I want baby NOW!!
Hey hiiiiii mayawiyans!!!!!!
Enjoy the chapter where our Devu traumatised the doctor and now doctor need therapy????
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Rivan turned around.
Yashodha's fingers tightened around the edge of her pallu. Her ears had turned red. This was unfamiliar territory for both of them. They had lived in the same house for years... yet never spoken.
Not really.
"Haan boliye."
Her eyes widened.
She had prepared herself to be ignored... shouted at... dismissed.
But this calm, respectful tone?
It shook her.
He waited.
"Boliye, Mrs. Thakur."
Behind pillars and half-open doors, the family watched like a suspense serial episode.
Yashodha swallowed. "See... I didn't do anything wrong."
Rivan's brows slowly pulled together.
"So you think... you didn't do anything wrong, Mrs. Thakur?"
She nodded firmly. "Yes. Whatever I did was right."
Rivan's eyes widened a fraction.
"So... you are accepting it?"
She blinked. "Of course I am accepting it. Why would I hide it now?"
His jaw clenched.
Her voice trembled.
Both thinking about completely different crimes.
Rivan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So... you believe you did nothing wrong."
She nodded, firm but nervous. "Whatever I did, I did for the right reasons."
Rivan's jaw tightened.
"Right reasons?" he repeated slowly.
"Yes. Someone had to take that decision."
He stared at her.
She stared back.
Both speaking about completely different things.
Rivan: "You should not have interfered."
Yashodha: "If I hadn't, everything would have fallen apart."
Rivan: "That wasn't your place."
Yashodha: "It became my place when no one else stepped up."
Rivan: "You crossed a line."
Yashodha: "I protected this house."
Rivan: "By doing that?"
Yashodha: "I had no other choice at that time!"
Rivan paused.
She sounded emotional.
Guilty.
But not in the way he expected.
He spoke carefully. "You still think it was justified?"
Her eyes became watery. "I have lived with that weight for years. Don't think it was easy for me."
Rivan blinked.
That... didn't match what he had in mind at all.
He tried again. "You could have handled it differently."
She replied instantly, "There was no 'different' option back then."
A long silence fell.
Both confused now.
Both feeling accused for something... but not sure what.
Behind the pillar, the entire family came out at once.
Rudraksh: "Did anyone understand anything?"
Payal: "No."
Jinal: "But it felt important."
Aradhya: "Very important. Very dangerous."
Yashodha: "If I hadn't done that, this house would have broken!"
Rivan stared.
Yashodha stared.
Rivan, slower now: "You really think it was appropriate?"
Yashodha, emotional: "Appropriate? You think I enjoyed doing that? You think I was happy?"
Rivan stopped again, turning back sharply.
His calm mask slipped a little.
"But whatever you did... was very wrong, Mrs. Thakur."
Yashodha's brows pulled together. A rare firmness entered her voice.
"No. I did what was right, Rivan."
"Right?" he repeated, disbelief laced in his tone. "You call that right?"
"Yes!" she said, a little louder now. "Sometimes what is right doesn't look nice from outside."
Rivan's patience snapped.
"She is just a baby!" he burst out. "You can't let her watch anything! Do you even realize what kind of impact that has on her mind?"
Yashodha froze.
"She is eating her husband alive because of that nonsense movie!" he added, frustrated beyond measure.
Yashodha blinked.
"...What?"
Rivan ran a hand through his hair. "Do you know what she was trying to copy? Do you know what questions she is asking? I had to control a whole lecture while she stood there looking at me like I'm some practical lab!"
Yashodha's eyes widened in horror.
"Which movie?" she asked cautiously.
Rivan stared at her. "You don't know?"
She shook her head slowly.
He narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me you don't know about that movie."
Reyansh came down the corridor casually... and then stopped mid-step.
His eyes widened.
Rivan.
Talking.
To Yashodha.
Not shouting. Not ignoring. Not walking away.
Talking.
He slowly looked to the side and noticed the rest of the siblings lined up near the wall like school kids spying on a fight.
Payal whispered, "Are we dreaming?"
