Third person’s pov!

The modest house stood quietly under the orange hues of the setting sun, its whitewashed walls and small garden lending it an air of simplicity. Vaidehi stepped inside hesitantly, clutching the strap of her small bag like a lifeline. It was almost too quiet there after all the chaos of the last twenty-four hours.

Vedant led her inside. He looked cool and almost unaffected, like the events of the day hadn't had any effect on him. He pointed to the living room, which had a few pieces of bare but cozy furniture that was nicely set up.

"Make yourself comfortable." Vedant told her. His voice was calm and steady. "Freshen up if you want to. Rest for a while in any room. I'll make arrangements for some food. We're going to leave tomorrow."

Vaidehi blinked and a little frown appeared on her face. He was polite and spoke in a soft voice, but why wasn't he mad? Shouldn’t he be furious, blaming her for dragging him into this mess? Instead, he spoke as if they were just acquaintances on an unexpected journey.

“Uh… okay…” she murmured, uncertain.

Vedant turned to her briefly, giving her a faint but polite smile. 

“Vaidehi, isn’t it? My name is Vedant. I am based in Bangalore. We can take some time to figure everything out. For now, get some rest. I am going to take a proper bath—something better than the rushed one I managed this morning.”

With that, he disappeared into one of the bedrooms, leaving her standing in the living room, staring at the spot where he’d been. Vaidehi’s mind spun. Why was he acting so calm? Shouldn’t he be hating her right now? He’d only come to help her last night, responding to her desperate screams for help, and had ended up dragged into this nightmare. Her nightmare. And now he was her husband—an identity neither of them had chosen.

Vaidehi let out a long breath, her shoulders slumping slightly. At least he didn’t seem hostile. Perhaps he was still in shock, or maybe he was just naturally cool-headed. Whatever the case, she decided they’d need to have a conversation soon. She couldn’t let her life—the education she’d worked so hard for—fall apart like this. And surely Vedant must feel the same way. He couldn’t want this marriage any more than she did. They’d have to talk, to decide what to do next.

But for now, she needed to process the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside her. Fear, exhaustion, and relief all tangled together in her chest. Relief that her brother was nearby—Viswa had whispered as much in her ear just before she’d been sent off with Vedant. 'I'll be close, Vaidu. Do not worry. I'll figure something out,' he had told her in a strong voice. His presence made her feel calm in the middle of the chaos.

The buzzing of her phone stopped her in her tracks. She took a quick look at the screen. Anna. As she swiped to answer, her heart felt better.

“Vaidu…” Viswa’s voice came through, warm and protective.

“Anna…” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly with emotion.

“Is everything alright, Vaidu?” he asked, his tone laced with concern. “I am just outside the house. If there’s any problem, just call me.”

Vaidehi glanced toward the bedroom where Vedant had disappeared. 

“He seems like a decent man, Anna. I am… I am alright for now,” she said softly, unsure if she was trying to convince herself or her brother.

“Okay,” Viswa said, his voice firm. “I’ll be here only. If you raise your voice, I’ll hear you. I am really close, okay? I will not let any more bad things happen to you."

Vaidehi smiled even though tears were in her eyes. Her brother's constant support made her feel both sad and thankful. 

"Yes, Anna," she said in a low voice.

She took a slow, shaky breath out after she hung up the phone. She quickly wiped her tears away because she didn't want to get too sad. She went to a different room after getting her bag. She felt like she had some privacy in the small, simple room. She locked the door and leaned against it for a moment, as if to shut out the world.

She sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the plain walls. Her mind was racing. This couldn't mean the end of her dreams. She had put in too much work to give up now. Viswa always found a way to make things better. She would have to stay strong until then, no matter how scary or unsure the road ahead looked.

With that goal in mind, she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down.

****

Viswa, Kartik and Surya. The three men sat under the old banyan tree just outside the house where Vedant and Vaidehi were staying. The air was thick with tension, the birds humming in the background the only sound breaking the silence. 

Viswa sat with his head in his hands, his mind racing with possibilities, while Kartik leaned back on the bench, his arms crossed, and Surya plucked at the grass absentmindedly.

“I’ll talk to Vedant tomorrow,” Viswa said finally, breaking the silence. His voice was strong and strong-willed. "We need to find a way out of this. An annulment..Anything that will end the marriage is the only way out of this mess."

"An annulment? Viswa, how is that different from getting divorced? She got married today—with the whole lot of villagers as witnesses, mind you.” Kartik gave an odd look.  Viswa’s head shot up, his eyes blazing. 

“So what? Should she just stay in a marriage she didn’t want?” He asked angrily, his voice rising slightly.

“I am not saying that. But maybe the guy isn’t so bad. He could even be the one in her destiny. Who knows how these things work?” Kartik raised his hands in defense.

“What nonsense!” Viswa snapped, his frustration boiling over. “The villagers are still keeping a watch over us. That is the only reason I am staying put now. I don’t want Vaidu to be hurt anymore than she already is. If I do anything now, people would start blaming Vaidu and in the emotional state she is in, it would break her more. This was forced upon them. Today or tomorrow, he might start feeling burdened by this, and I won’t stand by and wait for that to happen. I won’t let him make her suffer because of something neither of them asked for.”

“Burdened? Come on, Viswa. Why would anyone feel burdened? Vaidu is beautiful, well-educated, and kind. Do you know how many men in the village were after her? He won the lottery, man!” Surya, who had been silent until now, chuckled softly. 

“And what if he has someone else in his life? What if he already has a wife and kids? This was forced on him too, Surya. What if he treats her badly because of it? Have you thought about that?" Viswa turned to glare at Surya, his voice dropping to a deadly calm.

"You know what? You and your sister watch way too many shows on ITV. That's why you can think of all these silly stories from shows you have seen before." Kartik laughed and shook his head.

“This is no joke, Kartik. Maybe we watch too many dramas, but we never expected something like this to happen in real life. Yet it did. So forgive me for worrying about the consequences. After all, we know nothing about this man. Why does he live in that house? How does he even get to it? It's been locked up for years." Viswa's glare got darker as he gave Kartik a mean look. 

"Okay, we see what you mean. You have good reason to be worried about her. We should wait and see what kind of man he is before making any assumptions." Kartik sighed and rubbed his temples as if Viswa's anger were spreading to him. 

"Wait and see?" Viswa laughed. "Is that your big plan? Kartik, this is not a game. This is my sister's life we are talking about!"

"We get it, Viswa. We agree with you. But let's not do anything right away. Take a deep breath and talk to Vedant tomorrow. He could also have a plan." Surya put his hand on Viswa's shoulder and spoke in a more serious tone. 

Viswa took a deep breath and sagged his shoulders a little. 

"Fine." He said, but his anger was still simmering below the surface. "But I will not let anything or anyone hurt Vaidu. That's what I'll do."

They all went back to being quiet. The situation felt like a heavy blanket over them. Viswa clenched his teeth as he looked at the house. He was already planning what he would say to Vedant the next day. No matter what it took, he wouldn't stop until his sister's future was safe.

A/n

Hey guys, can I have 50 likes and 20 comments for this chapter??

Love,

SF❤️