Shivika's pov
I was rushing around the room, getting ready. Panic was setting in fast. Again, I got late because of Mumma! She didn't even bother to wake me up on time. She knew today was my wedding day, how could she be so careless? Anyways, I'll forgive her, she is my mother after all.
After getting ready, I ran down the stairs, bursting into the living room mid-rant.
"Oh god, meri shaadi hai aaj aur hum ab tak so rahe the! Kisi ne uthaya kyun nahi mujhe?! Meri pehli shaadi hai yaar, chudail banke thodi jaungi! Maa, aapne bhi-"
My voice completely died in my throat. I froze dead in my tracks as I looked up. The room was packed with family, but what shocked me right down to my soul was the figure standing near the center.
Rudraksh.
We had been childhood best friends, studied in the same school, shared every secret, everything was absolute perfect between us. But then, completely out of the blue, five years ago he packed up and left abroad. He never came back. He never even made a single phone call to let us know he was okay.
For a long moment, the entire room dissolved into silence. We just stood there, locked in each other's gaze, the ghosts of our past rushing right back between us. A single hot tear slipped uninvited down my cheek.
Before I could process the sudden tidal wave of emotions, Tiya hurried over, gently touching my arm. "Shivi, theek hai tu?"
(Shivi, are you okay?)
Her voice broke the spell. The overwhelming weight of reality crashed over me, Without a second thought, I turned on my heel and sprinted back up the stairs, went inside my balcony which was attached to my room.
If he actually thought I would just forget everything and smile, he is dead wrong.
I will never forgive him. He just abandoned me without a word of explanation, cutting me off entirely, ignoring every single text and call I sent. He has no idea how much I missed him. He has no idea how hard I tried to reach out to him.
Suddenly, I felt a familiar presence step out onto the balcony behind me. I didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. I forced my chin up, aggressively wiping away the remaining tears from my face before he could see them.
"Kesi ho?" Rudraksh finally broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper.
I didn't answer. Because why? And why on earth would he care?
Instead of answering, I turned on my heel, ignoring him completely, and tried to move past him to get back inside the room. But I froze when his fingers wrapped gently around my wrist.
A hot tear slipped uninvited down my cheek. "Leave," I choked out.
The moment the word left my mouth, he immediately let go of my hand. I took a step to go, but he quickly blocked my path, stepping right in front of me.
I tried to step to the left, he mirrored my movement, stepping left. I turned right, but he instantly blocked me there too, shifting right.
"Just listen to me, please," he pleaded, his eyes filled with a desperate, quiet agony.
"Why should I?" I snapped, "Who am I to you? Just go, na!"
"Sorry," he said, taking a step closer, his voice breaking. "I promise... I will never leave you again."
That was my breaking point. More tears spilled over my eyelashes, and then a heavy sob escaped my lips, followed by another. Before I could push past him, he gently engulfed me in his arms, pulling me against his chest. He wrapped his arms securely around me and began softly rubbing my back.
"I'm sorry, please don't cry," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "You know na...the last thing I ever want to see is tears in your eyes."
With shaking hands, I pushed against his chest, breaking the hug. Looking straight into his eyes.
"And you are the reason for these tears!" I cried out. "I hate you!"
I raised my hands and started hitting him on his chest, letting out all the frustration I had bottled up inside.
"I hate you! Hate you! I will never talk to you again! Do you have any idea how much I missed you? Why did you leave me? You didn't even call, you didn't even text...I thought we were never going to see each other again!"
He didn't try to stop my hands. He just let me hit him, absorbing every bit of my anger without a single complaint.
When my arms finally grew weak and fell to my sides, he gently took my hand and led me over to the bed, sitting me down. He poured a glass of water, handed it to me, and then in a gesture that completely undid me he sat down right on the floor on his knees in front of me.
"Hit me," he whispered, "Slap me as much as you want...do whatever it takes, but please, stop crying."
I looked down at him, the storm in my heart finally calming into a quiet ache.
"Only if you promise," I said, my voice trembling as I looked deep into his eyes, "that you will never leave me again."
He reached up, firmly taking both of my hands in his, his thumb gently brushing my knuckles.
"I promise." he whispered fiercely.
A small, watery smile finally broke through my lips, and leaning forward, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.
