Chaotic Relations

Chapter 56

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Happy New Year!!

The last chapter is here guys!

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Three Months Later - July

Ruhanika stood in front of her mirror, adjusting her kurta for the third time. Today was important—not in the earth-shattering, life-changing way that so many days in the past few months had been, but in a quieter, gentler way that somehow felt just as significant.

"Di! Are you ready yet? We're going to be late!" Abhimanyu's voice carried from downstairs, followed by Armaan's laughter.

"She's been ready for twenty minutes, baby. She's just being nervous," Armaan called back.

Ruhanika smiled at her reflection. They weren't wrong. Today was the first day of her advanced coding workshop—an intensive summer program for young programmers that Mahir had helped her get into. During their regular video calls over the past three months, they'd worked on several projects together, and Mahir had been impressed enough by her skills to recommend her for this prestigious program. "You're a natural, piccola genio," he'd told her during their last call. "This workshop will help you take your skills to the next level."

Life had indeed gone on after Adhiraj, Ekansh, and Mahir left. The first week had been the hardest, with everyone adjusting to their absence, the palace feeling a bit emptier despite all the people still filling it. But slowly, steadily, routine had reasserted itself. Life, as it tends to do, had continued.

And what a life it had become.

"Anika!" Anant's voice joined the chorus from downstairs. "Beta, your breakfast is getting cold!"

"Coming, Papa!" Ruhanika called back, taking one last look at herself. The girl in the mirror was so different from the one who'd lived with the Senghals. That girl had been uncertain, always trying to make herself smaller, quieter, less of a burden. This girl—the one looking back at her now—stood straighter. Smiled more easily. Knew, beyond any doubt, that she was loved.

She grabbed her laptop bag—a gift from Mahir, a top-of-the-line device he'd had couriered from Italy with a note that said, "A master craftsman needs the best tools. Our last project proved you're ready for bigger challenges. Make magic, piccola genio"—and headed downstairs, nearly colliding with Rudraansh at the bottom of the stairs.

"Watch it, twinny!" he laughed, steadying her. "You'd think after an year you'd know your way around the palace."

"I was distracted," Ruhanika defended herself, falling into step beside him as they walked toward the dining room.

"By what? Your own thoughts? That's dangerous territory, twinny. Never know what you'll find in there."

"Says the person who got lost in his own thoughts during Dadu's chess game last week and accidentally moved his queen into checkmate."

"That was one time! And I was tired!"

Their bickering carried them into the dining room, where the morning chaos was in full swing. And chaos, Ruhanika had learned, was the natural state of the Agnihotri family.

Abhimanyu was engaged in a heated debate with Meera about whether chocolate dosa was an acceptable breakfast food ("But Ma, you let me have chocolate milk, and dosa is healthy, so together they're super healthy!"). Armaan and Arhaan were having what appeared to be a thumb war while simultaneously trying to eat their parathas. Nishant was on his phone, likely dealing with some film industry drama, while Aadarsh was trying to convince Divyank to join him at the gym later.