Love sick rivan and forced kiss #2
No one trusted RIVAN after the spectacle he had created the previous night. The terrifying businessman they all knew had somehow transformed into an overgrown child within twenty-four hours, and everyone wanted to witness whether it had been the alcohol... or if he had permanently lost his mind.
The room instantly became lively.
Virendra cleared his throat.
"So..."
"How are you feeling now?"
RIVAN looked at him with an innocent smile.
"I think I'm dying."
Reyansh, standing behind everyone, muttered under his breath,
"I'll make sure of it."
Payal immediately bit her lips to stop herself from laughing.
Just then another voice came from the doorway.
"Devu."
Everyone turned.
ZAID walked inside casually, one hand tucked inside his pocket.
"I need to talk to you."
His voice was calm.
"It's important."
Devyani nodded.
"Okay."
She placed the soup bowl on the bedside table and was about to stand.
The moment she lifted herself from the mattress
"Ahhhhhhh!"
RIVAN suddenly winced dramatically.
His entire face twisted in fake agony.
"My hand..."
He grabbed his bandaged hand.
"Fuck..."
"It's hurting..."
Everyone instantly looked toward him.
He squeezed his eyes shut before forcing out another painful sound.
"It's okay..."
He inhaled deeply as though enduring unbearable suffering.
"I'll manage..."
"I can drink the soup myself..."
"...even if it hurts."
The room fell silent.
Every single member of the Thakur family stared at him with their mouths slightly open.
Aradhya blinked.
Payal blinked.
Even Virendra blinked.
Rudraksh slowly looked toward Reyansh.
"What happened to him?"
Reyansh simply rubbed his forehead.
"I ask myself the same question every five minutes."
RIVAN, completely ignoring everyone else's reactions, slowly turned his head toward Yashodha.
His expression instantly softened.
"Maa..."
The single word froze the room.
Yashodha unconsciously looked up.
RIVAN smiled weakly.
"Please..."
"Feed me."
"The doctor said..."
He nodded very seriously.
"...I need extra love to heal."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Yashodha stood rooted to the floor.
Her fingers tightened around the edge of her saree.
Her eyes immediately became moist.
He had called her Maa again.
Not once.
Twice.
After decades of emotional distance...
The word still felt unreal.
Before she could even respond
RIVAN continued with complete sincerity.
"If you feed me..."
"I'll recover faster."
"The doctor said so."
Payal quickly covered her mouth.
Aradhya leaned toward her and whispered,
"I've heard that love changes people..."
She glanced toward RIVAN, whose face looked pitiful enough to win awards.
"...but this much?"
Payal slowly nodded.
"I think bhai has unlocked a completely different personality."
Beside them, Rudraksh folded his arms thoughtfully.
"He disappeared for almost a year."
His eyes remained fixed on RIVAN.
"Now I'm genuinely curious."
"What exactly happened to him during that one year?"
"I've never seen him like this."
Everyone silently agreed.
This wasn't the RIVAN Thakur they knew.
The feared businessman.
The cold-hearted empire builder.
The man standing or rather lying in front of them now looked like someone who desperately wanted affection and had forgotten how to ask for it without sounding like a child.
Yashodha's throat tightened.
She took one hesitant step forward.
Then another.
But suddenly...
She stopped.
Emotions overwhelmed her before she could reach him.
She quickly looked away.
"Umm..."
"I..."
"I have some work downstairs."
Without waiting for anyone's reply, she quietly turned around and left the room.
RIVAN watched her disappear.
The small hope shining in his eyes slowly faded.
He lowered his gaze.
"Oh..."
"Maa also doesn't want to feed me..."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
The sadness sounded so genuine that even Virendra looked uncomfortable.
One after another...
The family also began leaving, sensing the awkward atmosphere.
Payal gently squeezed Devyani's shoulder before walking out.
Aradhya followed.
Rudraksh gave RIVAN one last confused glance before disappearing.
Within seconds...
The noisy room became almost empty.
RIVAN kept staring at the blanket covering his legs.
His shoulders slightly slumped.
Then he quietly murmured to himself,
"Nobody loves me..."
His voice carried no drama this time.
Only quiet disappointment.
Just then
A spoon suddenly appeared in front of his lips.
RIVAN blinked.
Slowly...
He looked up.
Devyani stood beside the bed, holding the bowl of soup in one hand and the spoon in the other.
She didn't say anything.
She simply lifted the spoon another inch.
RIVAN looked at the soup...
Then at her...
A smile threatened to appear.
Internally, he smirked.
Mission successful.
Before he could enjoy his little victory any longer
ZAID's voice echoed again from outside the room.
