Get lost RIVAN Thakur
RIVAN returned to the mansion long after night had swallowed the city whole.
The funeral smoke still clung to him.
To his clothes.
To his skin.
To his thoughts.
The heavy oak doors groaned as he pushed them open, the sound dragging through the silent mansion like grief announcing itself. When they shut behind him, it echoed through the vast hall like the final nail sealing a coffin shut.
Final.
Cold.
Unforgiving.
He stood there for a moment, unmoving.
His eyes were tired not from the rituals, not from the condolences, not from the endless silence of a funeral
but from him.
From Rishi.
From that hospital room.
From that final word.
Dad.
It still sat inside him like shattered glass.
Sharp.
RIVAN exhaled slowly and dragged a hand through his disheveled hair, his fingers tightening briefly at the roots like pain could be pulled out if he tried hard enough.
He had no regret.
No.
Not a single drop.
Because he was the one who had killed him.
Not with his hands.
But with choices.
With silence.
With years.
Maybe death was kinder.
His jaw clenched.
Because what truly bothered him was not the death.
It was the ending.
Rishi's last words.
The way he had looked at him not like a criminal, not like a monster, but like a father begging for one final mercy.
I wish I could hear you call me Dad.
RIVAN shut his eyes for one second.
Too long.
He didn't know whether to believe him.
Did love excuse destruction?
Did regret erase blood?
Did pain make monsters human?
He didn't know.
And he was too exhausted to find out.
He just wanted silence.
Forget.
Forget.
Forget.
He moved through the dimly lit corridor slowly, his footsteps heavy against the polished floor.
The mansion slept, but his mind refused to.
The shadows stretched long across the walls, and somewhere in the quiet, he could still hear echoes of the day.
By the time he reached his room, exhaustion had settled deep into his bones.
And beneath all of it
another thought surfaced.
Sharp.
Immediate.
The conversation.
The tears in her eyes.
The way he had left.
Abruptly.
Harshly.
Again.
He had walked away from her in the middle of pain.
Again.
Because apparently ruining women who loved him was becoming a family tradition.
His hand tightened around the doorknob.
A strange unease crept up his spine.
He pushed the door open.
The room was dim.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
His eyes moved instinctively to the bed.
Empty.
The balcony.
Empty.
The couch.
Nothing.
His heartbeat skipped.
Once.
Hard.
No.
His entire body stilled.
Not calm.
Panic.
Because he had entered the room expecting to see Devyani.
Curled up.
Angry.
Pouting.
Waiting.
Instead
nothing.
Correction.
He had entered the room to not see Devyani.
And suddenly, that absence felt louder than any scream.
His chest tightened instantly.
His breathing changed.
Faster.
Sharper.
Because he had left her.
Upset.
Confused.
Hurt.
He had walked away when her eyes were still shining with unshed tears and questions he refused to answer.
And now
the room was empty.
Not just empty.
Wrong.
Like something had been taken.
Like silence itself was warning him.
His mind raced violently.
Where is she?
Did she cry herself to sleep somewhere else?
Did she go to Mrs Thakur?
To Aradhya?
To the garden?
Or
something colder crawled into him.
What if she left?
What if she finally believed the worst parts of him?
What if tonight, after everything, he had pushed her too far?
His throat went dry.
No.
No.
Not her.
Not Devyani.
Not tonight.
Not when he already buried one person.
His pulse thundered in his ears as he turned sharply, stepping back into the hallway.
He checked the bathroom first.
Nothing.
Only the faint scent of her perfume lingered in the air, soft and familiar, clinging to the steam-fogged mirror like a ghost of her presence. Her hairbrush lay near the sink. A bangle rested carelessly beside it.
Signs of her.
But not her.
His chest tightened.
He stepped back, pulse quickening.
"Devyani?"
Silence.
The name fell flat against the walls.
No answer.
Now his steps grew faster.
Sharper.
He moved through the room, then out into the corridor, checking everywhere.
