*before the marriage*
Kairav hummed to the tune playing from his phone while adjusting the white sherwani over his shoulders. The white pants fit perfectly. He picked up the layered pearl and bead necklace from the dressing table and fastened it around his neck while looking into the mirror.
Knock. Knock.
"Coming," Kairav called out. He walked to the door and opened it, only to find Krishav standing outside.
"Hey, bhai."
Kairav smiled lightly. "Arre, Krishav. What happened?"
Krishav's face looked strangely unreadable. "Can I come in?"
"Of course," Kairav replied immediately, stepping aside. "Need something?"
Krishav entered the room slowly while Kairav turned back toward the mirror, adjusting the necklace properly against his sherwani.
Krishav finally spoke after the silence. "Bhai…" His voice sounded low. "Why are you marrying Veeransh?"
Kairav paused slightly before turning around with confusion. "Well, you know, Krish—"
Before Kairav could finish the sentence properly, Krishav grabbed the heavy brass candle stand from the side table and struck him across the head. The sound echoed brutally through the room.
Kairav's eyes widened in shock, but no words came out. His body staggered once before collapsing unconscious onto the marble floor.
Silence followed immediately after. Krishav stood in the place as the broken stand slipped from his hands. Horror slowly spread across his face as he stared at his unconscious brother lying motionless near his feet. A thin trail of blood began running from Kairav's forehead onto the floor. Krishav's breathing became uneven. His hands shook violently at what he had just done.
But then—His gaze slowly shifted towards the other sherwani laid carefully across the bed. The groom attire that was meant for Kairav. Krishav stared at the sherwani and quickly dressed up exactly like Kairav. He put on the Shehra.
"Veeransh... I'm coming for you."
* * *
*back to present*
With that Tamas left the villa with his men. Veeransh kept looking at him as he left. He twisted his fist.
"Enough with the drama!" Rajesh Singhania stepped forward to face Krishav and Veeransh. With a quick blow, he gave a tight slap across Krishav's face. The sound echoed sharply through the hall and everyone froze.
Krishav's head snapped to the side while Lalita gasped. Even Kairav looked momentarily stunned.
"You destroyed this family's reputation in a single night," Rajesh thundered. "Have you lost your fucking mind?!"
Krishav slowly looked back at his father. His lip was bleeding, his sherwani disheveled, but his grip on Veeransh's hand never loosened. "I love him," he said again quietly.
"What did you say?" Another slap nearly landed before Lalita grabbed Rajesh's wrist. "Enough!" she cried. "Not here!"
"NOT HERE?" Rajesh shouted furiously. "Our younger son just stole his brother's groom in front of hundreds of guests!"
Murmurs spread again through the remaining crowd. Many guests had begun quietly leaving the mandap already, whispering among themselves while avoiding eye contact with the Singhanias. Some looked horrified, some entertained, and some disgusted. The photographers had stopped taking pictures.
Near the mandap stairs, Jhanvi suddenly collapsed to her knees. She was caught by her mother and Ayesha. "Jhanvi!" A broken sob escaped Jhanvi as tears ruined her makeup completely. Her emerald lehenga pooled around her.
Sonia pulled her daughter into her arms. "Enough," she whispered shakily. "We're leaving."
"No…" Jhanvi said weakly. "Maa… he married someone else right in front of me…"
Sonia glared toward the Singhanias, especially at Lalita, with burning humiliation. "This insult will not be forgotten." Then the Suri family walked away from the ruined mandap to their rooms. Veeransh watched them leave while guilt twisted painfully inside him.
"Veer." Rehaan finally reached him through the chaos. "You okay?" he asked quietly.
Veeransh laughed weakly at that question. "Do I look okay?"
Rehaan sighed. "Fair point."
"But one thing. Krishav used to dislike me. Then why this sudden change of feelings?" Veeransh questioned quietly.
"God knows what game he's playing with this marriage."
Kairav suddenly laughed. Lalita was trying desperately to calm him while taking the gun away from his hands. "Maa," Kairav whispered brokenly. "He took Veer from me…"
Lalita's eyes filled again seeing her elder son like this. She cupped his injured face gently. "Bas… enough now."
"How can it be enough?" Kairav shouted suddenly. "I was supposed to marry him tonight!" His voice full of pain. "I loved him…" Lalita hugged him tightly before he could collapse entirely. "What's done is done," she said weakly.
"No," Kairav said immediately. "This marriage cannot stay."
Rashmi spoke up, "Pavitra marriage bonds are not to be broken."
Veeransh suddenly spoke for the first time in several minutes. "I want to go upstairs." Everyone looked toward him. His face looked drained of all emotion now.
Krishav stepped towards him. "Veeransh—"
"Don't," Veeransh interrupted coldly. That single word hurt more than every slap and punch tonight.
Krishav swallowed before turning towards his sisters quietly. "Take him upstairs… please."
