Abhimanyu wrapped his arm around Shivani's waist as she held the present they had bought for Abhinav. With his arm around her, they moved towards the house.

Abhimanyu felt a sense of uneasiness with each step.

As soon as Abhimanyu and Shivani stepped into the house, the lights suddenly went out, plunging everything into darkness.

Shivani instinctively reached for Abhimanyu's arm. "Abhimanyu?"

Before he could respond, a soft glow emerged from the entrance. A woman walked forward, holding a candle. The flickering light illuminated her face, and Shivani immediately recognized her—Akshara.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze.

Akshara's eyes widened slightly at the sight of Abhimanyu, but her expression quickly turned neutral. He, on the other hand, stood completely still, his jaw clenching as a hundred emotions flickered in his eyes. Shivani, sensing the tension, subtly shifted closer to him.

The heavy silence was broken by a cheerful voice.

"Doctor Uncle!" Abhir ran towards them followed by Abhinav who had a huge smile on his face.

"Namaste Bhaiji, Shivani ji. Aaiye na" Abhinav assures them inside the house as the lights turn on.

Abhir came running toward them, grinning mischievously, a grin he had seen on Shivani's face multiple times. He stopped in front of Abhimanyu, rubbing the back of his head. "Umm... woh... I wanted to say sorry for the muffler thing. Papa told me I shouldn't have done that."

Shivani smirked before Abhimanyu could even react. Crossing her arms, she tilted her head. "It's good that you realised your mistake Abhir. But tumhe sachi bataun? Tumne jo kiya na, woh bohot entertaining tha."

Abhir's face lit up. "Sach mein, Didi?"

"Haan! Tumhe nahi pata, mujhe toh free ka entertainment mil gaya."

She laughed, her eyes twinkling as she turned to Abhimanyu, who sighed in exasperation. The memory of being left mud-stained and muffler-less flashed in his mind.

Abhinav, who had been standing behind Akshara, chuckled. "Waise doctor saab, lagta hai aapka aur Abhir ka kuch purana connection hai. Aap dono har mulaqat mein kuch naya drama zaroor karte ho."

Abhimanyu forced a smile, but before he could say anything, Akshara's voice cut in, calm but firm.

"Abhir, guests ko andar le jao taaki woh fresh ho sakein."

Abhir grabbed Shivani's hand excitedly. "Chalo, doctor uncle, Didi!"

As they followed Abhir inside, Shivani playfully nudged him. "So, you're the official troublemaker here, huh?"

Abhir puffed his chest proudly. "Sab yahi kehte hain."

Abhimanyu rolled his eyes. "Not something to be proud of."

Abhir just grinned, while Shivani chuckled at their banter. Once they reached the washroom, Abhir was about to wait, but Shivani gestured for him to leave. "Hum aa jayenge, tum jao."

As soon as Abhir left, Shivani turned to find Abhimanyu gripping the sink tightly, his head bowed.

She hesitated before stepping closer. "Abhimanyu..."

He didn't look at her, but his jaw clenched.

She took a deep breath and gently placed her hand on his arm. "I know this is hard for you. But I'm here, okay?"

Finally, he lifted his head and met her gaze. His eyes were filled with unspoken pain.

She smiled softly. "Now, it's my turn to honor my part of the deal."

Abhimanyu studied her for a moment before giving a small nod. He straightened his posture, exhaled slowly, and together, they walked out toward the dining area.

"Bhaiji bethiye na. Aaj Aksharaji ne sab pahadi dishes banaye hai. Shivaniji aapko pahadi khana khane ka maan tha na? Hopefully aapko aaj ka khane acha lagega" Abhinav says as he serves them.

"Thank you Abhinav ji" Shivani smiles

Akshara and Abhinav took a seat from across them, Abhir sitting in between them. 

As they lovingly fed Abhir, Shivani could sense Abhimanyu's turmoil. 

"bhaiji khana kessa hai?" Abhinav asks making Abhimanyu smile.

"Essa lag raha hai jesse pehle bhi kabhi khaya ho" Akshara froze at Abhimanyu's words fearing that he might reveal their relationship.

"Humare hotel mein same dishes serve hui thi na" Shivani covers up.

Abhimanyu silently observed Shivani. She was carefully picking out the tomatoes and capsicum from her sabzi, pushing them to the side of her plate. Without a word, he reached over and took them from her plate, placing them onto his own.

Shivani paused for a moment, looking at him, her eyes softening. A small, grateful smile tugged at her lips, but she didn't say anything.

Akshara, who had been watching the silent exchange, gripped her spoon a little tighter.

Abhimanyu on the other hand was eating his food very fastly as if trying to leave as soon as possible.

He suddenly choked on it making him cough badly.

"Abhi aaram se" Shivani scolds as she rubs his back while he continues to cough.

"Aksharaji paani" Abhinav snaps Akshara out of her day dream as she continued to stare at the couple.

"Haa-Ji" She hurriedly extends the glass towards Abhimanyu but Shivani quickly takes it and makes him drink the water.

"aaram se abhi" she whispers softly as she rubs his back.

Akshara clenches her fists seeing Abhimanyu assuring her that he was fine. 

Though still worried, Shivani retook her seat beside him.

