Ch28 Before the Storm Breaks #4
The more she felt like she was beginning to understand him, the more a new, deeper side of him revealed itself before her.
Dadima, her eyes brimming with tears, spoke with a trembling yet affectionate voice,
“Now that you are handing over your mother’s blessing to Rivanya… you should put them on her yourself.”
Rudraksh looked at Rivanya for a moment before softly asking,
“May I?”
Rivanya lowered her gaze, her heart racing, and gave a small nod in agreement.
Taking the bangles gently from her hands, Rudraksh carefully slipped them onto her delicate wrists.
His touch was slow, almost reverent, as if he was not just making her wear them, but entrusting her with something deeply sacred. Once done, he didn’t look away.
He kept looking at her.
And that was enough to make Rivanya nervous.
His gaze lingered, intense yet soft, and under it, she felt her composure slipping. Sensing her uneasiness, Rudraksh suddenly smiled a real, unguarded smile.
And that changed everything.
Rivanya froze.
Because for the very first time, she saw his genuine smile…
the one that reached his eyes. The soft curve of his lips, the warmth it carried and most of all, those dimples that appeared on his cheeks left her completely mesmerized.
For a moment, she forgot everything else and simply kept looking at him, as if trying to memorize that rare, beautiful expression.
Breaking the moment, Rudraksh spoke casually,
“Alright, I’ll leave for the office now. I have some work.”
As he turned to leave, Pratap’s voice stopped him.
“Rudraksh, be on time today. Many important guests will be coming to the temple. I don’t want anyone saying that the prince of Vardhanpur is irresponsible as you usually are.”
The words hit harder than they seemed.
Rudraksh stopped in his tracks.
Slowly, he turned back, his expression darkening, his mood instantly ruined. His eyes held a sharp anger as he replied,
“I don’t care what your so-called guests think. If I feel like coming, I will. Otherwise...”
He stopped midway, but the tension in the air had already thickened.
Pratap’s anger flared.
“You have no manners, Rudraksh! Is this how you speak to your father? You will come on time. You and Rivanya have to perform the puja together. For the first time, the world will see the future queen of Vardhanpur.”
Rudraksh clenched his fists tightly, his jaw stiff, anger clearly visible.
Through gritted teeth, he replied,
“You are no one to teach me anything. Stay within your limits, Mr. Vardhan. Just because I’m quiet doesn’t mean I’ll agree to everything you say. If I have to come, I will. If not… I won’t.”
His words stunned everyone present.
The bitterness, the distance, the complete lack of warmth in his tone toward his own father it didn’t go unnoticed. It hurt the family to witness such coldness, but it affected Rivanya the most.
Before anyone could say anything further, Rudraksh turned and walked out, anger still burning within him.
And the moment he stepped out of the house.
Something shifted.
Rivanya’s heart suddenly tightened with an unknown fear. A strange uneasiness crept into her chest, making her restless. She couldn’t understand why… there was no reason, no visible sign.
And yet, it felt as if something was about to go terribly wrong.
A visible wave of concern and confusion spread across the faces of Rivanya’s family as well.
They couldn’t understand why Rudraksh would speak to his own father with such bitterness and disrespect.
The tension in the air was heavy, unsettling everyone present.
Trying to ease the situation, Dadaji gently stepped forward and said,
“Come, everyone… let’s sit in the garden. And Rivanya, will you listen to me, beta?”
Lost in her thoughts, Rivanya took a moment to respond before softly saying,
“Ji Dadaji… please tell me.”
Dadaji looked at her with warmth and concern.
“Take care of yourself a little more, beta. For now, go and get some rest. In the evening, we will all go together to the big Shiv temple for the puja. And don’t worry about the food, the staff will handle everything. You just rest, alright?”
Rivanya hesitated, her voice low,
“But Dadaji…”
Before she could complete her sentence, Dadima gently interrupted her, her tone firm yet affectionate.
“No ‘but’, Rivanya. Go and rest. You’ll also need time to get ready for the evening. Let us take care of everything here.”
Left with no choice, Rivanya quietly nodded and walked back to her room. But her heart refused to settle. A strange uneasiness gripped her from within, as if something was about to go terribly wrong. She couldn’t explain it, couldn’t understand it but the feeling wouldn’t leave her.
Again and again, her thoughts drifted back to Rudraksh.
On such an auspicious and beautiful day, he had left the house in anger… and for some reason, that didn’t sit right with her. The more she thought about it, the heavier her chest felt. Trying to calm herself, she picked up her phone and attempted to call him but his phone was switched off.
That only made things worse.
Slowly, she sat down on the bed, her hands trembling slightly. Closing her eyes, she folded her hands in prayer, her voice barely a whisper yet filled with desperate emotion.
“Hey Gauri Maa… Hey Mahadev… with your blessings, I have received my husband… my suhag. Please protect him. Please don’t let anything happen to him. Let all these thoughts in my mind be nothing but fear… just my illusion. Please keep him safe… please…”
Her prayer lingered in the silence of the room, heavy with love, fear, and an unspoken connection that was growing stronger with every passing moment.
Rivanya’s fear was not baseless… not this time.
Because somewhere, hidden in the shadows, there was someone someone who had been waiting, watching, and planning…
someone whose eyes were set on Rudraksh’s life.
It wasn’t just a passing thought or a mere illusion of her restless heart.
The uneasiness she felt, the sudden fear that gripped her soul it was real, and it was trying to warn her of something far more dangerous than she could imagine.
Unbeknownst to everyone, a storm had already begun to rise. While Rivanya sat in her room, praying for Rudraksh’s safety, somewhere else, a pair of cold, merciless eyes burned with hatred and revenge. Every move had been calculated, every moment anticipated. And now, the time had come to strike.
Rudraksh had no idea that he was being watched… that every step he took was leading him closer to a danger carefully laid out for him.
And Rivanya....
Her heart kept racing for a reason.
Because sometimes, love senses danger even before fate reveals it.