Ch41Kathas Sacred Truth
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In this desolate, abandoned corner of the city, there was absolutely no one to hear the blood-curdling screams of Sumitra's brother, Pradeep.
He grovelled repeatedly at Rudraksh's feet, his voice shaking with sheer terror.
"Please... please let me go! I swear I know nothing... I don't know anything!"
Rudraksh let out a dark, chilling laugh that echoed off the cold walls. "The chaos orchestrated at my wedding... you had a hand in it too, didn't you? And you still claim you did nothing, huh?"
Pradeep wept, desperately begging on his knees.
"I really don't know anything! I only did exactly what my sister ordered me to do. She was the one who planned to make Alisha run away. She wanted Rivanya to become your bride so that if anyone had to face danger or death, it would be Rivanya. And after that...
Alisha was supposed to take her place as your wife!"
The moment those words left Pradeep's mouth, Rudraksh's expression turned lethal. Without a single warning, he pulled his gun from his pocket and shot Pradeep cleanly through his left arm. Pradeep shrieked in agonizing pain as blood erupted from the wound, staining the polished floor.
Rudraksh leaned down, his voice dropping into a dangerous, razor-sharp whisper. "Alisha can never be my wife, because my wife is Rivanya. Rivanya Rudraksh Vardhan. And as long as I am breathing, absolutely nothing can harm her. I am standing right in front of her as an immovable shield."
Standing by the window, Vyom watched the scene unfold, completely stunned by the sheer, unadulterated possessiveness burning in Rudraksh's eyes.
He knew all about Rudraksh's explosive temper, but this particular madness this raw obsession was entirely new and incredibly dangerous.
It was clear that Rudraksh would violently hack away any hand that dared to rise against Rivanya.
But Vyom couldn't help but wonder: was this fierce possessiveness the very first crack in the high walls Rudraksh had built around his heart?
If it was, no one would be happier than Vyom.
He had always yearned to see Rudraksh experience true love, but Rudraksh had relentlessly barred any woman from entering his life.
Yet, as the saying goes, destiny operates on its own hidden blueprints.
Rivanya had entered his life by design, and though Rudraksh remained blind to it, Vyom could clearly see that his friend was changing.
Unable to endure the brutal interrogation any longer, Pradeep lost consciousness. On a silent nod from Rudraksh, his operatives stepped forward, grabbed the unconscious man by his arms, and dragged him out of the executive cabin.
Rudraksh sank back into his heavy leather chair, turning his gaze toward Vyom. "What is the update on Rivanya? Has she arrived safely?"
Vyom checked his phone and nodded. "Yes, she reached Kashi safely a little while ago. And just as you ordered, the security detail is completely airtight. Our elite team has completely surrounded the Rathore mansion. Don't worry, Rivanya is entirely safe."
Rudraksh stared blankly ahead, his eyes growing distant as he muttered, "Safe is the last thing she is right now, Vyom..."
Vyom furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean, Rudraksh?"
"I mean she isn't fine," Rudraksh replied, his jaw locking.
"Absorbing a massive truth about her life like this isn't easy for anyone. She tries to be incredibly strong, pretending she can face everything all on her own... but I am not going to let her bear this crushing agony in isolation.
Every single person who has caused her heart to bleed will be turned to absolute ash. That is a promise from Rudraksh Vardhan."
Vyom listened quietly to his heavy declaration before taking a step closer, challenging him gently.
"Rudraksh... if you refuse to leave her side during her darkest hours, why do you constantly bar her from becoming a part of your own pain? This is a textbook definition of a double standard, brother."
Rudraksh's jaw clenched violently, his knuckles turning white as his hands balled into tight fists. "What the hell do you mean by that, Vyom? What are you trying to say?"
"The meaning is as clear as day, Rudraksh," Vyom stated firmly, refusing to back down. "Accept her. Let yourself love her. Just listen to your own heart for once."
A sudden, sharp ache flared deep inside Rudraksh's chest at his words.
He snapped his head up, his eyes burning with an intense conflict.
