𝐑𝐔𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐀

Ch25 Before the Festival Begins #2

"What happened, Rivanya? Why are you crying?"

Still clinging to his chest, she spoke through her tears,

"Everyone does this to me... First, Mumma left me. Then Papa gave the love meant for me to someone else. In school, my friends stopped talking to me. They used to say I didn't have a father, so they couldn't be seen with me.

Then when I grew up, I had only one dream - to fulfill Mumma's dream, to become a lawyer. But Papa snatched that away from me too. First he forced me to stop studying for two years... and then he emotionally blackmailed me into getting married.

And even that marriage... the person because of whom I left my home... he hates me. He doesn't even accept me as his wife..."

Rudraksh listened to every word, one by one.

He couldn't believe how much pain she had carried inside her all this time. How could someone who had endured so much still smile so easily?

Tightening his hold around her, he said gently,

"Who told you that I hate you?"

Still crying, she replied,

"Do you even need to say it? It's obvious from your behavior."

Rudraksh took a deep breath. Holding her face in his hands, he leaned closer and looked straight into her tear-filled eyes.

"I don't hate you, my Sugarplum. How could anyone hate you? Tell me. You're so lovable... no one could ever hate you."

Sniffling, Rivanya said softly,

"My Mamaji says the same thing, you know."

Rudraksh smiled faintly.

"See? On this point, I completely agree with him. His daughter is very adorable."

Through her tears, Rivanya continued,

"You know what the best thing in my life has been? My Mamaji, Mami, Nanu, Nani... and Dhara. They love me so much. They never let me cry.

But now... I think one more name will be added to that list."

Rudraksh looked at her carefully.

"And whose name would that be?"

Lowering her gaze shyly, she whispered,

"That name is Rudra...

Yours."

Rudraksh looked at Rivanya in complete surprise.

“Me? Why?”

There was genuine confusion in his voice. Of all the names she could have mentioned, why his? What had he done now?

Rivanya swayed slightly on her feet, her balance barely cooperating with her intoxicated state. A mischievous smile spread across her face as she pointed a finger at him dramatically.

“I’ll answer that ‘why’ later.”

And before he could question her further, she burst into laughter again loud, carefree, and completely unfiltered.

It was the kind of laughter that belonged to a child who had no worries in the world.

All her earlier emotions seemed to have dissolved into thin air.

She began wandering around the room again, touching random objects, running her fingers along the walls, spinning once in the middle of the room as if she were performing for an invisible audience.

She almost tripped over the edge of the carpet but steadied herself proudly, as if she had just conquered something massive.

Rudraksh stood there silently, watching her every movement. There was something strangely endearing about her innocence in that state. He wanted to smile, but he restrained himself. After observing her for a while, he finally decided enough was enough.

“Rivanya, look. I agreed to everything you said. Now it’s your turn to listen to me. It’s very late. Come on, go to sleep.”

She turned toward him with exaggerated shock, her brows furrowing as if he had suggested something outrageous.

“So early? Why? I don’t want to sleep yet.”

Rudraksh sighed softly. He knew logic would not work on her right now. So he chose a different tactic.

“If you don’t sleep now, a ghost will come and take you away.”

The effect was immediate. Rivanya froze mid-step. Her eyes widened dramatically, and her lips parted in disbelief.

“No! I don’t want to go anywhere. I’m a good girl. Ghosts don’t take good girls.”

Rudraksh crossed his arms, pretending to be serious, even leaning slightly closer to intensify the effect.

“But if you don’t listen to me, you’ll become a bad girl. And ghosts only take bad girls.”

Rivanya gasped as if he had just revealed the most terrifying truth of the universe. Then suddenly, her fear transformed into determination. She began throwing small punches into the air, her movements clumsy yet confident.

“If ghost brother comes, I’ll beat him! I have a pink belt in karate!”

She lifted her leg proudly to demonstrate her “skills,” completely unaware of the consequences. In her drunken enthusiasm, her kick landed straight between Rudraksh’s legs.

For a split second, there was absolute silence.

Rudraksh’s expression changed instantly. His eyes widened, his face drained of color, and he bent down slowly, clutching himself as pain shot through his entire body. He tried to maintain some dignity, but the agony was undeniable.

