hurried voices echoed behind them.
Rivanya’s family arrived at the temple.
Her Mamaji’s face turned red with rage the moment he saw Rudraksh.
He marched toward them and shouted:
“Rudraksh Vardhan!
What are YOU doing here!?”
Rudraksh’s expression instantly turned cold and unbothered.
His royal aura snapped back in place.
“I’ve come to take my wife home.”
Mamaji let out a mocking, venomous laugh.
“Wife?
Which wife?
My daughter is NOT your wife.
This marriage means nothing.
There is NO relationship between you and Rivanya.”
Rivanya stiffened.
But before she could speak, Rudraksh’s eyes hardened completely.
He took one step forward, voice icy:
“Your denial does not change the truth.
In front of the entire world, Rivanya is my wife.
You are her Mamaji; I respect you.
But don’t mistake my decency for weakness.”
The tension thickened like smoke.
Before Mamaji could spit another word, an elder voice cut through the air:
“This is a temple.
Stop this drama right here.
Both of you come home.
Today, the decision WILL be made.”
It was Nanu.
His tone left no room for argument.
Rivanya clutched her dupatta nervously.