Ch41Kathas Sacred Truth #3
Rivanya choked back a sob, wiping her tear-stained face as she stood up in absolute surprise. "No, Papa! How could you even think like that? Out of all the terrible things Naresh Bedi has done in his entire life, the only right thing he ever achieved was binding my fate to Rudra."
Her voice grew steady, ringed with a deep, emotional clarity as she continued, "In the beginning, I completely failed to understand him. But now that I am truly seeing the man behind the mask, I realize he is nothing like the cold exterior he portrays. He possesses an incredibly beautiful,
golden heart. He locks his own wounds away, never letting anyone see his pain, yet he effortlessly shoulders the agony of everyone else."
As she spoke, the unspoken truth filled the quiet courtyard. It was a realization so powerful that no one in the room could miss it Rivanya had fallen hopelessly, deeply, and irrevocably in love with Rudraksh Vardhan, and there was absolutely no going back now.
Rivanya didn't break her stance, her eyes shining with absolute devotion. "If it wasn't for Rudraksh standing by my side last night, I swear I wouldn't even be standing here alive before you today."
A collective gasp echoed through the room.
Vasudha, Sandeep, and the grandparents stared at her in sheer terror, their faces turning pale.
Sensing their panic, Rivanya clarified softly through her flowing tears, "I unsealed Mumma's letter just yesterday. Hearing the magnitude of the deception completely broke my mind. I lost all control over myself, and the psychological trauma was so lethal it could have cost me my life.
But in that exact moment of absolute darkness, my husband, my Rudraksh, was there. He pulled me back from the edge. He acts as a soothing balm to my raw wounds, Papa. He is the one who anchored me and gave me the immense courage to come here and fight my own battle today."
The family stood frozen, completely awestruck by her raw confession.
"And the absolute truth is, Papa... I have fallen in love with him," Rivanya whispered, her voice thick with emotion but entirely unyielding.
"I love him so intensely that I am willing to spend my entire life fighting for this marriage, but I will never survive a separation from Rudraksh. He has become my breathing, my heartbeat, my entire life. The mere thought of walking away from him causes a physical, agonizing ache in my chest.
Whether he loves me back or not, it changes nothing. I love Rudraksh more than my own existence, and I refuse to repeat my mother's tragic mistake. I will never surrender my love for anyone or anything in this world... never."
Looking at the fierce, untamed devotion blazing in Rivanya's eyes, the entire family was left thoroughly stunned.
A silent, underlying fear gripped the elders' hearts a terrifying worry that history might repeat itself, and that their precious child might face the exact same painful punishment for loving someone too deeply, just like Katha had decades ago.
But the unyielding fire reflecting in Rivanya's gaze told a completely different story.
It was a silent, powerful promise that no matter what storms destiny decided to throw at her, she would never let Rudraksh go.
Wiping away the last trace of her tears with a sharp, decisive flick of her hand, Rivanya looked at her family with absolute, chilling focus.
"And Papa, I promise you all today I will exact vengeance for my mother from Naresh Bedi and Sumitra Bedi. They will have to pay for every single tear my Mamma shed because of them. I will strip them of everything. And I swear to you, I will find my real father,
no matter where he is hiding in this world. I will look him in the eyes and tell him exactly how deeply and unconditionally my Mamma loved him until her very last breath. I swear it."
Sandeep walked over, his heart swelling with immense pride as he wrapped his arms tightly around his niece.
"And in this fight, every single one of us is standing right behind you, beta. Do not back down this time. Make those monsters pay tenfold for every injustice they inflicted upon you and your mother. Bring my Didi the justice she has deserved for twenty three years."
Vasudha and Dhara stepped in right on cue, wrapping their arms around them until the entire family was locked in a powerful, unified embrace. Breaking away gently, Rivanya walked over to where her grandparents were sitting.
She knelt before them, her voice firm and grounding.
"What is done is done, Nanu. You have to stop punishing yourself with this guilt. Wherever Mamma is right now, looking down at you in this broken state will only cause her spirit more agony. Please, Nanu, Nani, stop blaming yourselves.
Your daughter's vengeance will be delivered by her own blood by your Rivu. And besides, your little Rivu is officially a lawyer now. From this day forward, even God won't be able to shield my enemies from my wrath. I swear this on Maa Gauri."
