ISHQ IBAADAT 💗

10. Surgery ✨

Author's Pov

Next Morning...

The atmosphere in the Raisinghania mansion was heavy with tension. In Dadi's grand royal room, silence was broken only by rising arguments and the ticking sound of the old wooden clock.

"Dekha Maa... Maine kaha tha naa... Aap galat kar rahi hai!"
Aradhna's voice trembled with emotion and frustration as she paced back and forth, her dupatta slipping off one shoulder. Her brows were furrowed, eyes brimming with tears that she was trying hard to hold back.

"Haan Maa... dekhiye..." Smriti added, her voice sharp and cold. She held her hands tightly behind her back.
"Shaadi ke doosre din hi Agastya America chala gaya. That too without telling anyone properly."

The heavy velvet curtains barely let in the morning sun, making the room feel dim and somber. Dadi sat still on her wooden carved rocking chair, her face expressionless-but her silence was loud.

Dadaji, who was sitting quietly on the chesterfield sofa in a corner, reading the morning newspaper, slowly put it down. His brows knitted in concern.
He adjusted his specs, glanced at all of them, and finally broke the silence.

"Agastya wapas aa jayega... Use thoda waqt do," he said softly, trying to calm the storm brewing around him.

But Aradhna wasn't ready to wait. She fumbled to unlock her phone, her hands shaking in disbelief and betrayal.

"Nahi Papa... Usne kal raat ko mujhe message kiya... yeh dekhiye..." she said, her voice cracking as she handed over the phone to Dadaji.

Dadaji took the phone with a skeptical look and adjusted his glasses to read:

---

Agastya's Message:
{Maa, I know main sabko hurt karke ja raha hoon...
Par main iss shaadi ko nahi nibha paunga...
Dadi ne ye shaadi kyun karwayi, I don't know...
Par mujhse koi ummeed mat rakhiye ki main ye nibhaunga...
Main America ja raha hoon...
I don't know kab wapas aaunga... ya aaunga bhi nahi...}

---

The phone trembled slightly in Dadaji's hands as he read. His lips tightened, and his eyes blazed with suppressed fury.

"What?... Are you serious?"
He looked up slowly, his tone low but dangerous.
"Woh aise kaise kar sakta hai?"
He slammed the phone down on the table beside him. The sound echoed, making everyone flinch.

Aradhna couldn't hold it anymore. She wiped her tears angrily.
"I told you! Agastya hates every girl... Uske dimaag mein sirf ek baat hai - ladkiyon ko sirf paisa chahiye!"

Smriti stepped forward, visibly upset and heartbroken.
"Aur ab dekhiye... bina kuch kahe chala gaya... what about Adhrika?!"
Her voice broke midway, thinking about how Adhrika must be feeling.

Dadi, who had been quiet all this while, stood up slowly. The anklets on her feet chimed as she walked across the room. Her eyes were red-not from tears but from pure rage.

"Give him some time..." she said in a dangerously low tone.
"He will realise that he has made a very big mistake."

Aradhna and Smriti instantly went quiet. They knew Dadi's anger wasn't something to argue with. Her voice, calm as it was, carried weight, pain, and power. Her fists were clenched, and her gaze was fixed out the window-as if she could see Agastya even from miles away.

The tension thickened in the air.

Suddenly...

There was a soft creak at the doorway.