Epilogue part 1
EPILOGUE
So finally the epilogue is uploaded, i wasn't planning to give in two parts but unfortunately the words reached out it's limits so i breaked in two parts.
Please enjoy and don't forget to drop your comments.
The morning light slowly entered the Rajput mansion, slipping through the curtains and painting the bedroom in a soft golden glow.
The room was still dim and peaceful, and beneath the blankets, Rudra and Ishni were tangled in each other's arms. Ishni slowly opened her eyes and the moment she looked at the man beside her, a soft smile appeared on her lips. "Morning... Rudra,"
she whispered. Rudra barely opened his eyes before pulling her closer, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck like a sleepy bear.
Ishni giggled softly and tried to free herself from his grip. "Rudra... please, not today. I have an important case," she reminded him. Instead of answering, he only tightened his arms around her. "Five minutes, jaan," he mumbled sleepily. Ishni sighed. "You said that twenty minutes ago."
Meanwhile, outside the bedroom, little Aaradhya was running through the mansion with her father's phone in her hands. She had been playing with it.
Suddenly, the phone started ringing. She looked at the screen and immediately smiled when she saw the name. "Hello, Vipul Uncle!" she chirped as she answered the call.
"Hello, Princess," Vipul replied warmly. Then he paused. "Wait... why are you having your daddy's phone?" Aaradhya looked around innocently.
"Uncle, I was just playing around. Nobody is playing with me." Vipul frowned. "Nobody? Where are your parents? And you're going to be late for school."
Aaradhya's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered.
"Ohhh, yes! School!" she exclaimed. Then, lowering her voice as though revealing the biggest family secret in history, she added, "But Daddy is not letting Mommy get out of bed."
Vipul went silent. "What?" he asked. "Yes!" Aaradhya continued cheerfully.
"Mommy keeps saying, 'I have a case! Rudra, let me go!' But Daddy is holding her like a bear!" Vipul covered his mouth, desperately trying not to laugh. "Princess... please tell me you're joking." Aaradhya giggled. "No! Daddy is a big bear and Mommy is trying to escape him!"
"Ohh, I see," Vipul said, trying hard not to laugh. "So because of Daddy, you always get late for school?"
"Yes!" Aaradhya replied dramatically. "Because of Daddy, I always go late to school, you know."
"Ohh, poor girl," Vipul said sympathetically. "You should tell your mommy."
"Yes, yes! I already told her," Aaradhya said proudly. But before she could say anything else, a loud thud came from upstairs, followed by Ishni's furious voice echoing through the entire mansion.
"RUDRA! I WON'T SPARE YOU TODAY! If I get late for my case and my daughter gets late for her school because of you, then you are seriously finished! GET UP NOW, YOU SHAMELESS MAN!"
Aaradhya slowly pulled the phone away from her ear and stared toward the staircase. Vipul was completely silent on the other end. Then Aaradhya whispered, "Uncle..."
"Hmm?"
"Mommy is angry."
Vipul immediately burst out laughing.
"Princess, I think your daddy is in serious trouble today."
From upstairs came Rudra's sleepy voice.
"Good morning, jaan," Rudra said with a sleepy smile, looking at her as though he had completely forgotten why she was angry. "Why are you looking so cute even when you're shouting?"
Ishni simply stared at him.
That done-with-this-man expression said everything. "Rudra Singh Rajput!"
The moment she said his full name, Rudra's smile disappeared.
He slowly sat up, suddenly looking like a schoolboy who had been caught doing something wrong. "Sorry," he mumbled.
Ishni folded her arms and glared at him.
From downstairs, Aaradhya suddenly shouted, "Daddy! Vipul Uncle is on the call!"
Rudra's head snapped toward the door.
"What?!"
His eyes immediately searched the room.
"You little brat! When did you take my phone?" Aaradhya proudly lifted the phone in her tiny hand.
"When you were hugging Mommy like a bear!" Ishni immediately closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Of course..." she muttered.
Rudra, meanwhile, suddenly became extremely interested in fixing his hair, pretending absolutely nothing had happened. "I was... just sleeping."
Aaradhya giggled. "No, Daddy. You were hugging Mommy." Rudra froze.
Vipul was still on the other end of the call.
He had heard everything. And for perhaps the first time in his life, Vipul had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to say. "Uh..." he finally muttered.
Rudra slowly looked toward the phone.
"Vipul."
"Yes, boss?"
"If you repeat anything you heard..."
He paused. Vipul immediately understood.
"Boss, I heard absolutely nothing."
Ishni raised an eyebrow.
"Good answer." Vipul silently thanked every god he could remember.
