Chapter 01

It was midnight, and the streets of Udaipur lay shrouded in an eerie silence. A lone red car sped through the desolation, its engine's roar a stark contrast to the quietude. Behind the wheel, a man adorned in groom's attire drove with a furrowed brow, his eyes reflecting turmoil and unrest. Beside him, a woman in bridal finery sat, her attire disheveled, her expression etched with anxiety.

As the car's speed escalated, so did the man's nerves, his hands trembling as he struggled to maintain control. Despite his frantic efforts, the vehicle careened towards an impending ditch.

Drawing perilously close to disaster, they both shut their eyes in resignation. Yet, in a twist of fate, the brakes engaged. The car skidded, teetering on the brink, and collided with a tree at the ditch's edge.

Suspended by the merest thread, the man reached out to the woman, his voice a blend of determination and fear, "Vaidehi, let's get out of here!"

Tears welled in her eyes as she met his gaze, her voice a whisper of despair, "Armaan, there's no escape from this!"

The revelation hung heavy in the air, and Armaan's voice cracked with emotion, "Today is our wedding day, Vaidehi." Her response was laden with sorrow, "She won't let us be together."

Armaan's eyes mirrored her sadness, "This is all my fault; I've ruined everything." As he spoke, a branch snapped, the car's precarious balance disturbed. Grasping Vaidehi's hand, he was about to speak when she began to choke, her hands clawing at her throat as if held by an invisible force. Realization dawned on Armaan.

With eyes brimming with tears and anger, he declared, "You're doing this because you want me, but I will never let that happen. I love only Vaidehi, and that will never change." With that, he slammed the accelerator, the car's balance lost, and it plunged into the abyss.

Karan awoke with a start, his dream plunging him into the ditch. In reality, he was seated in the passenger seat, his friend Ranvijay at the helm, concern etched on his face. "What's wrong, bhai? The same dream again?"

Ranvijay was the sole sentinel of the night, guiding their car through the darkness. Karan leaned back, exhaling deeply, "What else, yaar? It's the same dream that's haunted me since childhood."

Ranvijay's tone lightened, teasing, "Don't you get tired of the same dream every night?"

Karan offered no reply, instead turning to observe Ayaan and Inaya asleep in the backseat, finding solace in each other's presence. His gaze returned to the road ahead, where his car continued its journey.

Karan Luthra, India's premier architect, was a man of formidable presence and unwavering dedication to his craft. His father, Abhinav Luthra, a prominent businessman in Delhi, had once helmed a modest construction firm. At the tender age of 16, Karan, alongside his friends, took the reins, propelling it to national acclaim.

Now, with ambitions to expand into Rajasthan, he traveled to Udaipur with his team. His companions, Ranvijay, Ayaan, Inaya, and the soon-to-arrive Riya, had been integral to the company's success from its infancy. Their destination was a resort in Udaipur, a new acquisition awaiting renovation, where they would reside during their stay.

It was 9 o'clock at night when they entered the enchanting city of Udaipur. As the car meandered through the streets, Karan felt a peculiar sense of familiarity with the roads that unfolded before him. His gaze was fixed on the window, observing every detail with an inexplicable recognition.

Suddenly, a car sped past them, a fleeting shadow in the night. Karan's heart skipped a beat. He turned to the side mirror, expecting to see the car trailing behind them, but there was nothing—only the empty road stretched out into the darkness. "Perhaps I'm still half-asleep," he thought to himself, trying to shake off the eerie feeling.

His attention returned to the road, now running alongside a menacing ditch that seemed to devour the light. An ominous signboard loomed ahead, its warning clear even in the dim light: "Please slow down, accidents occur here."

Ranvijay, sensing the tension, instinctively eased off the accelerator. Karan's eyes, however, remained glued to the ditch where he saw a car hanging precariously from a tree, its headlights still ablaze.

"Ranvijay, stop the car!" Karan's voice was urgent, jolting Ayaan and Inaya awake in the backseat. The car screeched to a halt.

Stepping out into the cool night air, Karan's eyes darted to where he had seen the dangling car. But now, there was no car, no tree—only the whispering wind and the dark abyss of the ditch.

Ayaan approached, concern etched on his face. "What happened, bhai? Why did you ask to stop the car?"

Karan masked his shock with a calm demeanor. "Nothing, I just thought there might have been an accident here!" His face betrayed none of the turmoil within.

Ranvijay chuckled, "Karan, it seems you're still in a dream. Come, let's get you to the resort quickly so you can rest properly." With a light-hearted laugh, Ranvijay headed back to the car, followed by Ayaan and Inaya, leaving Karan trailing behind.

As Karan lingered, a woman's whisper cut through the silence, "Armaan..." He spun around, but there was nothing—only the night and the ditch. "I really do need some sleep," he conceded to himself.

Upon reaching the resort, the grandeur of the place took everyone's breath away. "Bhai! Are we really staying here?" Ranvijay asked in awe.

"Yeah!" was all Karan replied, his voice heavy with fatigue as he disappeared into the resort.

Beyond the bustling life of the resort, at a distance where silence held dominion, stood a palace. Its grandeur surpassed that of the resort, yet it was enshrouded in darkness, its beauty marred by the passage of time into ruins. The relentless wind whispered through the desolate grounds behind the palace, stirring the fallen leaves into a ghostly dance.

From within the depths of the forsaken garden, a woman's voice rose, ethereal yet laden with unyielding resolve. "Arman! I knew you would return one day, and we would meet again. But this time, I won't let anyone come between us..."

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