❤️
Author's pov
Shivika was pacing anxiously inside her room, her heavy bridal lengha rustling with every step. She held her phone tightly to her ear, tapping her foot in frustration.
"Kahan mar gayi yeh ladki?!" she muttered under her breath, staring at her phone screen as the call went unanswered yet again.
(Where has this girl died?!)
Just then, the door clicked open. Alok and Dipti walked in, dressed in their finest wedding attire. Shivika instantly stopped pacing, turning around to face them with a hopeful, nervous smile.
"How am I looking?" she asked.
Alok stepped forward, his eyes shimmering with unsheathed emotion. He gently placed his hand on her head. "Ek dam pari jesi lag rahi hai, meri beti."
(You look just like an angel, my daughter.)
Her face lit up. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I will miss you, Papa."
Alok patted her back, his own voice thick with emotion. "I will miss you too, mera bachcha."
Dipti smiled warmly, crossing her arms with a playful mock-offense. "What? It means you won't miss your mother at all?"
She pulled back from the hug, turning to Dipti with a cheeky grin. "No, of course not! Why would I miss you? You always scold me!"
Dipti rolled her eyes affectionately and lightly tapped Shivika's forehead. "Pagal."
The room erupted into lighthearted laughter, dissolving the nervous tension for a fleeting moment.
Shivika's expression softened as she remembered her missing friend.
"Mumma, did you see Tiya? I am trying to call her but she isn't answering her phone."
Dipti shook her head. "Oh, I didn't see her either. Maybe she's busy with the wedding arrangements. If I see her, I'll send her straight to you."
She nodded, reassured. With a warm smile, Dipti and Alok turned and stepped out of the room to tend to the guests.
Downstairs, the atmosphere was a stark contrast of ritualistic hustle and mounting tension. Panditji consulted his pocket watch, adjusting his shawl.
"Samay ho gaya hai. Dulhe ko bulaiye, shubh muhurat nikalta ja raha hai!"
(The time has come. Call the groom, the auspicious timing is slipping away!)
Vedika nodded briskly. "Theek hai Panditji, main bulakar laati hoon."
(Alright Panditji, I will go and call him.)
She hurried up the stairs and down the corridor to Yash's room. She knocked firmly on the wooden door, but met only silence. Frowning, she pushed the door open.
"Yash?"
The room was empty. The pristine sherwani laid out on the bed remained untouched. A cold knot formed in her stomach. She rushed toward the attached bathroom, flinging the door open.
"Yash?"
No one was there. Panicking, she pulled out her phone and dialed his number. The line rang endlessly with no response.
"Kahan chala gaya yeh ladka?!" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Just then, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Rudraksh appeared at the doorway, He noticed Vedika's pale face and furrowed his brows.
"Kya hua Choti Maa? Aur Yash kahan hai? Panditji niche bula rahe hain."
Vedika turned to him, wide-eyed and breathless. "Mujhe nahi pata beta! Woh yahan nahi hai, aur uska phone bhi nhi lag raha."
His expression turning serious, though he tried to keep his voice steady. "Relax, Choti Maa. Don't panic. Woh yahin aas-pass kahin hoga, kisi kaam se gaya hoga. Main abhi dekh kar aata hoon."
(He must be somewhere around here, probably went for some work. I'll go check right now.)
He rushed out, checking the lawn, the entrance, the parking lot, and every corridor of the sprawling venue. But after ten frantic minutes of searching every possible corner, there was no sign of the groom.
Returning to the Yash room. He found a pale and shaken Vedika already trying to explain the situation to the rest of the Rathore family.
The bedroom was thick with suffocating tension, every second dragging out like an eternity. Vedika sat curled on the edge of the bed, her face buried in trembling hands as soft, broken sobs wracked her frame. Mamta sat beside her, gently rubbing her back.
On the other side of the room, Vijay paced the floor like a caged animal, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white.
"Pata nahi kahan chala gaya yeh ladka!" he roared, "Neeche mehmaan intezaar kar rahe hain, pandit ji muhurat nikalne ki baat kar rahe hain, aur yeh irresponsible nalayak gayab hai! Khandan ki naak katwa di usne!"
Surya rushed forward, placing a steadying hand on Vijay's shoulder.
