पलकें खुलीं तो स्मृति ने कहा,
मैं उनकी बाँहों में बिखरी थी सदा।
बेहोशी में भी सहारा वही,
अंधकार में भी उजियारा वही।
शायद यही प्रेम की गहराई है-
टूटकर भी उन्हीं में ठहराई है।
ꜱʜᴀɴɢʜᴀɪ, ᴄʜɪɴᴀ
ʙᴀɪ ᴍᴀɴꜱɪᴏɴ
It wasn't long until morning came. He kept sitting in the same spot, his body stiff and his back hurting from being in the same chair since last night.
But it didn't matter anymore.
Because there was something that mattered more.
Her.....
All he was waiting for her to wake up.
He needed to look at her. Really look at her.
Not as his wife.
Or the woman he abandoned but as someone he had hurt too much.
He kept remembering the way she looked at him went limp in his arms. Way his arms had caught her by his hold on her waist. So soft.
The way she looked at him not with pain, anger but that soft look.
That cracked something in hiis tough character.
Softness was all he could see in her gaze.
The way her body molded against his.
He hated it. How perfectly she fitted against him.
Then a beat....
Door Slammed open.
Isaac and Edward walked in with worry flickering on their face. These two - his best buddies, one of the pure things in his life. And around them he didn't have to that ruthless mafia.
He was free.
Unguarded.
But for the first time today, he didn't smile. Didn't stand up to hug them.
His expression neutral yet from inside his mind was filled with worry for Kashi. For first time he wasn't thinking about business or making deals.
But instead he was thinking.
He was lost.
His eyes flickering something maybe - worry? concern? or that urge to get to know this woman?
The same one who looked at him softly even though he had abandoned her on their wedding night. The woman who fainted in his arms the moment she saw him.
''Minsheng.........'' Isaac called out softly to Minsheng he could see those emotions on his face, somehow it shocked him. It had been years he had seen minsheng so conflicted. So lost.
"Hmm..." His voice broke the uneasy silence, slow and deliberate. He leaned against the doorway, eyes flicking between the two of them. "What are you two doing here?"
Minsheng's question sounded simple. Too simple.
As if he hadn't just dropped a bomb by showing up like this. As if he didn't gave his wife a shock. Or as she didn't just faint.
Edward's anger snapped first.
"Oh yeah, you motherfucker," he spat, stepping forward, eyes blazing. "What are we doing here? ''You ask as if nothing's wrong. As if you didn't just make your wife faint by showing up."
Edward spoke frustrated slamming his fist against the wall. His jaw clenched so hard it would break. His glare burned across the room, words full of fury as if wanting to burn someone.
Edward had lost it. Why wouldn't he? Entire year him and Isaac had put so many excuses that he had a lot work to do in paris even tho he was just avoiding Kashi.
His bestfriend had not just made Kashi faint by randomly showing up. But also the guts of him he didn't seem to tell him or isaac that he was coming back.
"Bitch, you've dropped a bomb. Do you even realize that?"
The words cut through the air, sharp and heavy. Minsheng stared at her like Edward just set the whole place on fire.
Minsheng blinked, stunned not expecting such burst out from Edward.. "Huhhh..."
Isaac and Minsheng stood shocked not even once they had seen Edward this angry. Not when they had lost in business. Not when they were threatened by enemies.
He had always been the goofy guy.
Minsheng sighed heavily knowing Edward was right. He had indeed dropped a bomb by showing up like this suddenly.
"I know you're right..." Minsheng said, his voice soft, almost reluctant. The words hung between them, fragile as glass.
Isaac stood beside just observing Minsheng was wrong he knew and he also had never seen Edward this angry and stopping him would only worsen the situation. Isaac the one alwat
ys defending Minsheng, today stood silent knowing he is at fault.
There is nothin to defend.Nothing to protect, Minsheng had done it all and none of them could deny it.
Isaac stood in his spot seeing the scene take place.
Silence for a minute and then Edward burst out again.
"This isn't a movie, you dumbass," He snapped again , his voice cutting through the silence. "And you're not some hero who's going to be welcomed back."
He crossed his arms, eyes steady on him.
''No one's waiting for your grand entrance."
Edward words hit hard like a slap on Minsheng's cheek.
''What the hell does that even mean.'' Minsheng spoke his voice rising little . ''Ofcourse everyone's waiting for me, i mean that is the very reason why 爷爷 (yéye) (Grandpa) called me.''
Minsheng's jaw clenched, his chest heaving with heavy breaths he took waiting for Edward's answer.
But Edward didn't speak giving a chance for Minsheng to explain. Even tho it wouldn't convince Edward even the slightest.
''Will you just hear me out?'' Minsheng his voice dropping softly revealing little of his vulnerable side
Edward stood there breathing heavily everything him in wanted to burst out but he held himself back.
'' 爷爷 (yéye) (Grandpa) had given a call to Li.'' Minsheng spoke softly his voice low not dangerous like the mafia world knew him as.
