Ch36 The Scar Of Past
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Rivanya's heart hammered furiously against her ribs as she remained firmly pinned within Rudraksh's inescapable embrace.
His burning, intense question hung heavily in the narrow space between them, waiting for a truth she wasn't ready to voice.
Lowering her eyelashes to shield her chaotic emotions, she managed to whisper in a breathless, trembling voice, "I... I do not have an answer to this question of yours. Please, just let me go..."
Before Rudraksh could push past her defenses or demand the truth she was hiding, Dev's loud voice suddenly echoed from the main corridor, calling out for them.
Seizing the momentary distraction, Rivanya deftly slipped out from under his slackened grip and bolted up the stairs straight into their bedroom to change out of her heavy bridal attire.
Left behind in the dim corridor, Rudraksh stood rooted to the spot, a lingering smirk playing on his lips as he stubbornly waited for her to emerge.
A little while later, the bedroom door clicked open.
Rivanya stepped out carefully, now dressed in a comfortable, elegant light-yellow kurti set.
The moment she spotted him leaning against the wall, her eyes widened.
Before he could even make a move to intercept her or trap her again, she gathered her wits and darted past him, flying down the stairs toward the safety of the family.
*Back to the Present*
Sitting under the cool canopy of the starlit garden, the refreshing night breeze did little to calm the quiet storm brewing in Rivanya's mind. Her thoughts kept relentlessly looping back to that secluded corridor.Why had he asked her that? What exactly was Rudraksh trying to look for in her heart?
Her train of thought was abruptly shattered when Dev suddenly stood up in the center of the lawn, clapping his hands together to command everyone's attention. "Listen up, family! Attention, please!"
At his enthusiastic shout, the chatter died down, and every gaze anchored on him.
Smiling mischievously, Dev announced, "Since today has been a monumental day where we all witnessed an entirely new, surprisingly romantic avatar of our very own Rudraksh Bhai-sa, I officially request Bhai-sa to sing a couple of lines dedicated entirely to our Bhabhisa!"
A sudden, stunned silence dropped over the garden.
The elder family members looked at each other in sheer disbelief.
In the grand Vardhan household, absolutely no one was aware of Rudraksh's hidden talents or his inclination toward music except, of course, for the unbreakable trio of Vyom, Dev, and Raaj, who knew every single facet of their older brother's life.
Breaking the quiet shock of the family, Rudraksh fixed Dev with his signature, unyielding glare, his features hardening into a stern mask. Replying in his usual cold, clinical tone, he snapped, "Have you completely lost your mind, Dev? Me, singing? Forget about it."
Dev swallowed hard, gathering every ounce of courage he possessed before speaking up again. "Bhai-sa, lately you've been doing a lot of things you never used to do. If you can change so much for the family, then why not this? Please, just a few lines for Bhabhisa."
In reality, this entire musical setup was a calculated trap orchestrated by Vyom and Dev.
Vyom was deeply invested in testing the waters of Rudraksh's heart.
If Rudraksh actually agreed to sing, it would be the ultimate proof that his iron fortress was melting for Rivanya and no one would be happier than Vyom to see his best friend find love.
But if Rudraksh remained completely cold and detached, Vyom knew he had to step in.
He needed to protect Rivanya from a devastating, inevitable heartbreak.
Vyom didn't just call Rivanya his sister for the sake of a nominal relationship; over the past few months, he had genuinely started view her as his own sister. And as a protective older brother, his anxiety was completely justified.
Vyom was one of the incredibly few people who knew that Rudraksh possessed a breathtaking, soulful singing voice.
As a little boy, Rudraksh used to sing in his innocent, toddler voice exclusively for his mother.
Agnishikha had absolutely adored her son's voice.
But the day her pulse stopped, the music inside Rudraksh died too.
For twenty long years, he had never uttered a single musical note in front of another human being.
Rudraksh's dark eyes narrowed into slits, fixing Dev with a piercing, dangerous glare. "Dev, don't you think your courage is crossing its boundaries lately? You are ordering me to sing? Like seriously?"
The sheer, freezing authority in Rudraksh's reprimand instantly silenced poor Dev, who quietly lowered his head. The rest of the family sat in absolute, muted stillness; no one possessed the audacity to challenge the absolute monarch of the Vardhan family when his temper flared.
Rudraksh's patience had completely snapped. This was precisely why he loathed sentimental family gatherings to him, it was all an exercise in meaningless emotional drama. Standing up abruptly, his jaw clenched, he turned his back on the family and began walking away toward the mansion.