The guest room.
Empty.
He checked every room in the mansion.
He even went to the kitchen, startling half-asleep servants and scanning the quiet servants' quarters like a madman.
Nothing.
She was nowhere.
And that was when real fear began.
Not worry.
Not unease.
Fear.
It crawled up his spine like a thousand fire ants, sharp and relentless, making his skin feel too tight for his body.
His breathing turned shallow.
His thoughts turned violent.
Where could she go?
It's night.
She barely stepped outside alone during the day.
His fists clenched so hard his knuckles ached.
Then released.
He turned sharply and strode down the corridor, his footsteps loud enough to wake the dead.
He reached Virendra's room and knocked hard.
Three rapid thuds.
Violent.
Demanding.
Like anger itself stood outside the door.
A few seconds later, the door swung open.
Virendra stood there, sleep heavy in his eyes, kurta slightly crumpled, a single lantern behind him casting long shadows across his face.
He blinked once.
Twice.
Then frowned at the sight of RIVAN standing there looking like a man on the edge of disaster.
"Where is she?" RIVAN demanded.
No greeting.
No explanation.
Just that.
Raw.
Barely controlled.
Virendra rubbed his eyes, still half asleep.
The words hit like ice water.
RIVAN's blood ran cold.
His voice dropped.
Dangerously quiet.
"Who?"
Virendra frowned, now fully awake.
"Devyani and Aditya. Aditya took her somewhere. But it's already night. I assumed they'd returned by now."
For one second
everything inside RIVAN stopped.
Aditya.
With Devyani.
What if she was still crying?
What if she thought he hated her?
He gave one short nod.
Too stiff.
Too sharp.
Then turned and walked away before the panic on his face became visible.
Virendra stood there, confused, watching him disappear down the corridor like a storm in human form.
The moment RIVAN turned the corner, he pulled out his phone.
His fingers were shaking.
Actually shaking.
He stared at the screen for one second too long before pressing Aditya's name.
Call.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Each ring felt like a knife turning deeper.
His leg bounced impatiently.
His free hand dragged through his hair.
Pick up.
Pick up.
Pick up, damn it.
The phone kept ringing.
And ringing.
And with every second, the darkness in his mind grew louder.
He imagined Devyani alone.
Scared.
Or worse
hurt.
Because of him.
Because he had left.
click.
The line connected.
And before Aditya could even speak
RIVAN's voice came like thunder.
A voice came through.
But it wasn't Aditya's.
For one second, RIVAN froze, the phone pressed tightly against his ear, every nerve in his body going rigid.
The voice that answered was unfamiliar and yet painfully familiar at the same time.
Soft.
Mocking.
Drenched in dramatic offense.
And layered with a strange echo, as if the speaker had leaned too far into chaos and decided to live there permanently.
"The person you are calling..." the voice announced grandly, with theatrical seriousness, "...is not available."
RIVAN's eyes narrowed.
His grip on the phone tightened.
Somewhere in the background, loud music blasted.
And then the voice continued, even more offended now.
"Please do not try again and disturb us, you idiotic monster."
A pause.
A dramatic inhale.
Another pause.
RIVAN closed his eyes.
He already knew.
He knew exactly who this was.
And somehow, that realization was worse.
Because only one person on this planet could turn his near-death panic into a public assassination of his character.
Devyani.
And absolutely on a mission.
But she was unstoppable.
"We are having FUN!" she declared triumphantly, as if announcing war.
And then, with the full power of alcohol, heartbreak, and wounded wife pride behind her, she screamed into the receiver
Actual shock spread across his face.
Because it was not some stranger.
Not Aditya.
It was his wife.
His own wife.
His innocent, soft-spoken, sweet Devyani
who was apparently drunk enough to publicly declare war.
And worse
she had called him by his name.
RIVAN Thakur.
Not pati ji.
Not baby.
Not that soft little whisper she used when she wanted something.
His actual name.
For the first time.