''He had found out I wasn't on some business but--- Minsheng hesitated his voice trailed off finally saying the words and truth he always avoided. ''But escaping Kashi and this marriage.....'' Minsheng's shoulders slumped defeated as realisation hit him in urgency he had taken a decision which was very much wrong. ''I had no option but to come back here and yes tu sahi keh raha hai I shouldn't have come without telling you both. It was wrong of me''
"You think he wanted you here?"
His voice cracked - not with anger, but with something far heavier. "No, Minsheng. No. It wasn't that. This was just... a try. One last try."
He took a hesitant step forward, but Edward shook his head.
"He doesn't expect anything from you anymore," he said quietly, the words trembling out of her. "Why would he? You never once called. Not once, in an entire year."
Minsheng's lips parted, the guilt flickering in his eyes before he could hide it.
But he wasn't finished.
"Do you know what it's like?" he whispered. "To wait for someone who never comes - to still defend them even when everyone else stopped?"
The silence that followed wasn't peaceful; it ached.
He turned away then, voice breaking on the last word. "He stopped expecting. And maybe... I and Isaac finally should too."Minsheng hung his head low staring at the floor defeated. No smirk. No jaw clenched. No smart remarks.
Like he always gave.
But Edward still wasn't done.
"Me and Isaac waited for you," he began, voice low but trembling with the effort to stay calm. "We waited, even while you kept dismissing our calls - all to avoid Kashi, to avoid this marriage, to avoid facing what you started."
Minsheng looked up, but Edward didn't let him speak.
"You hurt her," she said, her tone breaking for the first time. "You broke her, Minsheng. And you broke the promise too - the one that used to mean something to you."
Edward chest rose and fell, breaths uneven, memories flashing through her eyes. "You remember what you said, right? That we'd never hurt anyone because of our ability to express emotions." He gave a bitter laugh. "You made that sound like a vow. But in the end, that's exactly what you did."
Isaac stood beside silently arms crossed against his chest.
Just Watching
The silence after carried everything neither of them could take back - the year of distance, the pain, the promises turned to dust.
Edward heard Minsheng's word processing them for a moment Minsheng and Isaac thought he wouldn't burst out but there it was.
Silence.
Then Minsheng spoke calmly his legs crossed against the chair twisting the pen between his fingers. "Look, I didn't mean for it to turn out like that. I just thought if I just came here first and then told--
Edward knew what he wast trying to say and he didn't need to hear enough was enough. '' Told us later? Your bestfriends? Me and isaac? Is this what we mean to you? Edward snapped his voice sounding louder than ever.
Something flicker in Edward eyes - hurt? dissapointment?
Yes hurt he was, his bestfriend didn't care to tell him. The truth didn't hurt as much as the fact Minsheng didn't care to tell him and Isaac hurt.
Minsheng froze his lips freezing body going stiff. He had nothing to say Edward was right and for first time isaac didn't defend him. Isaac always the one to defend minsheng but not this time.
Not this time. He knew he was wrong.
Crash.........
A vase crashed against the wall shattering against the wall and Edward breathing heavily like if touched he would burn someone.
Minsheng and Isaac both flinched because they had never seen Edward so angry. Not in the missions. Not in the triads meeting.
And not even when making deals.
Edward looked at Isaac with anger but it wasn't reflected at isaac but Minsheng.
''Tell this bastard that how critical her condition is and what he has done.'' Edward spoke to Isaac and next moment he was out of the study door slamming behind him.
Isaac watched Edward figure that just left the room and then he looked at Minsheng - his face full of guilt and remorse.
"Minsheng, listen to me," Isaac said, his voice trembling but firm enough to cut through his silence. "You don't know... but Kashi's a heart patient."
Minsheng's eyes snapped to Isaac, confusion flickering into fear.
"She doesn't have proper blood circulation," he continued, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Her heart beats slower than it should, and sometimes-" he paused, swallowing hard, "sometimes she loses her breath so easily it scares everyone around her."
The air between them felt heavier now, every word sinking in slow and deep.
"Do you understand what I'm saying?" he whispered. "One wrong shock... one moment of stress... it could be too much for her, Minsheng."
His words hung there - quiet, trembling, and devastating.
But Minsheng was frozen. Stiff.
Since the moment he heard the word disease. His world crashed down and suddenly no business loss or betrayal from the triads felt big.
For first time he seemed to think about what his actions had hurt his wife who had done nothing wrong.
It was different - raw and no guarded expressions.
Disease? Her?
His wife
Just a man who had finally realised he had been unfair to woman who didn't deserve it.
Minsheng was a monster, he himself knew it but today he felt it from deep inside.
RAW.
He was a monster to that woman who called him her husband and yet even after being abandoned she had looked at him softly.
Who the hell would do that?
But Kashi did.
And in that moment everyone dissapeared he didn't see Isaac standing or Edward who had thrown cruel words at him before leaving.
All he could see in his mind was that fragile who looked at him softly, who fainted in his arms.