Meanwhile, Rivanya, completely oblivious to the destruction she had caused, stumbled backward toward the bed. Without even sparing him a glance, she collapsed onto the mattress and fell asleep within seconds, her breathing evening out peacefully as if nothing had happened.

Rudraksh remained on the floor for a moment, struggling to recover.

“You… I’ll deal with you tomorrow, Rivanya,” he muttered weakly, his pride more wounded than anything else.

The next morning, golden rays of sunlight filtered through the window and fell directly on Rivanya’s face. She stirred slightly before slowly opening her eyes. The moment she attempted to sit up, a sharp throbbing pain hit her head.

“My head…” she whispered to herself.

Her entire body felt sore, heavy, and unfamiliar. As though she had run a marathon in her sleep. She looked around the room, confused. The silence felt strange. There was no one else there.

“What happened last night? Why don’t I remember anything? How did I even come to this room?” she murmured, pressing her fingers against her temples. “Oh God… why can’t I remember?”

She shut her eyes tightly, trying to recall even a single clear memory. The last thing she could remember was drinking some odd-tasting juice. After that, everything was blank.

“Did I really drink alcohol?” she questioned herself in panic. “What did I do?”

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” she said hesitantly.

A maid entered, carrying a tray with a glass on it. She greeted her politely and informed her that Sir had asked her to give this hangover drink.

“Hangover drink? That means I really drank alcohol?” Rivanya’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Oh God… please let me remember what happened.”

Before her anxiety could settle, a deep, calm voice echoed from the doorway.

“If you don’t remember… I can remind you.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

Slowly, almost nervously, she lifted her gaze.

Rudraksh was standing right in front of her.

He looked perfectly composed, dressed immaculately as always. But his expression was stern. There was no hint of amusement on his face this time. No softness. Just controlled seriousness.

And suddenly, Rivanya felt that her headache was not her biggest problem anymore.

Because whatever had happened last night…

She was about to find out.

And the way he was looking at her made her very sure...

It was not something small.

Rudraksh silently gestured to the maid to leave.

She understood immediately, placed the tray carefully on the table, and walked out without lifting her gaze.

The soft sound of the door closing behind her was followed by something that made Rivanya’s heart pound harder Rudraksh walking toward the door and locking it.

The click of the lock echoed in the quiet room.

Rivanya’s breath hitched. A wave of nervousness rushed through her body.

“Why are you locking the door? Open it…”

Her voice carried visible panic. Just moments ago she had been worried about her headache, but now that seemed insignificant compared to the intensity in his eyes.

Rudraksh turned toward her slowly, his face calm but stern, his presence dominating the room.

“Why? Yesterday when you were harassing me, you weren’t scared at all. What happened now, Mrs. Rivanya Rudraksh Vardhan?”

The way he addressed her with her full name made her stomach drop.

She stared at him in disbelief, shaking her head immediately.

“No. You’re lying. I couldn’t have done anything like that. You’re trying to trap me.”

There was genuine horror in her expression. She had no memory of anything beyond drinking that strange juice.

Rudraksh let out a short, disbelieving breath.

“First you commit the crime, and now you argue back. At least have some shame, Rivanya.”

Her embarrassment slowly turned into defensive stubbornness.

“Shame for what? I didn’t do anything.”

Without another word, Rudraksh stepped closer and extended his phone toward her, his jaw tightening slightly.

“Oh really? Then what is this?”

Her fingers trembled as she took the phone from him. The video began playing.

At first, confusion flickered across her face.

Then, as the scenes progressed, her expression changed drastically.

Her cheeks flushed deep red. Her eyes widened in pure shock as she watched herself intoxicated, smiling shamelessly, flirting openly, trying to unbutton Rudraksh’s shirt, looking at him with boldness she never possessed in her senses.

Her breathing grew uneven.

The embarrassment burned through her.

But nothing prepared her for the last clip.

A loud gasp escaped her lips when she saw herself delivering that brutal kick to him. The force of it was clear even through the screen. Her hands flew to her mouth, horror washing over her face.

The phone lowered slowly from her hands.

Her head bowed in shame.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t do that intentionally. I accidentally drank that drink. I didn’t know…”

Her voice was small now. Guilty. Fragile.

Rudraksh’s expression hardened, but beneath it there was something else concern.

“If you didn’t know what the drink was, why did you drink it, Rivanya? Do you ever think before doing something? It was good that you came to me on time. What if something had happened to you?”