Her Only Saviour

38. the calm before the chaos

𝓐𝓤𝓣𝓗𝓞𝓡~

As Anirudh stepped into the penthouse, concern shadowed his face. "What happened? Is everything alright, Vivaan?"

But the sight that greeted him caught him completely off-guard.

Instead of chaos or tension, the room was filled with grins—wide, unapologetic grins. Vivaan, Siddharth, Rudransh… everyone looked absurdly cheerful, like a surprise party was about to unfold.

Anirudh blinked in confusion, trying to make sense of the atmosphere.

Before he could even process it, Siddharth strode toward him and wrapped him in a tight, unexpected hug. It was warm. Desperate. And oddly comforting.

All these years after college, through everything they'd been through as friends, they'd rarely expressed affection like this. But today—it felt different. Whole. Grounded. Like something had shifted.

Anirudh stiffened slightly, trying to keep his composure. It’s not the time to get emotional and behave like a messed-up teenager, Anirudh. Pull yourself together.

"Easy, Sid. Easy," he muttered, awkwardly patting his back.

"Why the sudden affection, huh? What’s so special? Why is this self-centered bastard hugging me like a teenage boy in love?"

"Shut up," Siddharth groaned, pulling back, but his grin didn't fade.

Anirudh looked around, his brows furrowed, and gestured toward Vivaan. "Alright, spill the tea. What’s going on?"

Vivaan's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Alright, so… our dearest friend, Mr. Siddharth Yaduvanshi, just got married."

Anirudh’s brain short-circuited for a moment.

Wait—what the actual fuck?

Siddharth Yaduvanshi? The most self-absorbed, emotionally distant, narcissistic man among them—married? And without so much as a whisper to any of them?

His eyes darted to Rudransh, hoping it was a prank, but Rudransh simply nodded, confirming it. No jokes here. This was real.

Anirudh narrowed his gaze. "Okay… and is he married to himself, or did an actual real woman agree to this madness?"

Vivaan clapped his hands like an overexcited child. "Ani, listen carefully—he married your unofficial sister!"

Anirudh’s jaw practically hit the floor. "You married her?" His gaze flicked to Siddharth, who stood silently, his eyes glimmering.

And for the first time in forever, Anirudh saw tears in Siddharth Yaduvanshi’s eyes. Not of regret, but of fulfillment. Of love. Of finally having something—or someone—that made him whole.

Anirudh didn’t need to ask anything more in that moment. He knew how much Siddharth loved her. And he knew—just as deeply—that she loved Siddharth even more than she loved herself.

This wasn’t just a spontaneous elopement. This was a quiet, powerful union that everyone in their group had secretly wished for. Still, he’d imagined a grand wedding with pomp and flair. Not this… sudden, intimate reality.

"But how?" Anirudh finally asked, voice calmer now, curiosity getting the better of him. "How did you two even get married like this?"

Before Siddharth could say a word, Vivaan waved a hand. "Ani, stop interrogating him like you’re still in CID. He’ll tell you the whole story—but first, you’ve got work."

Grumbling slightly, Anirudh nodded and dropped onto the couch beside Rudransh.

As they dove into a quiet discussion about the ceremony and what had happened behind the scenes, Anirudh eventually excused himself, mind still spinning, and went to double-check the office files.