Slow burn | Secret Past | Angst with HEA ___________________________ A changed surname. A stranger city. And a royal mess that no one saw coming. It only took one move to turn six lives into a battlefield of power, pain, and past promises. What began as a quest for revenge has now become a fight for justice. What started as a business deal now begs for redemption. And what once looked like a family promise demands nothing short of sacrifice. Beneath the surface, love tangles with lies. Desire dances with deception. And fate? It plays a puppeteer, pulling strings no one can escape. This isn't just a story anymore. It's a legacy of scars, secrets, and shattered truths. | Dark. Devastating. Devious | • Welcome to the lore • ___________________________ NOT A STANDALONE Sequel to: 𝙀𝘾𝙃𝙊𝙀𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝘿𝙀𝙎𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙔 | 𝑴𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒑𝒍𝒆 ✦ Echoes Trilogy | Book Two ✦

22 years old ADHIRA VATS, who's vague & intricate, too naive to deal with the cruel world. Getting married was never in her list, atleast not before getting settled & providing her father a luxurious life. She has been her papa's Gudiya since always. Shorthand for doted upon, a bit indulged, a girl child loved deeply, if imperfectly, by her father. He's been her mentor always. The dream she has weaved all these years of a ecstatic & contented family unlike her parents will be acquired? What will happen when she'll be tied in a sacred bond called as marriage? Will her innocence be taken for granted or will she ever be able to come over her insecurities? VIKRAM VASHISHTH , a 27 years old man, who's apathetic, reserved & formal yet authentic and courageous. He is a man of his words who has been burning candles at both the ends for his loved ones, for his family. Easily the most dependable human, who has always been the backbone of his family. What will happen when he'll get married? Will he ever be the one at receiving end? Will he ever get a person to rely on? To understand him & break his walls to see his broken self? Or will he keep his caged emotions confined? One doesn't believe in the idea of love & the other one is unfamiliar with the feeling of love but has a ray of hope. Will their world will turn upside-down or will they'll find their happily ever after? The two straight lines will ever bend & join together? They're destined to found each other but will they find solace in each other? Join their journey of compatibility, trust, care, respect with the enormous amount of desi tadka. 'I don't own the cover or any other pictures used, the credit goes to the rightful owner respectfully.'

An arranged marriage isn't something everyone wants. It's a big chance that not everyone would take. Will this one work out, or will it not? Can love really grow when you didn't choose who you marry? Will they be happy together? And in the end, will they stay together or not? Come along on this journey to see if this arranged marriage will work out or not. Only time will give us the answer. Started: 30 December 2023 Finished: 19 August 2025