Nitya

Once we return home, I lead Dhritiji to her room, her hand still gripping mine tightly as we walk.

She looked exhausted and shaken, her face pale, eyes wide and wandering. I want to tell her she's fine and safe now, but I know she'll need some time before she can accept that.

I still can't believe someone pushed her into the lake. She had been out for a morning jog when it happened. When we got to her in the hospital, she told us she had felt hands push her hard from behind. She also recounted how terrified she had been in the water. So much so that she had been unable to move or even scream. It was only thanks to a passing stranger, who saved her and rushed her to the hospital.

Getting her inside the room, I make her lie on the bed and cover her properly with the blanket.

"Rest for a bit, okay?" I murmur, squeezing her hand and stepping back to sit on the recliner beside the bed when she nods and closes her eyes.

I sit there for a while, watching her settle and sleep.

When her breathing steadies and she falls asleep, I finally stand up and slip out of the room.

As I make my way to the living room, I see Prathamji and Yash bhaiyya there. Both of them seem tense, firm expressions on their faces.

Namanji and Shrutiji have gone to the police station. Complaint has already been filed, but they still went to the station, hoping to fast track the investigation because it's important to find out about the culprit soon in order to ensure Dhritiji's safety.

"She has fallen asleep," I say quietly, drawing Prathamji's and Bhaiyya's attention.

Bhaiyya clenches his jaw, crossing his arms over his chest. "Whoever did this," he says, his voice low and furious. "I'll make them pay."

Prathamji nods at him, his eyes hard.

I glance between them, curiosity swirling in my mind along with the concern for my sister in law.

"Why is Dhritiji so terrified of water?" I ask them. "Is there any reason behind it?"

I notice Prathamji and Bhaiyya exchange glances, an unspoken conversation passing between them, their faces shadowed with hesitation.

"It's Dhriti's story to share," Prathamji says to me. "She'll tell you when she is ready to share."

Bhaiyya nods in agreement, and adds, "She might not appreciate us sharing her past, even if it's with you."

"I understand," I tell them, respecting their choice to hold Dhritiji's secret and also hoping that someday she'll find it in her heart to share this reason behind her fear with me.

*****

Pratham

"I get that you are worried about Dhriti, but there should be boundaries. Just because I have reluctantly accepted this whole... situation between you two doesn't mean you get free rein to stay here with my sister," I tell Yash, feeling my patience already wearing thin as I look at his stubborn face.

What the hell does Dhriti see in this man?

Yash crosses his arms and looks at me defiantly. "I'm not leaving until I'm sure that Dhriti is absolutely fine. She seemed so shaken when we got her back from the hospital. I can't just leave her alone."

"She won't be alone," I counter. "Nitya and I will be here with her."

"I'll also be here for her. Just let me sleep on the couch here in the living room. I will-"

"Yeah, right," I say sarcastically. "You really think I'll let you crash on the couch so you can sneak into Dhriti's room right in the middle of the night?"

"I won't do that." Yash rubs his face with his hands and takes a deep breath. "Look, I just want to be here for her. Nothing else."

"If that's the case, why don't you sleep in the kitchen, then? I'll lock the door for the whole night so I won't need to worry about you sneaking," I tell him. "I would have given you a pillow and a blanket to sleep there, but I don't want to."

"I'm not going to let you lock me in the kitchen."

"If you don't want that, then get out of my apartment altogether," I tell him.

"Cut it out, both of you!" Nitya steps between us, her hands on her hip, looking like she is barely controlling herself from shouting at us.

Yash starts to say something, but she holds up a hand. "We've all had an eventful day today. So, it's better we stop arguing and retire for the night. I'll be staying with Dhritiji in her room tonight." She looks at me. "That way you can keep an eye on Bhaiyya like you want to," she says, and turns to her brother. "And you won't have to be locked in the kitchen all night."

Both of us start protesting the moment she says that. "Stay in the same room as him?" I look at her incredulously. "Are you kidding, Nitya?"

Yash also shakes his head. "I don't need anyone to keep an eye on me. This is ridiculous."

But Nitya crosses her arms, meeting each of our protests with a resolute stare. "Either you two agree to share a room for one night, or you both get out of here and stay in Namanji's apartment tonight."

Hearing her final tone, I mutter, "Fine. I'll stay with him for the night. But if he snores, he's going to the kitchen."

Yash glares at me. "I don't snore. But if you keep yapping about getting me into the kitchen, I'll drag you there myself and lock you inside."

Nitya exhales loudly and shake her head, looking at us as if there is nothing she can do about us. "Just get to the room and don't disturb Dhritiji's sleep by arguing loudly. Can I please expect you both to act maturely for one night?"

When we both nod, she gives us a small smile. "Thank you," she says, and after bidding us good night, she walks toward Dhriti's room.

*****

I keep my eyes shut, pretending to be asleep, though my ears are attuned to every movement in the room.

Sure enough, I soon feel the bed shift slightly as Yash gets up, moving with as much stealth as he can muster.

