Two weeks later.
"Di, I was getting so bored without you home." Sitara stormed into the room.
"Why!? Where are Aruna Chachi and Muskan?" Ruhanika inquired while swishing her long, wet hair. Her hair was actually incredibly long, extending all the way to her hips and having small curls at the ends. After returning from school, she had a shower and will now eat something to feel her stomach.
"Muskan was out with her friends, and Aruna Chachi was taking a nap. Without you, it was so monotonous." Sitara said while slumping onto the bed and pouting. Ruhanika sat next to her and pinched her cheeks. Sitara complained while shooing her hand away.
"And now, what are you going to do? It will take a month or two until the results of the competitive exam are revealed, therefore you will be bored till you join any law firms." Ruhanika remarked while heaving. She was also feeling worn out today. It was Saturday, and she had been working extremely hard all week due to her absence and her intense schedule.
"I'm considering meeting my friends." Sitara murmured while slouching.
"I believe it is a good idea." Ruhanika gave a nod.
Sitara got to her feet and walked away. After a short while, she returned with some refreshments and asked Ruhanika about her day at school. Everything was described in detail by Ruhanika. They continued to converse for a short while until they heard an outside horn.
It was 5 in the evening when Ruhanika checked the time. She turned to gaze at Sitara, who was also focusing on Clock. "Go, your husband is here," Ruhanika said in whispers to Sitara as her prankish eyes twinkled. She shoved Sitara. Dev had a tendency to press the horn when he arrived at his house because it gave folks in his house a single of his arrival.
"I'm not going." Sitara grumbled. After the morning squabble between the couple, she simply couldn't get close to her prospective husband. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes. She repented how she had treated him. Evidently, there was an insignificant fight between Dev and Sitara, and the entire incident was intended to place the burden squarely on Sitara because Dev wasn't at fault in the first place.
Ruhanika abruptly became serious. She also straightened Sitara after pulling her. This conversation with Sitara needs to happen right away. Ruhanika pondered.
"What do you think of Dev Ji?" Ruhanika posed a serious query. She required information regarding her sister's plans for the future. Sitara chewed her lower lip before turning to face Ruhanika. All of a sudden, she had the impression that she was sitting in court.
"I'm not sure. I've only known him for two weeks." Slowly, she responded. She had a few thoughts in her head, but she didn't want to share them just now.
"But Tara, you're going to be a lawyer. How can you claim that two weeks weren't sufficient? With those keen eyes of yours, you are able to peer into his soul." Ruhanika said while scowling. Sitara was only making an excuse, she realized.
"Fine," she said, "if you don't want to tell me about it." Ruhanika got to her feet.
Sitara instantly pulled her down and said, "It's not that. Simply put, I've noticed it. You keep pushing me in his direction." She murmured inaudibly almost.
"Because I am certain that he is a fantastic fit for you. I've seen how he takes an interest in you and goes out of his way to make you happy. So, let me know what you think of him. Are you considering a relationship with him? Tara, I want an unambiguous response." Ruhanika pushed her, and Sitara sighed before spilling the beans.
"He is a very calm and charismatic individual. Even when I shout, he keeps quiet, listens to what I have to say, and then points out where I have strayed. He never made me feel uncomfortable or compelled me to do anything. He has been bringing me sweets from the bakery close to his office for the past two weeks. It was quite tasty." She remembered the savory taste and continued.
"Aside from that, we've started having brief conversations before going to bed, and he's told me a lot about himself. However, I resisted speaking anytime he questioned me about myself out of concern that I would be betrayed once more. Di, I feel afraid."
Sitara told her everything, and she said the last part very slowly. Ruhanika gave her a bear embrace right away because Sitara never had a chance to move over her failed relationship. She was immediately thrust into a chaotic marriage as a consequence of that mistake. And now that she has some free time, she is deliberating and holding off.
"Dev ji, is a gem of a person. Trust me, Tara. He'll keep you happy. You only need to take small steps towards him, and he will be waiting for you to take his hand in yours. He won't ever vanish into the thin fog, leaving you wandering around by yourself. Just go with your gut and have faith in him for a change. Take this opportunity to build a wonderful future with him."
Ruhanika softly explained Sitara. "And don't think I'm pressuring you. Last call will always be yours." Sitara nodded in agreement. The males she has met so far are incredibly egotistical and self-centered. If not a lot, but at least a small amount of arrogance dwells in their hearts, but Dev was different. She had previously resisted all of his advances out of dread and horror, but now she wanted to give herself and him a chance. She could see the longing and expectation in his eyes, but he never grew weary of seeking for her approval. She had felt his stealthy gazes on her, but whenever she glanced at him, vo apni nazare chura lete so that she wouldn't feel that he had done something wrong, worthy of being held accountable.
Now, however, she didn't want him to have that emotion of longing and forsaken. She will speak to him frankly today about the things that are causing her emotions to spin out of control.
Ruhanika decided to switch the subject after noticing Sitara's agitated mood. "But you never shared those delights that Dev ji brought with me," Ruhanika cracked a grin as she recollected certain things.
"I-I, that. Di, I have to leave." And Sitara hurriedly fled so her sister wouldn't have another opportunity to tease her more. Standing up, Ruhanika sighed and shook her head at Sitara.
Seems like she made the correct decision. It'll soon follow the right course.
Dev, who was already standing outside the door, heard everything. He was well aware that his young wife would be with her Di when he entered the house. Therefore, he moved swiftly in the direction of Yug's room. However, the door was slightly ajar, so before he could knock, he overheard them mentioning him. He wanted to listen in on their chat, but he had no idea how thrilled he would feel after secretly listening to them. He was grinning broadly today, and his eyes were once more sparkling. This shine faded the first night when Sitara accused him of exploiting her to get her to sleep with him. He was livid and extremely aggravated.
