Ch5 The Bride Was Gone #3
Vasudha tried to soothe him. "Listen, don't overthink it. Rivanya is of marriageable age perhaps the pandit simply meant that it's time."
Sandeep's voice trembled with a father's fear. "I don't know, Vasu. I can only pray to Shiva that nothing bad happens to my daughter. She's already endured so much in her life... she can't go through more."
The words hung between them a quiet, fragile plea, full of love and dread.
Sandeep's voice broke as tears welled up in his eyes. "I still remember that hospital room when Rivanya's mother took her last breath. She held my hand and entrusted me with her little flower of a daughter. She died believing I would raise her well."
Vasudha, tearful, answered, "Yes, I remember. Rivanya is our child even though I didn't carry her, I love her as if she's my own. Maybe I love her even more than Dhara."
Sandeep pulled Vasudha into an embrace. "I know. If I have been able to keep the promise I made to my sister, it's entirely because of you. You never let Rivanya feel the absence of her mother. You loved her like your own just as much as you did Dhara."
Vasudha hugged him tighter, her voice shaking with sobs. "How could I not love her? She was so tiny all day she'd trail behind me calling 'mami, mami.' And now she is grown, standing alone to fulfill her mother's dream... my little girl."
Sandeep wiped his face, steadier now but still fierce with feeling.
"I know, Vasu. It pains me too the thought of her living alone in Mumbai, especially with that cruel man, her father, so close to her life. But Rivanya must stand on her own two feet. Her success will be a slap in the face to those who wronged her."
Vasudha tried to reassure him, a gentle smile breaking through her tears. "And believe me, she will find a husband like Lord Shiva himself someone who will protect her and love her more than we ever could."
Sandeep half-laughed through his tears. "If that happens, I'll be the happiest man alive."
Vasudha glanced at the time and rose. "Enough worrying for now. It's time for your medicine. Go upstairs; I'll bring your milk."
Sandeep nodded, voice soft with gratitude. "As you say, madam."
As the night wore on, the hour of the great union drew nearer.
Time Skip Morning
Today is sacred. Tonight will be a full-moon night. The hour for lovers to meet. The Maha Milan the night when Shiva's element meets Shakti's.
I stepped into the Bedi mansion with a heart that didn't want to be here.
I had come only because my father insisted only to attend Alisha's wedding.
Samita and Alisha may not have wanted me at this ceremony, but my father demanded it; after all, the world knows I am Naresh Bedi's biological daughter, the rightful heir of the Bedi family.
If I hadn't shown up today, too many questions would have been asked in my father's name, and he would not have tolerated that.
All these years I have borne my father's cruelties for one reason: my mother would never have wanted me to hate my father.
Even though he betrayed my mother and his betrayal led to her death, she wanted me to remember him as my father not as a villain.
I longed, in some foolish corner of my heart, for him to love me as his daughter; that love never came.
Now my pride demands its due. Today, after Alisha's marriage is over, I will cut every tie to this house.
I will not be part of their spectacle any longer.
I had spent the entire day deliberately staying away from all the wedding rituals.
I had no intention of being part of another spectacle another performance that was never about me.
As the day faded into night, darkness draped the Bedi mansion, but inside, the house glimmered like a bride herself.
Golden lights shimmered on every wall, flowers adorned every corner, and Alisha herself was dressed as a bride-perfect, flawless, radiant.
Only three hours remained for the wedding, and news had arrived that the baraat had started its journey. I thought to myself, Once this wedding is over, I'll finally speak to papa and settle things.
Until then, I decided to occupy my mind with something personal. I would pack some of Maa's old belongings things precious to me that I wanted to carry wherever life took me. With that plan, I made my way toward Maa's room.
But just as I was about to reach the door, a loud CRASH! echoed behind me.
I spun around. My heart froze. Papa was sitting on the floor, utterly shocked, his face pale and motionless. Samita was nearby, crying or pretending to cry I couldn't tell in that instant.
I ran to him, my hands trembling as I held his shoulders.
"Papa! What happened? Are you okay?"
His usually calm, composed face was clouded with despair. His lips trembled as he whispered, his voice broken, "It's all over, Rivanya... it's all over."
I shook my head in panic. "What's over, Papa? Please... tell me clearly!"
Tears welled in his eyes, and my heart ached to see him like this. Then he spoke, his voice heavy with humiliation and disbelief:
"All these years of my honor... all my efforts... Alisha destroyed it in a single moment."
I froze, unable to comprehend. "What... do you mean?" I whispered, my pulse quickening.
Papa's tears fell freely as he uttered the words that made the world tilt beneath me:
"Alisha... Alisha ran away from the wedding, Rivanya. That girl... she ran away."
My mind went numb. My breath caught in my throat. For a heartbeat, I couldn't speak. Then, a mixture of shock, disbelief, and fury escaped me:
"WHAT...??"
The mansion, so glittering and alive just moments ago, now felt like it was closing in around me. The lights, the faint echo of music from outside, the distant beats of the dhol everything transformed into a cruel mockery.
The bride... was gone.