29 ~ Stuck in Rain
Chahat's POV.
I looked at him. He sat and leaned back, completely relaxed.
I settled into my seat, still unable to stop looking around.
I'd never travelled like this before.
Everything about it felt extravagant and yet Kartik behaved as though he had simply gotten into a car.
The engines gradually grew louder.
I instinctively tightened my fingers around the edge of my seat.
Kartik noticed. His gaze shifted toward me. "First time?"
I nodded.
He reached across and adjusted the safety belt properly and held my hand.
"Relax." His fingers brushed mine for the briefest moment.
I looked at him. He was already looking at me.
For a second, neither of us spoke then the helicopter began to rise.
My stomach dropped. I grabbed the armrest.
Kartik's lips twitched. "Scared?"
"No."
"You're practically crushing the seat."
He quietly laughed and strangely enough, hearing that sound made me smile too.
As Mumbai disappeared beneath us, I leaned toward the window.
Buildings became smaller. Roads became thin lines. Soon, the city was far behind.
I rested my head against the window, watching the landscape change beneath us.
The view was breathtaking.
And for the first time since my marriage had begun, I wasn't thinking about the plan I'd made.
For a few peaceful minutes, I was simply Chahat sitting beside Kartik Singhaniya.
Flying toward a place neither of us had planned to visit together.
I looked at him. He looked calm as if flying privately from Mumbai to Rajasthan was the most ordinary thing in the world.
"How long?" I asked.
He looked up. "About two hours forty-five minutes. Give or take."
I nodded and turned back toward the window.
Almost three hours. Three hours alone with my husband.
I glanced again at him.
He had been unusually quiet ever since we left.
His eyes were fixed somewhere beyond the window, but I could tell he wasn't really looking at the landscape.
He was lost in his thoughts.
I knew exactly what he must be thinking about.
Tara, Samarth and the miscarriage.
He had barely spoken about anything since Dadi told us.
After a few minutes, he finally pulled out his phone and called Samarth.
The moment the call connected, his expression softened slightly.
"Samarth." There was a pause. "I'm coming to Rajasthan."
I couldn't hear what Samarth said, but Kartik's eyebrows furrowed.
"Who told me isn't important. I'm coming. Mujhe Tara se milna hai aur tumse bhi baat karni hai."
(Who told me isn't important. I'm coming. I need to meet Tara and talk to you too.)
He ended the call.
For a moment, he simply stared at his phone.
Something about his expression made my chest tighten.
He looked... hurt.
"Unhone mujhe kyun nahi bataya?" he murmured.
(Why didn't they tell me?)
I looked at him. "Maybe they didn't want to trouble you."
He shook his head. "Miscarriage koi chhoti baat nahi hai, Chahat."
(A miscarriage isn't a small thing, Chahat.)
His jaw tightened. "Tara..."
He stopped.
I could see how much the name itself affected him. "Tara mere liye sirf Samarth ki wife nahi hai." His gaze dropped. "She's family."
(Tara isn't just Samarth's wife to me. She's family.)
I didn't say anything.
He leaned back against the seat. "Hum itne close hain. Aur phir bhi unhone mujhse itni badi baat chhupai."
(We're so close. And yet they hid something this big from me.)
There was disappointment in his voice now.
"Do hafte ho gaye." He looked at me. "Do hafte, Chahat." His voice cracked slightly. "Hamari shaadi ho gayi, ghar mein itna sab kuch hua... aur mujhe pata hi nahi tha ki woh kis cheez se guzar rahe hain."
(It's been two weeks. Two weeks, Chahat. We got married, so much happened at home... and I didn't even know what they were going through.)
I reached for his hand.
He looked down when my fingers closed around his.
I squeezed gently.
He didn't look at me. "I should've been there."
I tightened my hold. "I know what you're thinking."
He finally looked at me.
"Unhone tumse ye sab isliye nahi chhupaya kyunki tum unke liye important nahi ho. He probably thought that sharing his grief would only make you worry. Especially with everything happening around our marriage."
(They didn't hide all this from you because you're not important to them. He probably thought that sharing his grief would only make you worry. Especially with everything happening around our marriage.)
His expression remained troubled.
"I'm not saying he was right to hide it," I continued softly. "He should have told you. But maybe he was just trying to protect you from his own pain."
He looked away again. "I understand."
His thumb moved absently over my fingers. "But it's still a big deal. I should've been there." This time his voice was almost a whisper.
His eyes met mine.
"You're going there now. You'll be with them."
He stared at me for a moment before slowly nodding.
I didn't know what to say after that so I simply kept holding his hand and strangely, he didn't pull away.
