CHAPTER 25! VIDAI
For all the grandeur of a wedding-the flowers, the lights, the music, the royalty-none of it prepared anyone for the finality of the departure.
But before the tears could claim the night, there was one final, chaotic battleground left to cross.
The threshold.
Aryav stopped dead in his tracks just a few feet away from the decorated car. His polished leather shoes were missing from the groom's designated spot, and in their place sat a pair of bright pink, fluffy bedroom slippers.
"Jootey yahan hai jiju?"
A bright, triumphant voice pierced through the ambient chatter.
Kashvi stepped out from behind a floral pillar, dangling Aryav's wedding shoes by the laces.
She had a sharp, mischievous grin, flanked by three of Aadhira's cousins who stood their ground like a wall.
Aryav's gaze dropped to the pink slippers. A beat passed. Then another.
Nobody laughed.
The surrounding silence grew heavy, the playful atmosphere suddenly taut under the sheer weight of his attention.
His eyes lifted to Kashvi.
"How much?" he asked, his voice smooth, cold, and entirely unbothered.
Kashvi took a step forward, keeping her chin high to lock eyes with him. "Ikkis lakh. Aur aaj raat, Shinghania naam ka koi discount nahi milega."
For one brief second, nobody spoke. Not because of the exorbitant amount, but because Kashvi had just issued a flat challenge to the only man in the driveway nobody casually demanded anything from.
Aryav studied her for a moment, his face an unreadable mask. "You rehearsed that."
It was cold, dry, and terrifyingly perceptive.
"Amazing," Vivaan said, smoothly stepping in to break the freezing tension, his hands sliding casually into his sherwani pockets. "Joote bhi hamare aur paise bhi hm de."
"Rasam hoti hai yeh," Kashvi countered, her focus shifting, though her posture remained defensive.
Shaurya adjusted his cuffs calmly. "I am a lawyer. Aur law ke mutabik, dulhan waale jo bolein wahi sahi hota hai."
Vivaan folded his arms. "Kaunsa law?"
"Mera," Shaurya replied flatly.
Arjun pinched the bridge of his nose, stepping up to the frontline. "Bhagwan kasam, kal ko kidnapper bhi aaya na... tum log usse bhi discount maangoge."
Vivaan ignored him, his eyes narrowing as he looked past Shaurya to glare directly at Kashvi. "Ikkis lakh? Tumne joota churaya hai ya Kohinoor?"
"Har baat mein apka bolna zaroori hota hai ya sirf aadat hai?" she shot back, stepping into his space.
"I manage his financial accounting. It's my job to care about reckless expenditures."
"Plan kya hai aapka?" she asked defiantly.
"Joota wapas lena," Vivaan said, his voice infuriatingly calm.
"Aur?"
"Jab price sahi ho."
From the sidelines, the surrounding cousins watched the friction build. Vivaan's jaw tightened, his gaze fixed on the matter at hand, refusing to yield an inch of territory to her.
Before Kashvi could fire another volley, Ayaan looked up from beside his father.
"Papa, de do na. You bought Dadaji a watch that costs more."
A sudden lull fell over the bickering. Shaurya and the Agrawal cousins let out a low, collective murmur of amusement, while the Shinghania side stayed quiet.
Aryav looked down at his son. "Ayaan. You should be on my side."
"Mumma likes it when I win," the boy replied simply.
Aryav stared at him. "That's emotional manipulation."
"I learned from Mumma."
Aryav didn't ask anyone for money. He didn't look toward his brothers, nor did he consult his security detail.
He simply reached into his coat and produced a heavy, sealed white envelope-one he had explicitly prepared for this exact inevitability-and held it out directly to Kashvi.
"Twenty-five," Aryav said clearly.
Kashvi frowned, her hand hesitating for a split second before she took the heavy envelope. "Lakh?"
Aryav didn't even glance at it after handing it over. "I don't do business with family."
Nobody was surprised he paid. Twenty-one lakh meant absolutely nothing to a man like Aryav.
What surprised them was that Kashvi had been allowed to finish her sentence; most people lost their nerve halfway through speaking to him. The matter was already finished in his mind.
"You... didn't even bargain."
Aryav took his wedding shoes from her hand.
"No."
"Why?"
He looked at her. Nobody spoke.
"I don't need to," Aryav said softly.
His gaze shifted briefly toward the edge of the driveway, lingering on Aadhira. "And I don't put a price on things that belong with me."
He slipped the shoes on and straightened.
"The shoes were never the point."
Everyone else heard possession. Aadhira heard relief.
The difference was simple: nobody else knew how hard Aryav fought to appear patient when it came to her.