"So how did you meet?" Akshara asks as Abhimanyu gets worried. He hadn't thought of a backstory.

"We met a medical submit. Abhimanyu was delivering a speech, I was with my brother. We met and soon fell for each other" Shivani answered making Akshara give a tight smile.

As they were preparing to leave, Abhir ran up to them. "Aap phir kab aaoge?"

Shivani crouched to his level. "Jab aap bulaoge."

"Pakka?"

"Bilkul pakka."

Abhimanyu gave a small nod to Abhinav before placing his hand on Shivani's back, guiding her toward the door.

As they stepped outside, Shivani shivered slightly. "Ugh, mujhe pata tha mujhe aur warm kapde pehnne chahiye the."

Abhimanyu sighed, shaking his head. "Maine kaha tha."

Shivani looked up at him expectantly, batting her eyelashes. "Toh ab?"

He exhaled heavily before shrugging off his jacket and draping it over her shoulders. "Ziddi ladki."

Shivani smirked, pulling the jacket tighter around herself. "See? You do care."

"Let's go."

---

The door clicked shut behind them, locking out the rest of the world. The hotel suite was dimly lit, the soft glow from the bedside lamp casting long shadows on the walls. The air was thick with an unspoken heaviness, the kind that settled in after a storm—silent, yet suffocating.

Abhimanyu walked in first, his movements stiff, mechanical. Shivani followed, watching him closely. She could see it—his barely contained emotions teetering on the edge, the way his fingers curled into fists, the tension in his jaw. He was holding on, but just barely.

Without a word, he shrugged off his blazer and tossed it onto the chair. His hands ran through his hair, frustration evident in the way he gripped the strands. Then, he leaned forward, resting his palms on the table, his head bowed between his shoulders as he exhaled a shaky breath.

Shivani hesitated for a moment before stepping closer. "Abhimanyu..."

He didn't respond.

She could hear his breathing—uneven, heavy, like he was trying to hold everything in.

"Abhimanyu," she tried again, this time placing a gentle hand on his back.

The moment her fingers touched him, he flinched. Not from her touch, but from the weight of everything crashing down at once.

And then, before she could even process it, he let out a sharp, broken breath and turned away from the table, stumbling back until his shoulders hit the wall.

His chest rose and fell erratically, his hands shaking as he ran them down his face.

"I—" His voice cracked, and suddenly, he was laughing—a bitter, hollow laugh.

"She called me Dr. Birla," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Like I was just another person she met in passing. Like I was never—" He exhaled sharply, his eyes squeezing shut. "Like I was never anything to her."

Shivani felt her throat tighten.

"She served me food, Shivani," he continued, his hands balling into fists. "She asked me if I wanted more rice. Like that's all we ever were—just polite, distant strangers." He let out a humorless chuckle. "Strangers who once had a life together."

Shivani took a cautious step closer. "Abhimanyu—"

"I watched her, you know?" he interrupted, his voice growing hoarse. "I watched her laugh, joke, serve food to him. I watched her fit into a family that was never supposed to be his. It was supposed to be mine."

His voice broke on the last word, and Shivani saw the moment he lost his grip.

A ragged sob tore through him as he collapsed onto the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, his face buried in his hands.

And just like that, the dam burst.

Tears fell freely, his entire body shaking as grief, anger, betrayal—everything he had bottled up for so long—spilled out.

Shivani didn't think. She simply moved.

In an instant, she was in front of him, kneeling between his legs. She placed her hands on his wrists, gently pulling them away from his face.

"Look at me," she whispered.

He resisted at first, but slowly, he lifted his head. His eyes were red, glossy, filled with a pain so deep it made her chest ache.

"It hurts," he confessed, his voice barely audible. "It hurts so damn much."

Shivani swallowed the lump in her throat. "I know," she whispered. "I know it does."

His breath hitched, another tear slipping down his cheek. "I thought I was okay. I really did. But seeing her—seeing her like that, with him—it felt like someone was ripping my heart out all over again."

Shivani reached up, cupping his face between her hands. Her thumbs brushed away his tears, her touch gentle, grounding.

"You're allowed to hurt, Abhimanyu," she said softly. "You don't have to pretend."

He inhaled sharply, his hands trembling as they lifted to grasp her wrists, holding onto her like she was his last anchor to reality.

"I don't know how to let go," he admitted, voice raw. "I don't know how to move on."

Shivani's eyes softened. "Then don't," she said simply.

He blinked.

"Don't force yourself to move on just because people expect you to," she continued. "Feel it. Process it. Scream, cry, break—do whatever you need to. But don't run from it."

His grip on her wrists tightened. His breathing was still shaky, but something in his gaze shifted.

"You're not alone in this," she assured him. "You have me."

Abhimanyu let out a shaky breath, his shoulders slumping. And before he could think twice about it, he pulled her into his arms, holding onto her as though she was the only thing keeping him from shattering completely.

Shivani didn't hesitate. She wrapped her arms around him, her hands running soothingly over his back.

They stayed like that—two broken souls, holding onto each other in the dim glow of the hotel room, letting the weight of the night settle around them.

For the first time in a long time, Abhimanyu allowed himself to be vulnerable. And for the first time, he wasn't alone in it.