I’m really trying my best, guys, but still, I don’t know why — there are no views, neither on the story nor on the reels.

But as you keep reading the story, you’ll definitely start loving it!

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Ashish lay back on the bed, and Rajeshwari rested her head on his chest. His eyes closed as his fingers gently ran through her hair.

"Mm… Ashish…" Rajeshwari’s voice was soft.

"Hmm?" Ashish opened his eyes halfway.

"Are Riddhima and Vansh really going to be happy together?" she whispered, worry lacing her tone. "We aren’t rushing into this, right? What if Riddhima actually likes someone else and we’re forcing her into marriage? Honestly, I don’t even think Mamta ji and Soumya like Riddhima that much. How will she even survive in that house?"

Rajeshwari shot all those questions in one breath.

Ashish opened his eyes fully now, chuckling as he stroked her cheek. "Relax, Rajeshwari ji. You really wanna dump all those questions on me at once? Let me breathe, at least."

"What do I do? I’m a mother after all…" she said sadly, eyes fixed on his face.

Ashish kissed her forehead gently. "Don’t stress yourself. Riddhima will be happy there. And remember when we first introduced Riddhima to Vansh? How he stood up for her back then? I knew from that moment he was the right one for her. He’ll always protect her. Plus, we did promise Vansh’s parents about this wedding. If his mom were alive today, she would’ve been so happy to see Vansh and Riddhima’s roka today."

Ashish sighed a little.

"By the way, Ashish …

Rajveer  bhaisahab  didn’t show up today because of you. Now that you are  officially becoming samdhis, maybe it’s time you let go of all these fights and grudges? You really gonna keep ignoring each other for life?"

Rajeshwari just shook her head and said,

I think you should sleep now."

Ashish said and closed his eyes                          

Meanwhile, Nitya felt a hand on her shoulder just as she was about to pick up a call. She turned around quickly — it was Riddhima.

Placing her hand on her chest, Nitya exhaled sharply. "Riddhi! You scared me to death, girl."

Riddhima tilted her head slightly and smirked. "Where’s your so-called pati parmeshwar? Am I really scarier than him?"

That’s when her eyes dropped down to Nitya’s foot — wrapped in a hot bandage.

"What the hell happened to your foot?" Riddhima asked, pointing.

"Oh, nothing yaar… I slipped in the bathroom. My bad as usual," Nitya said casually.

Riddhima made her sit down on the couch, frowning. "Then why are you standing? You are married. You’re supposed to take care of yourself now, remember?

Anyway, forget all that — why are you here? Shouldn’t I be the one asking if you’re okay?"

Nitya grinned. "Oh, so you finally got free from your roka? Honestly, I didn’t think you’d even show up today."

Riddhima rolled her eyes and handed over a card. "Here, wedding invite. You guys should be super happy now, right? Everyone got what they wanted. Riddhima’s finally getting married… to Vansh. What more does anyone want?"

Nitya read the card and hugged her tight. "I’m so happy for you! Now spill — what all happened at the roka?" she teased.

Riddhima gave her the full rundown. Nitya shook her head in disbelief. "Girl, can you go through even one function peacefully? At least don’t fight in front of family!"

"You think I was fighting? Me? I’m the fighter here? Everything’s always my fault, huh?" Riddhima raised her brows, mock-offended.

"Okay, okay. Fine. Vansh should’ve discussed things with you first. And honestly, wedding in Udaipur, ten thousand guests, full-on royal set-up? Damn. I really thought Vansh wasn’t the marrying type. But looks like Mr. Singhania’s changed his mind."

Riddhima slapped her own forehead. "Yaar, there’s just so much work. Honestly, if it was up to me, I’d marry in a plain oversized T-shirt right in the office and get it over with."

Then she stood up, pointing at Nitya. "By the way, you are coming to the wedding. You and your pati parmeshwar — both. No excuses."

With that, she left.

          Singhaniya mansion         

Back at Rajchand Palace, Mamta’s mood was already off since they got home. She shut herself in her room, lying down without saying a word.

Ishita, on the other hand, was getting repeated calls but ignored them, focusing on her own stuff.

A little later, Soumya walked into Mamta ji’s room with a bottle of oil. She sat down by her feet and started massaging them slowly.

"Mummy ji… can I just say something?" Soumya started in a deliberately sweet voice. "Honestly, I really don’t like Riddhima. Her attitude… her behavior… you saw it, right? No respect for elders, always answering back."

"And the way Ashish bhai sahab behaves… as if he’s doing us some huge favor by marrying off his daughter into our family. No proper dowry talks, no traditions. I really thought Rajeshwari ji would’ve raised a sweet, cultured girl. But no. Riddhima doesn’t show a single sign of being sanskaari."

"Honestly, Papa ji really picked the wrong girl for Vansh. That girl’s not fit to be Singhania family’s bahu. Can’t you see how she was fighting with Vansh in front of everyone today? No respect, nothing. If she’s like this before the wedding, what will she be like after?"