His ears turned crimson red instantly.
Because if Devyani had reached the stage of calling him RIVAN THAKUR
the apocalypse was near.
RIVAN swallowed hard.
Something was definitely wrong.
Very wrong.
She never took his name.
Never.
His voice dropped immediately, all anger gone, replaced by panic wrapped in softness.
There was a dramatic offended gasp from the other side.
Then
"Awwwwww..."
Her voice turned syrupy.
Mocking.
Dangerously cute.
A hiccup.
Another dramatic sniff.
RIVAN shut his eyes.
God.
Definitely drunk.
Definitely furious.
Definitely his wife.
"Devyani—"
But she was far from finished.
Each word landed like a personal attack.
From somewhere nearby, he could hear Aditya whispering what sounded like desperate prayers for survival.
And then she continued, voice full of drunken vengeance and divine planning.
A pause.
Suspiciously evil.
RIVAN opened his eyes.
Oh no.
No no.
Not future children being recruited for revenge.
She giggled.
A dangerous, villain-level giggle.
RIVAN rubbed his forehead.
He had lost control of his marriage.
Completely.
And somewhere in the universe, karma was laughing.
Then came the final blow.
"Bye."
Click.
The call disconnected.
Silence.
Heavy.
Sacred.
Terrifying.
RIVAN stood there staring at the screen like it had betrayed him personally.
Click.
The line went dead.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
RIVAN stood in the middle of the corridor, staring at the disconnected call screen like it had personally insulted his ancestors.
For three full seconds
nothing moved.
Not him.
Not the air.
Not even fate.
Then slowly...
very slowly...
he lowered the phone.
His jaw ticked.
Once.
Twice.
His eye twitched.
RIVAN inhaled.
Deeply.
Too deeply.
The kind of inhale a man takes right before either meditation...
or murder.
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
The kind of calm that should concern governments.
Then he turned.
Picked up his car keys.
And walked toward the door like a man personally invited by destiny to commit a homicide.
Maybe.
But because Aditya
his idiot, brainless, funeral-ready brother
had taken his crying, emotionally unstable, overthinking wife...
to a place where she had apparently learned the phrase
Tonight, someone was absolutely not surviving.
And unfortunately for Aditya
it was probably going to be him.
RIVAN k bacche? Did she say "Rivan's children"? Wait. Tumhare bacche? That would be "our children," right? That makes sense. That's normal.
But then he replayed the words in his head. Slowly. Painfully.
RIVAN k bacche.
She had said Rivan k not tumhare. She had said his full name again. Twice. In one call. In one peculiar context.
She took my name twice, he whispered to the empty hallway, his voice a mix of awe and alarm.
His ears turned redder than a ripe tomato. If anyone had seen him at that moment, they would have thought he was sunburned from the inside.
He called again. Unreachable.
He let out a breath that was half-laugh, half-growl. "Adityaaaaaaa," he whispered, and the sound was dangerous low, threatening, promising a slow and painful death.
Meanwhile, in the car, Aditya was having a crisis of his own.
"BHABHIIIIIIIIII WHAT DID YOU DO?" His voice cracked in three different octaves as he stared at Devyani, who was sitting in the passenger seat, grinning like she had just won a lottery.
Devyani giggled a light, airy sound that was entirely too cheerful for the situation. "Arey chill, bhai. He won't come. I just threw your phone."
Aditya's brain short-circuited. "What? You WHAT?"
"I threw your phone," she repeated as if explaining a very simple math problem to a slow child. "Out the window. Like a frisbee. It was beautiful. It spun in the air. Ten out of ten."
Aditya slammed the brakes so hard the car screeched to a halt. His head almost hit the steering wheel. "Where? WHERE did you throw it? Which side? How long ago?" His eyes were wild, scanning the darkness outside like a man who had lost his last lifeline.
"A minute ago," she said lazily, inspecting her nails.
