Love's Renewal

Chapter 23

As the night wore on, the party at Haseena's house continued to thrive, despite the absence of the host herself and Karishma. The guests were too engrossed in their own merriment to notice the missing duo. The music played on, the drinks kept flowing, and the laughter and chatter filled the air.

As the party continued, Shivani was diligently attending to the guests, ensuring everyone had enough to eat and drink. with her usual warmth and smile.
As the hours passed, the party showed no signs of slowing, the guests lost in their own world of music, laughter, and celebration. Little did they know, the real drama was unfolding elsewhere, shaping the destiny of their host, Haseena, in ways they could never imagine.

Santu refilled her drink, her eyes met Ryhan's, and she couldn't help but shoot him a warning glance. Ryhan, sensing the tension, raised his hands in a mock surrender, but his smirk only added fuel to the fire. Santu's grip on the bottle tightened, her knuckles white with restrained anger.

Noor came to Pushpa and said,

"Look, Santu can't hold it anymore it seems."
She nodded discreetly towards Santu, who was sitting across the room, her eyes fixed intently on Shivani.

Pushpa's eyes followed Noor's nod, and a knowing smile spread across her face. "Ah, finally!" she exclaimed, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I was wondering when she would come to her senses."

Just then Shivani went to the washroom after someone spilled a drink on her. She could feel the cool liquid seeping through her dress, leaving a visible stain. She quickened her pace, anxious to clean up the mess before it spread further.

As she entered the washroom, she let out a sigh of relief. The solitude was a welcome respite from the chaos of the party. She began to dab at the stain with a wet napkin, trying to remove as much of the excess as possible.

Just as she was starting to make progress, she heard a gentle knock at the door. "Shivani, are you okay in there?" It was Ryhan's voice, laced with concern.

Shivani opened the door a crack, peeking out to see Ryhan standing in the hallway, a worried expression on his face. "Yeah, I'm fine. Someone just spilled a drink on me," she replied, trying to downplay the incident.

Ryhan's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh no, that's awful! Do you need any help?" He gestured towards the stain, offering a sympathetic smile.

Shivani hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Actually, could you grab me a towel from the linen closet down the hall? I don't want to make a bigger mess than necessary."

Ryhan nodded and hurried off, leaving Shivani to continue her clean-up efforts. As she waited, she couldn't help but wonder if this little mishap was the universe's way of giving her a temporary reprieve from the tension between her and Santu...

Santu's eyes narrowed as she watched Shivani head to the washroom, followed closely by Ryhan. A pang of possessiveness surged through her, and she couldn't shake off the feeling that Ryhan was getting too close to shivani.

Without hesitation, Santu decided to follow them, her eyes fixed on the washroom door. She pushed it open casually, as if she just happened to need to use the facilities too.

As she entered, she saw Ryhan handing Shivani a towel, their faces inches apart. Santu's heart skipped a beat. What was going on here? She felt a twinge of jealousy, her mind racing with worst-case scenarios.

Shivani looked up, startled, as Santu approached them. "Hey, Santu! What are you doing here?" she asked,

Santu's eyes locked onto Ryhan, her gaze icy. "Just making sure everything's okay in here," she said, her tone firm but controlled.