The one who fainted in his arms.
And for first time Bai Minsheng wasn't able to get a person out of his head, that too a woman.
A man who only cared about making deals and slaying heads.
A Ruthless Mafia was now full of guilt and regrets.
Suddenly, it hit Minsheng like a wave - cold, merciless, and unrelenting.
It wasn't just his wife he had lost.
It was his two best friends - the ones who had once been his anchors, his chosen family. The ones who had cared when no one else did. And now... they had given up too.
His family had stopped expecting anything from him long ago. Their silence had become his punishment - quiet, final, and heavier than any bullet he'd ever faced.
For the first time, Minsheng felt powerless.
Despite being a man the world feared - a mafia whose name alone could silence a room - he couldn't hold together the one thing that truly mattered.
Power meant nothing now. Not when he had already lost the people who once made him feel human.
⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
RAJPUT'S MANOR
MUMBAI, INDIA
A man stood with his legs crossed against the lavish sofa, a newspaper in hand, the cup of chai beside him still steaming. The mansion was quiet, save for the distant murmurs of servants moving through the halls.
He glanced at his watch, folding the newspaper neatly before setting it aside. With rough, calloused hands - the kind shaped by years of work, signing deals... and sometimes, cracking jaws - he lifted the cup and took a slow sip.
Just then he heard rustle of the saree. He knew that sound very well. He liked it more than anything. He didn't have to tilt his head to see, he knew it was.
Then in front of him came his Mrinali- his wife. Her steps followed by a sigh for sure he knew was for him.
He couldn't help but crack a smile - a real genuine one. That only came around his Jaan......
"Viraj, aapko kitni baar bola hai?" she sighed, half-exasperated, half-amused. "Please - don't just hold the cup. Hold the saucer too; it might slip and burn you."
She reached out before he could protest, guiding his fingers so the cup sat steady on the plate.
''Aap, Kabhi bhi kyu nahi sunte hai?'' Mrinali spoke shaking her head at Viraj stubbornness. ''Bilkul bache ki tarah hai aap.'' She smiled sitting on the sofa beside him her green saree rustling with her movements.
But Viraj froze staring how elegantly saree wrapped around her body and he had the same look he gave her on their wedding night.
The Adoration.
Viraj's smile grew wider at Mrinali's words. How could he tell her, how much he liked seeing her scold him, care for him over these small things. How much it made him feel like he was loved and seen.
He was like a a lovesick teenager but he couldn't let her know this. He was embrassed.
So he did what he was best at.
Lying.......
''Jaan, you know I have a habit of forgetting?'' Viraj lied effortlessly with a smile looking at Mrinali while she shakes her head belieiving him.
Not knowing her husband is lovesick when it comes to her.
Why wouldn't he be after all. She was his Saviour.
He wouldn't be what he is today without her.
Mrinali half sighs and smiles.''Viraj aap bhi na'' She looks away hiding the little blush that crept on her face even after 20 years of their marriage.
Viraj smiles at her shyness shaking his head.
Because at this moment he wasn't just VIRAJ RAJPUT - THE BUSINESSMAN world knew.
But her Viraj and she was his Jaan.......
The intimate moment was broken by a figure walking downstairs through the stairs.
Viraj and Mrinali turned around to see their daughter - Shanaya. A smile crept on their face without even trying.
A Proud look seemed to form on their face. Their daughter a mix of them of both - stubborness carried from Viraj but also the vulnerability she carries deep down inherited from her mother
Shanaya walks down in her red dress that goes beneath her knees modest yet complementing her curves.
Her shoulders lifted up in confidence - she inherited from her mother. Her hair open reaching her mid back
''Good Morning Daddy.'' Shanaya spoke with a smile showing off her white teeths hugging her father from sideways. Viraj smiles patting her cheek like he did when she was a child. '' Good Morning Princess. All ready for the meeting with the Malhotras.'' Viraj spoke gently mentioning about the the big deal their company is gonna sign off with Malhotras.
Yes, Daddy. I'm ready. I promise - this time I'll make you proud." Shanaya spoke softly her voice dropping low like a little girl wanting her father's approval. She was adamant to prove her worth this time, that she is a real Rajput and would make the Rajput empire reach to higher level.
Then Shanaya turned around to see her mother, Mrinali who looked at her with proud smile. '' Morning Maa.'' Shanaya said her smile growing more wider.
Mrinali opened her arms and Shanaya jumped into her mother's lap giggling while Mrinali's eyes shined with love and tenderness as she kissed her daughter's forehead.
'' My Pari'' Mrinali whispers against her daughter's skin. ''Shanaya bacha don't worry I know you are gonna give your best today and make me and your baba proud.'' Mrinali says observing her daughter's uncertainity and worry on not being to make the deal today,
She knows her daughter more than anything even if she might act all strong and confident. Deep down there lies insecurity a little Shanaya who always need reassurance.
''Maa, where is Arsh Bhai? Did he already leave,?'' Shanaya asks her mother looking around her for brother.
