Whispers of Fate

36.

Happy New Year everyone!
May 2025 bring you everything your heart desires!

✼

T H I R D  P E R S O N

✼

Atharva stepped out of his room with a carefree spring in his step as a soft whistle escaped his lips. His face held an unmistakable brightness, a rare, unguarded smile that made him seem almost boyish.

Sitting in the hall, his cousins' wives Ritika and Ishika froze in their tracks, their conversation cutting off mid-sentence. The sight of Atharva in such an unusually buoyant mood was enough to stop them cold.

"What's happening?" Ritika leaned closer to Ishika, her voice a whisper. "He....smiling? Whistling? Did the sun rise from the west today?"

Ishika tilted her head, watching Atharva stride past them with a grin that could light up a room. "God knows," she replied with a bemused shrug. "Probably sealed some big business deal."

Ritika shook her head, her lips pursed as though solving a mystery. "No. This feels different. Business deals don't make him glow like that."

Ishika's gaze followed Atharva down the stairs as she muttered, "What else can it be..." 

Ritika's voice dropped, almost a whisper. "By the way, I saw Anisha in the kitchen today."

"Kitchen?" Ishika echoed, her brow furrowing in disbelief.

"Yeah," Ritika confirmed, nodding. "She was cooking. Actual cooking."

Ishika's lips curled into a slight frown, her gaze darkening as she muttered a disapproving response. "Cooking... That's not like her."

Ritika's voice dropped a little, her tone shifting to one of quiet speculation. "Maybe that's the reason behind Atharva Bhai's good mood today," she mused. "In fact, they went to a party together last night. Also, I overheard them talking yesterday. She was talking so nicely to him...more than usual. I am sure their marriage is nothing like the beginning. It's getting better."

Ishika shrugged, her tone disinterested as she leaned back against the armrest. "Maybe. Not that he has an option."

Ritika's curiosity piqued, she leaned closer, her brow furrowing slightly. "Means?"

Ishika let out a small sigh, her gaze distant as she spoke, as though she were mulling over thoughts that had been quietly building for a long time. "See, I don't hate Anisha. And, it's not that I like her a lot either. She's... fine, I guess. But, the thing is all of us know the real reason he agreed to the marriage. It wasn't out of some deep desire or love for Anisha. No. It was her first husband, the family, and the respect he holds for them. They've always mattered to him—more than anything, to the extent that he has always considered them family. They've been a part of his life since childhood, he practically grew up alongside them."

"So, when they asked him to marry her, it was almost like he had no other option. His loyalty to them, especially to his late best friend, made it impossible for him to refuse. Everyone knows Atharva Raichand promised himself he'd never marry, never take a wife, never let a woman into his life, never father a child. Then what happened? It's obvious! He couldn't say no when Maisha's grandparents offered him Anisha's hand."