"What you are asking for is absolutely impossible, Vyom! I am completely incapable of loving anyone. I wasn't built for love. My entire world is constructed out of absolute hatred, and I refuse to bring a delicate flower like Rivanya into my world of thorns just to watch her wither."
Vyom let out a soft, knowing laugh. "Rudraksh, you can build as many walls as you want and deny the truth all day long... but the reality remains unchanged. Rivanya has already claimed a permanent residence in your heart.
I am just waiting for the day when that love completely takes over your senses. And trust me, brother, on that day, no one will celebrate harder than me."
Driven to absolute fury by the unyielding truth in Vyom's words, Rudraksh swung his fist violently into the adjacent concrete wall.
The sheer force of the impact split his knuckles open, causing blood to instantly drip down his hand.
His eyes turned a dangerous, bloodshot red not just from the explosive anger, but from the sudden, agonizing echo of his decades-old trauma.
"I deserve to exist in absolute isolation, Vyom! Alone!"
he roared, his voice shaking the quiet cabin.
"Allowing Rivanya a place in my heart will do nothing but turn her life into a living hell. My only objective is to make her strong, to build her up so that absolutely no one in this entire world can ever dare to harm her again."
Without waiting for a response, Rudraksh turned on his heel and stormed out of the office, his long coat billowing behind him.
As the heavy doors slammed shut, Vyom simply smiled, staring at the empty space.
"Run as far and as fast as you want, Rudraksh... but very soon, you will have no choice but to face the true state of your heart. Just wait and watch."
The heavy silence in the courtyard of Kashi felt completely suffocating as everyone sat with bated breath, waiting for Nanaji to pull back the final layers of the past.
Rivanya sat at his feet, desperately clutching her chest as she tried to anchor her racing heart.
She was desperate to hear the truth about her mother's history the exact timeline that had irrevocably shaped her own stolen identity.
Tears rolled down Nanaji's wrinkled cheeks, and his voice trembled violently as he finally forced the words out.
"Katha was the heartbeat of this entire family. In her entire life, she had never demanded a single thing for herself. She was a beautiful soul who always put the happiness of others before her own... and in the end, it was her own selflessness that stripped her of everything. Absolute everything."
The entire room stayed utterly motionless, the absolute gravity of his grief holding them captive. Tears streamed down Rivanya's face silently.
Nanaji exhaled a ragged breath and continued, his eyes fixed on the empty space of the courtyard.
"My father, Vyasdev Rathore, was a man of extreme orthodox principles. He firmly believed that marriages should strictly take place within our own social standing and community. Driven by that rigid pride,
he went ahead and finalized Katha's alliance with his close friend's grandson Naresh Bedi without ever bothering to ask for her consent. The moment Katha found out, her world shattered. For the very first time in her life,
she gathered the courage to stand before my father and confess that she was already deeply in love with someone else since her college days. Hearing that, I was genuinely happy for my daughter.
I desperately wanted to secure her happiness and tried everything in my power to marry her to the man of her choice. But my father... his authority was unyielding. He possessed a terrifying temper,
and he outright refused to let Katha marry her love simply because the boy came from a deeply impoverished background. My father cared more about his so-called social reputation than his own daughter's beating heart..."
A sharp, physical ache rippled through Rivanya's chest as the tragic reality of her mother's sacrifice unraveled.
She understood the searing agony of an unfulfilled love all too well.
Today, standing in the ashes of her own arranged reality, she felt a profound connection to the exact same quiet suffering her mother had endured decades ago.
Nanaji's voice grew thick with unshed tears, but he forced himself to carry on.
"When I realized that my child's entire life would be ruined, I secretly went to Katha and begged her to elope with the man she loved. She hated the very idea of running away like a thief, but under my continuous insistence, she finally agreed. But destiny played a cruel game. Somehow,
my father caught wind of the plan. The sheer shock and anger triggered a massive heart attack, leaving him on the verge of death. Seeing him in that state, Katha lost all her courage. She couldn't bear the guilt of risking her own grandfather's life for her happiness. Defeated,