"Happy Married Life, Shivya Pathak" I weakly smiled seeing my condition, mangalsutra dangling in my neck, vermilion in hair and both hands filled with gold bangles.
"Come out quickly or do you want me to break the gate," my husband knocked again...
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Shivya had fallen asleep in the passenger seat barely a few minutes after the car had started moving. When the car passed over a speed breaker, her body shifted slightly, her head tilting to one side.
Before the movement could disturb her sleep, Vedant instinctively slid his hand beneath her cheek, gently steadying her head against the headrest, he did not withdraw his hand.
Instead, he kept it there, carefully supporting her so that her sleep remained undisturbed. Suppressing a yawn, he reduced the speed of the car, managing the steering and changing gears with one hand.
Driving with one hand wasn't ideal, but neither was the thought of disturbing her sleep. He knew that she didn't sleep properly at night and she looked peaceful sleeping without any care of the world.
And despite the exhaustion of being busy all day followed by a sleepless night. Vedant remained awake, his eyes fixed on the road, after some time, she stirred.
The moment he sensed it, he immediately withdrew his hand and placed it back on the gear, as though he had never touched her at all. Shivya straightened, rubbing her eyes with both hands. She blinked repeatedly, before turning slightly toward him and asked "Have we reached?"
"No, it will take a little longer," Vedant replied, his gaze fixed firmly on the road ahead, as though he was restraining himself from looking at her. She gave a small nod and turned her face toward the window.
She did not mention that nearly six hours had passed since they had left her parents' house, even though it had taken only three hours to reach there from his home.
By the time they reached the haveli, it was already evening. Before Vedant could step out and open the door for her, Shivya had already done it herself. She picked up her handbag and shut the door with a loud thud.
Vedant stood still for a brief moment, staring at her retreating figure, his lips slightly parted in surprise. "Keep the things in our room," he instructed a servant, handing over the keys before walking further inside.
However, Shivya was nowhere to be seen. "You have arrived? Bade papa and papa were about to file a missing complaint for you," Shaurya said with a hint of amusement, stepping in front of him.
Vedant put his hand over Shaurya 's face and pushed him aside from his way, directly going towards his bedroom.
On the other side of the haveli, Shivya stood outside her in-laws' bedroom, her fingers trembling slightly as she knocked on the door. It opened to reveal her father-in-law, who looked at her with visible surprise "Wapas aa gayi aap?"
"Yes..." she bent down to touch his feet. As she straightened, she fidgeted with her dupatta, "Mummy ji kahan hain?" Before he could respond, Apurva's voice called out from inside, "Shivya?"
