Chapter - 71
"Priya gave in. She agreed to marry the man Dad chose."
I was frozen. Emotionless.
He continued, "When I returned to India, the engagement preparations had started. I asked Priya directly—'Did you agree because Dad pressured you?' And she told me, 'No, I agreed with my own will.'"
My jaw clenched slightly.
Mr. Rajvansh's tone grew heavier. "But on the day of the engagement... she didn't show up. We waited for hours. No one knew where she was. Then a call came—she was in the hospital."
He paused, looking ashamed. "Jai had an accident. She went to him. And when the media found out... the insults started. About her. About our family. The so-called perfect Rajvansh image started cracking."
I could hear the bitterness in his voice. The anger. The regret.
"And that same night," he whispered, "Dad collapsed. Heart attack. We rushed him to the hospital... didn't even get time to process what happened."
He wiped a hand across his face, like trying to erase the memory.
"The next day... Priya returned. With Jai. They had already gotten married. Court marriage. No one knew."
My silence spoke louder than anything I could say.
"Dad didn't even look at her," he said, voice low. "He was furious. Broken. He said, 'She's dead for me.' And honestly... I felt the same. Because she could have told us. She could have trusted me. But she didn't."
I could sense he was speaking as a brother now, not just a Rajvansh.
"She didn't even tell Vikram. And he... he wanted to take her side, I know. But even he couldn't look at her. Not after what happened to Dad."
He looked up at me slowly.
"She walked out of our house that day. And for us... she was gone."
I let the silence sit between us. Heavy. Sharp.
So... that was it.
That's how Siya's mother—Priya—was cut off from the Rajvansh family. Not because she was wrong. But because no one chose to understand her pain. They only saw the damage to their pride.
And now they all want to act like they care? Like Siya matters to them?
I looked straight into Mr. Rajvansh's eyes and said in my cold, razor-sharp voice:
"So you abandoned her. Not because she sinned... but because she didn't obey."
He looked away.
Good. Because he should.
He didn't defend himself. Just let out a sigh like the guilt had finally broken through his carefully built walls.
"I was... angry," he admitted. "Scared to lose Dad. And in that anger, I left for London again. I couldn't stay. Couldn't face anything. I spent the next two years there... just visiting India once or twice."
There was nothing left to say.
I let the weight of his words hang in the air.
He continued, voice low, like it hurt to speak, "Then... Dad had a second heart attack. It was worse this time. He couldn't survive it. He died..."
He looked up at me, eyes red with something between guilt and regret. "When I came to India... I was told Dad wanted to see Priya one last time. He asked for her."
I narrowed my eyes. "And?"
"She didn't come."
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
He paused. "Maybe she was hurt. Maybe she was still angry. Maybe she didn't know it would be the last time..."
His voice cracked just slightly.
"When she came before the funeral... crying... begging to see him one last time..."
He took a breath.
"I didn't let her."
I let him sit with his guilt. Watching him fall apart, piece by piece.
"I told the guards not to let her in. She stood at the gate for hours... but I didn't open it."
I said nothing. Just let him speak. Sometimes silence burns more than words.
"I hated myself for it. For what I did."
He looked at his hands—shaking slightly.
"And then... I ran. Like a coward. Spent the next five years in London. Only visited India twice. Couldn't face Vikram. Couldn't face Priya."
His guilt was dripping from every word now.
"But it didn't go away," he whispered. "The guilt. The voice in my head. Telling me what I did was wrong. That I punished her more than she deserved."
I clenched my jaw.
Still quiet.
He exhaled, shakily. "So one day, I decided. I would meet her. Apologize. Ask her forgiveness. Whatever it took."
I leaned back, still silent.
He looked up. "By then... she and Jai had built a small business together. They were living a simple life. Raising a daughter."
My heart skipped.
Siya.
He continued, "I asked my PA to find Jai's contact. When I got his number, I called him. Told him I was coming to India. That I wanted to meet Priya. He said okay. Told me where they lived."
He paused.
My chest grew still. I could feel what was coming.
"But before I reached..."
His voice cracked.
"They died. In that car accident."
My gaze didn't soften.
It just became colder.
Just the sound of the ceiling fan above and the storm building in my chest.
He had one chance.
One.
Fate really has its own way of playing with people.
Now everything made sense.
Why Siya was left behind. Why the Rajvansh name never protected her. Why she had to suffer alone.
Because the same family who should have stood beside her... had already turned their backs on her mother.
