Vaishali's POV -

The room felt too quiet.

Too big.

Too unfamiliar.

I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers clutching the fabric of the peach suit he had given me.

Marriage.

The word kept echoing in my head.

He said it so easily.

Like it was already decided.

Like... I didn't even have a say.

My heart was still racing from everything that happened downstairs.

The way everyone looked at me.

The way they spoke to me.

The way they... cared.

And then..Him.

The way he wiped my tears.

The way he fed me.

The way he said...

"I love her."

My chest tightened.

Why?

Why me?

A soft knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.

I froze.

For a second, I didn't move.

Then slowly....

"C-come in..."

The door opened gently.

Meera ji walked in.

Soft.

Calm.

Warm.

Just like before.

Behind her, Rhea peeked in curiously... and then Kavya followed, dragging Arya and Myra along.

I immediately stood up.

"N-no... I'm fine... you didn't have to..."

Before I could finish...

Meera ji walked up to me and gently placed her hand on my head.

"Relax, child," she said softly.

And just like that...

Something inside me broke again.

Not from fear this time.

But from something I didn't understand.

Care.

"Sit," she said, guiding me back to the bed.

I obeyed silently.

Rhea plopped down beside me without hesitation.

"So..." she leaned closer, whispering dramatically, "you're the girl my brother is going to marry."

My eyes widened instantly.

"I..um...I didn't.."

Kavya gasped playfully. "Oh my God, she's blushing!"

"I'm not...!" I stopped, flustered.

Arya giggled.

Myra just stared at me like I was something new and exciting.

"I like you," she said randomly.

I blinked.

That simple sentence hit harder than anything else.

Meera ji watched everything quietly.

Her eyes... observant.

Understanding.

She took my hand in hers.

"Don't be scared," she said gently.

My throat tightened.

"I'm not used to this..." I admitted softly.

Her grip tightened slightly.

"You will be."

Those three words...

They didn't feel like comfort...They felt like a promise.

Rudraksh's POV -

By the time I entered my cabin again, everything was... handled.

Clean.

Silent.

As if nothing had happened.

Just the way I liked it.

Raghav stood near the desk.

"All taken care of, sir."

I nodded once.

No questions.

No details needed.

I already knew.

I adjusted my cufflinks slowly.

But for some reason..

My mind wasn't in the basement anymore.

It was upstairs.

With her.

Vaishali.

Her teary eyes.

Her trembling hands.

The way she held onto my coat like I was the only thing keeping her steady.

Something inside me shifted.

Annoying.

Unfamiliar.

Dangerous.

"Sir?"

Raghav's voice pulled me back.

"Yes."

"There's a board meeting in thirty minutes."

"I'll attend."

But even as I said that...I knew.

My focus wouldn't be there.

For the first time..

Something else mattered.
Someone else.

Vaishali's POV -

I didn't realize when I started smiling.

Small.

Hesitant.

But real.

Rhea was talking non-stop.

Kavya was teasing her.

Arya and Myra had somehow made themselves comfortable around me like we had known each other forever.

And Meera ji...

She was just watching.

With a soft smile.

Like she had already accepted me.

"Bhabhi, do you like sweets?" Rhea suddenly asked.

"I...what?" I blinked.

"Because if you marry bhai, you have to deal with Arjun bhai stealing desserts every night."

"Hey!" Arjun's voice came from the door.

We all turned.

He walked in casually, arms crossed.

"So this is the secret meeting happening without me?"

Kavya rolled her eyes. "You weren't invited."

"Rude."

He looked at me then.

Not teasing this time.

Serious.

But not harsh.

"Don't worry," he said, tone softer than before. "No one here will hurt you."

My breath hitched.

Why did that sound so familiar?

Oh.

Because someone else had said the same thing.

Just differently.

Just stronger.

Just... more dangerous.

As the laughter slowly filled the room again...

As the warmth settled around me...

As for the first time in my life, I didn't feel alone...

A strange thought crossed my mind.

If this was peace...

Then why did my heart feel like a storm was coming?

On the Other Side...

Rudraksh Rathore stood near the glass window of his office.

Calm.

Composed.

Untouchable.

But his eyes...

They weren't normal.

They were darker.

Colder.

Possessive.

Because somewhere deep inside...

He had already made a promise.

And he never broke his promises.

"No one touches what belongs to me... and lives peacefully after."