CHAPTER64 [AAROHI VIHAAN SINGHANIA]
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Toota tha jo rishta, use jodne ka ek moka diya hai,
Dil ne phir se tumhe apna kehne ka faisla kiya hai.
Bharosa abhi bhi kahin khamosh sa pada hai,
Magar tumhari ek koshish ne use phir se jagaya hai.
Is baar mohabbat nahi, pehle yakeen jeetna,
Kyuki maine tumhe ek moka diya hai... khud ko nahi."
English Translation:
"The bond that once broke, I have given it one chance to heal,
My heart has decided to call you its own once again.
Trust still lies somewhere in silence,
But one sincere effort from you has awakened it again.
This time, don't win my love-win my trust first,
Because I have given you one chance... not myself completely."
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Kamini stared at Aarohi for a moment, as if judging her from head to toe.
Then she looked toward Anjali.
Kamini:
"Toh ye hai hamare Vihaan ki biwi?"
"So, this is Vihaan's wife?"
Anjali nodded politely.
Anjali:
"Ji, Didi."
"Yes, Didi."
Anjali then turned toward Aarohi.
Anjali:
"Aarohi, ye Didi hain... Vihaan ki badi bua, Kamini Singh."
"Aarohi, this is Didi... Vihaan's elder paternal aunt, Kamini Singh."
Aarohi immediately stepped forward.
She respectfully touched Kamini's feet and then folded her hands in greeting.
Aarohi:
"Namaste, Bua Ji."
"Greetings, Bua Ji."
Aarohi stood quietly in front of her.
Kamini's eyes immediately moved toward Aarohi's neck.
Her expression became stern.
Kamini:
"Toh tum ho hamare Vihaan ki patni? Mangalsutra kahan hai tumhara?"
"So, you are our Vihaan's wife? Where is your mangalsutra?"
Her voice was completely flat, almost as though she were questioning Aarohi.
Aarohi remained silent.
Kamini's gaze shifted toward her forehead.
Her voice suddenly became louder.
Kamini:
"Sindoor kahan hai tumhara?"
"Where is your sindoor?"
The entire room fell silent.
Kamini looked at Aarohi's clothes next.
Her expression hardened further.
Kamini:
"Aur ye kis tarah ke kapde pehen rakhe hain tumne? Bahu ho iss ghar ki!"
"And what kind of clothes are you wearing? You are a daughter-in-law of this family!"
Aarohi looked at her calmly.
She was about to respond when Sana, standing behind her, gently caught hold of Aarohi's hand.
Aarohi glanced back at her.
Sana gave her a subtle look, silently asking her not to react immediately.
Kamini, however, continued.
Kamini:
"Yahi sikhaya hai tumhare maa-baap ne? Sasural mein ye mardon jaise kapde pehen kar ghoomna?"
"Is this what your parents taught you? To walk around your husband's house wearing clothes like a man?"
She looked at Aarohi from head to toe.
Kamini:
"Kahin se bhi lag rahi ho ki tum iss ghar ki bahu ho?"
"Do you look like a daughter-in-law of this house in any way?"
The room became completely silent.
Rhea looked at Aarohi with concern.
Sana's grip on Aarohi's hand tightened slightly.
Aarohi remained composed.
She had heard enough to understand exactly what kind of woman Kamini was.
But unlike the Aarohi from the past...
she wasn't going to lose her calm so easily.
She slowly lifted her eyes and looked directly at Kamini.
And for the first time that evening, there was a quiet confidence in her expression.
Aarohi took a quiet breath before looking directly at Kamini.
Her expression remained calm, but there was firmness in her voice.
Aarohi:
"Dekhiye Bua Ji, aap humse badi hain, isiliye hum aapse izzat se baat kar rahe hain. Lekin aap hamare parents par mat jaiye. Aur rahi baat kapdon ki, toh hume nahi lagta ki humne kuch galat pehna hai. Hamara comfort bhi zaroori hai."
"Look, Bua Ji, you are older than me, which is why I am speaking to you respectfully. But please don't bring my parents into this. And as for my clothes, I don't think I am wearing anything inappropriate. My comfort matters too."
Kamini stared at her in disbelief.
She slowly turned toward Anjali and then looked back at Aarohi.
