Author's POV

The next morning, Aadir wakes up on the sofa while Nisha is still asleep on the bed. He had come home very late the previous night. By the time he finishes his bath and gets dressed, Nisha has woken up and begins speaking as soon as she sees him.

"Sorry, I slept on the bed. You got home late while Aunty was here, and I didn't realize when I fell asleep," she says apologetically.

Aadir stops her gently. "It's okay. You should sleep on the bed. In your condition, the sofa isn't suitable."

Nisha remains silent for a moment before she speaks again, her voice filled with concern. "I'm sorry you're so worried because of me. You've had to go through so much alone because of me."

Aadir looks at her, his expression softening. "It's no problem. Everything will be fine. Don't stress yourself out right now." He reassures her and then steps out of the room to give her some privacy.

As soon as Aadir steps out of the room, he notices Angad emerging from another room, and immediately spots an injury on his hand. Concerned, he quickly approaches him.

"How did this happen?" Aadir asks, surprised, as he gets a closer look. "Did you drink?"

Angad pulls his hand away defensively. His face clearly shows he hasn’t slept. "What do you care!" he retorts.

"You did this in anger, didn't you?"

"If Mom finds out, she’ll be furious."

"That's why I'm going to the office early today," Angad replies curtly.

Seeing Angad in such a state deeply concerns Aadir. He decides it's time to be honest. "I need to tell you something important. Let's go to your room; it's better if we talk there. Please."

"And let me bandage your hand," he adds gently.

Angad looks at him, and seeing the urgency in Aadir's eyes, he reluctantly agrees and heads towards his room.

Once inside, Angad places his coat aside and sits on the sofa. Aadir carefully removes the makeshift bandage from his hand, and is shocked by the severity of the injury. He starts applying ointment with great care, then wraps a clean bandage around Angad’s hand.

Aadir then takes a deep breath and reveals the secret he has been hiding for a month. "Bhai, Nisha and I are not married."

Angad looks at him in shock, standing up abruptly. "What nonsense are you saying?"

"This is not nonsense; it is true. Our marriage is fake. The papers were fake."

"Do you remember the day when Devit and you went out and I was late coming home? That day, I received a call. I went to the location, and it was a strange place. When I entered the room, I found Nisha there in a distressed state."

Angad, visibly relieved, asks, "Nothing bad happened to her, right?"

"No, nothing bad happened to her," Aadir reassures him. "But her kurti was torn. I gave her my jacket to wear. But someone took our photo in such a way that it looks like something else is happening." He shows Angad the photo on his phone.

Angad, looking at the photo, sees that it appears as if Aadir is kissing Nisha. He is momentarily speechless, trying to process the revelation.

"After that, I dropped her at her home," Aadir continues.

"Doesn't Nisha know who that man is, who did this?" Angad asks.

"That's the problem. She says she doesn't remember anything."

"A few days later, someone sent those photos to me. I was shocked to see them like that."

"He also sent them to Nisha's parents. They were quite surprised and even scolded her."

"Then he blackmailed us, threatening to spread the photos in the media if we didn't get married. I was very afraid of that. Grandfather somehow found out about the situation. To protect the family's honor and reputation, he supported me. So, when we came home after getting 'married,' he didn't say anything."

Angad recalls how their dear Dadaji was unusually silent at that time.

"Now I understand. Otherwise, how did that old man agree to your marriage so easily?"

"Exactly. Until now, he hasn't even allowed Kabir Chote Papa to enter the Singhania mansion."

They chuckle, sharing a moment of lightness despite the gravity of the situation.

"I thought he had forgotten everything in your love, after all, you are his beloved grandchild," Angad remarks with a hint of humor.

"But on a serious note, I won't spare whoever played this cruel joke with both of you."

Angad then moves closer and playfully punches Aadir. "You're an even bigger idiot than him for not telling me!"

"Ahhh..." Aadir winces, holding his face and looking at Angad.

"Don't worry so much about others, think about yourself too, idiot," Angad continues sternly. "You show so much kindness and sympathy to everyone else; show a little to those close to your heart as well."

Aadir is taken aback by Angad's scolding but feels a surge of happiness. He hasn't interacted with his brother like this in so long. He hugs Angad warmly, grateful for his brother's words even though they came with a scolding.

"Bhai, Nisha loves someone deeply. She can't live without him. We need to reunite them... Especially now that she's expecting his child. We need to act quickly," Aadir explains earnestly.

"And who do you think is behind all this?" Angad asks.

"I believe it's someone from Nisha's side," Aadir replies. "A while ago, Nisha mentioned that Arjun's aunt doesn't approve of her. I looked into it and found out she's a very cunning and intelligent woman. It seems she wants Arjun to marry someone else."

"ये तो हम जानते ही हैं कि प्यार की राह में कितने लोग बिछड़ जाते हैं... और ये हमसे बेहतर कौन जान सकता है।"

"We already know how many people drift apart on the path of love... and who can understand this better than us."

Angad nods in agreement. There's no greater understanding of such matters than within their own family.

---

Siya is pleasantly surprised to see Angad and Aadir coming together, as is the rest of the family. Their presence brings joy, and both brothers smile as they stand together for Aarti.

Devit, thrilled to see his brothers united, approaches them after the Aarti. As they gather for breakfast, Drishti notices Angad's hand and asks, concerned, "Angad, how did you get this injury?" Everyone at the table turns their attention to him.

Angad shoots a glare at Aadir, remembering that he had been told not to go out.

Realizing he's about to be scolded, Angad quickly responds, "It's nothing, Chachi. Just a minor injury from broken glass at the office... Don't worry." He starts eating his food and after some time finishes up, then heads off to the office.

---

Angad sits comfortably in his chair, leaning back while his employees discuss the model with him. He absentmindedly rotates a pen in his hand, focusing on the file in front of him. As he listens to their updates, Riya enters the room carrying coffee. Their eyes meet briefly, triggering memories of their night together. Without showing any emotion, Riya places Angad's coffee in front of him and distributes the rest to her colleagues with a sweet smile, which they reciprocate.

She joins them and notices a stylish young woman approaching, accompanied by another girl who appears to be her assistant.

"Sir, this is Lavanya, the model we selected and called in," the assistant informs Angad.

"Hello, Mr. Singhania," Lavanya greets him in a sophisticated manner.

Angad stands up, extending his hand to shake hers. "Hello, Ms. Lavanya. Please, take a seat."

"I'll leave you in their capable hands," Angad adds, introducing the team to Lavanya.

Soniya observes Riya, who seems lost in thought, and gently nudges her. Riya snaps out of her reverie, shaking her head slightly.

After the introductions, Soniya and the team escort Lavanya to the second floor where the shoot is scheduled to take place.

Riya glanced at Angad and approached him, speaking softly, "Sir, can I also go there?"

Angad looked up at her but didn't respond, causing Riya to withdraw disappointedly and return to her work. As lunchtime approached, Aadir arrived with food for Angad, hoping they could share a meal together as brothers.

He hurried to Angad's cabin, where Riya was already discussing plans for their next meeting.

Suddenly, they both noticed someone entering and turned towards the door.

"Aadir, what are you doing here?" Angad questioned in surprise.

"Bro, I've brought lunch for you. Let's have it together," Aadir replied warmly.

Riya started to excuse herself, but Aadir stopped her, saying, "Mom sent this for you too."

Riya hesitated for a moment, then accepted the lunchbox from Aadir's outstretched hand before quietly leaving the room.

                       ******

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