ISHQ IBAADAT 💗

7. Pain Meets Pride 🌻

𖥸❃ 𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻 𝓟𝓞𝓥 ❃𖥸

NIGHT — RAISINGHANIA MANSION
Shridha & Shivay’s Room

The luxurious bedroom smelled of roses—deep, red, freshly bloomed.
The walls were painted in a serene blend of black and grey, adorned with elegant family portraits.
In the center of the room stood a grand king-sized bed, draped in rose petals and soft velvet sheets.
Yet amidst all the beauty and perfection… Shridha sat curled up on the sofa, her arms wrapped around her knees, lost in a storm of thoughts.

Her brows were furrowed, her lips trembling in prayer.

Shridha (murmuring to herself)
"Adhya Dii will be okay, right? Her surgery is over... but she still looks so weak. Please, Bhagwanji… let her heal soon."

Her eyes welled up.
Nothing felt right.
Not this marriage. Not this silence. Not this distance between hearts.

"Dadi’s decision changed everything… and no one’s truly happy. Why did she do this?"
Her thoughts echoed in the room like unanswered questions in a temple.

Just then—
The door creaked open.

She looked up swiftly, startled.

There he stood—Shivay.
His tall frame leaning on the door, dressed in a light pink sherwani, the color soft yet distant.
His hair was tousled, eyes swollen as if sleep hadn’t visited him for days.

His expression?
Neither joy nor pain… just blank, like a sky before a storm.

---

"Why is she sitting on the sofa… not even near the bed?"

"She looks lost. Restless. Maybe… something’s missing."

"But why am I asking myself these things?"

He took a deep breath and stepped inside, the heaviness of his steps matching the weight in his heart.

---

"Shridha…"
(He called out softly, his voice barely above a whisper.)

Shridha jumped slightly at the sound, her heart skipping a beat.
Her fingers clutched the edge of the sofa.

"Ji... kahiye,"
she replied, trying to stay composed, though her voice trembled.

"Are you okay?"
he asked, his eyes searching her face.

"Haan... shayad,"
she said faintly, not knowing how to lie convincingly anymore.

He stepped closer, his voice low but firm—
"I need to clarify something. It’s important."

Shridha stood, her heart beating faster.

"Ji Shivay... kahiyena, main sun rahi hoon…"
(She stood in front of him now, anxious, eyes scanning his every move.)

He took her hand gently.

"Shridha..."
(He looked directly into her eyes.)

"I can give you everything in this world… every happiness you desire..."
"...but never expect love from me."
(His voice was calm. Too calm. As if rehearsed.)

The air around her shattered.

Shridha froze. Her hand trembled in his, and her lips quivered.

She let out a soft laugh—not out of amusement, but disbelief.
A tear slid down her cheek as she pulled her hand back.