Jinal muttered, "Don't blink. If you blink this scene will disappear."
Reyansh walked toward them in disbelief. "Since when is this happening?"
Aradhya whispered back, "Shhh! Historic moment. Don't disturb the wildlife."
Just then, Virendra also arrived, adjusting his glasses.
"What is happening here?" he asked.
Reyansh, still staring, replied flatly, "Magic."
Virendra nodded slowly. "Yes. I can see that."
They all peeked again.
Rivan was standing with folded arms, serious expression.
Yashodha standing in front of him, pallu tightly held, trying to explain herself.
They weren't fighting.
They weren't ignoring.
They were actually... conversing.
Virendra whispered, "In this house, I never saw this day."
Reyansh added, "If someone records this, we can sell it as documentary footage."
Aradhya muttered, "National Geographic: Rare species of communication spotted between mother and son."
Payal elbowed her, trying not to laugh.
Inside, Rivan sighed, rubbing his temple.
Outside, the whole family stood like secret audience of the most unexpected scene of the year.
Virendra folded his hands behind his back proudly. "My family is finally normal."
Reyansh replied, "No, uncle.This is beyond normal. This is supernatural."
Rivan's anger wavered. Confusion replaced it.
"She said you told her to watch it."
Yashodha's mouth fell open. "What???"
"I did NOT tell her to watch any movie! Especially not... whatever you are talking about!"
Rivan frowned. "Then why would she take your name?"
Yashodha thought hard.
Rivan's eyes scanned the hallway
and landed on Aradhya.
Deadly.
Silent.
Focused.
Aradhya froze.
Her soul left her body for a second.
She gulped. "Bhaiyya..."
Rivan took one step forward.
She took three steps back.
He didn't say anything.
That was more dangerous.
She turned and RAN.
"NO BHAIYYA SORRYYYYYY!"
Rivan immediately ran behind her.
Now the entire haveli echoed
Footsteps. Screams. Laughter.
Aradhya ran straight behind Virendra and held him like a shield.
"PAPA SAVE ME!"
Virendra raised both hands. "I am neutral. I am Switzerland."
Rivan pointed at her from the side. "Move."
Virendra calmly stepped aside. "Beta, face your consequences."
She screamed and ran again.
This time behind Reyansh.
"BHAI SAVE ME PLEASE!"
Reyansh lifted both hands. "I am not getting involved. I love my life."
She pushed him and ran again across the hall.
Servants stood confused.
Jinal was laughing holding her stomach.
Payal sat on the sofa clapping like it was a live show.
Aradhya slipped near the carpet, balanced herself, and ran upstairs.
Rivan followed without slowing down.
"You are getting out of control, Aradhya!"
She shouted while running, "IT WAS JUST A MOVIE!!!"
The whole hall burst into louder laughter.
Virendra stood there... watching.
Reyansh stood beside him.
Both silent now.
Watching Rivan run.
Watching him shout.
Watching him chase.
Watching him behave like a normal brother.
Like a normal son.
Like a normal person.
Something they had not seen in years.
Virendra's voice went soft. "I never saw him like this..."
Reyansh nodded slowly. "He's coming out... finally."
Aradhya ran straight behind Yashodha and hid in her pallu.
"Maa please save me!"
Rivan reached there, slightly out of breath, hair messy, eyes still burning.
"See what I am going to do with you now."
Yashodha raised her hand protectively. "It's okay, she is just a kid."
Rivan snapped, "Kid? It's you who spoiled her, Mrs. Thakur. Don't take her side."
And right at that moment
A soft voice entered the chaos.
"What's happening here?"
Devyani.
Everyone froze.
Rivan's eyes widened.
Aradhya immediately ran to Devyani and held her arm dramatically.
"Bhabhi! Bhaiyya is hitting me!"
Devyani's eyes grew round. "Why?"
Aradhya sniffed loudly. "Without any reason!"
Devyani slowly turned her head toward Rivan.
Very slowly.
Dangerously calmly.
"Pati ji..."
He straightened.
Her next line came like a final verdict.
