Taamsi's smile returned — calm, cold, and venomous. "How beautiful," she said mockingly, glancing around the hall filled with reunited hearts and tearful apologies. "But don't celebrate yet. The Great Eclipse is only a few days away. On that night, the balance between darkness and divinity will shatter. Yuvaan…" — her crimson eyes fixed on him — "you must decide. Save your mother… or defy your fate."
Her words hung heavy in the air like a curse.
"And until then," she continued with a chilling smirk, "I'll be taking what's mine."
Her gaze drifted toward Angad, who stiffened as Taamsi stepped forward. "Come, my son. Let's go home."
Angad's lips trembled. "No… I'm not your son," he whispered, retreating behind Yuvaan.
But Taamsi only smiled wider. "Blood calls to blood, child. You cannot deny it."
Before she could take another step, Yuvaan moved — his presence dark and commanding, the flicker of demonic energy surrounding him. He stood between Taamsi and Angad, eyes blazing crimson.
"Don't you dare," he warned. "Angad is my brother — the son of this family. He belongs here. You've stolen enough from us already."
The rest of the family joined him, forming a united front. Chandrika clutched her beads, whispering prayers; Vinod stood beside her protectively; Riddhi and Aakash, still trembling, positioned themselves near Angad.
Taamsi's smirk faltered for a fleeting moment, replaced by something darker — rage. Then she threw back her head and laughed. "Protect him all you want. On the night of the Great Eclipse, I will take everything that belongs to me — every soul, every drop of darkness that carries my mark. And no force in this world will stop me."
With that, she raised her hand. Shadows erupted around her in a whirl of smoke, and before anyone could react, she vanished — her laughter echoing through the mansion like a lingering curse.
Silence fell. The only sound was the faint crackling of the diya flames, trembling as if afraid.
Vinod took a shaky breath and turned toward Yuvaan. His voice was heavy with guilt. "Yuvaan… I wronged you," he said. "All these years… I saw you as a curse, not as the son my brother left behind. I let that witch poison my mind." His eyes glistened. "Can you forgive me?"
Riddhi and Aakash stepped forward too, shame written all over their faces. "We're sorry, Yuvaan," Aakash said, his voice trembling. "We didn't know. We thought— we thought you were the reason behind everything."
Riddhi nodded tearfully. "We were cruel. We treated you like a monster. But today we saw who the real monster is."
Kiara gently placed her hand over Yuvaan's. "Forgive them," she said softly. "You've carried enough pain, Yuvaan. It's time to let it go. Forgive them and prove Taamsi wrong."
Yuvaan's gaze softened as he looked at each of them — his family, his blood. For years he had only known their hatred, their fear, but in this moment, he saw remorse. He saw love returning from the ashes of deceit.
With a quiet breath, he nodded. "I forgive you all," he said, his voice steady but emotional. "None of this was your fault. We were all victims of her lies."
The family gathered around him, embracing him. Chandrika wept openly, her prayers turning into blessings as she touched his head. Even Angad, trembling, smiled faintly, clutching his brother's arm.
Vinod turned toward Susheela, who had been sitting quietly, her face pale but kind. "Susheela…" he whispered brokenly. "I didn't even realize the woman living with me wasn't you. How could I not know?"
Susheela smiled sadly, placing a comforting hand on his cheek. "Because love blinds, Vinodji. You trusted your heart. Don't blame yourself." Her eyes softened as they drifted toward Angad. "And this child… though born of deceit, he's still part of our family."
She walked to Angad and embraced him. "You will always be my son," she whispered tearfully. "From today, you have two mothers — one who gave you life and one who will give you love."
Yuvaan smiled faintly at the sight, though his eyes still glimmered with pain. He bowed respectfully to Susheela. "You gave my father strength when the world turned against him," he said softly. "Thank you… for protecting my family."
Susheela wiped her tears and touched his forehead with affection. "You're your father's pride, Yuvaan. I was there the day we learned Bhoomi was pregnant. The entire family was overjoyed — none of us knew destiny had chosen such a burden for her child."
Yuvaan lowered his gaze, overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, Kiara quietly turned and began walking upstairs, her steps slow, her expression unreadable.
Vikram noticed first. "Kiara," he murmured, watching her retreating figure. He sighed deeply and turned to Varun. "She's holding back her pain," he said quietly. "After learning how Kajal died… she must be breaking inside."
Varun nodded gravely. "She'll need someone now — not a brother, but someone who understands her heart."
Vikram's eyes softened as he looked toward the staircase where Yuvaan had followed Kiara's shadow. "She has her husband," he said with quiet conviction. "And today… Yuvaan will have to be the one to console her."