It was silence in the entire mansion.
Except the murmurs between the ladies.
I could feel his stare on me.
What were they murmuring about? me? the scandal I did? or my refusal to touch the kalash with my feet?
Anyways that wasn't supposed to be my concern, not when I wasn't welcome here.
I looked at badi dadi, the elder woman.
Somehow a thought creeped inside me. Why was she so accepting and warm to me when the entire family wasn't? shouldn't she be angry on me too, for exposing Rushaan? her great grandson? For ruining his reputation? or maybe she was pretending!
I have already seen the effect my so-called husband has in this family.
His words are not just words, they are commands, hidden threats.
I wouldn't be surprised if I was told that they were behaving nice with me because of Vivaan.
Except Naina.
There was something about her.
Something warm. Sweet. Genuine.
My thoughts were interrupted when Naina said "So according to the sequence, the first rasam is pehli rasoi. And since my both Bhabhi's are here so, there's a rule, same dish nahi banegi. You both will make different dishes."
Both bhabhi's?
yes ofcourse, me and Ayesha!
I nodded and went to the kitchen to start preparing for the first rasam.
The kitchen was opulent, and before anyone's says, it's nice...
NO, It's NOT!!!
I'll have to search ingredients in this huge maze ALL.BY.MYSELF.
Ayesha entered a moment after I entered.
She was expressionless.
I couldn't figure out whether she was angry with me, disgusted...or what!
Like every newly married, she was dressed in the red saree. A proper red saree, with bangles covering her hands till elbows, the henna adorning her hands. Her hair was tied in an elegant bun, loose tendrils framing her face. A sindoor and a mangalsutra in addition to her attire, completing the look.
Two different women, both married in same family, different circumstances, somehow same fate- a loveless, choiceless marriage.
Perhaps those heavy jewelleries were shackles for her, and the contract- for me.
I took the ingredients.
Rava.
Sugar.
Milk.
Ghee.
Kesar.
Her eyes glanced at me. She also took the same ingredients.
I looked at her with a sheepish, apologetic smile and asked
"Rava halwa?"
She nodded.
"It's okay, I'll change my dish. You can make halwa." I said hastily, keeping the ingredients back.
A small subtle smile appeared on her lips at my actions.
"Thank you, devrani ji." She said softly.
D...devrani? as if wife of her brother-in-law? s..she's not angry?
I was overthinking so much.
I sighed in relief, my own lips curving in a soft smile.
Naina entered the kitchen right after that moment. She looked at Ayesha; all set with her ingredients. And then at me, no ingredient at all.
I felt as if I have done Ph.D. in embarrassing myself- first falling from the stairs, then gaining all attention, and now this.
"Bhabhi.." She came to me with a soft smile. "Aap kya bana rahe ho?" she asked me, standing next to me with a knowing expression.
(Bhabhi, what are you cooking?)
"W..woh" I looked away trying to sound convincing, hiding my embarrassed face. " Abhi soch rahi hun." I responded back
(Well, I am thinking about that)
"Isme kya sochna? aapko nahi pata, Vivaan bhaiya ko sabse zyaada kya pasand hai?" She asked me surprisedly.
I opened my mouth to speak but closed it again.
How could I know when I had married him on the point of gun.
"Mujhe bhi nahi pata. Vivaan bhaiya ka favourite kisi ko nahi pata." She pouted sadly. "I thought aapko pata hoga toh I'll also get to know."
(I also don't know. No one knows what is Vivaan bhaiya's favourite. I thought if you knew, I'll also know that today.)
Great.
So this man is....
AHHHHHHH.
Calm down Kruthi, Calm down.
It's okay let's figure out.
Maybe not his choice but this family has elders too.
They prefer either halwa or Kheer...
Yes, I can make Kheer.
(And mix poison in his.....NO)
"Toh main Kheer bana leti hun?" I said to her with a smile to hide my thoughts, afraid as if she will hear them if I think too loudly. (So, I'll prepare kheer then)
"Perfect, woh mujhe pasand hai." Naina exclaimed. (Perfect, I love that dish)
Phew, atleast someone in the family will be impressed by me.
I started preparing kheer. There were two stoves in the kitchen. One was headed by Ayesha and other stove by me.
I chopped dry fruits to garnish the kheer and enhance its taste.
Almost an hour later, me and her were done nicely.
I must say, she's a good cook.
And....expressionless.
We didn't talk throughout.
Maybe she needed time.
I can't even imagine how hard it must have been for her yesterday, to marry Rushaan despite his truth, his sins.
But yes, she wasn't angry or furious with me, and that was more than enough for me.
When the servants served the dishes on the large table where the family was sitting, I felt my heartbeat accelerating.
I held my saree tightly, hiding it from everyone.
heat rushed through my body...I was nervous.
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
It was Ayesha, she was looking at me calmly. Nothing in her eyes, not hurt, not jealousy, not affection.
Just an understanding, as if she noticed my fists on the hem of my saree.