Kamini:
"Tameez nahi hai bado se kaise baat karte hain? Zubaan chala rahi ho tum hamare saamne?"
"Don't you have any manners? Is this how you speak to your elders? You're actually talking back to me?"
Aarohi didn't lose her composure.
Her expression remained completely calm.
Aarohi:
"Zubaan nahi chala rahi hoon. Main bas aapko bata rahi hoon ki ye galat hai. Ladki hoon, lekin apne hisaab se jeene ka mujhe bhi haq hai."
"I'm not talking back. I'm simply telling you that this is wrong. I am a woman, but I have the right to live according to my own choices as well."
Kamini's expression hardened instantly.
Kamini:
"Tum mujhe bataogi sahi aur galat ka fark?"
"You are going to teach me the difference between right and wrong?"
She turned toward Anjali, clearly displeased.
Kamini:
"Ye tumhari bahu hai? Jise itni bhi tameez nahi hai ki bado se kaise baat karte hain? Kis khandaan ki hai ye? Maa-baap kaun hain iske? Bulao unhe! Aur ise apne ghar bhejo, jab tak iski akal thikane nahi aa jaati!"
"This is your daughter-in-law? She doesn't even have the manners to know how to speak to an elder? What kind of family does she come from? Who are her parents? Call them! And send her back to her parents' house until she learns some sense!"
Before anyone could respond, footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Everyone turned toward the entrance.
Vihaan walked out from the guest room.
He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black three-piece suit, paired with polished black shoes. His hair was neatly styled, his watch resting effortlessly around his wrist.
His presence alone was enough to change the atmosphere of the room.
His eyes immediately went toward Aarohi.
Then toward Kamini.
He had heard enough.
Vihaan walked closer.
Vihaan:
"Kahan jaane ki baat kar rahi hain aap?"
"Where are you talking about sending her?"
Kamini turned toward him.
Kamini:
"Iss ladki ko... aur tum, beta, bade se kaise milte ho? Bhool gaye kya?"
English:
"This girl... And you, son, is this how you speak to your elder? Have you forgotten your manners?"
Vihaan didn't answer her question.
Instead, his gaze remained steady.
Vihaan:
"Aur ye kyun kahin jayegi?"
"And why would she go anywhere?"
Kamini's expression tightened.
Kamini:
"Kyunki ye kahin se lag rahi hai ki iss ghar ki bahu hai? Mardon ke kapde pehne hue hain. Na sindoor hai, na mangalsutra."
"Because does she look like a daughter-in-law of this house? She's wearing men's clothes. She has neither sindoor nor a mangalsutra."
Vihaan's expression remained unfazed.
Vihaan:
"Maine mana kiya hai use pehenne ko."
"I am the one who told her not to wear them."
Aarohi immediately looked at Vihaan.
For a moment, their eyes met.
Vihaan then turned his attention back toward Kamini.
His voice remained calm, but there was unmistakable authority behind it.
Vihaan:
"Aur baat rahi kapdon ki, toh meri biwi ko jis kapde mein comfort hoga, woh wahi pehnegi."
"And as for her clothes, my wife will wear whatever she feels comfortable wearing."
The room fell silent.
Vihaan took a brief pause before continuing.
Vihaan:
"Aur haan... aap kya bol rahi thi? Yahan se jaane ki?"
"And yes... what were you saying? About her leaving this house?"
Kamini looked at him firmly.
Kamini:
"Haan. Ye ladki yahan se jayegi."
"Yes. This girl will leave this house."
Vihaan's expression changed.
Not anger.
Something colder.
He looked directly at Kamini.
Vihaan:
"Pehli baat... ye ladki nahi hai. Aarohi Vihaan Singhania hai."
English:
"First of all... she is not 'this girl.' She is Aarohi Vihaan Singhania."
Aarohi's eyes widened slightly.
Vihaan continued, his voice firm.
Vihaan:
"Toh aap ye mat bhooliye ki ye mera ghar hai... aur main unka husband hoon."
"So please don't forget that this is my house... and I am her husband."
He glanced briefly at Aarohi before looking back at Kamini.
Vihaan:
"Aur jo izzat meri hai aapki nazar mein, usse dugni izzat meri biwi ki honi chahiye."
