-51-
Karan motioned for Raghav to look back, his face filled with sheer terror. Raghav tilted his head back, catching sight of his newlywed bride glaring daggers at his skull. She moved past him, shoving the gathbandhan into his hands, and stood directly across from Aneri.
"You know, ever since you barked your bullshit in front of me right in my house, I've been thinking for a long time about what I should have done to shut that dirty mouth of yours. Or how I should have kicked your ass out of my home.
But I was trying to convince myself that you were with your grandfather, and it's not in my upbringing to disrespect an elder—especially one who is a guest in my house. But since you are finally in front of me, I can talk to you directly," she stated, narrowing her eyes at Aneri,
her hands fisting at her sides.
"So what—" Aneri started, but Jayasvi cut her off by holding up a single finger.
"Continue that at your own risk. Har bakwaas pe chaar thappad hai," she spoke in a calm voice, nodding her head to state the warning loud and clear. (Every bit of nonsense rewards you with four slaps.)
Aneri's mouth fell open at the threat as she stared at her with wide eyes. It took a long time for her head to wrap around what she had just been told. Jayasvi's parents gasped where they stood, knowing their daughter was completely out of control.
"Ji, say something to her," Anjali, her mother, motioned pleadingly to her husband. They were all helpless at that moment, given how Jayasvi stood at a distance from them. It was both embarrassing and thrilling to see her acting this way in front of her elders.
"She isn't saying anything wrong," Ganga told Anjali, shaking her head to stop her from doing anything foolish.
"Do you even know who you are talking to? Do you even know who my father is? Which family I come from?" Aneri snapped at her, finally finding her voice.
"Ask your mother who your father is. I have the least bit of interest in knowing about your parents' bedroom activities. But I would advise you to ask your mother—I think, mostly, the mother knows who the father of her child is," Jayasvi spoke calmly, shrugging her shoulders.
"How dare you talk to my granddaughter that way!" Subhash Kashyap snapped at her, only for Jayasvi's glare to pivot directly to him.
"Uncle ji, stay in control. If you jump around too much at this age, a heart attack is very common. So raise your hands very carefully. At this age, they should only be raised to bless, not to spout nonsense. If you can't do your share of the work carefully,
you had better shut your mouth and sit in the corner," Jayasvi snapped back at him.
"This is the upbringing your parents gave you..." Subhash countered.
"Mr. Kashyap, you have spoken far too much for your age today," she snapped, her eyes turning red as she took a step toward the old man.
"What were you warning my father? That if he doesn't control me, something might happen to me that wouldn't be appropriate? See for yourself, you old man. If my father had just pushed you away, your spine would have broken.
Yet you jump around like a five-year-old at his birthday party running after balloons," she snapped, looking as though she wanted to tear the old man's face off.
"Why don't you tell everybody here what you would do if I don't stay away from Raghav?"
she questioned, gesturing for him to repeat the empty threat he had given her father.
"What is she saying, Mr. Kashyap? What did you tell our bahu?" Gajraaj snapped, finally understanding the depth of the chaos this old man and his daughter had caused at Jayasvi's house this morning.
"Do you legitimately think my life is a joke? Everybody keeps making fun of it. Who do you think you are? Do you even think before you speak? You have a granddaughter yourself, and yet you roam around making rape threats to other people's daughters! You think the world is your playground!"
Jayasvi snapped, glaring daggers, her entire body trembling.
"Listen, and listen very carefully. I stayed silent before because, no matter what, you were guests at my place. But if you say even a shred of what you said at my home right here... I swear on every god I worship, I will dig your grave right here without a trace of a frown.
I don't know about your granddaughter being your son's daughter, but trust me—if I don't shut that filthy mouth before it opens today, I wouldn't be my father's daughter," she snapped, her face turning crimson.
Raghav finally chose to step in between them.
"Dhara, take your bhabhi inside," Raghav commanded Dhara, seeing the tremor in Jayasvi's body from sheer rage. He knew she wouldn't be in anyone's control if she stayed here for even a second longer.
Dhara practically had to drag her away immediately, followed by Vandana and Anjali, all while Jayasvi's wide, unyielding eyes remained locked on Subhash Kashyap.
Most would have considered her a deeply disrespectful daughter-in-law.
But to Gauri, this was the very essence of Shakti—a power capable of loving boundlessly, yet equally capable of razing someone to the earth when disrespected.
Gauri let out a sigh, looking up at the clear sky and joining her hands.
"Hei Mata Rani, forgive our family if we have done something wrong. But you know we have nothing wrong in our hearts for our bahu. Our Raghav did all this so she would have a wall of protection around her, so nobody could ever reach her or try to hurt her again," Gauri whispered in a silent prayer,
heading inside to let the men of the family decide the Kashyap family's punishment.
And she knew that, for once, Raghav would not let them off easily.
"Bhabhi, drink some water, please," Dhara spoke, offering a glass of water to Jayasvi, who sat stiffly on the edge of the bed. Everyone had tried to offer her something, but she wasn't listening to anyone.
Her grandmother moved closer, softly stroking her hair while looking at the tension in her shoulders.
"Meri bacchi, yahan sabko apni pareshani dikhti hai. Meri gudiyan kitne dard se guzar rahi hai, koi poochta hi nahi," she spoke gently, pulling Jayasvi into her arms.
