Yashvi followed Advik as he made his way to the cabinet in their walk-in closet. He bent down, searching for a file, while she stood behind him, tapping her foot and clasping her hands behind her back as she leaned a little closer. With a soft sigh, Advik stood up, causing Yashvi to immediately straighten up, looking at him with a slight pout and a smile.

"Aap ab bhi naraaz hain?" she asked softly, holding onto his arm and leaning against it. He looked at her, frowned, and then nodded in agreement—just for the sake of it. 

(Are you still upset?)

"Sorry. I won't do it again," Yashvi said softly, placing a gentle kiss on his bicep. He tried to suppress his smile, shook his head with a mock frown, and quickly pulled his hand from her grasp before leaning down to search again.

"Files aren't kept in the closet," Yashvi said, narrowing her eyes at him before heading out. He nodded to himself, stood up, and followed her into the bedroom.

"Which file are you looking for?" she asked softly.

"We needed to purchase land just outside the main city. It had those papers—it was a black file," he explained while checking the dressing table. She nodded, then went to the cabinet under the television, pulled out a black file, and brought it over to him.

"Here," she said, holding out the file and looking up at him with a hopeful expression, trying to ease him out of his angry state.

"Advik, I'm sorry. I won't leave without telling you again," she said softly, her eyes filling with tears almost instantly. Lately, she had been getting emotional quite often.

"Yashvi, do you really think I'm upset just because you left without telling me?" he replied gently, though the disappointment was evident in his eyes.

Yesterday, Advik had some work, so, as usual, he wasn't the one to pick up Yashvi; instead, a driver was assigned to do so. However, Yashvi asked the driver to return and decided to go on a stroll with two of her friends. When Advik returned home, he couldn't find her. His parents, uncle, aunt, and grandparents had all gone to Banaras for a spiritual trip. Adarsh and Advait were at the office, and Adya had a long shift. Only he knew the panic he felt upon realizing she hadn't returned.

He immediately called the driver, who told him that Yashvi had sent him back. Yashvi's phone was unreachable. Fear gripped him. Yashvi still didn't fully understand the implications of their situation. She wasn't just any working professional; she was his wife, the daughter-in-law of an extremely wealthy and powerful family. There were rivals constantly watching for a single opportunity to weaken Advik, the heir to the Mehrotras. And everyone knew how much he loved his wife. She would be an easy target.

He had even instructed his bodyguard to search for her, while he himself returned to the office to check the CCTV cameras.

When Yashvi finally arrived home around 9 o'clock, Advik was waiting for her, seated on the central sofa with his bodyguard standing behind him. The anger on his face was unmistakable. As soon as he saw her, he dismissed the bodyguard and stood up, his red eyes glaring at her. She looked at him in confusion, sensing his anger but assuming it was work-related, so she held up a paper bag.

"I went to the market with Zivaah and Ananya," she said softly, setting the shopping bags aside. He glanced around at the household staff moving nearby, then took her hand, gathered her bags, and led her toward the staircase. The quiet anger radiated off him, and she followed him silently.

His grip wasn't painfully tight, but it was firmer than usual, missing the usual warmth. Yashvi's mind raced as she tried to figure out where she might have gone wrong.

He opened their room door, led her inside, and locked it. Setting her shopping bags aside, he retrieved a sleek smartphone box from Techtronics, the Mehrotras' electronics brand, and gently placed her hand on top of it.

"Your phone doesn't work well, how about having a new one." He said with a sarcastic smile.

"Advik, don't use sarcasm with me. I'm not your employee or a business dealer," Yashvi replied, clearly annoyed. She missed the usual warmth in his voice; right now, it felt as if her husband had been replaced by the CEO of Mehrotra Enterprises. This was the tone he used in business meetings, not at home.

Advik's jaw clenched, and he stared at her, his gaze steely and intense. 

"Yashvi, do you have any idea what I went through today?" His voice was controlled but laced with barely restrained anger. "I came home, expecting you here. But the driver told me you'd dismissed him, and then your phone was unreachable. You didn't think I'd worry?"

Yashvi took a small step back, surprised by the anger simmering in his eyes. She'd never seen him look at her this way before. "Advik, I was just out with Zivaah and Ananya. I didn't think it would be such a big deal. I thought you'd be tied up, so—"

"Exactly," he cut in, his voice sharpening. "You thought I was busy, so you went out alone, without telling me or anyone, like you're some ordinary person who can just... disappear without anyone noticing?" He let out a tense breath, his voice rising. "Do you know what could have happened? You're my wife, Yashvi! This isn't just about a stroll. There are people watching, waiting to exploit any vulnerability. And you—"

She tried to cut in, her own irritation bubbling to the surface. "Advik, I'm not some prisoner in this family. I thought I could take care of myself—" But as the words left her mouth, she felt a surge of frustration, and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to regain her composure. Anger wouldn't solve anything; it would only make the situation worse.