He had only taken a few steps across the manicured lawn when a sweet, crystalline voice suddenly cut through the silent night air, freezing his movements completely.
It was Rivanya. Standing under the soft glow of the garden lights, her eyes anchored firmly on his retreating back, she began to sing.
If he wouldn't speak his heart, she would use the language of melody to send her soul's truest feelings straight to him, challenging his silence with the pure warmth of her voice.
Ha...
Dil charkhe ki ik tu dori
Dil charkhe ki ik tu dori
Sufi iska rang haaye
Ismein jo tera khwaab piroya
Ismein jo tera khwaab piroya
Neendein bani patang
Dil bharta nahi
Aankhein rajjti nahi
Dil bharta nahi
Aankhen rajjti nahi
Chaahe kitna bhi dekhti jaaun
Waqt jaaye main rok na paaun
Tu thodi der aur thehar ja sohneya
Tu thodi der aur thehar ja
Tu thodi der aur thehar ja zaalima
Tu thodi der aur thehar ja...
The pure, aching vulnerability in Rivanya's voice left no room for doubt about the state of her heart.
Every note carried her unspoken longing, her quiet pain, and the endless waiting of a selfless love that demanded absolutely nothing in return.
Listening to her, the eyes of every family member welled up with tears.
A heavy question hung in the silence of the garden: *Why couldn't Rudraksh see this?
Was he genuinely blind to it, or was he intentionally closing his eyes?
* In a world where such profound devotion is rare, Rudraksh had been blessed with it effortlessly, yet he remained entirely detached, seemingly unaware of the depth of her love.
But this time, his fierce resistance failed him.
The melody acted like an invisible anchor, forcing his stride to a halt.
Rudraksh slowly turned around, his dark eyes locking onto Rivanya.
Seeing his piercing gaze fixated entirely on her, Rivanya made a futile, heartbreaking attempt to brush away a stray tear before bringing her song to a quiet, emotional end.
For a few breathless seconds, a profound silence blanketed the garden. Then, the family broke into warm, appreciative applause. Raaj stepped forward, his voice filled with genuine admiration. "Bhabhisa, that was absolutely beautiful. Truly, you sang it straight from the heart."
Dev grinned through his tears, trying to lighten the heavy mood. "I always knew my Bhabhisa is the absolute best at everything she does!"
Forcing a gentle, bittersweet smile onto her lips, Rivanya looked at them and whispered, "Thank you, everyone. But please... do not force Rudra to sing anymore. He only knows how to prioritize his own rules. Your Bhai-sa simply doesn't care about anyone else's feelings..."
With those parting words, her heart heavy, Rivanya turned on her heel and began walking toward the house. Her steps had just reached the threshold of the glass doors when a deep, strikingly beautiful masculine voice suddenly cut through the night air.
The sheer, rich melody of the voice sent a violent shiver down her spine. Paralyzed, Rivanya turned around in slow motion, her eyes widening in absolute, breathless shock.
Standing beneath the silver moonlight, his hands shoved deep into his pockets and his gaze lowered toward the grass, Rudraksh was singing.
The man who had locked his music away in the deep recesses of his past for twenty long years had finally broken his silence singing a direct, soulful response to her heart, his deep baritone weaving a hypnotic spell around everyone present.
Mere Rang Mein Rangne Waali
Pari Ho Ya Ho Pariyon Ki Rani
Ya Ho Meri Prem Kahaani
Mere Savaalon Ka Jawaab Do
Do Na
Bolo Na Kyon Ye Chaand Sitaare
Takte Hain Yoon Mukhde Ko Tumhaare
Bolo Na Kyon Ye Chaand Sitaare
Takte Hain Yoon Mukhde Ko Tumhaare
Chhooke Badan Ko Hava Kyon Mehki
Raat Bhi Hai Behki Behki
Mere Savaalon Ka Jawaab Do
Do Na
The moment Rudraksh's intense, burning gaze collided with hers, Rivanya instinctively lowered her eyes, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.
The specific song he had chosen carried a hidden, profound weight that only the two of them could truly decipher.
Through the raw, soulful notes of his baritone voice, Rudraksh wasn't just singing; he was demanding the truth, using the melody as a bridge to force her into giving him the answers she had evaded in the corridor.
The rest of the family stood frozen in a state of absolute, spellbound shock.
They stared at him as if looking at a stranger.
The cold, unyielding, and fiercely strict son of the Vardhan lineage possessed a voice that could move mountains, and not a single soul had known about it until tonight.