''Yes Arsh left for work earlier, Shanaya bacha and Nisha also left for her shift at hospital its better you go too.'' Shanaya nods taking in the information and stands up putting her professional face once again. Picking her purse she smoothes down her dress.
''Shanaya bacha, why didn't you wear the professional suit today?'' Mrinali asks wondering even tho she knows her daughter slays in the dress. ''Maa I want to slay like with outfits and business too,'' Shanaya says giggling and soon Viraj joins the laugh.
Mrinali stares at her family admiring.
Mrinali stood there for a moment, her eyes soft as she looked at her family - the people who had always been her anchor and her chaos in equal measure.
She clasped her hands together, smiling through proud eyes. "Okay, my fashion queen," she said with a laugh, "go now - you have to slay."
Shanaya grinned, her nerves melting for just a second. "I will," she whispered, and with one last look back, she stepped out - heart full, ready to face the world that waited.
⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
RAJVANSH HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH CENTRE
Nisha Rajvansh stood in her white coat, washing her hands, the scent of alcohol and faint traces of blood lingering in the air. Her face was tired, yet there was a soft, satisfied smile playing on her lips - the kind that came after a long, successful shift.
From the hallway outside, she could hear the distant hum of life - a patient's laughter echoing faintly, nurses chatting in low voices, the rhythmic beeping of machines steady and sure.
For a moment, she just stood there - letting the cold water run over her fingers, washing away the weight of another day spent giving birth to another life.
Nisha loved her job more than anything else in the world.
Being an obstetrician wasn't just a profession for her - it was an emotion.
Every day, she witnessed the miracle of life unfolding - the first cry, the trembling joy, the quiet awe of parents meeting their child for the first time. It wasn't just work; it was a legacy. One that had begun long before her, and one she carried forward with quiet pride.
Her parents had built this hospital from the ground up in 1997 - brick by brick, dream by dream. And though they were gone now, their presence lingered in every hallway, in every heartbeat that echoed through these walls.
Sometimes, when she paused between shifts, the thought of them made her eyes sting with tears. She had lost them when she was barely four - too young to understand grief, too innocent to grasp the permanence of loss. Yet, that loss had shaped her entire life.
Now, in 2025, the hospital stood as their living memory.
And she - their little girl who once knew nothing of the world - stood here as its guardian, carrying their dream with grace.
With a big smile she made her way to her Cabin, every person, she passed despite their grief they smiled at her and she promised with that smile to not fail them.
Nisha sank into her cabin chair, exhaustion settling over her shoulders like a familiar weight. She reached for her phone, its screen lighting up with a new message - Shanaya.
SHANAYA - ''Wish me luck, babygirl. Okie? I just hope I don't fail this time.''
A smile curved on Nisha's lips tired but genuine. This was her bestfriend a woman who was calm and confident yet deep down vulverable woman she knew.
Nisha fingers work effortlessly typing the message. A smile lingering on her face as she sends the message.
''Nisha: You'll do fine, idiot. You always do.''
Then keeping her phone aside she gets back to work. Smile growing more wider.
"Her fingers glide over the mouse with practiced ease, pulling up the schedule to see how many surgeries filled her day."
''A Short two-hour breathe before six relentless hours in the operating room."
Nisha leans back against her chair - it was a break, she could rest. Just for a while.
Her hand reached for her purse, fingers brushing against the worn edges of a photograph.
It was him.
Her breath hitched, world froze and suddenly Nisha was just a vulnerable girl who was madly in love with this man and yet he didn't know.
How could he?
She never told him?
But she was insanely in love with him.
She'd tried - God, she had tried - to unlove him, to rip his name from the corners of her heart.
But that kind of impossibility didn't exist.
And maybe, deep down, she didn't want it to.
Before him, she survived.
After him, she lived.
Yet he would never see her that way.
Why would he? He already belonged to someone else.
And still, despite everything, Nisha loved him -
Endlessly. Selflessly. Desperately.
She knew there was no ever after waiting for them.
But dreams have no mercy.
They showed her the life she'd never touch - wedding vows whispered in light, small hands calling her mama, and his smile that belonged to someone else.
Because Nisha didn't just love him.
She gave herself away - piece by piece - until there was nothing left that wasn't his.
She stared at the picture last time a smile on her lips with a mic of emotions - sad yet also happy.
Yet once again with gentleness, she didn't even show her own patients. She put the photo back inside her wallet.
No one could ever imagine Nisha Rajvansh the best Doctors in the country and the most cheerful human being was in love with a man who didn't even knew about it. No one could even think she was miserable hopelessly in love - the type of love that was never coming back. No one could even imagine her being like this - so broken, vulnerable.
In operating room she was determined, talking to patients she is kind and motivating, dealing with the staff she is sweet and yet here all of that vanishes she is just a woman love with a man who would never love her back.
And for the most of all they thought she was happy.
It felt like some mocking truth thrown back at her.
Because it was a lie. She wasn't happy she never was. She had accepted the truth within that she would never find the love she craves.