"I wasn't trying to make you worry, Advik," she said softly, but he shook his head, his eyes glistening with emotion.

Advik stepped closer, his voice thick with tension. "You don't get it, do you? This isn't about control or freedom. It's about safety! You're part of a world that's dangerous, and you need to understand that your actions have consequences. When you just disappear without telling me, I can't help but fear the worst."

"I didn't think it was a big deal," she replied, her voice steadier now, but her heart raced. "I thought you'd be busy with work, so I went out for a bit."

"Busy?" he echoed incredulously, his expression twisting in anguish. "I'd rather be busy than lose you! You're my priority, Yashvi! You have to start thinking about that. You can't just act like everything is fine when it isn't."

"Do you know how helpless I felt?" he continued, voice breaking. "You're not just anyone to me. You're my wife, Yashvi, and the mother of my child. You're the one person I can't bear to lose. If anything happened to you... I don't even know what I'd do." He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration giving way to something far more vulnerable. "I don't think you realize how much you mean to me—how much this family means to me. I've already imagined too many things happening to you today, and I can't shake that feeling."

As soon as she heard him say "the mother of my child," her heart twisted in pain. Advik's words echoed in her mind, piercing through the tension that had surrounded them. He realized what he had just said, and regret washed over him like a cold wave. The warmth that once filled their conversations was now replaced by an unbearable heaviness.

Yashvi felt her own eyes welling up, tears threatening to spill over. She instinctively placed a hand on her abdomen, a gesture that felt both comforting and agonizing. Just six months ago, a little life had nestled within her, filled with promise and dreams yet to be realized. They had lost that dream before they could even hold it in their hands.

"You've lost the baby," the doctor had said, his words heavy with sorrow. Advik had gone pale, the blood draining from his face as he looked at her, helplessness filling his eyes. The grief had wrapped around them, suffocating and unrelenting.

"Yashvi, just stop thinking about it. Next time, please inform me if you're leaving," he said, moving toward the door and trying to control his urge to burst out at her. He couldn't always go soft on her. It had been half a year, and even now, the thought of it made her emotional.

Unable to contain himself, he turned back and hugged her tightly.

"Stop thinking about it. Maybe that child wasn't in our destiny," he said softly, caressing her back. She hugged him tighter, struggling to control her emotions.

"Did you have dinner?" he asked, to which she shook her head. He nodded, pulling away from the hug and dialing the house staff. A few minutes later, a staff member arrived with a tray containing two plates of roti, stuffed capsicum, palak paneer, methi aloo, chutney, salad, and a small casserole of vegetable pulao. Yashvi had gone to change while the staff set the food on the coffee table and left.

Now, as Yashvi followed Advik around the room, she realized that they didn't really talked about it. The topic of baby came and the confrontation between them stopped. 

"I know you're angry because I didn't inform you. I'm sorry. I promise not to let it happen again," she said softly, acknowledging her mistake. Whenever Advik left, he always informed her personally, while she had communicated through her mother-in-law. She never really told him directly. Even when visiting her own mother, she would give him a two-day notice if leaving with the driver, and Advik never said a word about it because he would either hear from someone else or she would call him once she arrived. But this time, he was completely unaware of her whereabouts.

He looked down, his voice barely a whisper. "I just want you safe, Yashvi. I can't let anything happen to you, not while I'm still breathing."

She felt his pain, the depth of his fear, and in that moment, she realized just how much she meant to him. Reaching for his hand, she held it tightly, her own eyes filling with tears. "I'm sorry. I promise, I'll be more careful. I never want to put you through that again."

For a long moment, they stood in silence, his fingers entwined with hers, grounding each other as they both calmed from the storm of emotions that had swept over them.

"So, we're okay now?" she asked, pulling her hands away from his and raising her eyebrows. He nodded with a soft chuckle.

"I love this Advik. The Advik from yesterday was scary," she said, fake shuddering before poking his dimples and then pulling his cheeks tightly, making him wince.

He chuckled, leaning down to press his lips against hers, his hands snaking around her waist as he kissed her softly. She smiled into the kiss and wrapped her hands around his neck.