"You want to sleep outside tonight?"
Silence.
Pin-drop silence.
Rivan blinked.
He suddenly became aware
He had run across the whole haveli.
Chased his sister.
Argued with Yashodha.
Shouted in the hallway.
And his entire family...
Was standing there.
Watching.
Trying very hard not to laugh.
Virendra looked away, coughing to hide his smile.
Reyansh had his lips pressed tight.
Jinal's shoulders were shaking.
Payal turned her face to the wall.
Yashodha looked at Rivan... and for the first time...
She smiled.
A real smile.
Rivan cleared his throat, trying to regain his dark, dangerous aura.
"Yes. Very funny. Everyone laugh."
Devyani folded her arms.
"Why are you scaring Aru?"
Rivan pointed at Aradhya. "Because she—"
Devyani cut him off.
"No explanation. She is scared."
Aradhya nodded instantly, hiding her grin in Devyani's shoulder.
"Yes bhabhi... very scared."
Rivan narrowed his eyes at her.
Devyani stepped slightly in front of Aradhya like a shield.
"You will not shout."
Rivan exhaled slowly.
Fine.
He looked at Aradhya again.
"You are saved. For now."
Aradhya peeked from behind Devyani and whispered, "Thank you bhabhi, you are my real bodyguard."
Devyani smiled proudly.
Rivan looked at the ceiling.
This girl.
This entire family.
And for the first time in years...
The haveli did not feel heavy.
It felt loud.
Messy.
Alive.
Rivan awkwardly slipped out of the hall without looking at anyone.
Virendra smiled to himself.
Yashodha... she was glowing.
Actually glowing.
She hurried to Virendra like an excited child.
"Did you see? He talked to me. He actually talked to me!"
Virendra chuckled softly. "Yes, I saw that."
He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
The whole family collectively went, "Awwww..."
For a moment, it felt warm. Light. Peaceful.
Then Yashodha asked casually, still smiling, "By the way... what was he talking about?"
And before anyone could stop her—
Devyani answered innocently,
"Oh that? It's 50 Shades of Grey."
Silence.
Dead silence.
Aradhya's eyes widened so much they almost popped out.
Ye nahi bolna tha... ye nahi bolna tha... she cried internally.
Yashodha froze.
Virendra froze.
Reyansh blinked.
Jinal coughed to hide laughter.
Payal looked at the floor.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
Everyone's eyes turned toward Aradhya.
Like she had committed a national crime.
Virendra's voice came out strict.
"How could you let her watch that movie, Aru? Where are your manners?"
Aradhya opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened again.
"No papa I—"
Reyansh interrupted, raising an eyebrow.
"Uncle... you know that movie?"
Virendra immediately cleared his throat.
"Ahem."
Everyone: "Hmmmmmm..."
Yashodha's cheeks turned red.
Very red.
Embarrassed beyond limits.
Virendra tried to recover his dignity.
"I mean... I have heard about it. It's very... inappropriate."
Reyansh smirked. "Heard?"
Jinal whispered, "Research purpose maybe..."
Aradhya looked at Devyani like she wanted to cry.
Devyani blinked innocently.
"What? It's not a good movie. That's why pati ji is angry."
Yashodha slowly looked at Virendra.
Virendra avoided eye contact.
The family burst into laughter.
And in the middle of it
Aradhya stood like a punished school kid.
While Devyani smiled proudly...
Thinking she just solved a very big family mystery.
Virendra cleared his throat with fake authority.
"Stop teasing my wife."
And before anyone could add more fuel to the fire, he gently held Yashodha's hand and took her away from there.
One by one, laughter faded.
Everyone slowly returned to their rooms, still smiling to themselves.
The haveli felt lighter today.
Warmer.
Alive.
?
It was noon.
Outside, near the car, Rivan was already waiting.
Hands in pockets. Expression calm. Eyes distant.
But the moment Devyani walked toward him, his gaze softened automatically.
She came quietly, still a little nervous about the "check-up punishment."
He opened the car door for her without a word.
They drove in silence.
Not uncomfortable.
