As her words cut into him, he held his silence, swallowing every response that burned at his throat. His fists clenched, his jaw tightened—but he managed to keep his mouth shut, not wanting to inflict any more pain on her. He knew that if he spoke now, his words might come out as weapons, sharper than he ever intended.

When he turned to her, his heart sank. Her face—the one he longed to see lit with happiness—was streaked with tears. She was crying, and it was because of him. But he chose, stubbornly, to ignore everything: her anger, her questions, even her pain.

Then she broke the silence. "So that’s it?"

His expression barely softened, though her words stirred something deep within him.

A bitter chuckle escaped her lips. "Oh, so just keep ignoring, right? Like you’ve ignored me all this time, like I’m invisible to you, like you’re not even married, like my life isn’t being shattered right before your eyes."

With each word, her voice grew sharper, and her gaze locked onto his, defiant and hurt. "Ignore! Go on, ignore everything! Pretend like I’m not here, like you don’t care. But remember this, Mr. Rathore," she added coldly, "jabardasti ke rishte nahi chalte hai—forced relationships don’t last."

Her last words made something snap inside him. "Shut up!" he said, his voice louder than he had ever dared to use with her. His eyes blazed as he took a step closer, his face dark with intensity. "Say whatever you want about me, but don’t bring our marriage into this. Aur yeh baat gaanth bandh lo," he hissed through gritted teeth. "I’d die before ending this relationship."

He released her with a tense breath, stepping back toward the door. But before leaving, he glanced back, his voice softer now, almost pleading. "Aur, please... stop crying. We’ll talk about this, but for now, just... please stop."

She watched him walk away, her heart tangled in a storm of anger and confusion. Once the door closed, she whispered to herself, wiping away the lingering tears. "Samajh nahi aayenge kabhi ye mujhe... I’ll never understand him."

With a heavy sigh, she turned and slipped into the bathroom, hoping the cold water might calm the storm raging inside her.

……..

Look at his smile," Drishti murmured, gritting her teeth.

Ohhho, something is burning." Vihaan said, and Amaira and Vihaan were trying to suppress their laugh, looking at Drishti, who was angry and now irritated and jealous. …

Infront them Advait and Sagun were talking with each other, and Advait was talking with a smile, and they were eyeing them.

Sahi baat Bhabhi maine aise haste hue to bhaiya ko kabhi nhi dekha," Amaira said, adding fuel to her anger and jealousy.

"Hai na, same today he is showing that he also has teeth," Drishti said, binding her hand.

Vihaan and Amaira chuckled, and Drishti looked at them. What?"

"Nothing, nothing. Focus, Bhabhi, there," Vihaan whispered, pointing discreetly at Sagun and Advait. His mischievous grin was hard to miss as he nudged Amaira beside him.

Meanwhile, on the terrace, Advait and Sagun sat next to each other, though a good distance apart, the cool evening breeze ruffling their hair. Despite the space, their conversation flowed effortlessly.

"Thank God, because of you, I'm in the safe zone now," Sagun said, a playful smile curling on her lips. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her voice light, though her eyes hinted at relief. "Nahi toh, "Otherwise, Dadi would have gotten us married."

Advait leaned back, crossing his arms, his expression calm but with a teasing glint in his eyes. "Yeah, God really had my back," he responded smoothly, turning his face towards her. "Ki usne mujhe tumse bacha liya aur."

Sagun let out a small laugh, shaking her head in amusement. ""And what else? You got such a beautiful wife!"" She playfully nudged his shoulder with her elbow, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

His gaze softened, and for a moment, his voice lowered into something more sincere. "She’s more than just this outer beauty," he said, his calm tone carrying an unexpected weight, as if his heart were speaking for him.

Sagun raised an eyebrow, her lips parting in exaggerated surprise. "Ohhh, God, what am I hearing!" she exclaimed, her hand dramatically flying to her chest.

Advait rolled his eyes, unable to suppress a laugh. "Stop overacting, yaar," he said, shaking his head.

They both laughed together, their easy conversation filling the air. But from a distance, not everyone shared their lightheartedness.

"Mere zindagi mein kalesh lagake yaha hass rahe hain," Drishti muttered under her breath, her voice just loud enough for Vihaan and Amaira to hear. Her face tightened with a mix of frustration and hurt, her fingers curling into her palms as she watched Advait.

Vihaan and Amaira exchanged quick glances, concern evident on their faces. Amaira bit her lip, sensing the tension building in Drishti's eyes. Vihaan shifted uncomfortably, glancing from Drishti to the terrace.

"Bhabhi, maybe we should go?" Amaira suggested softly, her gaze slowly moving towards Drishti, who was still staring ahead, lost in her thoughts.

From where they stood, they could only observe Advait and Sagun’s gestures, unable to hear the lighthearted conversation. This silence was enough to feed Drishti's doubts, making her feel even more distant from them.

"Hmmm," Drishti hummed absentmindedly, finally tearing her gaze away. They all turned and walked back to the hall, settling down on the sofa. But it was clear Drishti wasn’t fully present. She stared blankly, her thoughts drifting elsewhere.

Vihaan noticed the distant look in her eyes. "Bhabhi, what are you thinking?" he asked gently, leaning forward, his eyes filled with concern.

"Na... nothing," Drishti replied, forcing a laugh, though it felt hollow. Her smile barely reached her eyes as she tried to brush off the lingering emotions.

Amaira and Vihaan exchanged uneasy looks. Amaira leaned closer, her voice soft and reassuring. "Bhabhi, if you're thinking anything about Bhaiya and Sagun Di, please don't. They’re just friends. From Sagun Di's side, it’s nothing more than that. And as for Bhaiya, he only sees her as Dadi’s friend’s granddaughter."