Kashvi's triumphant grin faltered for a fraction of a second as her eyes flicked past Aryav's shoulder to catch the expression on her best friend's face.
Aadhira was trying entirely too hard not to smile.
Traitor.
Kashvi narrowed her eyes in warning. Aadhira immediately looked away, clearing her throat to hide the warmth creeping up her neck.
Kashvi quickly recovered, holding the envelope up right in front of Vivaan's nose. "Pleasure doing business with you, jiju."
Vivaan scoffed, rolling his eyes, though his jaw remained tight as she brushed past him, her shoulder clipping his arm.
The shoes had been returned.
The laughter lingered.
The ritual was over.
Reality wasn't.
The laughter continued around her. Kashvi was loudly celebrating her victory with the cousins, Vivaan was still muttering complaints to Shaurya, and someone was attempting to tease Aryav about his lack of financial discipline.
But for Aadhira, the sounds had already begun to blur, fading into a dull, distant hum.
Beyond the crowd stood the car.
Waiting.
Patient.
Unavoidable.
For the first time that entire day, there was no next ritual to prepare for. No guests.
No ceremonies. No distractions.
She had spent twenty-six years belonging to this house. Tonight, for the first time, she was walking away from it without the promise of returning before sunset.
The house behind her looked unchanged. The same pillars. The same lights.
The same balcony where she'd spent endless evenings. Nothing about it had altered.
Yet somehow, it already felt like a place she was visiting for the last time.
The realization settled quietly beneath her ribs.
Not loud. Not dramatic. Just final. The kind of pain that didn't arrive all at once; the kind that unpacked itself slowly.
She was leaving.
Across the driveway, Aryav watched her in silence. He didn't interrupt her thoughts. He didn't rush her, nor did he offer a hollow comfort.
This grief belonged entirely to her and her family.
But his gaze never left her.
Patient. Certain. Waiting.
It was the way a man waited when he had already crossed every single battlefield necessary to reach the end of the journey.
The atmosphere shifted almost imperceptibly after the final blessings. The teasing completely disappeared. Even the music seemed quieter, swallowed by the heavy, suffocating stillness of the night.
Vidai.
For all the grandeur of a wedding-
The flowers.
The lights.
The music.
The royalty.
None of it prepared anyone for the vidai.
Because weddings celebrate love.
Vidai reminds people of loss.
The atmosphere shifted almost imperceptibly after the final blessings.
The laughter softened.
The teasing disappeared.
Even the music seemed quieter somehow.
Aadhira stood near the decorated car, her crimson bridal dupatta covering her head while relatives surrounded her from every side.
For the first time that evening-
She looked small.
Not because she was afraid.
But because she was somebody's daughter.
And daughters always became smaller during goodbyes.
Padmini stepped forward first.
The moment Aadhira looked at her mother-
Everything shattered.
"Maa..."
That single word broke whatever strength remained.
Padmini pulled her into her arms instantly.
For several seconds neither woman spoke.
They simply held each other.
Tightly.
Desperately.
Like people trying to memorize a heartbeat.
"You'll call me every day."
Padmini's voice trembled.
"Every single day, sirf 2 minute baat karna par call roj karna."
Aadhira laughed through tears.
"I'll call you five times."
"Good."
"Maybe ten."
"Even better."
A broken laugh escaped both of them.
Then suddenly-
Padmini cupped her face.
The same way she had when Aadhira was five.
The same way she had when she was ten.
The same way she always would.
"No matter how big that empire is..."
Her voice cracked.
"You never stop being my little girl."
Aadhira completely broke.
Tears spilled freely down her cheeks.
"Maa..."
Veer looked away immediately.
Because fathers had strange pride.
And strange weaknesses.
He had managed boardrooms.
Business wars.
Financial disasters.
Yet somehow-
His daughter crying destroyed him.
He walked forward quietly.
Aadhira threw her arms around him.
And for a moment-
The world disappeared.
"Papa..."
Veer's hand settled on her head.
Steady.
Protective.
Shaking slightly.
Veer smiled through wet eyes.
"Jab tu paida hui thi na..."
Aadhira looked up.
"Maine sabse pehla kaam kya kiya tha pata hai?"
She shook her head.
Veer laughed softly.
"Teri ungli pakdi thi."
His gaze dropped to her hand resting against her bridal bangles.
"Aaj bhi wahi kar raha hoon."
His voice trembled.
"Bas is baar chhodna pad raha hai."
"But ,You'll be happy there."
It wasn't a question.
It wasn't a request.
It was a prayer.
Aadhira nodded against his chest.
Though neither of them trusted her voice enough to speak.
Then-
Silence.
