Chapter 9

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And for the first time in a long time, she felt free.

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The Singhania Palace, usually a beacon of elegance and serenity, was now in complete chaos. Shivan's erratic footsteps echoed through the grand halls as he paced back and forth, his face etched with worry and fear. His thoughts seemed to be spiraling out of control, and his body language screamed desperation.

"What have I done?" he mumbled under his breath, his hands running through his hair as he tried to make sense of the situation. "How could I be so dumb? How could I forget something so important?" His voice trembled as if he were on the brink of losing his mind.

Across the room, Abhimanyu, Ruhanika, Vihaan, and Meera watched him with a mix of concern, confusion, and exasperation. Shivan had been like this for hours, and his frantic energy was beginning to wear them down. Ruhanika shot a look at Abhimanyu, silently urging him to do something about Shivan’s spiraling panic.

Finally, Abhimanyu, always the composed one, broke the silence with a nonchalant shrug. His voice was calm, almost too calm for the situation. "Stop your drama, Shivan. If she finds come, you're done for. Dead, we all know that." he said with a cool detachment, his eyes gleaming with amusement as he leaned back in his chair.

Shivan froze, his eyes wide with horror. "What?! No, no, no! I’ll be finished if she come!" he cried, his voice rising in panic. His pacing became more frantic, and he looked around as if searching for a way out. The others could barely suppress their laughter at his state of complete meltdown.

Ruhanika shook her head, rolling her eyes as she exchanged a glance with Meera. "This is what happens when you let him handle anything important, like love." she muttered under her breath, amused despite the situation.

Before anyone could say anything more, the large, ornate doors of the Singhania Palace suddenly swung open. Instantly, the tension in the room lifted as Raina stepped through the doorway, her presence like a breath of fresh air. Her smile lit up the room, and the sight of her was enough to dissolve the chaos that had consumed them all.

"Raina!" Ruhanika shouted, her face breaking into a huge grin as she ran to her friend, arms outstretched.

"Ruhi baby! I missed you so much!" Raina laughed, her own smile just as bright as she hugged Ruhanika tightly. The two held each other like they hadn’t seen each other in years, even though it had only been a few months.

"I missed you all too," Meera chimed in, her smile softer but tinged with a hint of sadness that didn’t go unnoticed by the others.

"Aww, our baby!" Raina and Ruhanika said in unison, enveloping Meera in a warm hug, making her laugh despite her melancholy.

The guys exchanged glances at the dramatic display, clearly used to the emotional outbursts of their friends. Abhimanyu raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching with the hint of a smirk. "Girls," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

Vihaan, however, wasn’t paying attention to the reunion. His mind was elsewhere, consumed by thoughts of the unsettling morning incident. Since then, Darshana and Rudra had locked themselves in their room, a heavy silence looming over them. They hadn’t emerged once—not for lunch, not for dinner. Instead, their meals were brought to their door, and the ominous quiet was starting to gnaw at Vihaan.

The more time passed, the more uneasy Vihaan felt. He had tried knocking, pleading, even demanding that Darshana open the door, but nothing worked. The silence was deafening, and the longer Darshana stayed locked away, the more Vihaan’s anxiety grew. Something was wrong, and he could feel it in his gut.

Vihaan’s gaze drifted to the window, his eyes clouded with worry. The cheerful laughter and chatter of his friends barely registered as he replayed the morning’s events in his head. The way Darshana had looked at him before retreating to the room—there was something off, something he couldn’t quite place. And now, the fact that she and Rudra hadn’t come out only made him more anxious.

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