"Vijay shaant ho jao, gusse se baat nahi banegi. Maine sabhi doston aur uske office ke logon ko phone kiya hai, hum use dhoondh nikalenge."
Amid the escalating chaos, Rudraksh stood motionless near the doorway, scanning the disheveled room. His sharp gaze caught a white sheet of paper weighted down by a watch on the bedside table. Stepping across the room with quiet urgency, he picked up the unfolded note, his eyes quickly scanning the lines.
Aditya noticed the sudden change in his brother's expression and took a step forward.
"What is it, Bhai?"
"Yash yeh chhod kar gaya hai..."
Vedika instantly stopped crying. She sprang up from the bed, her eyes wide with desperation.
"Kya likha hai isme?"
Rudraksh hesitated for a second, then cleared his throat and read Yash's words aloud.
"I am sorry. I know whatever I am doing is unforgivable, but I cannot go through with this wedding. I cannot marry Shivika. The truth is, my heart belongs to someone else. I love Someone else and I have loved her for a very long time. Walking into the mandap and taking vows with shivika would be living a complete lie, and I cannot ruin her life just to maintain family expectations. Please don't try to find me. I am truly sorry for the pain and humiliation I have brought upon you all."
A suffocating silence settled over the room. Vedika collapsed onto the edge of the bed, her trembling hands clutching the silk bedsheet as hot tears traced silent paths down her cheeks.
"How... how could he do this?" she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of utter disbelief.
Mamta paced the floor, her face pale with shock. "Five years, Vedika. They spent five long years together. He was the one who insisted on this wedding, who swore he couldn't live without her! And now, on the day of the marriage, he simply decides he doesn't love her anymore?"
"The boy has lost his mind!" Vijay barked, running a frantic hand through his hair. "If something was wrong, he should have spoken to us. One conversation! God, how are we going to face Shivika? How do we look that innocent girl in the eye and tell her that her life has just fallen apart?"
A sharp, cheerful knock on the wooden door shattered the tense air. Everyone froze, exchanging panicked glances.
Aditya swallowed hard, his feet dragging as he moved across the room. He pulled the door open to reveal Shivika's parents.
"Arre, what are all of you doing locked up in here?" Alok asked with a broad smile, stepping inside. "The guests are waiting downstairs, and the pandit ji is calling for the rituals."
Dipti chuckled warmly, "Yes, and where is Yash? Call him out already. My daughter has been pacing her room for an hour, dying to catch a single glimpse of her groom!"
The silence returned, cold and terrifying. Nobody moved. Nobody dared to breathe.
Rajiv stepped forward, his eyes bloodshot with shame. He brought his palms together in a desperate plea. "Bhai sahab...please forgive us. We have failed you."
Alok's smile faltered, replaced by a furrowed brow. "Forgive you? For what? What is going on here?"
Surya stepped up beside Rajiv, his voice barely a rasp. "Yash...Yash has ran away."
"What?!" Alok and Dipti gasped in unison.
"He left this," Surya muttered, handing over a crumpled piece of paper.
Alok snatched the letter, his eyes darting across the ink. Within seconds, shock turned into blistering fury. The paper trembled violently in his grip. "What kind of sick joke is this?! My daughter is sitting in her room dressed as a bride, and your son just runs away?!"
"No, no, this is impossible," Dipti cried, shaking her head in denial. "Yash loved her! How could he destroy my child like this-"
A soft gasp cut her off from the doorway. Everyone turned their head towards the door.
Standing in the frame was Shivika. Her heavy bridal lehenga shimmered under the chandeliers, her hands adorned in deep red mehendi. Her wide, horrified eyes were locked onto the letter in her father's hand as fresh tears spilled over her kohl-rimmed lashes, shattering the room into total, agonizing grief.
"Mumma?" Shivika's voice trembled as she stepped forward, searching for her mother's pale, tear-streaked face.
"What did you just say?"
Her mother looked away, choking back a sob, completely unable to meet her daughter's eyes.
Panic seized Shivika's chest. She turned toward the rest of the family gathered in the room, her gaze darting frantically from one grim expression to another.
"What is happening here? Why is everyone standing like this? Where is Yash? Someone please tell me!"