"It's okay, aapne accha banaya thha. Kisi ko pasand aaye ya na aaye, I believe I am going to love it." She whispered audible enough so only I hear her.
(It's okay, you made it good. Even if someone like it or not, I believe I am going to love it.)
I gave her a nervous smile to her.
Her words helping somehow to calm my nerves.
I looked at Vivaan, who firstly took a portion of kheer when everyone else took a portion of Halwa. I had to blink twice to avoid the tears filling my eyes.
Naina took both the dishes together. And specifically, the dry fruit portion. A soft chuckle bubbled up my throat, which I supressed while drawing my gaze away from her.
"Hmm, perfect. As if goddess herself has made." Rushaan's mother exclaimed at the Halwa Ayesha made.
"Devi annapurna has blessed her, I must say." Rushaan praised her, passing a smirk at my direction.
My eyes were about to get teary.
Not because Ayesha cooked really well.
Because I realised, it wasn't just a rasam but a competition.
When suddenly...
Vivaan's POV
My gaze shifted—not to the table.
To her.
Kruthi stood slightly behind, fingers gripping the edge of her saree. Subtle. Almost unnoticeable.
But not to me.
Nervous.
She wouldn't admit it.
But she was.
Ayesha, on the other hand, stood composed. Trained. Controlled. Used to eyes on her.
Two women.
Same ritual.
Different battles.
The dishes were finally served.
Halwa.
Kheer.
I didn't reach for the halwa.
Not because I doubted Ayesha's cooking.
But because I had already seen enough.
The way Kruthi avoided eye contact.
The way her shoulders stiffened when the whispers grew.
The way she tried to make herself… smaller.
Unacceptable.
My hand moved toward the kheer.
A deliberate choice.
Not impulsive.
Not emotional.
Strategic.
The room noticed.
Of course they did.
Good.
Let them.
The first spoon was enough.
Balanced.
Not overly sweet.
Careful.
She had put thought into it.
More than just a ritual.
Naina's voice filled the silence next, light and effortless, praising both dishes. I didn't look at her. My attention remained where it needed to be.
Kruthi's expression shifted.
Just slightly.
Hope.
Dangerous.
I shouldn't have noticed.
But I did.
And I didn't like it.
Not because of her.
But because of what it meant.
Expectation leads to dependency.
Dependency leads to weakness.
And weakness… doesn't survive here.
So I put the spoon down.
One bite.
Enough.
Her eyes caught it immediately.
Sharp.
Observant.
She understood.
Good.
Before the silence could turn into something else, I spoke.
Kruthi's POV
"Who told you Kheer was my favourite?" Vivaan said suddenly making everyone look at him, specifically badi dadi who looked at him proudly.
"I didn't, she just made it so nice, so tasty." Naina exclaimed while digging in the meal again. "And Ayesha bhabhi, you made the halwa so good and sweet. I think my both bhabhi's have the blessings of Devi Annapurna on them."
I lowered my teary eyes, a small smile on my lips.
But the smile dropped when I saw, Vivaan only had one spoon and didn't eat rest...
As if noticing my expression he said in calm voice.
"I don't eat alone." He looked at me, and stood, taking my arms in his, making me sit beside him and served a generous portion for me.
"Bhabhi aap bhi aaiye na." Naina insisted Ayesha. (You also come naa)
I was about to take a spoon of kheer in my mouth, when I noticed that instead of Halwa first, Ayesha also served kheer to herself...
And a glare from Rushaan forwarded to her.
She ignored that.
He disliked that.
Maybe because his own wife was indirectly favouring me.
Possessive men rarely handle silent defiance well.
Irrelevant.
After the meal, everyone started giving gifts to Ayesha.
Appreciating her. Blessing her.
But this time my eyes wasn't teary.
Because I knew this family will always look down on me.
But Badi Dadi called me and Ayesha to her.
When we went, she gifted a small gift box to both of us.
I opened it...
diamond bangles.
All engraved with diamond.
I hesitated and tried to return her.
But she smiled and said to me "Gift ko mana nahi karte."
She was genuine.
Not because of Vivaan.
Because she just was.
And suddenly, Vivaan stood up.
So did everyone else.
He gave silent whispered command to a servant who returned after some moments with a velvet gift box.
"A diamond gift set for my bhabhi, Ms.Ayesha Khandelwal." He said raising his voice and handed the gift set to her. She smiled, small, but genuine.
"And a red diamond set for my wife…"
He paused.
For the first time—just a fraction.
"…Mrs. Kruthi Vivaan—"
"Malhotra." Naina cut in with a grin.
A faint smile flickered on his lips.
Gone in a second.
But I saw it.
My fingers tightened around the box as it was placed in my hands.
Red diamonds.
Rare.
Expensive.
Unreachable.
Just like the man who gave them.
Vivaan
And for the first time—
I wondered.
Not whether she could survive here.
But how long before she started changing it.