"Devu."
"I'm waiting."
"Come fast."
His footsteps gradually disappeared down the corridor.
The smile on RIVAN's face vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.
His eyes darkened for a fraction of a second before he looked back at the spoon waiting patiently in front of him.
Without another word...
He quietly opened his mouth.
And let Devyani feed him.
Downstairs, away from the noise of the family gathered around RIVAN, the atmosphere was far quieter.
ZAID stood near the large glass windows overlooking the garden, his hands tucked into his pockets, his jaw tight with frustration. He had watched everything from a distance. Every dramatic groan. Every fake wince. Every innocent expression RIVAN had pulled just to keep Devyani beside him.
He let out a slow breath.
"He's very fucking manipulative."
Reyansh, who had just poured himself a glass of water, didn't even bother looking surprised.
"Yeah."
He took a sip casually.
"I know."
ZAID turned to face him, disbelief written across his face.
"And you're just... okay with it?"
"He is literally using Devu."
"You can see that."
"So why aren't you stopping him?"
Reyansh remained leaning against the kitchen counter, unusually calm.
"I can stop him from entering the villa."
"I can stop him from talking."
"I can even throw him out if I want."
He shrugged lightly.
"But I can't stop destiny."
ZAID frowned.
"What does that even mean?"
"It means..."
Reyansh smiled faintly.
"...those two are tied together in ways neither of them understands."
"They're trying to walk in opposite directions."
"But somehow..."
"They always end up standing in front of each other again."
ZAID looked away, clearly dissatisfied with the answer.
"That's not fair."
His voice was quieter now.
"He can't just disappear for two years..."
"...divorce her..."
"...leave her to suffer..."
"...and then suddenly walk back into her life expecting everything to be his again."
His jaw clenched.
"That's not how love works."
Reyansh nodded once.
"I agree."
For a few moments, silence stretched between them.
Then Reyansh spoke again.
"Relax."
"If anyone can make RIVAN suffer..."
A small smirk appeared on his face.
"...it's Devyani."
"She won't forgive him that easily."
"Trust me."
ZAID didn't smile.
Instead, his expression became even more serious.
He stared outside for several seconds before speaking again.
"But..."
ZAID remained standing where he was, Reyansh's words echoing in his mind. He clenched his jaw, unable to accept them so easily.
"But still..." he said after a long silence, his voice carrying frustration. "She cried because of him, Reyansh."
His eyes hardened.
"I've seen her."
"I've seen her breaking down."
"I've seen her trying to smile when she was shattered inside."
He looked straight at Reyansh.
"She suffered because of RIVAN."
"So how can you just accept him back?"
Reyansh didn't answer immediately.
He quietly looked toward the staircase that led to Devyani's room.
A small, tired smile appeared on his face.
"You're right."
"She cried."
"A lot."
His voice had become softer now.
"There were nights when she'd lock herself in her room."
"There were mornings when she'd smile in front of everyone and cry the moment she was alone."
"I've heard every silent sob."
"I've watched her pick herself up from pieces."
ZAID listened quietly.
For a moment, he thought Reyansh finally understood.
Then Reyansh sighed.
"But..."
He looked back at ZAID.
"If RIVAN had never returned..."
A pause.
"...she would've cried even more."
ZAID frowned.
"What?"
"You heard me."
Reyansh folded his arms.
"You only know the Devyani you've met over the last few months."
"The confident one."
"The sarcastic one."
"The girl who laughs loudly."
"The one who pretends she's perfectly fine."
He shook his head slowly.
"But I..."
His smile turned bittersweet.
"...I know the real Devu."
"The one who still couldn't throw away the pendant."
"The one who acted like she had moved on while secretly carrying every memory."
"The one who hated his name..."
"...yet never stopped loving him completely."
ZAID's expression slowly changed.
Reyansh continued calmly,
"You think she cried because he came back?"
"No."
"She cried because he left."
"And despite everything..."
"...a part of her kept waiting."
"She hated herself for it."
"She fought herself every single day."
"But feelings don't disappear just because we order them to."
ZAID lowered his eyes.
His fists tightened.
"I don't want to believe that."
"I know."
Reyansh nodded.
"Neither did I."
"I spent two years trying to make her hate him."
"I reminded her of every mistake he made."
"I stood beside her every time she broke."
"I wanted her to move on."
He smiled faintly.
"But the heart..."
"...is a stubborn thing."
"It doesn't listen to logic."
Silence settled between them once again.
Finally, Reyansh walked closer and placed a hand on ZAID's shoulder.
"So stop being dramatic."
"If fate wants them together..."