Upto Chance

Part 23

Karanveer walked into the dining room for breakfast, his eyes heavy from lack of sleep and his heart even heavier with guilt, anger and confusion. 

As he entered, the familiar clatter of utensils and soft murmurs of conversation greeted him, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was different today.

He glanced around but didn't see Ragini. His mind immediately jumped to the worst conclusion—She must have left for Kolkata. A fresh wave of despair washed over him.

Slumping into a chair, he felt a heavy silence fall over the table. There was an unusual calm, an unspoken tension that made everyone tread carefully. 

As he reached out to grab some rice, Mihir, seated beside him, accidentally spilled his plate. Anditha, who had been simmering all morning, snapped, her voice sharper than usual. "Mihir! Can't you be more careful? You're spilling it everywhere!"

Arjun and Manvi exchanged a quick glance but stayed silent, sensing Anditha's foul mood. They knew something had been brewing in the family, but no one dared to mention it.

Karanveer quietly resumed eating, the tension gnawing at him. Why is everything so off today?

he wondered, his mind wandering back to Ragini. A deep sigh escaped him, and the food on his plate seemed tasteless.

Just as he was sinking deeper into his thoughts, a soft sound caught his attention. The door to the kitchen opened, and out stepped Ragini, holding a large bowl of kheer, her expression calm but focused.

Karanveer's heart skipped a beat, his eyes widening in disbelief. She didn't leave?

He blinked a few times, not sure if he was imagining her. He had been so sure she'd left for Kolkata. Ragini didn't look at him directly but went about serving the family as if it were any other day.

There was a swirl of emotions within him—relief, confusion, hope, and a lingering sense of guilt. He had let his anger cloud his judgment the night before, assuming the worst. Now, seeing her there, calm and collected, he felt something shift inside him.

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Karanveer left for the office after breakfast, but his mind never left Ragini. The last few days had been a whirlwind of emotions, work, and tension between them. 

Though there was a mountain of tasks piling up at work, his thoughts kept wandering back to Ragini. She didn't leave, he repeated to himself throughout the day, but the emotional distance between them was just as painful. 

Meanwhile, Ragini was consumed by two parallel storms—one concerning her family, and the other brewing with Karanveer. 

The lawyer Siya had sent worked tirelessly, finally managing to get the Maheshwari family out on bail, though Laksh remained under arrest until proven innocent. The tension eased somewhat for Ragini when Swara was safe. Sharmistha had called, her voice thick with gratitude, thanking Ragini repeatedly for her help. 

But even as she sighed in relief, her thoughts drifted back to Karanveer.

That evening, after dinner, Karanveer sat on the couch, stealing glances at Ragini. I need to talk to her, he thought. 

He couldn't stand there distance anymore. 

"Ragini," he finally said, as she busied herself with tidying up, "we need to talk."

Without looking at him, she replied curtly, "About what?"

"About what happened. About us." His voice was steady, but inside, he felt nervous.

She stopped and turned to him, her expression unreadable. "Do you even know where you went wrong?"

Karanveer blinked, taken aback. He had expected a confrontation, but not this direct attack. "What do you mean?" he asked defensively.