Now, I understood that beneath the arrogance, the temper and that impossible ego...Kartik Singhaniya loved his people deeply.
And perhaps that was why seeing them hurt affected him so much.
.
.
.
The moment I stepped down from the chopper, the warm Rajasthan air brushed against my face.
Kartik was already beside me.
He held out his hand, and I placed mine in his without thinking. With my other hand, I gathered my saree pleats carefully not to let it catch beneath my feet as we walked towards the waiting car.
His grip remained firm around mine.
Neither of us said anything.
The journey had been quiet. Perhaps because both of us knew why we were here.
I knew he was worried about his best friend and sister. From everything Dadi had told us, Tara wasn't merely Samarth's wife to him. She was almost like a sister.
Soon, the car stopped in front of the massive Pratap Mansion.
The moment we entered, an older woman hurried towards us, followed by a young women.
"Arre, Kartik!" She looked like Samarth's mother, she greeted him warmly before her eyes shifted toward me.
Her expression froze.
The lady beside her looked equally surprised.
For a second, nobody said anything.
I understood why.
Nobody here had attended our wedding. And apparently, they hadn't even known whom Kartik had married.
"Ye Samarth ki maa hain aur ye Rukmani bhabhi. Tara is badi behen."
(This is Samarth's mother, and this is Rukmani bhabhi. Tara's elder sister.)
He introduced and seemed to notice their confusion.
His mother blinked before looking at me again.
"Ye meri wife hai Chahat." Kartik cleared the confusion.
(She's my wife, Chahat.)
I gave them a small, polite smile. "Hello."
Their expressions softened immediately, though the surprise remained.
After exchanging greetings, we were taken upstairs.
I barely had time to look around before I saw Samarth.
The moment Kartik saw him, his expression changed.
He walked straight toward him.
"Itna sab kuch ho gaya, aur tum logo ne mujhe bataya bhi nahi?" Kartik's voice carried both anger and hurt.
(So much has happened, and you didn't even tell me?)
Samarth sighed.
"Kya batate..." He looked exhausted. "Tum shaadi ki taiyariyon mein busy the aur Tumhari abhi-abhi shaadi hui hai. Sab kuch itna achanak hua ki tumhari shaadi mein aane ka bhi time nahi mila."
(What could I tell you... You were busy preparing for your wedding, and you had just gotten married. Everything happened so suddenly that we didn't even get the time to attend your wedding.)
"Phir bhi mujhe batana chahiye tha."
(Still, you should have told me.)
Samarth lowered his gaze.
For a moment, Kartik simply stared at him then his expression softened.
He stepped closer and placed a hand on Samarth's shoulder.
I watched silently.
There was something different about Kartik around him.
Less arrogance. Less of that coldness he usually carried. Just concern.
Samarth looked at him for a moment before quietly saying,
"Please, Tara ke saamne bacche ki koi baat mat karna."
(Please, don't mention the baby in front of Tara.)
My heart sank.
Kartik's expression immediately changed. He nodded slowly.
I stood a little behind them, watching the two men.
For the first time since I'd entered this house, I saw a side of Kartik that I wasn't used to.
He wasn't the man who had made me feel trapped.
He was simply a friend who had arrived too late for someone he loved like family.
And somehow, that sight hurt somewhere deep inside me.
Kartik and I walked toward Tara's room.
The moment she saw him, her eyes filled with tears.
"Bhai..." she whispered.
(Brother...)
Kartik immediately pulled her into his arms.
"Kuch nahi hua hai. It was just a phase of life. Nothing is more important than you and your health."
(Nothing happened.)
He wiped her tears before glancing at me.
She looked confused when she saw me.
"Meri wife, Chahat Singhaniya." Kartik said.
(My wife, Chahat Singhaniya.)
I smiled and stepped closer. "Hello."
Tara looked at me uncertainly.
I sat beside her and gently held her hand.
"Look," I began, my tone neither pitying nor dismissive. "I don't know you well enough to pretend I understand exactly what you're feeling. And I'm not going to tell you to just 'move on' because that's bullshit."
She was caught off guard.
"But I do know this," I continued, my voice softening.
"You lost something precious. Something that was part of you. And you have every right to grieve. But don't let that grief convince you that you're alone. Because you're not. Aapke husband Aapke saath hain. Woh kitna pareshaan hain, unhe samajh nahi aa raha ki tumhe kaise sambhale."
(Your husband is with you. He's so worried, he doesn't even know how to handle you.)
A tear slipped down her cheeks.
"Sab hamari galti hai. Humne apna baccha kho diya apni laparwahi ke wajah se."
(Everything is my fault. We lost our baby because of my negligence.)
I squeezed her hand gently.