Aaradhya, however, wasn't finished.
"Uncle, Daddy was also saying Mommy is not allowed to leave the bed!"
Rudra's eyes widened. "ARADHYA!"
The little girl burst into laughter and ran down the hallway.
Ishni looked at Rudra.
Rudra looked at Ishni.
Then he gave her his most innocent smile.
After Vipul finally hung up the call, Rudra was left to face the consequences of his morning crimes. Ishni gave him a proper lecture while Aaradhya sat nearby, happily enjoying the entire show like it was the best entertainment she had seen all week.
Once the scolding was finally over, everyone got ready for the day. Aaradhya changed into her school uniform, while Rudra and Ishni got dressed for work. Soon, the three of them stood near the entrance, ready to leave.
"Alright, Rudra," Ishni said, handing Aaradhya her school bag. "I'm going. Drop her straight to school. Don't stop anywhere nearby, and don't buy her ice cream or anything else, understood?"
"Jaan, she keeps insisting-" Rudra started, already preparing his defence. Ishni slowly turned toward him and gave him the look.
Rudra immediately stopped. He nodded like the most obedient husband in the world. "Yes, jaan."
Aaradhya covered her mouth, trying desperately not to laugh at her father's sudden transformation.
Ishni bent down and hugged Aaradhya, pressing a soft kiss against her forehead. "Be a good girl, okay? Listen to Daddy and don't trouble him too much."
Aaradhya nodded innocently. "I won't, Mommy." Ishni smiled and was about to walk away when Rudra suddenly spoke.
"Excuse me?"
She turned around. Rudra pointed at himself with an offended expression. "What am I? A ghost? I also need a hug and kiss."
Aaradhya immediately suppressed a giggle. She sighed, walked back toward him, wrapped her arms around him, and gave him a quick kiss on his forehead.
"Happy now?" Rudra smiled like he had just won a major victory. "Very."
Ishni shook her head. "Bye, Mommy!" Aaradhya called. "Bye, princess! Take care," Ishni replied. Rudra stood beside Aaradhya, watching Ishni leave.
The moment the car disappeared through the mansion gates, Aaradhya looked up at her father. "Daddy..."
"Hmm?"
"Mommy said no ice cream." Rudra looked down at her. Aaradhya gave him her sweetest smile.
He sighed. "Don't even think about it."
She continued staring. Rudra looked toward the gates, then back at his daughter.
"no definitely not "
Aaradhya's face was as if someone refused to give her favourite thing.
------
The courtroom was completely silent as everyone waited for the next statement. Ishni stood firmly beside the woman, her expression calm but her eyes sharp. The victim's family sat across the courtroom, while the opposing lawyer stepped forward confidently.
"My Lord, this woman killed a man simply because he approached her for a small conversation," the lawyer argued, trying to make the accused woman look like the aggressor.
Ishni immediately stepped forward. "Correction, Your Honour," she said firmly. "He didn't approach her for a simple conversation. He attempted to assault her, and she fought back in self-defence."
A murmur spread through the courtroom. The opposing lawyer scoffed. "There is no concrete proof of that, Your Honour."
Ishni turned toward him, her expression becoming colder. "Then perhaps we should look at the evidence before deciding what happened." She walked toward the evidence table and picked up a file.
"CCTV footage from the building shows the accused entering the room with the deceased. Three minutes later, she comes running out, visibly distressed. The deceased follows her."
She placed the file before the judge. "And according to the medical report, there were defensive injuries on the accused's arms and bruising around her wrist."
The courtroom fell silent again. Ishni looked directly at the judge.
"She didn't kill him because he spoke to her. She fought because she was trying to survive."
Her voice remained steady. "Self-defence isn't a crime, Your Honour. Being a woman who fought back isn't a crime either."
"My Lord, okay, for a second, let's assume he was assaulting her," the lawyer said, turning toward the judge. "Then why didn't she ask for help? Why didn't she call the people nearby? Why did she have to kill him?"
A murmur spread through the courtroom. Ishni slowly turned toward the lawyer, her expression becoming colder.
"Because, Your Honour," she said firmly, "when someone is attacking you, you don't always get the luxury of calmly looking around for help."
She took a step forward. "Fear doesn't give you a script. A person under attack doesn't know how much time they have, whether anyone will hear them, or whether asking for help will make the situation worse."
The lawyer opened his mouth to respond, but Ishni continued. "You're asking why she didn't call someone. I'll ask you something instead."
She looked directly at him.
"If someone has already cornered you and you genuinely believe you're in danger, are you supposed to wait politely until someone arrives?"
The courtroom fell silent again.