A six-year-old little girl was running desperately through a dense forest.
Her tiny feet moved as fast as they could, but fear slowed her down. She was terrified—so frightened that her chest hurt with every breath. The forest was drowned in darkness, wrapped in the deadly silence of night. She could barely see anything ahead of her.
Suddenly, her foot struck a large stone.
She fell face-first onto the ground.
A sharp pain shot through her knees as blood began to trickle down her skin.
Before she could even understand where she was hurt—
Someone attacked her from behind.
A Scream
Anisha jolted awake with a piercing scream.
Her body trembled violently, her breathing uneven. Fear still clung to her face—as if she hadn't fully escaped the nightmare.
At that very moment, Arvik stepped into the VIP hospital room.
The instant he saw Anisha gasping for breath, drenched in fear, he rushed toward her.
"Anisha… are you okay?" he asked urgently.
Hearing his voice, Anisha looked at him.
She nodded slowly.
"Yes… I'm fine," she whispered."Can you please give me some water?"
Arvik nodded and quickly picked up the glass of water from the table beside the bed, handing it to her carefully.
After she drank, he pulled the chair closer and sat down.
Silence filled the room.
Neither of them spoke.
Only their eyes met occasionally—each time lingering for just a moment longer than necessary.
The silence began to suffocate Anisha.
She finally decided to speak.
"You're still here?" she asked hesitantly."I mean—"
Before she could finish, Arvik interrupted her.
"Why? Shouldn't I be here?"
She shook her head quickly.
"No, that's not what I meant. It's just… the way you left me alone on the road that night—I thought you'd leave me alone again today."
Her words were soft, but they carried pain.
Arvik exhaled deeply.
"Maybe you're right," he said honestly."Even today, I could've left you alone."
"But I didn't."
He paused, then continued.
"I've thought a lot about last night. About the betrayal. About Aditi running away. About our marriage."
"After thinking about everything, one thing became very clear to me."
He looked at her directly.
"None of this is your fault. You married me only to protect both families' honor."
"The real mistake… was Aditi's."
Anisha looked at him, stunned.
"Thank you," she said softly."For understanding me."
Arvik's expression hardened slightly.
"Anisha, there's something I need to make very clear."
"Even if Aditi didn't love me, I loved her deeply. And I will continue to love her till my last breath."
Her heart sank—but she listened.
"So yes, I can accept you as my wife in front of the world."
"But behind closed doors… within these four walls… we'll remain strangers."
"If you have any problem with that—""I'm ready to give you a divorce right now."
His words were calm, but brutal.
Anisha didn't flinch.
"I don't have any problem with that," she replied firmly."But I do have one small condition."
No one had ever dared to place a condition in front of Arvik.
Not even Aditi.
Yet here stood a 21-year-old girl—six years younger than him—looking straight into his eyes without fear.
Anisha had no idea how dangerous Arvik's anger could be.
Usually, he controlled himself well.
But once he lost his temper, calming him down was nearly impossible.
"Say it," Arvik said, keeping his voice steady.
"I want to continue my job and my studies even after marriage," Anisha said honestly."I don't want any restrictions on my education or career."
That's all.
Arvik was stunned.
He had expected her to ask for property, money, security.
But she wanted none of that.
"Alright," he said after a pause."Deal."
"And one more thing—stop calling me you so formally. Talk to me the same way I talk to you."
Anisha nodded.
Meanwhile… at Arora Mansion
A middle-aged woman sat on the sofa, burning with rage.
Her face was tight with anger, as if she could explode at any moment.
She was none other than Suman Arora—Aditi and Anisha's aunt.
Standing in front of her were Mahesh Arora, Sheetal Arora, and Sunanda.
Sunanda clung nervously to Sheetal, terrified of Suman.
"How dare you marry Anisha without asking me?" Suman thundered.
"Didi, what are you saying?" Mahesh argued."Don't we have any rights over Anisha? She's my daughter!"
"Rights?" Suman laughed bitterly.
"Mahesh, don't forget what you did years ago."
"At your wife's command, you threw a little six-year-old Anisha out of this house."
"If I hadn't taken her with me to Mussoorie that day, she wouldn't even be alive today."
"And now you dare talk about rights?"
She pointed at them angrily.
"Stop pretending to be her parents in front of me. I've seen your real faces long ago."
"You sacrificed my child to hide your useless daughter's mistake."
"She was innocent. She thought she was protecting the family's honor."
"That poor girl had no idea how disgusting and selfish you people really are."
"You married her into the Jindal family only for money."
"And when Aditi ran away, you used Anisha as a pawn."
"I never imagined parents could fall this low for money."
Sheetal scoffed.
"And what's wrong if we used her?" she said coldly."After all, the Arora family did so much for her."
"If she's useful to us in return, what's the harm?"
Suman glared at her.
Without saying another word, she walked out of the Arora mansion.
A Few Days Later
Anisha was discharged from the hospital.
She sat beside Arvik in the car as they drove toward Jindal Mansion.
Suddenly, Arvik turned the steering wheel onto a different road.
Anisha didn't recognize the route.
She had been living in Mussoorie with her aunt since she was nine. She had returned to Mumbai only for Aditi's wedding.
After a short drive, Arvik stopped the car in front of a beautiful bungalow.
Their bond had softened during the hospital stay—slowly, naturally.
Looking at him with a gentle smile, Anisha asked in her sweet voice,
"Have we reached Jindal Mansion?"
Arvik looked at her calmly.
"No," he said."We're not at Jindal Mansion."
"We've come somewhere else."
What do you think?
Where has Arvik brought Anisha?
Will Anisha uncover the truth about the Arora family?
Or is she about to walk into a new trap?
💬 Comment and share your thoughts.📖 See you in the next chapter.Till then—bye.