Just... thoughtful.
?
At the hospital.
They entered the doctor's cabin.
A lady doctor in her early forties stood up politely.
"Please, come. Sit."
She gave a professional smile.
But there was a tiny flicker of nervousness in her eyes.
Not because of Devyani.
Because of Rivan.
His presence was... intimidating without trying.
Devyani sat slowly on the chair, fingers twisting together in her lap.
Rivan sat beside her, close enough that his arm brushed hers slightly.
A silent assurance.
The doctor looked at Devyani gently.
"So, what seems to be the problem?"
Rivan spoke calmly, voice steady but concern very clear.
"Her periods are irregular. And the pain is... very severe. Not normal."
The doctor nodded and turned her chair slightly toward Devyani, her tone becoming soft and friendly.
"Okay, dear. I'll ask you a few questions, hmm? Just answer whatever comes to your mind."
Devyani nodded seriously, like this was a very important exam.
The doctor smiled. "Since when are your periods irregular?"
Devyani thought very deeply.
"Ummm... sometimes they come when I don't want them to come. And sometimes they don't come when I wait for them."
The doctor blinked.
Rivan closed his eyes briefly.
The doctor tried again. "Do they come every month?"
Devyani: "Yes. No. I mean... they come. But not with permission."
The doctor's pen paused mid-air.
Rivan looked at the ceiling.
"Do you maintain a date record? Like, do you note when it starts?"
Devyani nodded confidently. "Yes."
The doctor looked hopeful. "Very good. So what is the cycle gap?"
Devyani replied proudly, "When my white dress gets spoiled, that's when I know."
Silence.
The doctor coughed lightly.
Rivan pressed his lips together to stop himself from reacting.
The doctor leaned forward. "Okay... do you experience cramps?"
Devyani frowned. "Cramps means?"
"Pain in the stomach."
"Ohhh. Yes! Very much. Like someone inside is fighting with sword."
The doctor nodded. "And do you use sanitary pads properly?"
Devyani replied innocently, "I try. But they betray me."
Rivan looked away.
The doctor adjusted her glasses. "Do you change them every few hours?"
Devyani whispered, "When they feel heavy and guilty."
The doctor froze.
Rivan rubbed his forehead.
The doctor tried to stay professional. "Do you feel weakness, dizziness?"
Devyani: "Yes. And I cry also. And I get angry. And I want to eat sweet. And I hate everyone. Especially him."
She pointed at Rivan.
The doctor looked at him.
Rivan nodded once. "That part is accurate."
The doctor smiled faintly, trying not to laugh.
"Okay... last question. On the first day, how is the flow?"
Devyani replied seriously, "Like crime scene."
The doctor's pen slipped from her hand.
Rivan shut his eyes.
Devyani looked worried. "Did I say something wrong?"
The doctor quickly picked up her pen. "No no, dear. You're... explaining very clearly."
The doctor cleared her throat gently and glanced between them.
"Does the pain increase after... physical closeness? Or afterward?"
Rivan cleared his throat immediately. "No."
The doctor nodded, then looked at Devyani kindly. "I'll ask you a few related questions, okay? Just answer honestly."
Devyani nodded very seriously.
"Do you ever feel discomfort in the lower abdomen after being close?"
Devyani thought hard. "Umm... sometimes my heart beats very fast. And I forget how to breathe. And I feel very hot."
The doctor paused. "...I meant pain."
"Oh. No pain. Only... confusion."
Rivan looked straight ahead, jaw tight.
The doctor tried again. "Any soreness?"
Devyani blinked. "Soreness means... like after running?"
"...Yes. Something like that."
She shook her head. "No. Only tired because he doesn't let me sleep early."
Rivan closed his eyes briefly.
The doctor coughed into her hand.
"Do you feel fear or anxiety during intimacy?"
Devyani replied confidently, "No. I ask too many questions. He gets anxiety."
The doctor's lips twitched.
"Do you feel safe?"
Devyani nodded instantly. "Very. He treats me like glass. Sometimes too much glass."
Rivan stopped the flow of answers before it could go any further off track.