"And whatever respect I hold in your eyes, my wife deserves twice that respect."
Silence settled over the room.
For the first time since Kamini had entered the mansion, nobody had anything to say.
Aarohi simply stood there, looking at Vihaan.
She had expected him to defend her.
But she hadn't expected him to do it like this.
Not because he was trying to prove anything.
Not because he wanted praise.
But simply because, in his eyes, she was his wife-and that alone was enough for him to stand beside her.
Kamini stared at Vihaan, clearly taken aback by his words. Her expression hardened, and she folded her arms across her chest.
Kamini:
"Toh ab iss ladki ke liye tum mujhse behes karoge?"
"So now you are going to argue with me for this girl?"
Vihaan's expression immediately turned serious.
His voice remained calm, but there was an unmistakable warning in it.
Vihaan:
"Wo ladki nahi, meri biwi hai."
"She is not some girl. She is my wife."
He paused for a moment, his gaze steady.
Vihaan:
"Aur behes kya... agar kisi ne usse badtameezi se baat bhi ki na, toh main uski jaan lene ke liye ek pal bhi nahi sochunga."
"And forget arguing... if anyone even dares to disrespect her, I won't hesitate for a second to make them pay for it with their life."
The room went completely silent.
Kamini froze in place.
For a moment, she didn't know how to respond. The tension that had been holding her shoulders rigid slowly loosened, and she simply stared at Vihaan.
She had always known Vihaan to be stubborn.
She had known his temper.
But this was different.
He wasn't raising his voice.
He wasn't trying to intimidate anyone.
He was simply making his position clear.
And somehow, that calmness made his words even more powerful.
Rhea's lips curved into a small smile.
She glanced toward Aarohi, genuinely happy for her.
Sana was smiling too. She had watched her best friend carry so much pain for so long, and seeing someone finally stand beside Aarohi made her heart feel a little lighter.
Anjali lowered her gaze with a quiet smile.
Even she had been waiting for this moment-to see Vihaan understand that protecting someone wasn't about controlling them; it was about respecting them.
Aarohi, however, was still standing completely still.
She was shocked.
Not because Vihaan had defended her.
But because of the words he had chosen.
"Meri biwi."
"My wife."
Her cheeks turned slightly warm.
For a fleeting second, she remembered what he had said earlier.
"Pehle usne ye nahi kaha ki wo meri biwi usne bola me iska husband hu."
"First he didn't said she is my wife, he said I am her husband."
She quickly pushed the thought away and composed herself again.
She straightened her posture, returning to her usual calm expression as if nothing had happened.
Vihaan glanced at her.
Their eyes met for just a moment.
Neither said anything.
But the silence between them felt different now.
Before anyone could continue, footsteps came from the hallway.
Vihaan's father entered the room.
He looked around at everyone, immediately noticing the tense atmosphere.
Vihaan's Dad:
"Bahut ho gaya. Shaadi ka ghar hai aur aap log yahan ye sab baatein kar rahe hain?"
"Enough. This is a wedding house, and you all are standing here discussing all this?"
Kamini opened her mouth to respond.
Kamini:
"Lekin bhai-"
Before she could finish, Vihaan's father raised his hand, stopping her.
Vihaan's Dad:
"Bas. Ab kuch nahi."
"Enough. Nothing more."
His voice carried the authority of the head of the family.
He looked at everyone.
Vihaan's Dad:
"Sab jao aur tayyar ho jao. Thodi der mein function shuru hone wala hai. Aaj kisi ke beech koi behes nahi hogi. Aaj sirf Rhea ki khushi ka din hai."
"Everyone go and get ready. The function will begin shortly. There will be no more arguments today. Today is only about Rhea's happiness."
Everyone nodded.
Rhea immediately smiled.
Rhea:
"Finally! Thank you, Dad."
"Finally! Thank you, Dad."
Sana laughed softly.
Aarohi turned to leave with her.
Vihaan remained where he was for a moment, watching Aarohi walk away.
He didn't call her.
He didn't stop her.
For once, he understood that giving her space was also a form of love.
And as the mansion slowly filled with laughter, music, and preparations for the haldi ceremony, one thing had quietly changed.
Vihaan had stopped trying to win Aarohi back.
Now, he was ready to earn her trust back.
To be continued...........