5 years later

The five years that followed the night of the revelation were a process of calculated destruction. 

In the first year, Anirudh's world had dissolved. It started with a series of unfortunate financial discrepancies in his firm. Documents appeared that suggested he had been laundering money for a cartel, evidence so airtight that even Anirudh started to doubt his own sanity. He was declared a fugitive, his face plastered across news channels, his good guy reputation burned.

Rudrang had watched from the shadows as Anirudh fled, eventually seeking refuge in a dilapidated, secluded safe house in the outskirts of the city. What Anirudh didn't know was that Rudrang had owned that house for a decade. The moment Anirudh stepped inside, the trap was in place.

Anirudh wasn't in a prison cell with bars and guards. He was in a mirror room. Rudrang had built a basement that was an exact, high-tech replica of the medical room where Aastha had stayed. There were monitors that beeped without reason, a bed that hummed, and walls that were soundproofed to the point of agony.

Anirudh was perfectly healthy, but he was a ghost. He was fed through a slot in the door. He never saw a human face. He never heard a human voice. For five years, his only company was the crushing weight of his own silence, the same silence he had forced upon Aastha. He was alive, but for the world, Anirudh had simply ceased to exist.

The mansion was no longer a silent fortress of secrets. Today, it was filled with the sound of tiny, frantic footsteps and the infectious giggles of a child.

Shambhavi stood by the windows of the living room, watching the sunlight play on the garden.

She looked radiant. She wore a simple chiffon saree, her hair tied in a loose bun, looking every bit the queen of the estate.

A pair of strong, familiar arms wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her back against a broad, warm chest. Rudrang buried his face in the crook of her neck, his stubble grazing her skin, making her shiver.

"Tum yahan kya kar rahi ho? Humara intezaar ho raha hai."

(What are you doing? We are being waited for.)

Rudrang whispered, his voice still that low tone that made her heart skip a beat even after all these years.

Shambhavi leaned her head back against his shoulder, smiling.

"Bas dekh rahi thi ki sab kitna badal gaya hai, Rudrang. Five years... it feels like a lifetime."

(I was just thinking how much has changed.)

Rudrang didn't reply with words. Instead, he turned her around in his arms, his gaze possessive and heavy with a hunger that had never faded. He leaned in, his lips hovering just an inch from hers.

"Mere liye toh waqt wahi ruk gaya hai, Shambhavi. I still can't believe you are mine."

(For me time has paused there, Shambhavi.)

He kissed her then, a deep, lingering kiss that tasted of sandalwood and a promise kept. Even after five years and a child, Rudrang was the kind of husband who couldn't keep his hands off her.

He touched her constantly, a hand on the small of her back as they walked, a squeeze of her hand under the dinner table, a stolen kiss in the hallway when the staff wasn't looking. To him, she was the miracle that had saved his soul from the darkness of his own revenge.

"Papa! Mamma! Look!"

The doors burst open, and a three-year-old whirlwind in a pink frock came charging in. This was Bhavya, the center of Rudrang's universe. She had Shambhavi's eyes and Rudrang's stubborn chin.

Rudrang immediately let go of Shambhavi and knelt on the floor, his face lighting up with a pure, unadulterated joy that he only showed to his daughter.

"Meri jaan! Kya hua? Kyun chilla rahi ho?"

(My life! What happened? Why are you yelling?)

Bhavya threw herself into his arms, and Rudrang lifted her high, spinning her around as she shrieked with delight. He spoiled her rotten, buying her every toy she pointed at and spending hours playing tea party on the expensive rugs.

"Bua is calling you! She ate all her soup!"

Bhavya announced proudly, her tiny hands clutching Rudrang's cheeks. Shambhavi's eyes softened.

"Chalo, let's go see her."

They walked together to the room. Sitting in a comfortable armchair, was Aastha.

She had woken up a year ago. The recovery had been slow and painful, her muscles were weak, and her speech was still a bit hesitant, but she was here. She was awake. And the biggest catalyst for her recovery hadn't been the doctors, it had been Bhavya.

The little girl had spent hours sitting by Aastha's bed when she was still in a semi-conscious state, telling her stories, placing her small toys in Aastha's limp hands, and kissing her Bua every morning. That innocent, persistent love had pulled Aastha back from the brink.

"Aastha, dekho kaun aaya hai."

(Aastha, look who is here.)

Shambhavi said gently, walking over to her.

Aastha looked up, a genuine smile touching her lips.

"Bhai... Bhabhi..."

Rudrang sat on the footstool near her, his hand resting on her knee.

"Kaisi ho? Bhavya keh rahi hai tumne soup khatam kar diya?"

(How are you? Bhavya is saying you finished your soup?)

"Haan, Bhai."

(Yes, bhai.)

Aastha whispered, her voice getting stronger every day.

"Bhavya ne meri help ki. She is just like you... bohot ziddi."

(Bhavya helped me. She is just like you…very stubborn.)

They all laughed, a warm, melodic sound that filled the room. Shambhavi sat beside Aastha, taking her hand. 

"Bhabhi..."

Aastha said, her gaze turning serious for a moment.

"Thank you. For staying. For making him human again."

Shambhavi glanced at Rudrang, who was currently occupied with Bhavya, trying to prevent her from pulling the petals off a lily. He looked at her at the same time, and the look of absolute devotion in his eyes was enough to make her breath catch.

"Maine kuch nahi kiya, Aastha."

(I did not do anything, Aastha.)

Shambhavi replied softly.

"Humne bas ek dusre ko sambhal liya."

(We handled each other.)

As the afternoon light began to fade, casting a golden hue over the estate, Rudrang stood up and walked over to Shambhavi.

He didn't care that Aastha was watching or that the nanny was nearby. He pulled Shambhavi into a side hug, his hand resting firmly on her hip, drawing her into his warmth.

"Khush ho na?"

(Are you happy?)

He asked, his voice low so only she could hear. Shambhavi looked at her daughter playing at Aastha's feet, then at the man beside her.

She thought of the ghost in the basement, a man who would never hurt anyone ever again, and then she looked at the life she had now.

"Bohot khush hu, Rudrang."

(Very happy, Rudrang.)

She whispered, leaning her head against his chest. Rudrang kissed her temple, his grip tightening just a little.

"Main hamesha tumhe aise hi rakhunga. No more lies, no more pain. Bas tum, main aur humara parivaar."

(I will always keep you like this….Just you, me and our family.)

The Oberoi Estate was no longer a place of secrets. It was a home. The villain had won his queen, the sister had found her voice, and the good man had finally met the silence he deserved.

It was a perfect, albeit dark, fairytale. And as Shambhavi felt Rudrang's heartbeat under her palm, she knew she wouldn't change a single thing.

"I love you, Rudrang."

She murmured.

"I love you more than life itself, Shambhavi."

He replied, his voice a vow that would never be broken.