He cleared his throat, voice firm but respectful.
"No. We haven't... done anything yet."
The doctor paused, understood immediately, and gave a professional nod.
"Alright, Mr. Thakur."
She wrote something down and turned to Devyani again.
"Listen carefully, dear. Period pain is normal, but the intensity you're describing is not considered healthy. This level of cramping can be due to a few reasons."
She began listing gently.
"It could be hormonal imbalance, or primary dysmenorrhea, where the uterus contracts too strongly during periods.
Sometimes it is linked with prostaglandin levels, which cause excessive pain.
In some cases, conditions like endometriosis, PCOS, or uterine lining sensitivity can also lead to this kind of pain and irregular cycle. "
Devyani stared at her like she was speaking an alien language.
Rivan listened very carefully.
The doctor continued,
"I'll suggest a few tests. A pelvic ultrasound, some hormone profile blood tests, and we'll see if there's any underlying issue. Don't worry, these are routine."
Then she added casually, while writing the prescription
"We need to make sure everything is fine internally so that later there are no complications when she plans for babies."
The word landed.
Babies.
Devyani's head snapped up.
Her eyes widened slowly.
"Babies?"
The doctor smiled politely. "Yes,Mrs Thakur . In future. Not now. Just to make sure your body is healthy."
But Devyani was no longer listening to the explanation.
She looked at Rivan.
Then back at the doctor.
Then at her own stomach.
Her hand slowly moved to her abdomen.
"...Baby?"
Rivan stepped outside to take a call, leaving Devyani alone with the doctor.
The moment the door clicked shut, Devyani's eyes began to shine.
She had heard this in so many serials.
A baby makes the bond stronger.
A baby means love never breaks.
A baby means no one leaves.
She leaned forward seriously.
"Okay. Give me a baby."
The doctor blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"Yes. You said baby. So give me."
The doctor smiled politely, thinking she misunderstood. "No, dear. I meant in future, you and your husband can plan for a baby after we check your reports."
Devyani shook her head. "No, I want now."
The doctor's pen froze mid-air.
"...Now?"
"Yes. Because you don't know my pati ji. He gets angry sometimes and goes away for months. If baby comes, he won't go anywhere. So give me fast."
The doctor removed her glasses slowly.
"Mrs. Thakur... that's not how this works."
"But you are a doctor. Doctors deliver babies. So you must have some."
"I... don't keep babies in stock," the doctor replied carefully.
Devyani looked genuinely confused.
"Then where do they come from?"
The doctor opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
"...From the parents."
Devyani had now fully leaned across the doctor's table.
"No, but you are not understanding me," she insisted with complete seriousness. "You are a baby doctor. You have to give babies. That is your work."
The doctor tried to remain professional, but her composure was slipping.
"Mrs. Thakur, I am a gynecologist, not a baby supplier."
"But you take babies out, na? So you must have extra also."
The doctor inhaled slowly.
Just then the cabin door opened.
Rivan walked in.
One look at the scene
Devyani half-standing, arguing.
Doctor looking helpless.
He instantly understood something had gone very wrong.
"Devyani," he said calmly.
She turned. "Pati ji! Tell her to give baby fast. She is delaying."
The doctor looked at him like please handle this.
Rivan closed his eyes for one second, controlling his expression.
He walked to her, held her shoulders gently.
"Baby, calm down. Sit."
"No! She is not listening. I want baby now."
Rivan pressed his fingers to his forehead.
"But she won't give babies," he muttered.
Devyani looked at him in disbelief ab
He face-palmed.
"Devyani, stop yelling at the doctor."
"I am not yelling. I am asking properly."
The doctor raised both hands slightly. "Mr. Thakur, I am very sorry but I cannot give you a baby."
Devyani gasped. "But whyyyyy?"
Rivan sighed. "Devyani, listen—"
"No, you listen," she cut him off, pointing a finger at him.
The doctor's eyes moved between them like she was watching a tennis match.
Devyani continued, "If she can't give baby, then why she said baby word first? She started it!"