Jayasvi stayed rigid for a moment before her shoulders began to shake, and she broke down completely.
(My child, everyone here only sees their own troubles.
My doll is going through so much pain, and nobody even asks.)
"He said so many filthy things, dadi. I couldn't say anything back then. Papa was humiliated because of me. Everyone is going through so much trouble just because I was marrying Raghav. I am so sorry," she sobbed between her hiccups.
She couldn't even meet her parents' eyes, knowing she was the sole reason they had been threatened and demeaned.
Anjali blinked rapidly, finding it difficult to watch her delicate daughter reduced to this—blaming herself for everything.
"No, Jayasvi beta, it's not your fault. You can't blame yourself for everything wrong that happens," Gauri Hooda said, reaching out to stroke her hair as well.
Dhara felt out of place. For once, she felt terrible for Jayasvi and regretted how she had spoken about her.
She had forgotten, even if just for a moment, that Jayasvi was a human being with equal feelings.
"Anjali ji, I know this isn't the right time to say this, but we should do the vidaai soon. We have other rituals waiting at home that will only get delayed the longer we stay," Vandana offered hesitantly.
She felt horrible mentioning it now, but it would be dark soon, and the remaining post-wedding rituals couldn't wait forever.
"I am not going anywhere," Jayasvi spoke, wiping her tears.
"We didn't ask you," Raghav stated as he walked inside, followed by Karan.
"Bhai, please calm down," Karan tried to de-escalate the situation.
"She isn't wrong. This wasn't how we chose to marry off our daughter. We will only send her with you on the date that was originally decided. We aren't ready now," her father stated, feeling everything was getting far too out of hand.
"We understand what you are saying, but please understand—in our family, immediately after the wedding, we must take the newlyweds to our Kuldevi temple. We can't skip it; it's considered inauspicious. We understand your worry, and we will make sure Jayasvi is never alone with Raghav anywhere,
" Vandana spoke softly to Anjali, recognizing the mother's hesitation.
"Aunty ji, do you really think you can keep me away from him? You couldn't even stop this unexpected marriage! He does whatever he wants without thinking about anyone," Jayasvi interjected with a deep frown before she could stop herself.
"Vandana ji, see... if we send our daughter with you, you will have to take full responsibility, please," Anjali said with a heavy sigh.
She knew what had happened was wrong, but the Hooda family had their reasons, too.
She understood how fragile these relationships were and couldn't let her daughter's fury dictate everything.
Much to Jayasvi's disappointment, the vidaai took place. She looked back at her parents with tear-filled eyes as the car pulled away. Karan was driving, while Shivaya—Raghav's cousin who had flown in immediately upon hearing about the sudden wedding—sat in the front passenger seat.
"This was all just a deal to you," she whispered, her hands tightly fisting the heavy fabric of her lehenga.
"Don't say something that foolish ever again," he breathed into her ear, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous octave.
"If you were a mere deal to me, I wouldn't have spent the last few months trying to earn your forgiveness—trying to make sure you never wanted to leave my room, my life. You aren't married to me because of Dhara, Jayasvi. You are my wife. Get that through your head."
"Don't feed me lies, Raghav. I am not as stupid as you think I am. Don't think I've forgotten the past. I thought you had changed, but you're still the exact same," she sniffed, glaring at him.
"What choice did you leave me, hmmm? You didn't even want to marry me today because of a lie fed to you by a stranger. I am not letting you destroy our relationship just because you are in a mood," he gritted out, reaching over to grip her hand to steady the sudden fury rising in him.
He hated when she doubted herself—especially when her insecurity stemmed from a past he had tried his absolute best to erase.
"I hate you," she stated, glaring at him.
"Call it what you want," he replied, his voice dropping even lower, vibrating with intensity. "But that doesn't change the fact that you are married to me. You are my wife. And in the end, I got what I wanted."
"Bhabhi, please calm down," Karan tried to interject from the front.
"To hell with bhabhi! Konbhabhi? Kiskibhabhi? Don't call me that again!" she snapped, turning her glare on Karan, who immediately shrank back into his seat.
"Jannat, in our family, that's what you'll be called by my cousins, Dhara, and my close friends. Get used to it," Raghav said, a smirk playing on his lips.
"The truth is, you might think you won by marrying me, but I'll leave the first chance I get," she snapped back. Karan and Shivaya glanced at each other through the rearview mirror, far too terrified to say anything as they watched the chaos unfolding in the backseat.
"Leaving?" He let out a dry, humorless sound.
"Try it, Jayasvi. Try to walk out of the Hooda estate and see how long you last before you realize that no one else—not even your parents—has ever looked at you the way I do."
His hand reached out to wrap around the back of her neck, his fingers sliding up to firmly cup her chin, forcing her to stay locked onto him.
"When we get home, you can either go to our room and cry, or you can sit right here in front of me and face the truth. But you are not leaving my life. Never."
"You can't stop me," she warned, her eyes glaring back into his.
A cold, dangerous laugh broke from his chest—low and entirely devoid of humor.
"Watch me." His gaze narrowed, his dark whiskey-brown eyes practically smoldering with possessiveness.
"You think you'll be leaving my house on your own two feet? I have your passport in my safe, I have the drivers on my payroll, and I have the keys to every single thing you think you own. You are not running from me, Jayasvi. Not now. Not ever."