CHAPTER31 [SINDOOR, MANGALSUTRA]
The night somehow passes…
And morning comes again.
Aarohi wakes up suddenly.
She looks at the clock—
9 AM.
“Shit…” she whispers.
She rushes out of bed.
Because she has to reach the hospital by 10.
Quickly, she gets ready—
Wears a simple kurti.
Ties her hair.
No jewelry.
No bridal look.
Just herself.
---
Downstairs…
Aarohi walks in hurriedly.
Anjali notices her instantly.
And frowns slightly.
“Beta… tum newly bride ho…”
(You’re a newly married bride…)
She looks at her carefully—
“Na mangalsutra… na sindoor… aur itna simple?”
(No mangalsutra… no sindoor… and so simple?)
Aarohi stops.
For a second.
Then gives a small, forced smile.
“Main waha kaam karne jaa rahi hoon…”
(I’m going there to work…)
She adds calmly—
“Toh yeh sab zaruri nahi hai na.”
(So all this isn’t necessary there.)
Anjali is about to say something—
But just then a maid comes running.
“Mam, aapko bahar sahab bula rahe hain.”
(Ma’am, sir is calling you outside.)
Anjali nods and leaves.
---
Aarohi exhales slightly.
Relieved.
But not for long.
Because—
“Upar room mein aao.”
(Come upstairs to the room.)
Vihaan’s voice.
Cold. Direct.
Aarohi turns.
“Nahi… mujhe already late ho raha hai.”
(No… I’m already getting late.)
Vihaan steps closer.
His expression hardens.
“Mujhe dobara bolne ki aadat nahi hai.”
(I’m not used to repeating myself.)
A pause.
Then—
“Tum aa rahi ho.”
(You are coming.)
It’s not a request.
It’s an order.
Aarohi clenches her jaw.
But she knows—
Arguing now will waste more time.
So unwillingly—
She walks upstairs.
---
Room…
The moment they enter—
Silence fills the space.
Vihaan walks to the side table.
Opens a drawer.
Takes out a small box.
Aarohi watches him, confused.
Before she can ask—
He opens it.
Takes a pinch of sindoor.
And steps closer.
Aarohi immediately steps back—
“Vihaan—”
But before she can stop him—
He fills her maang.
Her eyes widen.
She raises her hand to wipe it—
But he grabs her wrist.
Stops her.
“Mrs. Singhania…”
(Mrs. Singhania…)
His voice low. Firm.
“Jab tak zinda hoon… laga lo.”
(As long as I’m alive… wear it.)
Aarohi freezes.
His words hit differently.
Then he picks up the mangalsutra.
Places it around her neck.
Secures it.
And says—
“Yeh bhi pehen ke rakho…”
(Wear this too…)
A slight pause.
Then colder—
“Mere marne ke baad phenk dena.”
(Throw it away after I die.)
Aarohi looks at him—
Shocked.
Confused.
Angry.
But speechless.
Vihaan steps back.
Like nothing happened.
Like this is normal.
Then casually says—
“Neeche aajao… breakfast kar lo.”
(Come downstairs… have breakfast.)
He turns to leave.
Stops at the door.
Without looking back—
“Warna late ho jaogi… Mrs. Singhania.”
(Otherwise you’ll get late… Mrs. Singhania.)
And walks out.
---
Aarohi stands there.
Still.
Her hand slowly moves to her forehead.
Touches the sindoor.
Then to her neck.
The mangalsutra.
Her reflection in the mirror—
Aarohi comes downstairs quietly.
The mangalsutra around her neck.
Sindoor still in her maang.
Something she didn’t want—
But didn’t remove either.
She sits at the table.
Finishes her breakfast silently.
No one notices the storm inside her.
---
Outside…
The car is ready.
Vihaan has already left for office after getting a call from Karan.
Something urgent.
Something important.
Aarohi sits in the car with the driver.
And leaves.
---
Hospital…
A new beginning.
The environment is fresh.
Busy.
Professional.
Her team welcomes her warmly.
“Welcome, Dr. Aarohi.”
She gives a polite smile.
Everything feels… normal.
For the first time in days.
No control.
No tension.
Just work.
And that’s exactly what she needs.
---
Time passes.
She gets involved in patients, rounds, discussions.
And slowly—
Her mind gets distracted.
---
Lunch time…
Aarohi sits alone in the cafeteria.
Opens her lunch.
But doesn’t eat.
Her fingers pause mid-air.
Because suddenly—
Everything from the morning comes back.
Vihaan.
The sindoor.
The mangalsutra.
His words.
Her reaction.
Or rather—
Her lack of reaction.
She touches her forehead unconsciously.
Still there.
Then her neck.
Still there.
Her brows furrow.
“Jab usne lagaya… toh mujhe mita dena chahiye tha…”
(When he applied it… I should have wiped it off…)
She whispers to herself.
“Yeh zabardasti hai…”
(This is force…)
Her grip tightens slightly.
“Main usse pyaar nahi karti…”
(I don’t love him…)
A pause.
Her eyes lower.
“Main usse nafrat karti hoon…”
(I hate him…)
But then—
Another voice inside her speaks.
Quiet.
Truthful.
“Par yeh bhi galat nahi hai…”
(But it’s not wrong either…)
Her eyes soften slightly.
“Ek waqt tha…”
(There was a time…)
“Jab wahi insaan meri puri duniya tha…”
(When that same person was my whole world…)
A faint, broken smile appears.
“Pagal thi main uske piche…”
(I was crazy for him…)
Her eyes get moist.
But she quickly looks away.
Because she hates this.
Hates remembering.
Hates feeling.
Because those memories—
Make her weak.
And right now—
Weakness is the last thing she can afford.
---
She finishes her lunch,
Takes a deep breath.
And stands up.
“Past khatam ho chuka hai…”
(The past is over…)
She whispers.
“Ab sirf present matter karta hai.”
(Now only the present matters.)
And with that—
Dr. Aarohi walks back.
Leaving behind Aarohi…
Who once loved too deeply.
Wait for next part.??