Chapter 23 Shiv, Parvati. and Blood
The temple bells rang softly in the early morning air.
Sunlight filtered through marigold flowers hanging across the ancient stone temple dedicated to Shiva and Parvati.
Simple.
Sacred.
Peaceful.
Exactly the kind of wedding Aarohi Mehra wanted.
No media.
No business elites.
No political guests.
Just family.
Just love.
And somehow...
that simplicity affected Ekansh Rathore more than any grand celebration ever could.
Because for the first time in his life
something beautiful belonged to him without bloodshed attached to it.
He stood near the mandap dressed in an ivory sherwani, looking calmer than anyone had ever seen him.
Not cold.
Not feared.
Just waiting.
Nervously.
Vivaan stood beside him emotionally invested beyond reason.
"You look like you'll murder anyone who wrinkles her lehenga."
"I will."
"Beautiful. Love that for you."
Then suddenly
the temple entrance shifted softly.
And Ekansh forgot how to breathe.
Aarohi entered wearing a deep red bridal lehenga, gold jewelry resting lightly against her skin, eyes lowered shyly beneath the veil.
Beautiful wasn't enough.
Nothing was enough.
Because for one horrifying second
Ekansh genuinely felt afraid this wasn't real.
That he'd wake up back in darkness again.
Then Aarohi looked up.
And smiled softly at him.
Real.
She was real.
Vivaan looked toward Ekansh and immediately sighed dramatically.
"Oh God. He's gone."
Because yes
the feared mafia lord was staring at his bride like devotion itself.
The wedding rituals began peacefully.
The sacred fire burned warmly between them.
Mantras echoed softly through the temple.
And through every ritual, Ekansh's gaze never really left Aarohi.
Not possession.
Not obsession.
Something deeper.
Reverence.
When the mangalsutra settled around Aarohi's neck, her eyes lifted toward him silently.
And for the first time in years
Ekansh felt whole.
Then came the sindoor.
His fingers trembled slightly while filling her hairline carefully with vermillion.
A sacred promise.
A lifelong bond.
Aarohi's eyes became emotional instantly.
Because this terrifying man
this broken, dangerous man
was looking at her like she was the answer to every wound he had survived.
Finally the priest smiled warmly.
"The marriage is complete."
Silence followed.
Then soft applause.
Savita wiped tears quietly.
Rajeev smiled emotionally.
Even Rishabh looked suspiciously sentimental.
Vivaan openly cried.
"No one appreciates romance anymore."
Ekansh ignored everyone.
Because Aarohi stood before him now
his wife.
The word alone nearly destroyed him emotionally.
Slowly, gently
he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
Not passionate.
Sacred.
Like gratitude.
Aarohi closed her eyes softly.
And for one perfect moment
everything felt peaceful.
Then
clapping echoed slowly through the temple entrance.
Cold.
Sarcastic.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Ekansh's expression flattened immediately.
Because he knew that voice.
Aryan Rathore walked inside slowly with armed men surrounding him.
Smiling.
Cruelly.
"Well," Aryan drawled mockingly,
"congratulations, brother."
The warmth vanished from the temple instantly.
Vivaan moved subtly toward Aarohi.
Ekansh stepped slightly in front of her instinctively.
"What do you want?"
Aryan smirked.
"To give you a wedding gift."
The hatred between them felt ancient.
Poisonous.
Unlike Ekansh's explosive rage, Aryan carried insecurity disguised as arrogance.
Because no matter what happened
he was always the weaker brother.
Always second.
Aryan glanced toward Aarohi mockingly.
"So this is the girl who made Jaipur's devil kneel emotionally."
Ekansh's voice turned dangerously soft.
"Careful."
The temple filled rapidly as Ekansh's own guards surrounded the area too.
Weapons drawn.
Tension exploded instantly.
Then chaos began.
Gunshots.
Shouting.
Temple bells crashing loudly.
The sacred mandap shattered as fighting erupted violently between both groups.
Aarohi stumbled backward in shock while Vivaan immediately grabbed her wrist.
"Doctor bhabhi, this way!"
Ekansh moved like death itself.
Cold.
Precise.
Terrifying.
Within seconds men fell around him brutally.
Blood stained the white temple floor.
And suddenly
Aryan saw opportunity.
While Vivaan pulled Aarohi toward safety, Aryan rushed forward violently, punched Vivaan hard across the jaw, and grabbed Aarohi by her hair brutally.
She cried out sharply.
"LET GO!"
Vivaan tried getting up instantly but Aryan's guards restrained him hard.
Aryan dragged Aarohi toward himself like a hostage.
Like property.
Like leverage.
The second Ekansh saw it
everything stopped.
Completely.
His men froze instantly at the look on his face.
Because suddenly the mafia lord wasn't angry anymore.
He looked lethal.
Aryan pressed a gun near Aarohi's head.
"DROP YOUR WEAPONS!"
Ekansh slowly raised one hand.
And every single one of his men obeyed instantly.
Aryan smiled cruelly.
"There we go."
Two guards grabbed Ekansh tightly from behind.
Still
he never took his eyes off Aarohi.
Not once.