Still there was a hint of hope. God knows why?
It was there and she knew always would be.
But here she was just a little vulnerable girl who craved for love from a man who give it to another.
Just like that she hid the truth the photo held.
Because that photograph wasn't just a picture - it was a secret.
A confession folded in silence.
Her selfless love. Her devotion.
''Kash aapko bata paati,'' Nisha whispers to the empty room. Her eyes stinging with tears hands trembling. Her throat felt tight with all the emotions overwhelming her.
This selfless love hurt everyday yet it was something she couldn't live without.
Finally sighing Nisha leaned against the chair losing her eyes.
And even then - she saw him haunting her eyes and even when she closed them.
Finally she whispered to herself '' Get it together Nisha, you have surgery to perform.'' Her eyes full of determination putting back facade of a happy womanJust like that she once again hid the pain that kills her everyday - the one that makes her love for him more strong. It does
't become any less.
Because Nisha wasn't loving him, she was devoted to him.
And always will be.
⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
RAJPUT & CO.
The glass walls of the meeting room reflected the city lights, their shimmer dancing over the polished mahogany desk.
The Meeting Room carried power just like the people in it.
And there he was, Arsh Rajvansh stood in head chair of it. His legs crossed, his posture composed yet commanding. The tailored suit hugged him perfectly, tracing the hard lines of someone used to control-of boardrooms bending to his silence.
Every expression calculated with precision - like the man he was.
Meeting was wrapping the presentation on the big screen coming to the end.
He had signed the most awaited deal with the Singhanias, the same one the Rajputs have always waited for.
The one they chased for years.
It was something Viraj Rajput had always believed he would one day make possible-and now, here he was, turning that belief into reality.
The deal was being signed. Finally, after all the hardwork all the days and nights he spent glued against the screen.
Strategy and silence-they had all led to this moment. The company stood higher than ever, and so did he.
Across from him, Mr. Singhania rose, his smile polite, almost cautious.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Rajvansh."
Before Arsh could shake his hand with Mr Singhania.
Door creaked open, there stood that little figure wrapped up in velvet. His Jaw clenches the moment sees her.
There she was - his wife Isha, with that mischivious smile on her face that always seemed to get under his skin. And a smirk that always annoys him.
His Jaw tightens more muscles ticking as if he would burst out any minute and he knew he would.
She had entered the meeting room, interupted the meeting, not just any meeting. The most important for him but he knew that smile it meant only one thing trouble and trouble for him.
He stood up abrutly his chair knocking away. ''Isha, what are you doing here'' Arsh spoke trying to keep his voice composed especially when Mr Singhania stood in the room.
His voice was deadly dangerous, if it would have been someone else he would have killed by now.
But she was cutest devil, with that 5'1 height, barely reaching his 6'4 figure but always getting under his skin.
God he hated it.
She was his devil wrapped in saree yet he knew this was her cute revenge for last night he had embarassed her.
Given a lecture on how to walk on streets when she had come after being drunk from a party. Scolded her as in why she didn't call him.
That too infront of her friends - God she was embrassed and now was the revenge time.
So here she was.
''What hubby did you already forget you said last night, you wouldn't let me walk again.I was waiting in your favourite lingerie. Too bad you didn't come''
The Room froze
Isha spoke in mock sweet tone pouting her bottom lip sticking out. And it grew only wider seeing how Arsh jaw only clenched more almost that it would break.
His hands clenched in fists, knuckles going white. He stood there for a minute and next moment without a word to Mr Singhania who was shocked with his team being heard of the man who finalises deal with back of his hand and yet now embrassed.
Arsh tried to reach Isha to take her away but before that she spoke again, pout growing more wider. '' Kaha le jaa rhe hai, huhhh? Bataiye aap aaye kyu nahi I wore your favourite lingerie'' She held her arms crossed over her chest mock glaring at him.
He hated that look, the way she got under his skin.
But this was Isha with her revenge wrapped in silk and mock sweetness.
And that was it everyone in the room everyone hearing the private conversations between the husband and wife that should have been personal - discussed in the inclosed bedroom.
But only Arsh knew none of this was true, infact he had never once touched Isha their marriage was more of chaos and cute revenge being pulled on one another.
But there was also respect - he remembers that day her boyfriend she loved had ran away, he saw her tears the vulnerable look. She looked so small yet broken in her wedding lehenga in same mandap he stepped forward vowing to protect her, respect her from that day.
But love? He didn't knew what that meant but he never looked at some another woman never smiled or laughed to another. Always with that cold calculated look.
He never left her alone since first day, never hid anything. Never had Isha felt alone and he knew it. That is what he wanted to make her feel seen atleast the least he could do but still love was not his thing. And disrespect?
The one who did that to her - faced his him and were silenced the next moment.
And yet his actions were clear '' HE WAS HERS''.
