Everything Has Changed

5 | Consequences

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Devanshi awoke to the harsh reality of daylight, her head throbbing with the remnants of last night's indulgence. As the events of the previous evening flooded back to her in a rush of fragmented memories, she felt a pang of guilt gnaw at her conscience.

Just as she reached for her phone to check the time, it began to ring, the shrill sound slicing through the silence like a knife. With a sinking heart, she glanced at the caller ID, her pulse quickening at the sight of the name across the screen.

"Dadi sa," she answered meekly. She quitely wore her clothes and went back to her room. Manya was in the shower.

"Devanshi Thakur! what have you done?" her grandmother's voice crackled with barely contained fury, her words laced with the icy venom of a woman scorned. "I have just received the most scandalous photographs of you and a boy—"

Before Devanshi could interject, her grandmother continued in a voice that brooked no argument. "I want you back in Udaipur this instant. Your behavior is disgraceful, and I will not tolerate such recklessness under my roof."

Devanshi's heart plummeted at her grandmother's words, her mind reeling with the implications of her actions. Who did this to her?

"J-ji dadi sa," never has she ever stuttered, her voice barely above a whisper as she fought to suppress the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I will return to Udaipur immediately."

With a sense of dread weighing heavily upon her, Devanshi hastily gathered her belongings, her movements imbued with a sense of urgency born of desperation.

"Aashi, Manny. I'm sorry I'll have to leave early. An urgent issue requires my attention." She hugged her best friends and wished Tarun and Aashi the vesy best.

"Where were you last night, dev." Manya asked.

Dev shook her head, "I'll tell you later." She hurried off to the elevator.

As she made her way through the hotel lobby, her heart heavy with regret, she caught a fleeting glimpse of Shubman standing in the doorway, his expression a mask of sorrow and resignation.

"Dev, wait," he called out, his voice tinged with a note of pleading as he reached out to her, his hand outstretched in a silent plea for forgiveness.

But she could not bear to face him—not now. Which is why she left, silently.

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In the airport, her private jet awaited, its engines humming with the promise of escape. With a sense of finality, Devanshi boarded the aircraft, her heart heavy with the weight of her own shame.

She couldn't shake off the heaviness that settled in her chest like a stone. As the plane cruised through the sky, her thoughts went whirlwind.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, she vowed to restitute for her sins, to reclaim her honor and her dignity, and to prove herself worthy of the legacy she had inherited—a legacy of love, of duty, and of sacrifice.

The plane touched down on familiar ground, she resolved to face her demons head-on, to confront the consequences of her actions with courage and grace.

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The moment Devanshi stepped foot into the grand foyer of the Udaipur palace, she was greeted by the stern visage of her grandparents, Chacha-Chachi, and bhaiya-bhabhi. Her grandmother's expression a mask of disapproval and disdain.

"Devanshi Thakur," she intoned, her voice cold and cutting like the edge of a blade. "Do you have any idea of the disgrace you have brought upon this family?"

Devanshi's heart sank at the venom in her grandmother's words, her shoulders slumping beneath the weight of her shame. "I'm sorry, Dadi sa," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as she braced herself for the torrent of reprimands to come.

But her grandmother was not finished—not by a long shot. "Sorry is not enough, Devanshi," she seethed, her voice a thunderous roar that echoed through the cavernous halls of the palace. "You have disgraced the Thakur name, tarnished our honor, and brought shame upon our family with your reckless behavior."

Dev winced at the sharpness of her grandmother's words, her heart heavy with the weight of her own guilt. Her voice trembling with emotion. "I never meant to—"

"You have a duty, Devanshi—a duty to uphold the dignity and prestige of our royal lineage," she admonished, her words a solemn reminder of the responsibilities that came with their exalted status. "And yet, you have chosen to throw it all away in pursuit of your own selfish desires."

Devanshi's cheeks burned with shame as her grandmother's words struck a nerve, her gaze fixed upon the polished marble floor beneath her feet. "I'm sorry," she repeated, her voice barely a whisper as tears welled up in her eyes.

But her grandmother was not one to be swayed by tears or apologies. Vedansh intervened "The man who spiked your drink with viagra," she declared, her voice ringing out with a steely resolve. "He is under the police custody."

Namrata declared, her voice cold and implacable. "You will return to your duties as director of Saawariyan, and you will devote yourself wholeheartedly to restoring our family's honor."

She paused for a while before dropping the bigger bomb, "and we are getting married to that boy. He is from a reputed family and his parents will agree with our decision."

Dev was taken aback by the call, "And you aren't going to talk to him till we finalize the wedding date." Namrata walked out of the room. Leaving her with every other family member.

With a heavy heart, Dev nodded, knowing that she had no choice but to obey her grandmother's command.