He unbuckled his seatbelt so fast it nearly snapped back and hit him in the face. The second the car stopped, Aditya practically launched himself out, the door left wide open behind him like a crime scene in progress.
"Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit—"
His voice echoed into the night as he crouched near the roadside, patting the ground like a desperate archaeologist searching for ancient treasure.
Except the treasure was his phone.
And his life.
Mostly his life.
Because if RIVAN called again and he didn't answer, funeral arrangements would begin immediately.
He squinted into the darkness, kicking dry leaves aside with unnecessary aggression.
He bent lower, searching near the tires, under the bushes, beside the road.
Nothing.
For one brilliant second, he reached for his phone flashlight
and froze.
His soul left his body.
Because.
The phone.
Was the thing he was looking for.
"Fantastic," he muttered to himself, staring into the darkness like life had personally insulted him. "Amazing. Aditya, you are truly the chosen one. Chosen for death."
With a groan, he leaned back toward the car, relying only on the weak interior light spilling from the open door, which did absolutely nothing except highlight his suffering.
Meanwhile
Devyani had stepped out of the car.
Completely unbothered.
Completely drunk.
Completely thriving.
She stretched both arms above her head with a sleepy little yawn, like she had not just threatened her husband over the phone and traumatized Aditya at a bar.
The cool night breeze kissed her flushed cheeks.
Her hair danced wildly around her face.
Her swollen eyes still carried traces of tears, but now they sparkled with alcohol-fueled rebellion.
And then
with the grace of a mischievous deer and the decision-making skills of a drunk fairy
she ran.
Actually ran.
Barefoot.
Giggling.
Her sari fluttered behind her like a ghostly battle flag, her anklets chiming softly as she disappeared into the moonlit garden path.
"Bhabhi—"
Aditya looked up.
His heart stopped.
She ducked behind one tree.
Then another.
Then another.
Like some drunk jungle spirit escaping civilization.
He watched in absolute horror as she bent dramatically and hid behind a bush.
A bush.
A tiny one.
One that hid absolutely nothing except her confidence.
Only half her body was concealed while the rest of her pallu proudly waved outside like a surrender flag.
From behind the bush came a whisper.
Aditya pressed both hands to his face.
"Please."
Another whisper.
"I am invisible."
He looked at the heavens.
From the bush, her hand suddenly popped out and waved.
Aditya walked toward her slowly, like approaching a wild animal.
"Bhabhi, please come out."
"No."
"Please."
"No."
"Bhaiya will kill me."
She gasped dramatically from behind the bush.
"See? Even you are scared of that monster!"
A pause.
Then her little drunken voice floated out again.
Aditya stared at the bush.
The bush stared back.
She looked like freedom.
Like chaos.
Like the exact reason RIVAN would one day bury him personally.
"BHABHIIIIIIII!"
Aditya screamed, voice cracking with genuine suffering.
She turned once.
Waved happily.
And kept running.
He started running after her, shoes slipping on loose dirt, arms flailing.
She laughed louder.
"CATCH ME IF YOU LOVE ME!"
She gasped dramatically from across the field.
The moon hung high above them, silent witness to one drunk woman living her best rebellious life...
and one exhausted man sprinting toward his own funeral.
RIVAN stormed back to his car like a man personally chosen by fate for violence.
The night air was sharp against his skin, but it did nothing to cool the fire raging inside him.
His wife was missing.
His brother was missing.
And somehow both problems were the same person.
He yanked the car door open, slid inside, and slammed it shut hard enough to make the entire vehicle shudder.
The engine roared to life.
So did his anger.
Before even pulling out, he grabbed his phone and dialed the one person who could save lives tonight.
Arav.
The call connected after what felt like a century.
A sleepy, half-dead voice answered.
RIVAN's jaw tightened.
There was silence.
Then
a dramatic sigh.
Arav, still buried somewhere under blankets and bad life choices, replied like a dying man.
A yawn.
Then shamelessly
Click.
Silence.
For three full seconds, RIVAN sat there staring at the disconnected screen.