No Proof needed
''Arsh aap bhi na kal raat toh itna chipak rahe the jaise saans na le paa rhe ho''Isha spoke breaking his thoughts there was smirk on her face only he could hear. This was it, he was done for. She had embrassed him in front of His business partner and yet didnt care just stood there calmly with that smirk.
That made him want to punch something.
''But koi baat nahi aap apna kam kijiye mai chalti hoon for instance your wifey will in the same lingerie at night'' Isha walked out her saree rustling behind, hips swaying enough to make man like him lose control.
She left as if she hadn't dropped a bomb or embarassed to the point he wished he could bury himself beneath the ground.
Even tho she was mischievious she also knew when to walk out or when to stay, not wanting to worsen situation in name of revenge.
''God this woman'' Arsh muttered under his breath then turned back to the room. Mr Singhania teasingly smiled at him '' Looks like you upset your wife Mr Rajvansh, well i say from experience don't do that. Make it up to her as soon as possible because Happy wife means Happy life''
He could barely nods what could he even say this wasn't true but he didn't want the ruin the contract they signed and just smiled at Mr Singhania even tho he felt his control slipping every second.
Mr Singhania left the room, he had won signed the deal but at what cost.
His assistant took guts to come forward to speak but his ''Don't'' in cold yet dangerous voice stopped his assistant and everyone left the room slowly.
And that moment he didn't see anyone leaving only that short woman - Isha stood in his mind.
His mind already planning his revenge.
Until a dangerous one came in his mind, a devilish and now all he could say is wait until night came.
⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
DEEWAN MANSION
Kalyani stood in the master bedroom, fixing the pleats of her saree. She stared at herself in the mirror - eyes burning from all the tears she shed last night, body sore from the way she had curled into herself while sleeping.
But none of it mattered.
The pain in her heart was far greater than anything her body could feel.
Before she realized it, tears welled up again, blurring her reflection. She forced herself to blink them away, straightening her back.
A Pause.
A Knock - a soft yet firm.
''Come in....'' Kalyani knew very well it was him standing on the other side of the door she hated facing him
Door creaks open.
There he was - Ansh Deewan standing with a broken button in his hand.
It stirred something in her.
He stood there with button in his hand, eyes so soft she had never seen in long time.
Her breath hitches. God not now,noooo.
It wasn't even over he was like some lost child wanting to get his toy fixed by his mother.
It would be a lie if kalyani said it didn't affect her still.
Like how he stood like a normal husband who broke his shirt button and yet wanted his wife to stitch it.
As if he didn't have thousand of shirts and as if he couldn't buy thousands more but nooo. He had to be here.
She never understood why would he do that? Was this to remind her off the reality to bring her pain or something else.
She hated that even now, after everything, he still managed to affect her. The very man who had caused her pain could still make her heartbeat fast.
Like he hadn't caused her so much pain already.
Kalyani didn't move at first. Then, slowly, she turned to the closet and fetched a needle and thread.
She stood before him, still not quite reaching his height - like always.
Once upon a time, he would lift her gently by the waist, teasing her as she fixed his tie or buttoned his shirt. But now...
Now, everything between them was different.
Especially after what happened last night.
It wasn't just one night, it had been a saga happpening.
Since many years.
Nothing felt normal or the way calm it used to be with him.
It all felt suffocating to be even in the same room as him. There was a time Kalyani used to yearn for him - waiting excitedly when he came from office she could spend little time with him.
But now? Everytime they stood in the same room. It felt strange almost like she couldn't breath in the same room as him.
Her husband, the man who once used to die for her.
Now was the same one she hated. More than anything.
Or did she?
And then without a word she was standing on her toes reaching his height. She lifted the needle and working it precisely to fix the button.
But there was a pause.
Kalyani hands froze as she noticed those small hair strands on Ansh forehead - she loved to touch but now they were just a distant memory.
Her gaze flickered on his face, he was the most handsome man alive and it was no denying about it.
Atleast for her.
Suddenly Ansh winced in pain, Kalyani paused looking up at him.
'' Aapko lag gayi?'' Kalyani her eyes flickering up to his eyes trying to hide something that seemed like worry. Her hands froze at his shirt, bangles brushing against his white shirt that made Ansh breath hitch in ways he couldn't explain.
The way their chest touched sent a electricty jot throught them both.
And for once world froze around them they seemed like normal couple.
To the world atleast.
And maybe deep down they both washed it would be real to them one day.
Like it used to be.
Ansh finally spoke clearing his throat. '' Thoda sa'' It was a second before he muttered the word but.....
There a pause.
Kalyani touch became light as feather her hand held needle with such care her hands trembling as if she couldn't hide the way she was scared to hurt him.
Like he mattered still.
And he noticed.
Ansh fucking saw it.
He was a mafia used to violence and being hurt yet this woman he had hurt so much with his one response she had become so caring. Even tho ansh wasn't really hurt - he acted to be.
Maybe for a while to feel her concern.......Her care......
And that was the only thing that kept him grounded. At this point.......