She rushed over to her father, clutching the sleeve of his sherwani with trembling hands.
"Papa... where is Yash? Boliye na, Papa! Where is he?"
Her father couldn't utter a single syllable. His jaw clenched tightly to fight his own tears as he slowly extended a shaking hand, holding out a crumpled sheet of paper.
She stared at the letter for a heartbeat before snatching it from his grip. Her eyes scanned the familiar handwriting, but the words felt like jagged shards of glass cutting through her mind. The color drained completely from her face. Her breathing hitched, and the page slipped from her numb fingers, drifting lifelessly to the floor.
"No...no, this is a joke," she stammered, stumbling backward in horror. "He can't... he wouldn't..."
Her knees gave out, but before she could hit the floor, a pair of strong, steady arms caught her firmly around the waist. Rudraksh pulled her up, his grip unwavering, but she was too shattered to even register who was holding her.
"He told me he loved me," she wept hysterically, clutching her head in agony. "He promised! He can't do this to me, he can't leave me like this!"
Mamta, Dipti, and Vedika rushed to her side, wrapping their arms around her shivering frame. "Shivika, meri bachi, please calm down," Mamta whispered through her own tears, gently stroking her hair.
"No!" Shivika cried, pulling back with wild determination in her swollen eyes. "He has a reason. Yash would never leave me without an explanation. I need to call him, I need to talk to him right now!"
Breaking free from their embrace, she gathered the heavy folds of her lehenga and bolted toward her bedroom.
The family panicked and moved to chase after her, but Rudraksh stepped into their path.
"Aap sab yahi rukiye," his deep voice cut through the chaos with calm authority. "Main dekhkar aata hoon."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and went straight after her.
Shivika rushed into her room, her breath hitching in her throat as her trembling hands tore through the vanity and tossed aside pillows in a desperate search for her phone.
Rudraksh followed silently behind her, pausing near the doorway. His jaw was clenched, watching the sheer panic unraveling every fiber of her composure.
She spotted her phone on the bedspread. Lunging forward, she snatched it up and with trembling fingers, she unlocked the screen and dialed Yash's number.
The repetitive, agonizing ringtone buzzed against her ear. No answer.
"Pick up...please, Yash, pick up," she whispered, her voice cracking as she redialed. Call disconnected.
"No, no, no... pick up. Please, Yash, just pick up," she pleaded into the empty air, hitting redial. Tears broke past her lashes, burning trails down her cheeks.
"Where are you? Yash, please don't do this to me...not today."
A wave of dizziness hit her. Her knees buckled under the weight of her bridal lehenga, but before the cold floor could claim her, Rudraksh's strong arms caught her waist. He pulled her up with fierce tenderness and guided her to sit on the edge of the mattress.
"Shh, Shivika...breathe. Calm down," he murmured softly, while sitting beside her.
She gripped his sherwani, her knuckles digging into the fabric. "Rudraksh, you're his brother. You know everything about him! You must know where he went. Please...please tell me."
A flash of raw pain and simmering fury crossed Rudraksh's eyes. His own throat tightened, choking down the burning urge to break something, to tear the city apart until he found his cowardly brother. He hated seeing her like this, so fragile, so completely shattered by someone who was supposed to protect her. He blinked hard, refusing to let the unshed tears in his eyes spill over.
"If I had even the slightest clue where he was, Shivika," he said, his voice thick with suppressed rage and sorrow, "I would have dragged him by his collar and thrown him at your feet myself."
"He told me he loved me," she sobbed, collapsing forward until her forehead rested against his shoulder. Her muffled cries soaked into his sherwani. "He said he wanted to spend his life with me...so why? Why would he do this?"
He gently patted her back, his hand trembling slightly against the tremor of her sobs. Every quiet gasp she took felt like a dagger to his chest.
The door of her room creaked open. The elders stepped inside, their faces grim and devoid of warmth, carved out of cold, unyielding pride. Alok walked forward, his footsteps heavy, until he stood right in front of his daughter. He reached down, taking her hand into a firm, unyielding grip.
She looked up, her bloodshot eyes pleading for mercy, for news, for anything that made sense.
"Wipe your tears and get ready," Alok commanded, his voice cold and resolute. "You are getting married."
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TO BE CONTINUE--
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