Soumya put on a sad voice now. "Papa ji is really ruining Vansh’s life with this marriage. Poor boy already grew up without a mother.  He never receives mother's love and Now he won’t even get a proper wife who loves him, respects him, cares for him…"

"Mummy ji, mark my words, write them down somewhere, get them notarized if you want — Riddhima is not right for Vansh. Honestly, Ishita is the kind of girl who would’ve been perfect. Wherever she goes, that house will be blessed. But what can we do? Not everyone is lucky enough to get such cultured daughters-in-law."

Soumya kept talking, but Mamta ji stayed completely silent, eyes closed, letting Soumya’s words wash over her.

Just then, Kishore ji walked in.

"So, what’s going on here between saas and bahu today?" he asked lightly.

Soumya immediately stood up, adjusting her pallu. "Oh, nothing Papa ji. Just giving Mummy ji a little foot massage. Her knees must be hurting with all this wedding work coming up. I’ll take my leave now."

She stepped out of the room, pallu slipping off her head once she was outside. A sly smile crept onto her face.

"Now watch. The fire’s lit. Let’s wait for the smoke to rise."

After Riddhima left, Nitya went back to her room, quietly flipping through the pages of a book — though her eyes weren’t really reading anything.

That’s when Dhruv walked in. He glanced at her... and then spotted her foot, wrapped in a bandage.

Without a word, he knelt down near her legs, resting his head on her knee. His voice broke as he whispered,

"I’m so sorry, sweetheart... this is all my fault."

Tears rolled down his cheek. "You got hurt because of me... but you know, right? I could never actually hurt you. I wouldn’t even think of it. But... my temper — it’s my curse. So do one thing: punish me. Whatever punishment you got, give it to me. Hit me, Nitya. Just hit me."

He grabbed her hand and started pressing it against his cheek, forcing her to slap him.

Nitya gasped, pulling her hand back. "What are you doing? Stop it! How can I hit you at night? No, no... it’s my fault, not yours."

Dhruv shook his head stubbornly. "Fine. If you won’t hit me, then ask for anything. Whatever you want. I’ll give it to you. It’s my punishment for making you go through this."

For a moment, Nitya just stared. And then something clicked in her head. Her voice softened as she said, almost unsure,

"Umm... actually, Riddhima came today. She gave me her wedding card. The wedding’s in Udaipur. Can I... can I go? They’re flying tomorrow. And there are all the functions…"

Dhruv didn’t say anything for a long second. His head stayed down.

Finally, he lifted his face and looked up at her, eyes still wet but now calm. Nitya lowered her gaze nervously.

He cupped her cheek gently. "Why would you even ask that, sweetheart? It’s your best friend’s wedding. Of course you’ll go. In fact, I’ll take you myself."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Really? Seriously?"

Dhruv chuckled through his tears, wiping them off with his thumb. "Sit right here. You’re injured, you shouldn’t move. I’ll call the designer home. They’ll take care of all your outfits, your preparations. You’re Dhruv Rathore’s wife — you should look like it."

Nitya’s heart fluttered as she nodded quickly, a bright smile lighting up her face.

—

At the same time, Vansh was in his room, pacing. His phone against his ear, calling Kartik over and over. But Kartik wasn’t answering.

Frustrated, Vansh switched and called Ritika.

The call connected.

"Hey Ritika, how are you?" Vansh asked, voice neutral but tight.

Ritika sounded surprised. "I’m fine, Vansh. Didn’t expect your call… Thought you’d be drowning in wedding chaos by now."

Vansh gave a half-smile, which she couldn’t see. "Yeah, busy... Listen, I heard Kartik hasn’t been coming to therapy for over a month now."

"You’re right," Ritika admitted. "He’s been skipping everything. I’ve called him, tried reaching out to his assistant too, but you know Kartik. Does whatever he feels like. I even told aunty about it. She doesn’t know where he’s staying these days either."

"Okay," Vansh said, voice growing colder. "I’ll handle it. I’ll find him. But listen — you better come to the wedding."

"Of course," Ritika said with a small laugh. "How can I say no when you invite me yourself?"

"Alright. See you," Vansh murmured, cutting the call. He tossed the phone aside and lay back on his bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling fan spinning slowly above.

—

Meanwhile…

Kishore ji entered the bedroom where Mamta lay with the blanket pulled up over her face.

"What’s the matter? What secret talks were happening between you two?" he asked casually, lying down beside her.

But Mamta didn’t answer. She didn’t move, just pretended to sleep.

Raichand palace

By morning, Ashish, Rajeshwari, and Gayatri sat in the living room, discussing wedding preparations, going over guest lists and rituals.

That’s when the doorbell rang.

One of the staff went to check. A bodyguard handed over a sealed packet.

"Sir, someone left this for you," the staff member said, passing it to Ashish.

"Who gave it?" Ashish asked, frowning.

"The bodyguard said security mentioned someone dropped it for you specifically," the staff replied.

Ashish waved him off. "Alright, you can go."

He opened the packet slowly.

Inside…

Photographs.

Dozens of them.

Ashish’s face tensed. His fingers clutched the photos tighter as he flipped through them — until he spotted the note hidden underneath.

It read:

"If you can still save your daughter’s life, do it now… before it’s too late."

Ashish’s heart stopped. The photos slipped from his hands, falling onto the floor.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Thank you ♡