As Kalyani worked on fixing the button. A thought rushed through her - only if she could fix their life. Their marriage - they way she was fixing the button on his shirt.
The way she could seal their past with a needle, only if it was possible. Only if she could forgive him......
For the mistakes he had made.
But deep down Kalyani knew mistakes Ansh made were unforgivable.
No needle could ever fix them.
She snapped back to reality as his voice whispered her name like a prayer.
''KALYANI''
She looked up realising the button had been already sewed, hand curled against his shirt as if holding onto something she had lost years ago. Or so she thought so.
Composing herself Kalyani whispered'' It is done, button is fixed.'' Without a word a word she turned away walking to closet to keep the needle back, but really she needed a moment to compose herself. She was running away from the fact that what was she about to do
What was she doing? Curling her hand against his shirt? Pulling him close?
Was it a instinct? Or just some involuntary action?
She was looking for excuses to name this something she had done.
No it couldn't be. Kalyani said that to herself but doubt lingered.
And for first time Kalyani wasn't sure this man who had hurt her so much.
Did she really hate him?
Because that's what she whispered to herself all these years.
ANSH'S POV -
He entered the room after last night, he needed to see her and broken button was best excuse. He walked in not like the man world knew but her ansh all confused and vulnerable something he was only around her.
He stood like a little baby who broke something and wanted it to be fixed by his saviour. This was weakness.
In his world, man like him feared it.
Yet he laid himself bare when it came to her.
Because even monsters kneel.
But only to their Queens.
He froze the moment he felt her finger fixing the button and at that moment, her touch only thing grounding him.
He saw it, the way she observed him, the way her gaze lingered against her face features. Something she rarely did anymore.
There was a time her hand used to trace his features making his breath hitch. But now?
Gone.
And then the button was stitched. He expected her to move back back but she didn't.
She did something, he could never imagine.
Her little hands curled against his shirt.
His breath hitched - for a moment ANSH DEEWAN, the most terrifying mafia forgot to breath by with this innocent act of his wife.
It wasn't just a touch.
It was need - something he didn't knew he needed until he got it.
His breath hitched more and more as Ansh felt Kalyani pulling him more, and the hope was there again.
That maybe everything wasn't lost.
The way she held him like he meant something. Like he was still her Ansh.
He almost forgot how to even move- what she trying to pull him? Breath in his scent?
And it ignited not just a hope but desire in Ansh that their marriage wasn't as broken as he thought it was.
And it that moment he felt loved. Seen.
Even if for a moment.
And then click..... It was gone.
She snapped out by his whisper of her name,
The touch gone..... Warmth gone.......
And something that stirred beneath him gone too.
For once Ansh didn't move even she when she moved away. His feet didn't move - ironic for a man who was cruel mafia to the world.
And yet today he didn't move. Didn't react as if scared her hands that lingered on her shirt. The Warmth might be gone if he even moved.
And this rare but yes something like fear flickered in Ansh eyes. He was scared to lose her. His wife.....
His Apsara.
She was the same woman who had made him proof of his love, and he had given it — painting the wall red with his own blood, thinking it would be enough. She didn't ask it but he did.
And now because of one understanding since years she had just forgot it all. How could she?
The man who laid himself bare only and only for her. The Mafia Boss who killed without hesitation. The one who was a monster to the world.
Yet once she had loved him.
And now was it gone or was it still there?
But God forbid — after today, he knew there was still hope. A fragile, flickering thing, but real enough for him to feel it burn in his chest. And he would do anything to keep it alive.
Anything to keep trying. Anything to win her back, even if it meant tearing down every wall he had built between them.
BAI MANSION
He sat in his study holding his head in hands, tension radiating off him. Isaac stands beside him putting his hand against his shoulder trying to provide the little reassurance he can. But it does no better to Minsheng no kind of reassurance what make him feel better, make him feel less guilty.
Nothing could make him feel like a less monster knowing - he had hurt a woman who never deserved his hatred, who never did anything wrong to him.
What killed him the most that even after one year - Kashi had looked at him with such soft gaze - no accusations, no divorce papers.
Just her standing on the edge of stairs like a wife waiting for her husband.
The servant burst through the door, breathless, eyes shifting between Isaac and the Minsheng.
"Boss," he managed, voice trembling, "Mrs. Bai... she's awake."
And that was it next moment, before Isaac could even process Minsheng was rushing out of the study like his life depended on it.
His steps bolted against the stairs, the servants and the staff watched in panic. But he didn' t care how or what they thought because all that was in his mind was her and only her.
He rushes through the stairs for first time in a while the Mafia Boss wasn't composed.
He reached the hallway closing the distance reaching their bedroom.
He stood there. Still.
His hand hovering over the knob of the door.
Everything in him screamed to go and talk to her - to apologise and say sorry for all he had done.
But there was another voice in him - that felt shame how could he face her? After all he had done, he didn't have guts to do so.
Finally door creaked open, the sound felt like a knife piercing through the air. He didn't open, his grandmother Vishakha did.