Something inside him snapped so quietly it was almost elegant.
Tonight
everyone was boiling his blood.
His fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
Veins rose visibly along his hands.
His eye twitched.
Slowly, he redialed.
The call connected instantly this time.
Before Arav could breathe
RIVAN spoke.
Dangerously calm.
That single word was enough.
On the other side, Arav's eyes flew open so fast sleep filed a formal complaint.
He sat upright in bed like a man hearing the voice of God before judgment day.
He gulped.
Hard.
The sound was practically audible.
RIVAN said nothing.
Which was worse.
Much worse.
Arav was already sweating.
Click.
Call ended.
RIVAN threw the phone onto the passenger seat and sped off into the night, tires screeching against the gravel.
The road blurred beneath him.
Streetlights flashed across his face in sharp golden streaks.
His mind was running faster than the car.
His ears turned red again just remembering it.
His wife.
His sweet innocent wife.
Who had apparently transformed into a tiny revolutionary.
And Aditya
that idiot
if he had taken her somewhere unsafe
RIVAN pressed harder on the accelerator.
The speedometer climbed.
Fast.
Too fast.
Didn't matter.
Nothing mattered except finding her.
Ten agonizing minutes passed.
Then his phone rang.
Arav.
RIVAN answered immediately.
"Speak."
This time Arav sounded fully awake.
And very nervous.
"Sir..."
A pause.
Silence.
The car seemed to grow colder.
RIVAN's voice dropped.
Arav swallowed.
"His phone went off nearly twenty minutes ago, but the last active location pinged near border."
Another pause.
Even Arav knew silence was dangerous now.
So he added quickly
He closed his eyes for one second.
Just one.
Then opened them again.
Cold.
Sharp.
Deadly.
"Arav."
"Yes, sir?"
"If I survive tonight..."
Arav held his breath.
Click.
The call ended.
And RIVAN turned the car toward them
like a husband going to rescue his wife...
and a brother going to commit a murder.
Aditya was running behind Devyani like his life depended on it.
Because honestly
it did.
His voice cracked somewhere between panic and exhaustion as he sprinted across the moonlit field, shoes slipping against the uneven ground, lungs begging for mercy.
Ahead of him, Devyani laughed like freedom itself.
Barefoot.
Drunk.
Wild.
Her sari fluttered behind her like moonlight stitched into fabric, her anklets chiming with every reckless step.
She spread her arms wide, face tilted toward the sky, hair dancing in the wind.
"Adi bhaiyyaaa!" she shouted dramatically, spinning once. "I feel like flying!"
And then
to his absolute horror
she ran faster.
Aditya nearly cried.
His ancestors were disappointed.
His future children were embarrassed.
His brother was definitely preparing murder charges.
Thinking fast, he shouted the only thing powerful enough to stop a drunk Devyani.
Silence.
She froze.
Actually froze.
Like someone had pressed pause on existence.
Slowly
very slowly
she turned around.
Eyes wide.
Suspicious.
Aditya bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air like a dying soldier.
"Yes."
Breath.
"Really."
Another breath.
"Okay."
Aditya straightened.
Exhaled.
Peace.
Relief.
Survival.
For one glorious second
he thought he had won.
Then she dropped the next bomb.
"Now."
He blinked.
"Now?"
She folded her arms.
"Yes. Now."
He pointed weakly toward the car.
"Let's... go back first?"
She immediately shook her head.
"Nope."
She narrowed her eyes.
A small pause.
Her voice softened.
That one sentence hit differently.
The childish stubbornness melted for just a second, revealing the hurt underneath.
The crying.
The fear.
The heartbreak she had been trying so hard to drown tonight.
Aditya's expression softened.
Before he could say anything, she walked quietly toward the car.
She climbed onto the bonnet like it belonged to her kingdom and slowly laid down across the glass, staring up at the endless night sky.
The cool metal beneath her.
The cold air kissing her flushed cheeks.