Drishti tried to smile again, but the weight in her heart was undeniable. "That's why they were smiling like that... if there was something going on, how could they behave so casually?" she muttered, her voice trailing off as she became lost in her thoughts once more, trying to convince herself of their words yet still feeling the unease that lingered within.

"He took us there first, and now he’s trying to cheer Bhabhi up," Amaira said, glancing at her brother with narrowed eyes, trying to divert Drishti's mood.

"Hey, I didn’t take you for that reason! I... I just wanted to show you the sky," Vihaan stammered, his expression sheepish.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it. You took her for that, right? You trapped poor Bhaiya in this now," Amaira teased, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"But our Bhabhi doesn't say anything. She won’t even ask anything, right Drishti tried to smile again, but the weight in her heart was undeniable. "That's why they were smiling like that... if there was something going on, how could they behave so casually?" she muttered, her voice trailing off as she became lost in her thoughts once more, trying to convince herself of their words yet still feeling the unease that lingered within.

"He took us away first, and now he’s trying to cheer Bhabhi up," Amaira said, glancing at her brother with narrowed eyes, trying to divert Drishti's mood.

"Hey, I didn’t take you for that reason! I... I just wanted to show you the sky," Vihaan stammered, his expression sheepish.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it. You took her for that, right? You trapped poor Bhaiya in this now," Amaira teased, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"But our Bhabhi doesn't say anything. She won’t even ask anything, right, Vihaan Bhaiya? Isn’t that so, Bhabhi?" Amaira asked, turning towards Drishti.

"Yes, yes, why would I ask him anything?" Drishti replied with a faint smile, her tone laced with irony.

"That’s exactly your mistake!" Vihaan suddenly declared in a loud, dramatic voice, as if preparing to give a speech. Drishti's eyes finally sparkled with amusement, and Vihaan noticed, smiling at her reaction.

"Bhabhi, you should ask him! If you don’t, then who will?" Vihaan said, his tone becoming more playful.

"Yes, Bhabhi," Amaira chimed in. "Here we were thinking that once Bhabhi comes, she’ll make Bhaiya do whatever she wishes. But Bhabhi, you're just letting him off easy. All my dreams have stayed just dreams!" Amaira added, dramatically placing her hand on her forehead.

"Leave that. Tell us, Bhabhi, are you going tomorrow?" Amaira asked.

"I don’t know..." Drishti’s smile faded again, and she replied quietly.

"Why? What happened now?" came a voice from behind them.

They all turned to see the source of the voice—it was Riddhima and Anjali. Both of them walked over and joined the group.

"What happened, dear? Did Dadi say something?" Anjali asked with concern.

"Not Dadi, the one who’s married to me that Dadi " Drishti said, her tone heavy with sarcasm.

"Advait?" Chachi asked, and Drishti nodded, making everyone burst into laughter.

"So bad, everyone is enjoying without me!" Sagun announced with mock disappointment as she walked towards the group.

She made her way to where they were sitting and casually sat beside Anjali. But as soon as she did, the laughter and conversation abruptly stopped. Everyone exchanged awkward glances, the sudden silence hanging in the air.

"Why isn’t anyone talking now?" Sagun asked, her eyes sweeping over the group, a teasing smile on her lips.

"Because we don’t have anything to talk about now," Vihaan replied, shrugging, though his grin betrayed his playfulness.

Sagun burst into laughter, and the trio—Amaira, Vihaan, and Drishti—exchanged amused looks. "You? You don’t have anything to talk about? Vihaan, you can speak even without a topic!" she teased, raising an eyebrow.

Vihaan made a dramatic face, pretending to be hurt. "Mumma, look! She’s making fun of me again. Good thing she didn’t become my Bhabhi, or who knows about Bhaiya, but my life would’ve been ruined!" he exclaimed, throwing up his hands in frustration, which only made everyone laugh even more. The sound of their laughter echoed, much to Vihaan's growing annoyance.

"She’s right," came Advait’s voice from behind, his calm tone instantly catching everyone’s attention. Drishti, who had been sitting quietly, lost in her thoughts, instinctively looked up at him. As he walked towards the group, his presence felt heavier to her, like the unspoken tension she couldn’t shake off.

"Ma!" Vihaan immediately turned to his mother, an exaggerated expression of protest on his face.

"Awww, the baby is upset!" Sagun teased, rocking her arms in a mock lullaby, making fun of Vihaan.

The group quickly dissolved into their playful banter, laughter echoing around the room. Conversations overlapped, jokes were exchanged, but Drishti couldn’t bring herself to join in. She glanced around, her eyes darting from one person to the next, searching for an escape—somewhere, anywhere she could slip away unnoticed. The noise felt distant, her heart heavy, and her smile forced.

His gaze lingered and softened. He knew her well enough to understand what was going on inside her mind, even if she didn’t say a word. His jaw tightened, and a hint of concern flickered in his eyes as he watched her struggle to keep up the facade in front of everyone.

Drishti, feeling his eyes on her, avoided looking back at him, but the weight of his gaze was impossible to ignore. She could sense that he knew. That he saw through her act.

Drishti shifted again, feeling increasingly restless. The laughter and playful banter around her seemed distant, like a world she couldn’t reach. She could sense his gaze on her—steady, unwavering.

Can’t he stop staring at me? she thought, frustration bubbling up inside her. She didn’t dare look back at Advait, but his eyes felt heavy on her, as if they could see through every facade she was trying to keep up.

....

...

[Next chapter is going to be fantastic, any guesses what could be..lemme give a hint --there story need it .]