Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Adwait, I don't have a good feeling about this," Nitya murmurs, glancing at him.
"I'm right here. Nothing's gonna happen," he smiles, kissing the back of her hand, holding it tight.
They reach the temple's rear. It's late evening, shadows stretch long, and only a few people linger around. He still doesn't understand why Niharika insisted they come here.
Then, they spot her—Niharika—standing there along with... Abhinav? They frown, exchanging uneasy glances. But as they step closer, something shifts. There are more people standing off to the side, just far enough to go unnoticed at first. Samar, Virat, Arushi—and then the shock hits like a gut punch. Adwait's parents. Nitya's parents. And Niharika's father.
Adwait's mother is the first to notice, and disbelief blooms in her eyes the moment she sees Nitya beside him.
Nitya swallows hard, nerves buzzing under the weight of their stares. Eyes prick at her from every angle, and instinct urge to curl back into the shadows. But Adwait's grip tightens and he shakes his head in a silent command to stay.
"What's going on here, Adwait? Niharika insisted on coming to the temple and then made us wait...for you." Her eyes flick over to Nitya standing beside him. "But tell me—what exactly are you doing with this girl?"
"That's not what we should be talking about. Why is everyone even here?" Adwait fires back.
Niharika steps forward. "I asked them to come, totally lied about wanting to pray." She turns toward Abhinav, who gives a slight nod but enough to signal they're in this together. "He brought Nitya's parents, Arushi, and Virat along."
Nitya's gaze flicks to Niharika, sharp as glass. "Since when did you two become such close friends?"
"Right after the day I stumbled across these in your wardrobe," Niharika holds up the letter.
Nitya's breath catches, eyes wide, pulse spiking. "You... you had this all along?"
Adwait's eyes flicker between the two women, and his mind snaps into place faster than he expected. He steps forward, slow, measured. He knows something is off—something far bigger than just a letter. "What's going on, Niharika? Abhinav? What are you two plotting?"
"We ain't planning anything, Mr. Scindia," Abhinav takes control, expression unreadable. "We're here to unearth the plans that were set in motion long before this moment. The truth that lies buried beneath it all."
Adwait's jaw tightens. But before he can speak, there's another voice.
"What's going on here?" Nitya's father, strides in, eyes narrowing as they land on his daughter. "What are you doing with this man? Do you have no shame? Your fiancé is standing right here, and yet..."
Nitya's lips tremble, eyes downcast. Tears, slow but inevitable, begin to brim and blur her vision. But before the first tear can fall, Adwait pulls her to his side as a protective shield.