He immediately left her by herself in the room and headed to the rooftop to cool down and he was cooled down after keeping himself in her shoes. What she was thinking at the time was not incorrect. She was unexpectedly wed to someone she had never met or heard of. What response can he anticipate from her given that she was left by herself in an unknown man's room?
He understood everything and was determined to make her feel at ease in his presence, attend to her needs, and always walk alongside her on whichever path she chose. She and this relationship would receive everything he had to offer. Be it loyalty, respect, encouragement, affection, empathy, integrity, or the ultimate compromise. He wanted to give it his all and seem as if his hard work was finally progressing effectively and that he was nearing to get its fruit.
He hurriedly fled to his room after hearing the shuffle to avoid being discovered. He was only now waiting for Sitara to confess, and he was confident that he would hear from her today. Even if it wasn't a love declaration, the process of strengthening their bond had started.
***
Nearly two weeks had passed since Yug and Ruhanika last exchanged civilized looks.
Yug didn't come home for two days as a result of the major argument that was implied in this regard during the closet brawl. The very next day, Bhavna bua frantically contacted him and demanded that he come home tonight or she will stop speaking to him. He complied. On the third day, he returned home.
It was confirmed to Ruhanika that Bhavna and Yug had unique equations set between them on that particular day. Even though she loved all the children in the house equally, Yug was the subject of some of her favoritism. Others have no issues at all with it. Regarding it, they were cool.
When he is still in the room, she won't enter and instead will meander about the garden talking to Muskan, who has been boring her with her college conversations, who fights with him, and whose professor was how can the list go on.
Only at night, when she needs to sleep, will she return the room, and even then, only after Yug had fallen asleep. She will awaken before him. And she continued to follow this regimen today. They never crossed paths in front of one another, and the peace between them remains constant without any variable in it.
She was having a wonderful period at school, and those were the only times of the day when she felt pleased and free to be herself. She became depressed, got caught up in a subject she couldn't discuss with Sitara, and occasionally just sat on a balcony corner and overthought things to the point of exhaustion.
Although having happy, loving, and supporting parents was a plus, she had never experienced a smooth life; instead, every life-related choice she had made had turned out badly, leaving her with nothing but regret and depression, undermining her ability to make independent
decisions.
She put on a show of strength and bravery to prevent her adversary from taking advantage of her, but on the inside she was nothing but a hollow shell filled with emptiness. She had learned too many lessons from life to be able to make mistakes, even if she wanted to. She was that kind of person who will always say 'I got this' even with tears in her eyes.
Ruhanika, who was seated in the room's corner and was illuminated rather softly flung a noor over her beautiful complexion. She had been sitting on the floor and gazing up at the sky with her very long hair in an untidy knot. Two brightly shining stars grabbed her attention, and she immediately wanted someone to dispel the urban legend that her parents were those stars, watching over her from heaven with her under their wings, just like she does with the young students she teaches.
But the unfortunate fact is that nobody was present to say as much. Tears streamed from her eyes as she suddenly felt incredibly alone, and her heart ached. She wanted to cry, really cry, but she was unable to.
Just then, the room's door squeaked open, allowing a figure to enter. Ruhanika wiped her tears and focused her attention on the clock. It was 1 in the morning. The sound of footsteps was wobbly and disoriented. She could see everything from her vantage point, but the invader couldn't see her.
Yug, who was stammering while walking, thudded the door shut before slowly plopping down on the bed. Legs somewhat extended while lying down. Ruhanika turned her nose up in disgust. He gave off a smell of alcohol that was impossible to miss. Her nose, however, detects a different scent that has alcohol in it. It had the metallic odor of blood. She frowned at the odd stench of blood that was filling her nostrils before turning to look at him.
Nevertheless, with his uncivilized and barbarous treatment of her. She didn't want to even look at him, but the human inside of her was still alive, so she got to her feet and crept silently in his direction. And the scene in front of her struck her with fright, and she gasped, pushing her feet back, but her back slammed into the dressing table behind her.
His lips were cracked, and his entire face was covered in bruises. His mane was untidy. Blood stains on his white shirt made it evident that he had cuts below the garment. He appeared to be in awful shape. He shifted a little while groaning. Ruhanika was so startled by what she saw that she was unable to understand how he had gotten to the house in such a state.
She called his name and took a brave breath before gently pushing him. But he didn't reply; instead, he uttered some incoherent words before turning back to his left side and moaning in anguish. In nervousness, she heaved a sigh and scratched her head, planning her next move.
Is it appropriate for her to ring her sister's doorbell and inform Dev about him? However, she abandoned that thought after observing the strange hour of the night. She sighed and considered helping him further after reflecting that she couldn't stand to hear him writhing in pain all night.
She observed his enormous bulk, which was partially on the floor and partially on the bed. She gathered the loose end of her saree, tucked it into her waistband, and pulled her open hair back into an unkempt bun. She was already exhausted just thinking about what she was going to do. Vo kehte hai na; banda soch soch kar hi thak jata hai, karne se pehle. She was experiencing the same thing.
She ignored that thinking, though, and seized his legs and pushed them counter-clockwise to place them on the bed. After completing the task, she exhaled heavily. In answer, he grumbled and swiveled around, lying motionless. Ruhanika scowled as she observed him.
It was going to be a tough night. She was serving the man she wished to strangle as retribution for his savage behavior.
⚠Author note⚠
I request tall those readers to go back vote on all the chapters, they haven't voted. It will be very helpful to me.
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Thank you :)