"So, will we go to the annual fair?" she asked, pulling back from the kiss. He looked at her dumbfounded, trying to register what she had said, then sighed in frustration. There was a huge fair organized each year for a month, featuring rides, food, jewelry, games, and many old-fashioned Indian attractions. Since the time Advik was born, he had always seen it. As a kid, his grandfather would take all the ladies and children to enjoy the fair.

"Yashvi," he whined, but she raised her brows in challenge. Advait had asked him before, and he had clearly denied, but now that his wife was asking, he couldn't say no. Advik could deny the whole world, but not Yashvi, especially not when his siblings were involved.

"Fine, be ready and inform everyone. Ask Darsh and Maa, too. I'll be back in an hour; Aman is waiting for me in the office," he said softly, patting her cheek before moving toward his office in the house.

-----

Yashvi rummaged through her closet, pondering what to wear when her eyes landed on a maroon suit set. It had been gifted to her by Padmakshi a few months back during her trip to her hometown. She had bought three suits, one for each of them: her, Adya, and Aashi. Quickly, she changed into the maroon set. After putting on her jhumkas, she applied light makeup and left her hair down, then added a small black bindi between her eyebrows.

Next, she chose embellished wide-band flats from her closet. She reached for her handbag but then decided against it, realizing she didn't want to be preoccupied with carrying it.

Moving toward Advik's side of the closet, Yashvi pulled out a casual shirt and cream pants. After setting them aside, she retrieved the watch she had gifted him on his birthday and headed toward her sister-in-law's bedroom. As she had expected, Adya was still struggling to choose an outfit.

"Bhabhi, help me," Adya said with a pout, gesturing toward the chaotic pile of clothes in her closet, which looked like a tornado had hit it.

"Seriously, Adya?" Yashvi replied, her voice tinged with exhaustion. Being the youngest, Adya was extremely pampered. The only thing she took seriously was her studies. While she was respectful, loving, and caring toward everyone, she also had her shortcomings. She relied on the household staff for even the smallest tasks. Yashvi recalled how, just a few months ago, Adya had lost an expensive bracelet at a party and had been nonchalant about it, knowing she would always get her way without needing to voice her desires, which had made her somewhat stubborn.

Yashvi also knew about Adya's affection for her old classmate, Sameer, who came from a typical middle-class background and had lost his parents during childhood.

"Adya, wear this," Yashvi said, pulling out a blue printed kurti and matching pants before closing the closet door.

"After we get back, the first thing you'll do is clean this entire wardrobe with the house staff," Yashvi instructed firmly. Adya sighed but nodded in agreement. Yashvi knew Adya would never disrespect her or take her words to heart, which was why she felt comfortable scolding her. Adya was like a child—soft, cute, yet stubborn.

"Bhabhi, you know Sameer shifted back to our hospital," Adya whispered softly, her cheeks flushing at the thought of the boy who held her heart. Until two years ago, she had harbored a strong dislike for him, but now all that remained was unrequited love. She was acutely aware of their differing social statuses, and on top of that, he was an orphan. Even more troubling was the fact that he didn't seem to feel the same way about her.

It wasn't as though her parents would outright refuse to consider an alliance with someone from a different background. The Mehrotras were incredibly wealthy but remained deeply rooted in their cultural values. For them, character and family values took precedence over financial status. Yashvi herself came from a middle-class family, while Adarsh's fiancée, Esha, belonged to an upper-middle-class background. In contrast, her jiju, Yash, hailed from a wealthy family engaged in various industries, including imports, exports, restaurants, and the manufacturing of construction materials. Yet he had chosen to marry Aashi for love.

"Should I talk to your brother about Sameer?" Yashvi asked gently, her fingers soothingly caressing Adya's hair as she picked up a brush to style it.

"What will you say? That his sister is in love with a boy who doesn't even glance her way?" Adya replied, her voice tinged with frustration as she fidgeted with her ring. Yashvi leaned down and kissed her forehead, unable to bear the sight of Adya's crestfallen expression.

"I will ask your brother to kidnap him. What do you say?" Yashvi whispered with twinkling eyes, making Adya burst into laughter.

"Gosh! I love you, Bhabhi!" Adya exclaimed, throwing her arms around Yashvi in a tight hug. Yashvi smiled, a gleam of affection shining in her eyes. Adya reminded her so much of Darsh; she felt a deep bond with both her brothers-in-law and cherished her relationship with Adya. Over time, her bond with Aashi had also blossomed beautifully, creating a supportive network within the family that she valued dearly.

-----

To be continued.

Thankyou<3