The stars above blinking like silent witnesses.
Aditya walked behind her, his breathing still uneven from the chase, chest rising and falling heavily.
He opened his mouth to scold.
To complain.
To drag her home.
But then he looked at her.
Really looked.
And stopped.
Because for the first time tonight
she looked peaceful.
Not happy.
Just... quiet.
Like the world had finally stopped screaming for a moment.
He understood.
She needed this.
Not lectures.
Not walls.
Just air.
Just silence.
Just space to breathe.
Without a word, he climbed up beside her and lay down next to her on the bonnet, both of them staring at the sky like two children hiding from the world.
For a while, neither spoke.
Only the wind did.
Soft.
Patient.
Then Devyani whispered,
He turned his head slightly.
"Hm?"
Her eyes stayed on the stars.
That made him glance at her.
Really glance.
Because that question
it wasn't drunk.
It was wounded.
Quietly wounded.
He looked back at the sky.
Took a slow breath.
And answered softly.
A pause.
His voice was calm now.
Gentle.
He folded one arm beneath his head.
Devyani listened silently.
Eyes wide.
Heart quiet.
Aditya continued.
His voice softened even more.
That made her sniff a tiny laugh.
He smiled.
His eyes drifted upward.
A small silence passed.
Then he said quietly
That one landed.
Deep.
Because both of them knew who he was talking about.
RIVAN.
Aditya turned to her.
Devyani blinked slowly.
Her throat tightened.
And under the moonlight, with tears drying on her cheeks and stars above her head
she whispered the question that truly mattered.
Aditya turned his head toward her, the moonlight soft against his tired face, and gave her a small smile.
"Of course yes."
There wasn't even a second of hesitation.
No doubt.
No confusion.
Just certainty.
Because some truths didn't need thinking.
They simply existed.
And RIVAN loving Devyani was one of them.
She stayed quiet for a moment, staring at the stars above like they might answer the questions her heart was too afraid to hold.
Then she whispered softly,
Her fingers twisted nervously over her stomach.
The vulnerability in her voice was so small, so childlike, it made Aditya's chest tighten.
He turned slightly, resting on one elbow now, looking at her seriously.
He said it gently.
Carefully.
Because she was already fragile tonight.
She answered instantly.
Without thinking.
Without doubt.
"Nope."
A tiny pause.
Then softer
"Never."
Her voice trembled.
She swallowed.
The honesty of that sat heavy between them.
She blinked hard against the fresh sting in her eyes.
There it was.
The real fear.
Not anger.
Not scolding.
Abandonment.
Because for someone who had spent life being left behind, every distance looked like rejection.
Aditya exhaled slowly.
The night suddenly felt quieter.
He chose his words carefully.
She frowned immediately.
Like a child being told medicine was necessary.
Her voice came out small.
Honest.
Almost helpless.
And God
that innocence.
Aditya smiled sadly.
A pause.
She turned to look at him.
Eyes swollen.
Heart exposed.
He continued softly,
His voice carried no teasing now.
Only truth.
"There will come a time when you'll regret not learning things. Not understanding the world. Not standing for yourself."
He looked at her seriously.
He smiled faintly.
That earned the tiniest sniff of agreement from her.
The wind moved softly around them.
The stars watched.
And Devyani listened.
Quiet.
Still.
Sad.
That one hit her.
Because she knew.
She knew how fiercely RIVAN loved.
How silently.
How stubbornly.
How terribly.
She pressed her lips together.
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
"Yeah..."
But even then
even with understanding
the pain remained.
Because love did not erase fear.
It only made it deeper.
She turned her face back toward the sky.
The moon blurred behind the tears gathering again.
"Yeah... but still I..."
And then she stopped.
The sentence died halfway.
Because some feelings were too big for words.
Too messy.
Too painful.
She didn't know how to explain that it wasn't about learning.
It was about leaving.
About distance.
About sleeping without him.
About not hearing his footsteps.