Rivan looked at the doctor. The doctor looked at the ceiling.
"Baby means future planning," Rivan tried to explain calmly.
"But I don't want future baby. I want present baby."
"Baby doesn't come on same-day delivery."
"Why not? Everything comes in same day now!"
The doctor coughed to hide her laugh.
Rivan leaned closer to Devyani. "This is not Amazon."
She blinked. "Then?"
He stared at her.
The doctor quickly looked down at her file again
"Shhhh. Ek dum chup. Ab."
Rivan said sternly.
Devyani's lips instantly sealed.
She sat straight like a school kid caught talking in class.
Rivan looked at the doctor. "Doctor, please do your work."
"Yes, Mr. Thakur."
The doctor quickly proceeded with the basic examination and noted down a few things, asking Devyani to cooperate, which she did though with suspicious eyes, as if everyone in the room was part of a secret baby conspiracy.
After finishing, the doctor removed her gloves.
"We'll run a few tests. I'll inform you once the reports are ready. Nothing to worry."
Rivan nodded.
Devyani slowly got down from the examination bed and walked past the doctor.
Then she paused.
Turned.
Gave the doctor a small side-eye...
And winked.
"Send the baby home soon."
The doctor blinked once... then smiled politely.
"I'll... try my best, Mrs. Thakur."
Rivan closed his eyes again.
Long breath.
Very long breath.
He gently pulled the seat belt across her and clicked it in place.
"No need to fight for everything," he said calmly.
Devyani crossed her arms. "You shut up. I was about to get baby."
Rivan blinked once. "Baby is not something you go and buy from the doctor's clinic."
She turned her face toward the window dramatically. "Then let's make it."
He sighed. "You are my small baby and you want a baby?"
She muttered, "Let it be. I'll make baby myself. You won't understand."
And then... she opened the snack packet he had bought for her and started eating quietly, as if nothing serious had just been discussed.
Rivan looked at her from the corner of his eye.
Five minutes ago she was arguing with a doctor for a baby.
Now she was peacefully munching chips, legs swinging slightly, completely lost in the taste.
He shook his head with a faint smile.
Unbelievable.
He started the car.
She didn't say another word.
Just ate.
Angrily.
Cutely.
Silently.
They returned home, and the rest of the day passed almost normally.
Almost.
Because inside Devyani's head, nothing was normal anymore.
One word had taken permanent residence in her thoughts.
Baby.
The more she tried not to think about it, the more curious she became.
How does it happen?
How does a baby come?
What exactly did the doctor mean?
By evening, when her tutor arrived, Devyani was unusually attentive. Too attentive.
Halfway through the lesson, she suddenly asked, very innocently, "Ma'am... how babies are made?"
The tutor froze for a second.
Then, realizing the innocence in her eyes, she explained in the most basic, biological, decent way possible about reproduction, about husband and wife, about the body, about how nature works.
Very simple words.
Very normal explanation.
But for Devyani...
It felt like someone had opened the door to a whole new universe.
Her eyes kept widening.
"Ohhhhh..."
"So that is why..."
"Achhaaaa..."
The tutor thought the topic was over.
But Devyani's curiosity?
It only increased.
Because now she knew what happens.
But she wanted to know...
how it feels.
how it starts.
how it becomes love.
The entire evening she walked around the haveli like a person carrying a very big secret in her head.
She watched couples in serials differently.
She noticed small things she never noticed before.
She realized this world was far bigger... far deeper... far more mysterious than she had ever imagined.
And for the first time
She was not scared of learning it.
She was excited.
Very excited.
She didn't wait for dinner.
She didn't wait for anything.
She was only waiting for one thing now.
Night.
Days began to pass quietly.
Not with drama.
Not with chaos.
But with small learnings.
Tiny discoveries.
Little moments that meant nothing to the world...
but meant everything to Devyani.
Her curiosity didn't fade.
It softened.
It matured.
Earlier, she wanted answers fast.
Now, she wanted to understand.
The way she asked questions changed.
The way she observed things changed.
The way she looked at Rivan changed.
And Rivan noticed.
