13. MEASURED TWICE
Silence slammed into the room the moment Aarvi entered.
Her eyes widened, her body froze, and for a second, it felt as if her lungs forgot how to breathe.
Vivan and Kiara sprang apart instantly, their faces pale with the shock of being caught, but it was Aarvi who felt the sting burn through her chest. She hadn't meant to intrude, she hadn't even thought to knock, she had only come because her heart couldn't bear the noise of people asking where her husband was, and she had no answer to give them.
"I...I am sorry, I didn't k...knock-" Aarvi stammered, her gaze lowering, her words trembling. She wanted to get out of this situation, to excuse herself, but before she could finish, Kiara's sharp voice cut her down.
"DON'T YOU HAVE A LITTLE CIVIC SENSE TO KNOCK BEFORE ENTERING SOMEONE ELSE'S ROOM?"
The venom in her tone made Aarvi flinch. For a moment, she wanted to retreat, to vanish, to let them both believe she was invisible. But something inside her refused this time. She blinked against the tears rising in her eyes and lifted her chin just enough to meet Kiara's glare.
"I don't need anyone's permission," she said, her voice firm but heavy, "this room is mine too."
The words trembled, but they carried the weight of truth. Both of them, Kiara and Vivan stilled at her reply, shocked. Vivan's silence cut deeper than Kiara's shout, but Aarvi didn't falter. She turned her gaze toward him, her eyes glistening with tears.
"Ma is calling you," she lied, because it was the only excuse she could cling to, the only way to walk away with whatever fragments of dignity she had left. Her throat ached, her chest burned, but she did not look away this time. She let him see her tears.
And then she turned, leaving the room with steps that felt heavier than her body.
The hallway felt endless as she walked, every step echoing with the memory of that room. She had only gone there because she couldn't bear the loneliness downstairs.
She had thought, that maybe that room will heal her, it would quiet the whispers and give her something to hold on to. Instead, she had walked straight into a truth she had been avoiding.
Her apology had been genuine. She hadn't wanted to disturb him. But Kiara's harshness, his silence it was unbearable. She wasn't just humiliated, she was reminded of what this marriage truly was.
Tears blurred her vision, but her chest felt oddly lighter. She had stood up for herself, even if only for a moment.
The door clicked shut, and Vivan remained frozen, staring at the empty space Aarvi had left behind.
Her words echoed inside him, cutting deeper than he expected. This room is mine too.
He had never heard her speak like that. Until now, Aarvi had been quiet, accepting, almost invisible in her silence. But tonight, her voice had trembled with pain. And then there were those tears... not hidden, not suppressed. She had let him see them.
It unsettled him.
Kiara muttered something at his side, annoyance laced in her tone, but Vivan barely registered it. All he could see was the look in Aarvi's eyes before she left. She had reminded him of a truth he had been pretending didn't exist. This marriage wasn't just his burden, it was hers too.
For the first time, guilt clawed at him. Maybe she hadn't agreed as willingly as he had believed. Maybe her silence wasn't acceptance but survival.
And for the first time, Vivan wasn't sure if he could keep convincing himself that none of this mattered.
...
Aarvi came downstairs, her heart still heavy from the storm upstairs. She wanted nothing more than to escape the suffocating walls of her room, but the moment she stepped into the hall, another ache awaited her, the endless questions.
"Oh, so she is Vivan's wife," a man in his fifties said warmly, walking toward her with his wife.
Aarvi joined her hands with a polite smile. "Namaste," she greeted softly.
"Well, Kiara was a good match though," the lady-Kirti Singhania-remarked, her eyes scanning Aarvi from head to toe.
The smile on Aarvi's lips faltered, though she tried to keep it steady.
'I know' Aarvi thought, her heart squeezing tight, but the comparison stung like salt on a wound.
Her gaze lowered to the floor, a clear sign of her discomfort.
"By the way, where is Vivan?" Amit Singhania asked casually.
"H-he has some w-work to comp-" Aarvi began, her voice barely above a whisper, but she was cut off by a deep, familiar voice.
"I am here, Chachu."
Vivan descended the stairs, his presence commanding the hall instantly. Aarvi's eyes shot up in shock, her lips parting slightly. She hadn't expected him to appear and stand beside her.
"Oh my child, as always you're looking so handsome," Kirti beamed, her tone now dripping with affection.
Vivan smiled faintly.
"But I have to say, your choice is so beautiful," Kirti added, turning to Aarvi with a sudden sweetness, patting her head gently.
Aarvi blinked, her heart skipping. Just moments ago this same woman had compared her to Kiara, and now, in front of Vivan, she was showering her with compliments.
Strange, Aarvi thought, her chest tightening.
Vivan bent to touch their feet, so Aarvi followed, first touching Kirti's feet respectfully. Then she bent to Amit's feet.
As she lowered her head, his hand came to rest on her back, not in the affectionate, fatherly way she had expected, but lower, lingering, pressing in a way that made her skin crawl.
Aarvi's entire body stiffened, her breath catching in her throat.
For a second, she froze, unable to believe what had just happened in a hall full of people.
Amit straightened and smiled as if nothing had happened, patting her back once more, lighter this time, almost casually. To anyone watching, it looked normal. But to Aarvi, it wasn't.
She quickly rose, her palms still joined, her heart thundering. The polite smile returned to her lips, though it didn't reach her eyes. Maybe it was nothing... maybe I imagined it, she told herself desperately, shrugging off the shiver that ran down her spine.
But deep inside, unease coiled in her chest, refusing to let go.