Not feeling his arms.
Not being his.
Her throat tightened.
And the rest of the sentence remained trapped there
unfinished.
Like her heart.
For a few moments, silence stretched between them again.
Heavy.
Soft.
Thoughtful.
Devyani kept staring at the sky, tears drying slowly at the corners of her eyes, emotions still tangled inside her chest like threads she couldn't untie.
And then
suddenly
she giggled.
Just like that.
Out of nowhere.
A tiny laugh at first.
Then another.
Then a full burst of laughter that made Aditya turn his head in complete confusion.
She sat up abruptly on the bonnet, wiping her nose dramatically with the back of her hand like a warrior preparing for battle.
Her swollen eyes still red.
Cheeks still stained with tears.
But now
mischief.
Pure mischief.
She pointed at the sky like she was announcing something to the universe.
She sniffed.
Aditya blinked.
And then laughed.
Because only she could go from heartbreak to revolution in under thirty seconds.
She climbed down from the bonnet with dramatic energy, almost slipping, then corrected herself proudly.
Whatever happens, happens.
Her voice rang into the quiet road like a challenge thrown at fate itself.
Aditya stared at her for one second.
Then a smile slowly broke across his face.
A real one.
Warm.
Helpless.
Fond.
"Yeah," he said, climbing down after her.
That was it.
That was Devyani.
She could cry like the world had ended and then, five minutes later, declare war on destiny with swollen eyes and messy hair.
And somehow
it worked.
Aditya shook his head, smiling, and pulled out his phone.
"One second."
He scrolled dramatically.
Her eyes widened.
"Yes!"
He found the song.
Pressed play.
And suddenly
full volume.
Music exploded into the night.
Loud.
Wild.
Unapologetic.
The kind of song that made your blood wake up.
Devyani gasped like she had been personally blessed by the gods.
She climbed off the bonnet fully and stepped into the middle of the empty road like it was her personal stage.
The moon above.
Stars watching.
Wind carrying her pallu behind her.
And she danced.
Freely.
No fear.
No shame.
No sadness.
Just movement.
Just release.
She spun barefoot on the road, laughing, arms wide, bangles clinking like music of their own.
She started singing too
or rather
nearly screaming the lyrics with full emotional damage and absolutely no correct tune.
But confidence?
100%.
Wrong lyrics.
Wrong beat.
Perfect performance.
Aditya burst out laughing.
"Oh my God, bhabhi, even the singer is crying!"
She pointed at him dramatically while dancing.
"No judging! Dance!"
And like the weak man he was
he obeyed.
He threw the sandals aside, rolled up his sleeves, and joined her.
Terribly.
Absolutely terribly.
No rhythm.
No dignity.
Just chaos.
She laughed harder.
He spun once and almost dislocated his own shoulder.
She clapped.
He regretted existing.
For the first time that night
she looked alive again.
Not broken.
Not scared.
Just Devu.
And Aditya smiled at that.
Because maybe healing looked exactly like this
bad dancing on an empty road at midnight.
But then
Headlights.
Sharp.
Blinding.
Cut through the darkness.
Both of them froze.
The music still blasted.
The wind stopped.
Even the universe held its breath.
A black car pulled up slowly.
Dangerously.
Like death had arrived with premium suspension.
The engine shut off.
Silence.
Aditya's soul left his body immediately.
No goodbye.
No warning.
Just gone.
The car door opened.
Slowly.
One polished shoe touched the ground.
Then another.
And then
he stepped out.
RIVAN.
In full rage.
In full silence.
Which was somehow worse.
Much worse.
His jaw tight.
Eyes dark.
Face unreadable.
The kind of calm that promised violence.
He looked first at Aditya.
Then at Devyani.
Then at the road.
Then at the discarded sandals.
Then back at Aditya.
Aditya whispered to himself,
"This is it."
Tiny pause.
"My funeral."
Devyani, still drunk, waved happily.
Glimpses :
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