Her Dangerous Obsession

Chap 23 - Engagement

Author’s POV

After the incident, both Namish and Adhrit had locked themselves inside their respective rooms, refusing even the smallest morsel of food.

The house, once filled with chatter and warmth, now echoed only with silence and tensions. It was almost night. The clock hands trembled towards eight, yet since morning, not a grain of food had touched anyone’s lips.

Every family member had tried — pleading, knocking, waiting outside the doors — but both father and son remained stubbornly shut away, drowning in their own storms.

The weight of the situation pressed heavily on everyone’s chest, leaving them helpless. None had the courage to eat either, for how could they, when their hearts were burning with grief?

Mamta finally broke the silence, her voice trembling, as her eyes rested on her mother-in-law. "Maa, you please eat something… you also have to take medicines."

Gayatri’s frail hands gripped her saree pallu tightly, her eyes moist, her voice drenched in emotion. "My son hasn’t eaten anything. My baby, my Adhrit hasn’t eaten… then how can I?"

Her words carried the weight of a grandmother’s endless love, and her refusal only deepened the pain in the room.

Ruchi, trying to coax her, sat down beside her and took her hand. "Dadi, both of them are already very worried. If anything happens to you, then what will happen to them? Please… eat for them, eat for your baby Adhrit."

Arjun too knelt before her, his tone pleading, yet tender. "What will we say to Adhrit if he asks? He will say, that we couldn’t even make his dadi darling eat something. Please, dadi… if not for yourself, then eat for him."

Gayatri’s lips trembled. For a moment, her heart, and her helplessness battled inside her. She finally sighed, nodding faintly. "Okay… but only if you all eat with me. Otherwise, what will I tell my baby? That I let everyone do hunger strike without him?"

With no other way, everyone agreed. Their throats were choked, their eyes wet, but they ate together — reluctantly, mechanically. Each bite tasted of pain and helplessness.

The truth was bitter. Nobody knew, what to do. Nobody had answers. They all understood Adhrit’s desperation, why he had taken such a drastic step.

His family was his heartbeat, and he could never see them in pain. If bending his pride was the price to keep them safe, he would do it, even if it meant destroying himself from within.

But they also understood Namish’s perspective. Namish had lived his whole life protecting his children, especially Adhrit — the youngest, the most loved, the most innocent.

He knew the Mehrotra family’s dangerous games and cruel nature. He had never wanted his son to be entangled with them, not for any reason. Even when reality left no other option, Namish’s heart refused to accept it. He was ready to sacrifice everything to keep his son safe.

And now, the pain of failing — of being unable to shield Adhrit from this ruin — was eating him alive, second by second.

£ Mehrotra Mansion 

Anaisha’s POV

I can’t even explain, how happy I am right now. My chest feels like, it will burst with excitement, my smile refuses to fade.

Adhrit and I… we are going to get married. Dad has already announced that, tomorrow will be our engagement.

Tomorrow. Just one more night, and he will be officially mine.

I will have the right to call him mine. The right to claim him before the world. The right to look into his eyes, and say loudly, confidently — he is mine, only mine. No one else’s. Not even he can deny me after tomorrow.