Her bridal jewelry trembled softly as tears fell down her face from pain.
The sight alone was driving him insane internally.
Aryan tilted his head mockingly.
"Kneel."
Silence.
The temple itself seemed to stop breathing.
Aarohi immediately shook her head desperately.
"No!"
Aryan harshly yanked her hair harder.
She screamed in pain.
And that sound
that one broken scream
destroyed whatever remained of Ekansh's pride instantly.
He dropped to his knees.
Without hesitation.
The entire temple fell silent.
Even Aryan looked momentarily stunned.
Because the great Ekansh Rathore kneeled for no one.
Except her.
Still kneeling, Ekansh's voice remained terrifyingly calm.
"Leave her."
Aryan laughed softly.
"Look at you."
Then cruelly
he threw Aarohi toward nearby guards roughly.
She hit the floor painfully.
Ekansh's body jerked violently against the men holding him.
"Touch her again," he whispered coldly, "and I will erase your bloodline."
Aryan walked closer smugly and punched Ekansh across the face brutally.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Blood stained Ekansh's lips.
Still
he barely reacted.
Aryan frowned slightly.
"What happened, brother?" he mocked.
"Gone numb?"
Because yes.
Pain meant nothing to Ekansh anymore.
Not physical pain.
He survived worse at eighteen.
But then
Aryan stepped back slowly.
Pulled out a gun.
And smiled.
"No problem," he murmured. "I'll make you feel this."
Ekansh's gaze sharpened instantly.
Aryan turned the gun toward Aarohi.
Time stopped.
"No," Ekansh said immediately.
Aryan smiled wider.
Then pulled the trigger.
Once.
Aarohi gasped sharply.
Second shot.
Third shot.
Blood stained the red bridal lehenga instantly.
And something inside Ekansh snapped beyond repair.
No one present would ever forget what happened next.
Because the man who rose afterward didn't look human anymore.
He looked feral.
Monstrous.
Animalistic rage exploded from him so violently that even Aryan stumbled backward in fear.
Ekansh killed the guards restraining him with bare brutality.
Gunshots echoed.
Bones cracked.
Men screamed.
Temple floors drowned in blood within minutes.
Nobody could stop him.
Nobody dared.
Even Aryan became terrified finally.
Because this wasn't a businessman anymore.
This was the monster Jaipur whispered about at night.
Aryan ran.
Cowardly.
Desperately.
Ekansh didn't chase him.
Because Aarohi collapsed unconscious near the broken mandap.
And suddenly nothing else mattered.
"AAROHI!"
He reached her in seconds, falling to his knees beside her.
His trembling hands pressed desperately against the blood soaking through her bridal clothes.
"No no no no...."
For the first time in years
Ekansh sounded truly terrified.
Vivaan rushed beside him immediately despite his own injuries.
"Boss, hospital NOW!"
Ekansh lifted Aarohi into his arms carefully.
Like she might break further.
And all the way to the hospital
he kept whispering shakily against her forehead
"Stay."
"Please stay."
"You promised."
The hospital exploded into emergency chaos instantly.
Doctors rushed Aarohi toward OT while Ekansh followed until security physically stopped him outside.
"She's critical," one doctor said urgently.
Critical.
The word shattered him.
For ten hours
Ekansh sat outside the operation theatre covered in dried blood and guilt.
Not speaking.
Not moving.
Just staring blankly at the OT doors.
Vivaan stayed nearby silently.
Nobody dared approach him.
Because he looked hollow.
Destroyed.
At one point Ekansh whispered quietly
"This happened because of me."
Vivaan immediately shook his head.
"Boss..."
"She married me today."
His voice cracked painfully.
"And got shot the same day."
The self-hatred in his eyes was unbearable.
Then unexpectedly
Ekansh stood.
And walked away.
Vivaan followed immediately until realizing where he stopped.
The hospital temple.
Tiny.
Quiet.
Ekansh stared at the idol silently for a long moment.
Then slowly
he folded his hands.
Vivaan froze.
Because Ekansh never prayed.
Never believed.
But today
the monster begged God for one life only.
Not his.
Hers.
Hours later the OT doors finally opened.
Everyone stood instantly.
The doctor removed his mask slowly.
Ekansh couldn't breathe.
Then
"She's out of danger."
The entire hallway exhaled together.
"But next twenty-four hours are critical."
Relief hit so hard Ekansh nearly collapsed.
His eyes closed briefly.
Thank God.
Thank God.
Then slowly
the relief disappeared.
And something colder replaced it.
That night, Aryan Rathore learned too late what happened when monsters stopped grieving and started hunting.
Ekansh found him hiding inside an old farmhouse with trembling guards around him.
It didn't matter.
Nothing mattered anymore.
Not mercy.
Not consequences.
Not blood.
Aryan's screams echoed through the house brutally while Vikram Rathore and his wife watched in horror.
Ekansh stood covered in blood again by the end.
Breathing heavily.
Eyes dead.
Then slowly he looked toward his father.
"If either of you come near my wife again..."
His voice stayed terrifyingly calm.
"There won't be enough left to bury."
And for the first time in years
even Vikram Rathore looked afraid of his own son.