Because there was one goodbye left.
The hardest one.
Her brother
Shaurya.
He stood several feet away, hands buried in his sherwani pockets, jaw locked so tightly it looked painful.
For the first time in years-
He didn't know what to say.
Aadhira looked at him.
He looked back.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Because some relationships become so important that words start feeling useless.
Finally-
"Idhar aa."
His voice came out rough.
Not commanding.
Not teasing.
Just broken.
Aadhira's lips trembled.
"Bhai..."
A weak smile appeared on Shaurya's face.
"Accha..."
His voice cracked slightly.
"Toh sach mein ja rahi hai tu?"
Aadhira shook her head.
"I've spent twenty-six years waiting for some peace and quiet."
A tiny laugh escaped her.
"And tomorrow..."
His eyes glistened.
"...tomorrow this house will finally get it."
The laugh died immediately.
Shaurya looked away.
"No one's going to steal my charger."
"No one's going to eat food from my plate and then swear they didn't."
Aadhira sniffled.
"No one's going to walk into my room without knocking."
A pause.
"No one's going to sit beside me when they've had a bad day and pretend they didn't."
That one hurt.
Badly.
Aadhira's eyes flooded instantly.
Shaurya laughed weakly.
"Do you know what the worst part is?"
She shook her head again.
"Kal subah main uthunga... aur aadat ke mutabiq lagega ki tu upar apne kamre mein hai. Phir achanak yaad aayega..." His breath hitched violently. "...ki tu ab kabhi wahan nahi hogi."
"Aur Pata mujhe sabse zyada kya miss hoga?"
Aadhira looked at him.
Shaurya laughed weakly.
"Sunday mornings."
She frowned through tears.
"Kya?"
"Tu bina permission ke mere room mein aa jaati thi."
His voice softened.
"Phir mera blanket kheench leti thi."
"Aur phir..." A weak, breathless laugh escaped him as a tear finally slipped down his cheek. "...pankha band karke bhaag jaati thi."
Aadhira laughed through tears
"Aur bolti thi uth ja, mummy poha bana rahi hain."
Aadhira's lips started trembling.
"Aur main hamesha gussa hota tha."
A pause.
"Kal se koi blanket nahi kheenchega."
Something inside Aadhira shattered.
Completely.
"Bhai..."
"I thought I was ready."
He laughed through tears.
"Turns out I was very wrong."
Before she could say anything-
He pulled her into his arms.
Hard.
Like he was trying to hold on to twenty-six years all at once.
Aadhira broke immediately.
Sobs wrecked through her chest as she buried her face against him.
Shaurya shut his eyes.
And for a moment-
Neither cared who was watching.
"You irritate me so much."
His voice shook.
"Every single day."
Aadhira cried harder.
"Tu meri aadhi tension ki wajah hai."
"Aur baaki aadhi bhi."
A broken laugh escaped her.
"And somehow..."
His throat tightened.
"...I still want them."
Silence.
Then Aadhira pulled back slightly.
Her cheeks were soaked.
"You know what scares me bhai?"
Shaurya frowned.
"What?"
Her voice broke.
"I don't know how to be someone's wife."
A tear slipped down.
"But I know how to be your sister."
That was it.
That was the line that finally destroyed him.
Shaurya looked away immediately.
Too late.
"Accha hai."
His voice broke completely.
"Kyuki mujhe bhi nahi pata tere bina bada bhai kaise banna hai."
Everyone had already seen the tears.
He swallowed hard before cupping her face.
"Aaj vidai ho rahi hai."
His voice turned firm.
"Rishta khatam nahi."
He pointed toward the mansion.
"That room is yours."
He pointed at Veer and Padmini.
"Those people are yours."
Then he pointed at himself.
"And unfortunately..."
A watery smile appeared.
"...I'm yours for life."
Aadhira laughed through tears.
Shaurya turned toward Aryav.
His expression instantly became dangerous.
"Listen carefully."
Several cousins immediately looked interested.
"If she cries because of you..."
Aryav raised one eyebrow.
Shaurya continued calmly.
"I'll become the biggest legal problem of your life."
The cousins collectively gasped.
Reyansh whispered,
"There he is."
Vivaan quietly looked away to hide a smile.
For three full seconds-
Aryav and Shaurya simply stared at each other.
Then Aryav spoke.
Calm.
Certain.
"She won't."
And somehow-
That answer made Shaurya feel better than any promise could.
Aadhira wiped her face.
"Stop crying."
"You first."
"I'm older."
"Then act like it."
A pause.
They stared at each other.
Then both started crying again.
Because no matter how old they became-
He would always be her brother.
And she would always be his little sister.
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