His second wife (#SaRaj)

86) Before the chai goes cold.

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One week later.

The house looked the same. But nothing felt the same.

Savi stood by the kitchen counter, stirring tea she knew no one would drink. Her eyes kept flicking to the clock. Rajat was late. Again.

Not that it mattered.

Even when he came home now… he didn’t really come home.

He ate silently.
Gave a soft nod to Kiaan and Sai.
Sometimes met Savi’s eyes. Sometimes didn’t.
And then he left again.
Or went straight to the study.
Or to bed. Alone.

And Savi?

She tried everything.

Wearing the sari he once complimented.
Making his favorite aloo-methi.
Even placing her hand gently on his when he sipped chai.

But he didn’t flinch.
Didn’t snap.
Didn’t respond.

And that was worse than rage.
Rajat wasn’t angry anymore. He was... absent.
Like a man living in a house he no longer felt part of.

🐍 Meanwhile: Aashika
In the background, Aashika moved through the corridors like she owned the air again. Light steps. Lipstick always fresh. Her smile never faded.

She'd hum songs in the kitchen.
Leave extra sugar in Rajat’s chai "by mistake".
Play with Kiaan just a little louder whenever Savi passed.

She thrived in this distance.

Every time she saw Savi quietly walk past Rajat without a glance from him, her eyes lit with victory she didn’t dare name aloud.

...........................................................................

The front gate creaked open. The car pulled in. Footsteps echoed in the porch.

Sai shrieked, running toward the door.
"Daadiiiiiii!!!"

Bhagyashree entered, arms open, warm and tired from travel.

Rajat came out of his study with a polite smile.
Savi followed, wiping her hands on her dupatta.

And in that moment, Bhagyashree’s sharp eyes noticed it.

The gap between Rajat and Savi.
The silence when it should have been warmth.
The way Savi’s smile didn’t reach her eyes.
And the way Aashika lingered a few steps too close to the family space.

She didn’t say anything.

But Bhagyashree had lived long enough to read a storm before it announced itself.

Bhagyashree leaned close to her husband and whispered,
"Kuch toh hai. Ghar mein garam hawa chal rahi hai... lekin sab khidkiyan band hain."
(Something’s off. There's heat in the air, but all the windows are shut.)

The house buzzed with laughter and greetings as Bhagyashree and the others settled in, their bags half-unpacked, gifts being distributed.

Aashika stepped forward, flashing her most sugary smile.