Mr. Rajvansh let out a deep breath, voice trembling slightly.
"After Priya died... Vikram cut all ties with me," he said, eyes fixed on the floor.
"He told me it was my fault. That if I had let Priya meet Dad... or didn't stop their reunion, then maybe... she'd still be alive."
He paused, as if reliving the moment.
"He said... I ruined everything. That I let anger and ego destroy our family."
I didn't blink.
I didn't even move.
Just listened. Like stone.
He continued, "He hated me after that. Didn't want to see my face. And no matter how many times I tried to explain myself, he never listened. I gave up trying. Because... maybe he was right."
"I was the elder brother. It was my responsibility to hold the family together. But what did I do?" His voice broke. "I became the reason they broke."
"After losing Priya and Vikram, there was nothing left here for me. I only came once or twice... and even then, just for a few hours—like a stranger passing through what used to be home."
Mrs. Rajvansh was sitting quietly beside him, gently rubbing his back. She hadn't said anything... but her silence carried weight. She was holding him together.
He looked at her for strength, then turned to me again.
"After your reception, we're going to meet Vikram. I know he won't meet me... but maybe he'll listen to Madhavi."
I didn't respond immediately. Too many pieces were connecting in my mind.
But something still felt wrong.
"You shared all this with your wife," I said slowly, voice dangerously calm, "but you never told Vikram that Siya is alive?"
He blinked, startled.
"No... I didn't. I was waiting for the right time. After meeting him—"
"Wrong move," I cut in sharply.
"You may trust your wife, and she seems worthy of it," I nodded toward Mrs. Rajvansh, "but Vikram... and his family... we don't know where they stand."
His forehead creased. "Vikram would never harm Siya—he loved Priya like his own sister."
"Maybe," I said coldly, "but until I find out who was behind that accident, I'm not taking risks. Siya is my wife. My responsibility. I won't lose her because of anyone's emotional decisions."
Mrs. Rajvansh nodded firmly. "You're right, Aarav. We won't tell anyone. I promise."
Mr. Rajvansh looked torn, but he nodded too. "Alright... We'll keep it between us."
I nodded once.
Still, one question burned in my mind.
"If Vikram is your brother... why is there no record? Why didn't I find anything about him in the Rajvansh family background?"
He gave a tired sigh.
"Because... Vikram doesn't use the Rajvansh surname anymore. He started using his birth surname—Rawat."
"Rawat?"
"Yes," he said, his voice filled with pain. "After Priya died... he said he didn't want to be associated with us anymore. He erased everything that connected him to the Rajvansh name."
I narrowed my eyes.
So that's why I didn't find anything. No link. No mention. No name.
He made himself disappear. Just like Siya was made to disappear.
But not anymore.
Now that Siya was mine—the world will remember her name, her worth, and her mother's truth. And anyone who stood in the way?
They'd pay. One by one.
I walked into the room and saw her—my Siya—sleeping peacefully, wrapped in the soft light of the moon coming through the curtains. Her face looked calm... innocent... like nothing in the world could ever touch her.
I quietly closed the door behind me and stepped closer.
She didn't even stir when I lay down beside her. Just shifted a little... and moved closer to me, like she knew—even in sleep—that she was safe near me.
I leaned in slowly and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"Good night, Rani sa..."
I pulled the blanket over both of us, making sure she was warm and comfortable. My arm found its way around her waist, and she sighed softly in her sleep, nuzzling closer.
I looked at her face... and for a moment, my mind went back to earlier.
The way she looked at me when I said I love you.
The way her voice shook when she whispered I love you too, Avi.
That moment... I'll never forget.
This girl—this shy, kind, soft-hearted overthinker—had no idea what she had done to me. She didn't just walk into my life.
She healed it.
She became it.
I kept staring at her, my thumb gently brushing over the back of her hand.
"I don't know what I did to deserve you, Siya... but I promise you'll never regret loving me."
My eyes started to close, still locked on her face.
That peaceful smile stayed on my lips as sleep slowly pulled me in.
For once in my life... I wasn't thinking about work, power, or control.
Just her.
Just us.
And somewhere between her breath and mine—I fell asleep. Peacefully.
Just like her.
I slowly opened my eyes, feeling the warmth all around me. My head was resting on Aarav's chest, and his arms were wrapped around me, holding me like I was the most precious thing in the world.
His heartbeat was soft and steady... like music to my soul.
He looked so peaceful, like a little boy sleeping without any worries. There was a softness on his face that I never got to see when he's out in the world as the powerful, cold Rana Sa. But here... like this... he was just my Avi.