Moved beyond words by her fierce resilience, Nanaji and Nani maa pulled her into a tight, emotional embrace, their tears of guilt finally transforming into tears of relief.
After a lingering moment, Rivanya pulled back, clapping her hands together to deliberately break the heavy atmosphere.
"Alright, enough with the crying. Nani, I am absolutely starving!"
Seeing her instantly switch back to her playful self to lighten their hearts, a collective smile broke across everyone's faces.
Vasudha chuckled, wiping a final stray tear from her cheek.
"Yes, the crying ends right here. From tomorrow, it's our enemies' turn to weep.
Rivu, go upstairs and freshen up. I am going to set the dinner table immediately, my child. Go."
Rivanya offered a bright nod and turned to walk up the stairs.
Deep down, every single person standing in that hall knew that she was merely putting on a brave face to keep them from breaking.
They knew that absorbing a world-shattering truth like this had fractured her soul from the inside out.
Yet, beneath the sorrow, a profound sense of absolute pride filled the house.
Their little girl was no longer a defenseless victim; she was a storm incarnate.
And looking at the unyielding fire in her eyes, one thing was absolutely guaranteed the clock had officially run out for the Bedi family, and their total annihilation was imminent.
"Mamma... don't worry at all," I choked out, my voice thick with grief as I stroked her faded image.
"Your Rivu is incredibly strong. Just like you, she is going to exact perfect vengeance for everything you endured, and she will find my real father, no matter what... Mamma, I love you so much. I really, really miss you... Why did you leave me all alone in this world, Mamma? Why?"
Overwhelmed by the crushing void in my chest, I pulled the photo frame flush against my heart, holding it tightly as if I were embracing my mother in real life.
Right at that devastating moment, my phone began to vibrate violently in my pocket.
I pulled it out, and a small, watery smile broke through my tears when my eyes fell upon the custom caller ID flashing on the screen:
Mr. Rotten Potato.
I swiped the screen to answer right away. Instantly, Rudraksh's deep, heavy voice resonated through the line.
"Sugarplum..." he murmured, his tone layered with a raw, underlying protectiveness. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, Rudra, I am perfectly fine," I replied, forcing my voice to stabilize. "I reached the house safely a while ago. I am so sorry I forgot to text you earlier... there was just so much happening here that it slipped my mind."
Rudraksh paused for a brief second before asking quietly, "Did you get the answers to your questions?"
"Only as much as I could discover over here," I sighed, looking back down at the photo frame in my lap. "The remaining pieces... the identity of my biological father... it's all waiting in Indore, just like Mamma had mentioned in her letter."
A heavy, grounding warmth filled the line as Rudraksh spoke with absolute conviction. "Sugarplum, you are genuinely an incredibly brave woman. I am immensely proud of you. Truly. You must never back down or accept defeat. You have a very long path to walk, and you have to achieve great things."
Hearing his words, a quiet, fierce determination bloomed within my chest, and I thought to myself: Yes, I have to achieve a great many things... including making you entirely mine...
"Alright, listen to me now," Rudraksh continued, breaking my silent train of thought.
"Get some proper rest. The moment you decide to return home, just inform me, and I will personally come to pick you up. Take absolute care of yourself and don't burden your mind with unnecessary tension. Eat your meals strictly on time, and make sure you take every single medicine prescribed to you.
"
A soft, genuine chuckle escaped my lips, the heavy clouds over my heart parting slightly. "Are you a corporate tycoon or an old school principal giving me continuous orders, Rudra?"
Rudraksh caught onto my playful shift instantly, his tone dripping with a subtle, teasing amusement. "What kind of twisted pleasure do you derive from constantly calling me old, you red tomato?"
"The exact same pleasure you get from calling me a tomato, Mr. Old Potato!" I fired back playfully, my eyes crinkling.
A low, rare, and incredibly soft chuckle vibrated through the speaker from the other end of the line. "Fine, Mrs. Vardhan. You win. I'll hang up now. Take care."
"Take care of yourself too... and look after your old, fragile bones. Bye!"
Before he could even utter a response, I playfully disconnected the call and dissolved into a fit of soft, breathless giggles. For the first time since the world-shattering storm had hit me yesterday, I was genuinely smiling and it was entirely because of Rudraksh.
The exact moment I disconnected the call and turned on my heel to finally head toward the bathroom, the bedroom door clicked open and Dhara stepped inside.