She saw him standing there hiding the tension and emotions he felt. But she saw it like always she did.
So she didn't speak or say anything.
In a small whisper, Vishakha said with a faint of smile, "She's awake... you can go see her."
But just as he was about to go in, Li - his best man rushed to him. His chest heaving with heavy breaths he took, sweat lingering on his forehead and Minsheng saw it he knew something was wrong.
Couraging up Li finally spoke.'' "Boss, the Zhangs-they attacked the company. One of the wings is gone. Burned."
For a moment Minsheng took in the words.
And then there it was - the anger.
And that was it Minsheng jaw ticked so hard it seemed like it might break.
This wasn't just from business loss but mix of emotions. It had just been a day he came and already - so much had happened.
The guilt of hurting Kashi, abandonment of one year, burst out from Edward, and mostly the news of Kashi's health condition.
And now this?
His Business being affected? Threatened by his enemies?
That was it, he was no more looking at the opened door of bedroom. But at Li his hands clenching at his side, knuckles whitening.
He stares at Li with anger not at him, but Li knows - this is how they communicate.
Anger is too much now, one more word and he will just snap like he has never before.
"PREPARE THE CAR! RIGHT NOW!" His voice thundered through the hall as he glared at Li, barely holding his rage together.
Nothing more was needed Li was already walking down the stairs giving orders to his men.
Yet being his best man the one he could always trust Li had been used to such moments. He knew that look, that voice that came from Minsheng.
It meant violence, there is no backing to it.
Because when the WHITE TIGER is provoked it is no joke.
THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES.
And Zhangs will face them. They can run. They can beg.
But in the end, nobody messes with Bai Minsheng and gets away with it.
Then he stares at the opened door he sighs and then without a word turns away.
Vishakha watches for a while shaking her head in disbelief at her grandson, she knew he turned away all because a little issue.
A ISSUE that could have been also handled by Li. But noooo he had to go.
Vishakha knew him very well he was trying to escape the reality of his facing his mistakes. Facing Kashi.
"Someone else could've handled it," she mutters under her breath.
And she knew once again like that the misunderstanding and coldness between and Kashi and her grandson only grew.
She went inside seeing Kashi lying on the bed watching Tv - a faint smile on Kashi lips.
And it made Vishakha smile too.
A Barbie cartoon flickered on the TV — the kind children loved. But Vishakha had always noticed her daughter-in-law watching it in her quiet moments, whenever life seemed too heavy.
She doesn't judge. She knows the little girl inside Kashi still breathes quietly beneath all that grace and pain. And at this point, being tied to her grandson, what truly matters is Kashi's happiness — even if it comes from a cartoon.
She brought in a tray filled with freshly cut fruits and placed it in front of Kashi. For Vishakha, it wasn't just about nourishment. It was an act of quiet love, her way of reminding Kashi that someone still cared, that even in this house of unspoken tensions, she wasn't alone.
''Thank you Gigi'' Kashi says softly she loves the way Vishakha has always cared for her no matter what.
Vishakha nods and starts moving around the room as if cleaning. But room was perfect and tidy . Kashi noticed and knew Vishakha was worried that something might happen again and that didn't let vishakha leave the room.
Kashi smiled softly thinking '' Atleast someone cares...'' She had thought maybe for once, he would care when she had fainted in his arms but there was so sign of him.
Deep down she knew he didn't care he never would. But knowing the truth already didn't hurt any less.
And the worse part?
She cared too much. And for once she had thought maybe he would come atleast check on her but he didn't.
But still she had hope. God knows why? She had hope from a man who felt nothing, who was emotionless or maybe very good at hiding his emotions.
She sighs laying on bed pulling blankets over herself. Vishakha stared for a while then letting out a heavy sigh she left the room.
Two of the men of minsheng outside guarding the room. Like ready to snap if needed, even break bones and end lives.
Kashi tried. God she tried to sleep.
But it didn't all that came was him on her mind. It was always like that more she tried to not think him about it - more he came to her mind.
A tear escaped Kashi eyes as she thought how could he be so ruthless. Was there not even a little bit concern for her?
She didn't wipe it away. No she didn't she let them fall, hoping it would make her heart less heavy.
But it didn't - and god knows why she still hoped?
But she did.
Like she always does.
Because how could she not think about the way he held her so softly and gently. No man had ever held Kashi like that.
And God forbid if she said she didn't want it.
Then it would be the biggest lie.
And now he was back, really back.
After abandoning her a year ago. But why now?
The question lingered in her mind. Not one but many.
And answers?
Only he could give.
Because now?
There was no more running. He was back and they needed to talk. Avoiding the reality those times were gone. They had to face each other. Minsheng had learnt to hide his feelings well but they were now once again on the surface while Kashi didn't expect anything yet she hoped.
She waited for a man who barely knew anything about her.
And in between of all of that......
Deep down, both knew they couldn't keep living in pretense. Whatever they were running from was standing right there between them, waiting to be faced.
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By InkandIvoryWritess
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