I didn't even realize how long I had been looking at him until a deep, sleepy voice whispered—
"Stop staring at me, Rani sa. Let me sleep for a little more time."
I blinked quickly, my cheeks heating up.
"W...who is staring? I was just... admiring my Rana sa." I mumbled, looking down immediately.
In the next second, he slowly opened his eyes and hovered over me, a playful smile on his lips.
"Now admire as much as you want, Rani sa. I'm all yours."
I felt my heart skip a beat and turned my face shyly to the side, unable to meet his eyes.
"Now what happened?" he teased again, his voice low.
"You don't want to admire your handsome husband? Girls are crazy to get even one look of mine... and here, my own wife is too shy to look at me."
That made something snap in me.
I turned sharply, narrowing my eyes at him.
"Who the hell are these girls who want to look at my husband?"
I didn't even realize my tone got louder.
His eyes widened a little.
"N-No one, darling! I was just kidding!"
He quickly defended himself like a caught thief.
I gave him an angry glare...
But instead of getting scared, he cupped my face gently, a loving smile on his lips.
"You look the cutest, Rani sa, when you glare like that."
I didn't say anything. My cheeks were already betraying me... turning red, and my heart felt like it was melting.
He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my forehead.
"I don't know about any other girl," he whispered, "but I lose my mind every time you look at me like that."
I blushed deeper, hiding my face into his chest.
We laid there like that for a while... wrapped in warmth, love, and silence.
After some time, he looked at me again and said,
"You go and freshen up. Till then, I'll make breakfast for us."
I immediately looked up.
"Why? When I'm here, why should you—"
He placed his finger on my lips.
"I told you, Siya... here, we are just us. No Rana Sa. No Rani Sa. Just Aarav and Siya. And I've dreamed of this so many times... bringing you here, pampering you, making breakfast for you. Let me fulfil that dream, hmm?"
He kissed my forehead again, smiled, and got up to leave the room.
I watched him go...
And my heart whispered again...
How did I get so lucky?
I shook my head and smiled to myself.
Then I got up, walked into the bathroom, and took a long, relaxing shower. I chose to wear a soft ivory Anarkali today—the one with delicate mirror work and pink floral embroidery. I paired it with matching juttis and a light dupatta. I didn't do much makeup... just kajal and a soft pink lip balm.
When I walked downstairs, I saw Aarav near the dining table, setting everything carefully. He looked so focused, like he was preparing something really special.
I slowly walked toward him, and before I could even say anything, he pulled out a chair for me and said,
"Please have a seat, Rani Sa."
I sat down quietly, watching him.
He had made grilled paneer sandwiches and tea. My eyes widened a little.
But... he doesn't drink tea.
I looked at him curiously.
"Avi... why did you make tea? You don't even drink it. You should've made something for yourself too."
He came beside me, held my hand gently and said,
"But you like tea with sandwiches. And when you can drink coffee with me sometimes, why can't I have tea with you today?"
I didn't know what to say to that. My heart just melted.
He placed a sandwich on a plate in front of me and the cup of tea beside it.
But then... instead of sitting down to eat himself,
He took the sandwich in his hand—
And brought it near my lips.
"Say aa..." he smiled, teasingly.
I blinked in surprise, but slowly opened my mouth, and he fed me like... like I was someone so precious.
And in that small gesture... something broke inside me.
No one had ever fed me like this before. No one had ever thought about my likes, my comforts, my little joys this way.
Not even in childhood... I can't remember if my parents ever fed me with their hands.
My eyes welled up with tears before I could even stop them.
He noticed. Of course he did.
He gently wiped the corner of my eye with his thumb.
"No one... no one likes a crying Rani Sa," he whispered.
"Not even me."
I quickly shook my head.
"I'm not crying... these are just... happy tears."
He tilted his head and softly said,
"Happy or sad... I don't know, Siya. But I do know one thing. You're not allowed to cry—not when I'm with you."
I nodded quietly. I couldn't speak. If I did, I might actually cry more.
We finished our breakfast—he still feeding me in between, teasing me gently, and I just... soaked in every second of it.
Because for the first time in my life, I wasn't just eating food.
I was tasting love.
And it felt warm.
Safe.
And mine.
Completely mine.
I will update the next chapter on Monday, but if you all complete the target before that, I'll upload it earlier!
Target: 1.1k votes and 270 comments to unlock the next chapter!