Healing The Void ✔

Chapter 30 - Storm and Ice

"What is going on?"

The whole room spun and zoomed in towards the person standing at the doorway. The question seemed to stop time and space. The voice made her startle with alarm as she shifted her horrified gaze in that direction. She arose instinctively without taking her eyes off the person at the door. The silence that ensued was too thick to ignore.

Meanwhile, the person who uttered those words slowly put down the duffle bag from his shoulder beside his feet while eyeing everyone present in the room. Shreya noticed from her peripheral vision Ritu was about to take a step forward but Tiyasha grabbed one of her arms refraining her from doing so.

"What's all this?" Gyan questioned again as he took forward steps and finally coming to a stop at a hand distance.

She couldn't believe her own eyes what she was seeing. Priyasha gasped audibly from somewhere behind her while Ritu snapped a picture of her twin. Her jaws dropped observing the unbelievable change in his appearance. He no longer had long hair. His black hair was cut short, and it was neatly brushed. He was wearing a white cotton full-sleeved shirt, whose ends were lightly folded, and a pair of beige trousers with suede light beige loafers. A silver watch was around his left wrist. He looked too out of his character, in fact, he looked like a completely new person. She noticed the lip-ring was gone. He wore a light stubble, and looked pacified... rather grown up.

"Gyan!" Priyasha got up and came forward. "What is this?" She reached around and touched the back of his neck, as if, trying to make herself believe what she was seeing was real.

Gyan blushed slightly as his eyes found their ways to Shreya. He smiled... and it both melted and shattered her heart at the same time.

Priyasha asked again, "What is this, Gyan? And where were you? You only told me you'll be on a trip for a month. But where were you exactly?" while caressing his face and head.

"Maa, I'll tell you later. Now stop embarrassing me, and tell me what is going on here? Who are these gentlemen?" He gestured towards the marriage and law officers.

Priyasha dropped her hand and turned around. Her gaze shifted to Abhiraj, who cleared his throat and exchanged a brief glance with Vijay who was sitting beside him.

"They are marriage and law officers respectively. They came to legally solemnize Abhimanyu and Shreya's marriage."

"What?" Gyan's eyes moved forward and backward between Abhiraj and the officers before they settled on Shreya. He looked completely flabbergasted. They held each other's gaze for a few seconds until her eyes wavered and she looked down.

Gyan eyebrows creased as he looked at Abhimanyu then back at Abhiraj. "What? I don't understand." He repeated.

Shreya realized he hadn't seen the clip. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so clueless.

Priyasha grabbed one of his arms which he got rid of immediately. "Someone, please speak up! What the hell is going on here?"

"I am telling Gyan." Ritu chimed in. "She made a move on Dadabhai then blackmailed him to get marry to her. But Papa and Maa are covering for her. So that's that!" Ritu said in a single breath.

Abhiraj chided, "Ritu, don't talk nonsense!"

However, Gyan intervened. "That's impossible! Shreya is not like that. I don't believe it."

Ritu countered, "You will, when you see the clip."

"What clip?" Gyan asked, dumbfounded. "What is going on? Shreya..." He reached forward, grabbed a hold of her hand swiftly and yanked on it. "Come with me! You don't have to participate in such circus, for whatever it is!"