He never laughed at her questions.
Never made her feel foolish.
Never rushed her.
If she asked something strange, he explained it gently.
If she misunderstood something, he corrected her patiently.
If she got shy, he pretended not to notice.
If she got bold, he handled it calmly.
He was teaching her without making it feel like teaching.
Like guiding a child to walk... without holding too tight.
The whole family unknowingly became part of this journey.
Yashodha taught her household things with warmth.
Reyansh answered her random doubts like an elder brother.
Virendra listened to her talks seriously as if they were very important matters.
Aradhya giggled and helped her decode "modern things."
And slowly...
Very slowly...
Devyani stopped feeling like someone who was lost in this big world.
She started feeling like she belonged in it.
She learned how emotions work.
How relationships breathe.
How love is not only touch...
but care, patience, protection, understanding.
And Rivan...
He remained exactly what she needed.
Not a man in a hurry.
Not a husband demanding things.
But a safe place.
A guide.
A calm hand holding hers while she explored life at her own pace.
She was learning.
Not because someone forced her.
But because she wanted to.
And for the first time in her life...
Learning didn't feel scary.
It felt beautiful.
Devyani PoV
The room was quiet.
Only the soft ticking of the clock...
and his slow breathing.
My baby husband was asleep, shirtless as always, his head resting on my stomach like it was the safest pillow in the world. One of his hands was loosely holding my side, even in sleep, as if he was afraid I might disappear.
I stared at the ceiling.
Sleep refused to come back.
Because something else was wide awake.
My curiosity.
I slowly lifted my head and looked at him. His hair falling over his forehead, his face calm, lips slightly parted. He looked so peaceful... so unaware of the storm happening inside my head.
Today.
Today I will find out.
What does a man actually look like?
Why are boys and girls made so differently?
Why is everything about them such a mystery?
My heart started beating faster for no reason.
Very slowly, very carefully, I lifted his head from my stomach and placed it on the pillow. He moved a little, but didn't wake up.
I slipped out of the bed like a thief.
My bare feet touched the cold floor. I paced in the room quietly, my mind running faster than my steps.
Should I look?
No no... what if he wakes up?
But if I don't look now, then when?
Why is this such a big secret thing?
Why does no one explain properly?
I stopped near the window, folded my arms, and whispered to myself
"Devyani... you are just going to see. Only see. Not touch. Seeing is not a crime."
I nodded to myself like I had just made a very serious life decision.
I turned back toward the bed.
He was still sleeping.
Completely unaware.
And my curiosity...
was about to win.
"Devyani... you are not doing anything wrong," I whispered to myself.
"I just want to learn."
If Pati ji wakes up, I'll tell him the truth. He always says I should ask when I don't understand something. Maybe... maybe he will explain himself.
But still...
My heart was beating like I had stolen something.
I glanced at him again. Still asleep. Calm. Trusting.
And here I was, planning a secret investigation.
My mind replayed flashes from that movie... confusing scenes... strange closeness... things I didn't fully understand but couldn't forget either.
A blush spread across my cheeks.
I smiled to myself like a fool.
"Come on, Devyani," I muttered softly. "You can do this. Just look. Only look. Then quietly come back to bed. That's it."
I tiptoed closer to the bed.
Each step felt louder than thunder to me.
I stood beside him, staring down, my curiosity wrestling with my nervousness.
My fingers hovered in the air for a second...
then I froze.
"What if he wakes up now...?"
Both men dropped to their knees on the cold concrete floor.
The sound echoed through the warehouse like thunder.
For the first time in years
Two of the most feared men in the country were kneeling.
Both men stared at Jinal's fragile body hanging above the acid drum.
Their breaths heavy.
Their patience hanging by a thread.
Reyansh's breathing stopped completely.
He stared at her like a man seeing life return to a dead world.
Tears filled his own eyes without warning.
They rolled down his face silently.
Jinal tried to speak.
Her lips trembled.
Her voice barely came out.
"...It's... pa... paining..."
The whisper was so fragile it almost disappeared in the air.
But Reyansh heard it.