Ananya and Shreya exchanged hesitant glances before walking toward Veeransh. "Come with us," Ananya said. As Veeransh walked away from the ruined mandap, he realised what the night had turned into.
Lalita took a seat on the mandap. Ganga and Riya went and sat near her. "Didi... what now?" Ganga asked. "Yes, what?" Riya asked the same.
Rajesh rubbed his exhausted face. "What do we even tell society tomorrow?"
Lalita stared toward the sacred fire. "The marriage happened before agni," she repeated. "Whether we like it or not…" Lalita's voice trembled.
"Veeransh is our damaad now."
As midnight drew near, the family finally retired to their rooms, exhausted after the disastrous wedding night. Krishav walked down the corridor towards his room. Every step he took reminded him of the anger.
What had he done? Almost kill his own brother? Stole the groom? Destroyed his family's dignity in front of everyone?
With trembling fingers, he opened the bedroom door. The room glowed beneath golden lights. Rose petals were scattered across the bed prepared beautifully for the suhaagraat and untouched. But Veeransh was nowhere to be seen. Krishav's brows furrowed. "Where is Veeransh...?" he thought to himself.
The silence answered him. There was no one in the room. Slowly, he stepped further inside. His gaze drifted toward the photographs resting on the side table. They were memories of him and Kairav laughing together as children and standing shoulder to shoulder. The sight shattered something inside him."Bhai…I'm sorry…"
He sat on bed, his hands tightening into fists. "What was I supposed to do…?" he whispered. "Why is Veeransh here? Who is he really? I had to do all this… I had to lie. But I have to find out what he's doing in my house."
His breathing grew as he Jhanvi's face came in his thoughts. "Jhanvi… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" He pressed his palms to his face. "What did I do? I couldn't let Veeransh ruin my family…"
"That day…"
* * *
*7:54pm, January 28*
The night of the Sangeet at the Singhania villa felt grand with the gold chandeliers and white orchids. Music blasted the halls and the crowd danced to the beats. The grand staircase had been wrapped with strings of crystals.
Women dressed in embroidered lehengas moved gracefully across the floor while men in expensive bandhgalas stood in clusters with glasses of champagne in hand. Servants hurried from one corner to another carrying trays of drinks and sweets. And in the center of it all stood the Singhanias.
Kairav stood near the stage and his gaze was on Veeransh, who was smiling at the crowd. Across them, stood Krishav and Jhanvi, endlessly posing for photos. Jhanvi smiled and diamond earrings glimmering beneath the lights, but Krishav barely noticed her presence. His eyes were elsewhere, watching Veeransh.
Then, he saw.
Veeransh quietly stepped down from the stage and slipped away unnoticed amidst the music and laughter. But Krishav's eyes followed him instantly. The moment Veeransh disappeared into the crowd, suspicion stirred inside him again. Without wasting another second, Krishav slid an AirPod into his ear.
A few days earlier, he had secretly planted a tiny audio tracker on Veeransh after overhearing a phone conversation late at night. Veeransh had been speaking to someone about exchanging some plans on the Sangeet night. Ever since that moment, Krishav had been waiting for tonight.
"What are you looking for, babe?" Jhanvi asked.
"I'll go get us some wine." Krishav told as he stepped down the stage too. His eyes looked on Veeransh. He did not hear Jhanvi agreeing him and stepping to meet her friends.
As he followed Veeransh, his suspicion became true. Veeransh stood near one of the pillars with his back turned towards this man. This man was Tamas Nikunj.
Tamas was Krishav's biggest rival in the business world. He despised the Singhanias with a bitterness that had only deepened over the years. Yet in front of the media and the public eye, both families maintained the illusion of cordial relations.
Krishav paid attention to the AirPods.
"Why are you so early here?" Veeransh asked.
"Umm, probably I can't wait to know if that thing is kept in this house or not." Tamas said quietly.
"Well, I still don't know about it."
"Do it quick, then. I can't wait more to destroy these Singhanias" Tamas laughed.
"After marrying Kairav, we can move to the next part." Veeransh said while taking a sip of the juice.
Krishav's fists tightened at the realization. So that was the real reason Veeransh had returned. After disappearing, he had suddenly come back right after his father's death. Pawan—one of Rajesh's most trusted men, had died in a tragic car accident that shook the entire family. And ever since Veeransh returned, everything had begun to fall apart. Nothing remained the same anymore. Kairav had broken off his engagement with Ayesha without warning and then made the shocking decision to marry Veeransh instead. From that moment, the peace within the Singhania family had slowly started crumbling. Since then, Krishav has always kept an eye on Veeransh and his every moment.
* * *
*back to present*
"I can't believe what this guy has planned for my family. But.." Krishav stood up. "...I can't let him win this game. I'll make sure you can't do anything to help that Tamas."
He walked to the closet. "I had to do all that...."
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Guide:
Bas - stop
Pavitra - sacred
suhaagraat - first marriage night
Sangeet - pre-wedding celebration