I crack open and eye just enough to see him tiptoeing out of the room.

Sighing loudly, I consider going after him for a moment. After all, I know exactly where he is headed-to check on Dhriti.

Part of me wants to march out there, grab him by the collar, and remind him of boundaries. But then, I remember Nitya is with Dhriti and that makes me relax a bit. I trust Nitya implicitly and I know she'll keep things in check.

And as much as it galls me to admit it, I trust Yash, too, albeing begrudgingly. Whatever my issues are with him, I can't ignore the obvious. He genuinely cares for my sister. I know he crept out of the room to make sure she's okay after the ordeal she went through today.

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and stand up, waiting for him to return. Anyway, there is no way I'll be getting any sleep tonight. Not with the worry for Dhriti gnawing at me, and not with Yash slipping in and out of the room.

Might as well be ready for that talk with him. I decide. It has been long overdue, after all.

*****

When the door clicks open, I look up and see Yash pause, his eyes narrowing when he notices me sitting on the couch instead of being fast asleep on the bed.

"How's Dhriti?" I ask.

Yash hesitates, but then sits across from me. "She is still a bit shaken. I stayed with her until she fell asleep. I couldn't leave her when she was still so anxious."

I study him for a moment. He looks vulnerable, almost shaken. And I know it's because of what happened to Dhriti. I had seen him in the hospital, after all, frantic with worry for her.

"If you knew I had sneaked out to meet Dhriti, why didn't you stop me?" He asks me after a few seconds of silence.

"I didn't stop you because I knew Dhriti needed you tonight. I stopped myself from dragging you out of her room and out of this apartment only for my sister," I answer.

A faint smile touches his lips as he leans back on the couch. "I understand," he tells me. "After all, I have also done many things only for my sister's happiness."

At his words, I let out a short, dry chuckle. "Right. You have indeed done many things. Like forcefully marrying me off to her. Threatening to destroy my factory's reputation if I didn't agree to it."

He only shrugs and nods, neither defensive, nor apologetic. "Yes, I did it. And I'd do it again if I had to," he says firmly. "When it comes to my sister, I'll move mountains. Her happiness means everything to me." He sighs deeply. "I know I might sound selfish when I say this, but there are four women in my life-Maa, Nitya, Shruti, and now, Dhriti, too-for whom I can go to any lengths. Even hurt others, if need be."

I look at his severe face and realize he meant every word he said. But a question nags my mind.

"Why did you push me into marrying Nitya even though you knew I didn't want to marry her?" I ask him. "Didn't you think she would be unhappy with me too?"

"I had to do it because of my father," he replies. "He had made deals with three wealthy families he'd picked out across the country, one of them being Mahaveer Rathi. He made it clear to them that whosever's son married Nitya would have to give him what he wanted-land, money, power. Nitya was treated like a prize by him, to be given to the one who bid the most for her. And with Nitya's beauty and our family background, they all agreed to my father's conditions.

"Of those three families, Mahaveer Rathi came the closest. He agreed to give the money my father asked for and also a vast land on which he had his eyes for a very long time. That's how her marriage was fixed with Uday Rathi.

"I was initially unaware of those deals and found out about her marriage only when Maa called and informed me about it. I was here in the city then, but returned to the village as soon as I got the news. But when I reached there, I was even more shocked to know that Uday was already married and not divorced too. I went to his village to find out the truth and the way his family treated me, I understood that agreeing to get her married to that man would be equivalent to signing a death sentence for her. So, I immediately broke off the marriage and returned home.

"Babuji was furious when he found out about it, and gave me two weeks' ultimatum to get Nitya married. He even threatened to kill himself if I didn't do that. But I knew then that it was just an empty threat. After all, I know how selfish my father is. He won't ever harm a hair on his body. But he would again attempt to get Nitya married off to another man of his choice if he got what he wanted.

"The very next day when he told me about the deal with two other wealthy families, I knew I needed to stop him before he completely destroyed Nitya's life by treating her marriage like a business deal for him. I just didn't want her trapped like that, married to some man who saw her as a prize he bought home after giving her father money and land in return.

"That's why I decided to get her married to you and talked with Naman about it. I knew I had to act fast, which is why I finalized everything quickly before Babuji even had the chance to get in touch with those men. And right after your marriage, I even had to deal with the father's chosen families because they were furious when they found out Nitya was married into your family. That's the reason I could not come to meet Nitya for weeks after the marriage."

"What did you do to deal with them?" I ask, although I already had an inkling. I know Yash. I know he is as dangerous as me and my brother when it comes to protecting the people we love.

"I had to hurt some people along my way of dealing with those families," he says, his gaze darkening. "But I don't regret any of it because when it comes to the happiness of the people who are dear to me, no cost is too high for me."

I take a long, measured breath as I process his words. No matter the differences between us, I do admire the lengths he can go to in order to protect the ones he loves.

"You know, even Naman wanted you to get married to Nitya," Yash tells me after a moment. "He wanted you to move on from Sandhya's death and your guilt."

I blink, taken aback, because I had always thought he too was pressured into accepting Yash's proposal.

"He wanted it? You didn't force him?" I ask, shocked.

Yash chuckles, shaking his head. "Come on, think about it. You know how Naman and Shruti are. Do you think they would have gotten pressured by me if they didn't want to?"

That hits me. He is right, of course. I know my brother and sister in law, after all. They are not the ones to budge so easily. I just could not see it then because I was so drowned in my grief and guilt.

"He really made me believe he had no choice other than to agree to your condition," I mutter, almost to myself.

"Well, he had to. He needed you to take Sandhya out of your mind entirely. After all, he had a problem with her even when you dated her. You know, don't you, about how much he resents Sandhya's family?"

I deeply sigh and nod. I knew about it. The moment I had told Bhaiyya about my relationship with Sandhya, he had immediately been against it. Because of her family. "I don't know much, but Naman bhaiyya had told me to break my relationship with Sandhya because her family is related to Bhabhi's past. And there is bad blood between them."

"That's putting it mild, Pratham," Yash says, shaking his head. "There's a whole bloody history. Literally. So much so that, to this date, Naman has not told Shruti about Sandhya's family. She only knows she was your girlfriend, who died in an accident. And recently returned after she woke up from coma."

I rub my temple, feeling slight nervousness creep within me. "What if Bhabhi found out. She might not like that Bhaiyya hid such truth from her. And knowing how she is, I think she won't take it lightly."

Yash smirks and lets out a light chuckle. "Since they got married, Naman and Shruti have given each other so many death threats that it has practically become their love language. I'm sure Naman will be able to handle another threat from her."

I smile despite myself as I remember how they used to be right after their marriage. They have such relationship that, by all conventional standards, should not work-but somehow, it does.

"I hope, for Bhaiyya's sake, that Bhabhi doesn't find out. But with Sandhya coming back, I feel it's inevitable," I tell Yash, and he only nods and sighs heavily in response.

"Well, we'll deal with it later if we have to." He stands up from the couch and gets to the bed. "Now, I'm too tired, and really need to sleep."

I watch him organize the bed and blanket for a few seconds, still deep in thought about the conversation we just had. Then, I just sigh, and tell him, "It's a yes from me."

Yash pauses midway and looks at me with confusion marring his face. "Yes to what exactly? If you think I'm going to make your bed every night, you are mis-"

"Oh, shut it," I interrupt, standing from the couch. "Naman bhaiyya told me about you thinking of proposing marriage to Dhriti and asking for his permission before that. He told you he'd say yes only when I also say yes to it, didn't he? So, I'm saying yes to it now."

"You are actually saying yes?" He asks me, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. "Umm, well, it's good to know. Not that I actually needed your permission," he adds, though the grin on his face says otherwise.

"Really?" I shoot back. "If you didn't need my permission, you wouldn't be grinning like a kid who just got away with sneaking a cookie from the jar."

I sit on my side of the bed and watch as he also lies down. A hint of smile still lingering on his face.

"Don't you dare roll over to my side of the bed," I tell him, lying on my side.

He lets out a snort. "Oh, please. I don't do rolling over. Worry about you not scooting into my space. Because if you do, I'm going to kick you out."

*****

The first thing I notice when I wake up is the warmth.

It's too warm.

My eyes snap open, only to find myself practically wrapped around Yash, his arm around my shoulder, and my arm somehow flung over his waist.

We both jerk back at the same time, shouting in horror.

"What the hell?" Yash splutters, shoving me off.

I scramble in the opposite direction, toppling off the bed, crashing down on the floor.

"I had told you not to roll into my space." I glare at him as I pull myself to my feet.

"I rolled over?" He scoffs, crossing his arms as he glares back at me. "You were the one holding on to me like a life raft!"

"You were the one clinging to me," I mutter. "Look, Yash, you-"

The shrill ringing of the phone interrupts me. Yash looks at his watch for a second and immediately grabs the receiver, seeming as if he was waiting for the call.

I wait as he talks, confused at why would someone call him at my apartment. But I realize whoever called about whatever it was, it was serious, because Yash face had turned hard, his anger palpable as he grits his teeth.

When he finally hangs up, I ask him, "What was that about?"

Yash exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. "That was one of my men. I had asked him to call me here since I knew I'd be staying the night. He's been following up on something I had asked him to look into."

"Look into what?" I prompt, suddenly feeling an uneasy prickling in my gut.

"I wanted confirmation on what I had heard from the villagers about Uday. When I was collecting evidence on him so Nitya could show it to you and your family, the people from his village had told me stories about his past. So, I asked my men to dig deeper into it."

"What stories?"

Yash hesitates for a moment. "About his first wife. Manisha. The villagers had told me that Manisha's parents think she didn't run away. They think Uday killed her."

Hearing him, my stomach tightens and I clench my hands into fists. "And? What did your men find?"

"It's true," Yash tells me. "Uday murdered his first wife."