FLAMES | Complete Season 1| OG Fiction - Page 5

Simplistic...

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---------------------------------------------

Chapter 11

The hospital doors slid open before the car had come to a complete stop. Aryan was already halfway through the reception by the time Ishita and Aditi caught up with him. At the end of the corridor, outside the ICU, Karan stood waiting. The moment he saw Aryan, he stepped forward, but before either of them could speak, the ICU doors opened.

A doctor walked out, pulling off his gloves. His eyes met Aryan's.

"Mr. Malhotra?"

"How is my mother?"

"She's critical." There was no hesitation in his voice. "We've managed to stabilize her for now, but her condition remains extremely serious. The preliminary blood reports indicate traces of a toxic substance in her bloodstream. We're treating it as a suspected case of poisoning. The remaining reports will confirm it, but we've already informed the police."

Poisoning.

The word settled over the corridor.

For three years she had remained confined to a single room. Every medicine had been recorded. Every visitor had been known. Every nurse had been verified. Somewhere within those routines, someone had still found a way in.

"We're doing everything we can," the doctor continued. "We'll keep you informed."

Aryan acknowledged him with a slight nod.

The doctor turned and disappeared back into the ICU.

The red light above the door remained exactly where it had been.

Ishita stepped closer.

"Aryan..."

"The house."

She looked at him, not understanding.

"Go with Karan."

"Aryan..."

"Until the police reach there, I don't trust anyone."

His eyes never left the ICU.

"No one enters my mother's room. No one leaves the house until the police are done."

Karan nodded.

"I'll take care of it."

Aryan acknowledged him with a faint nod.

It was enough.

Ishita knew there was no point arguing. She turned towards the elevator with Karan, but before stepping inside, she stopped beside Aditi.

"Don't leave him alone."

Aditi looked towards Aryan. He hadn't moved since the doctor had gone back inside.

"I won't."

The elevator doors closed.

Aryan sat behind his desk with an open file in front of him. The same page had remained there for the last thirty minutes.

Across the cabin, Ishita stood watching him. She knew he wasn't reading. His mind was still in the conference room. Aditi's words refused to leave.

She had stood before the entire office and accused him of using his position to corner her. She had questioned the one thing he had never compromised in his life—his character. Years of earning respect had been overshadowed in a matter of minutes. It wasn't the humiliation that stayed with him. It was the accusation itself. An accusation he could never have imagined being attached to his name.

His phone lit up again.

Mom.

The screen continued ringing before going dark. She had already warned him. Talk to Aditi. Or she would. He had ignored every call since afternoon.

Another fifteen minutes passed. The page remained open.

Ishita's phone rang. She answered absentmindedly, her eyes still resting on Aryan.

"...Hello?"

The change in her expression made him look up.

"What?"

She listened for another few seconds before lowering the phone.

"The house help just called." She paused. "Aunty has gone to meet Aditi."

Aryan remained still.

"She took the bangles with her."

His eyes dropped to the phone lying on the desk.

He picked it up and dialled his mother's number.

Another hour passed. The ICU doors opened.

Aryan was already standing in front of the doctor before he had taken his second step into the corridor.

"The poison has responded to the treatment."

Aryan remained silent.

"She's out of immediate danger."

The words eased something inside him. Only slightly.

The doctor continued, "She's still critical, but the immediate risk has passed. The next twelve hours are important. We won't allow anyone to meet her until then."

Aryan nodded.

"We'll keep you informed if there's any change."

The doctor disappeared back inside. The doors closed once again. Aryan's eyes remained fixed on the narrow glass panel. Relief had come. Peace hadn't. The corridor had grown quieter over the last few hours. The footsteps had become fewer. The conversations had softened into whispers. Aditi looked at him. He hadn't sat down once. He hadn't even leaned against the wall. After watching him for several minutes, she finally spoke.

"You should have a seat."

He didn't respond.

"The doctors will come out if anything changes."

Silence.

She waited another moment before turning away.

The call kept ringing.

No answer.

Aryan dialled again.

Still nothing.

He was already out of his chair before the call ended.

By the time he reached the reception, Aditi's desk was empty.

"Ishita."

She caught up with him just outside the cabin.

"She left."

"When?"

"A few hours ago. She said she was going to the Academy site to check the final arrangements before tomorrow's inauguration."

Aryan didn't wait for another word.

He was already moving.

The car shot out of the parking lot. Ishita settled into the passenger seat while Aryan dialled his mother's number again.

No answer. Again. Nothing. He tried once more.

The call connected.

"Mom!"

No reply.

Only voices.

"...I respected you."

Aditi.

"...but today I understand where he gets it from."

Aryan tightened his grip on the phone.

"Mom! Can you hear me?"

His voice was swallowed by theirs.

"You've defended him from the beginning."

"You still are."

"You call this upbringing?"

"You taught your son that money and power give him the right to treat a woman however he wants."

"No, beta..." his mother pleaded. "Please listen to me."

"I've listened enough."

"Just leave."

A brief silence.

"Leave from here immediately."

"I don't want to hear another word about your upbringing."

"Mom!"

Aryan's voice disappeared into the distance.

The line crackled.

Then...

The call disconnected.

Aditi returned a few minutes later with a paper cup in her hand. She stopped beside him and quietly held it out.

"Coffee."

Aryan looked at the cup but made no attempt to take it. After a few seconds, she placed it on the empty chair beside him. Thin wisps of steam rose from the cup before slowly dissolving into the silence. Neither of them spoke.

Minutes slipped by before Aryan finally broke the silence.

"You should go home."

Aditi didn't answer.

His eyes never left the ICU door.

"It's late."

The silence remained unchanged.

Then, in the same calm voice, he spoke again.

"You've already made it clear what you think of my upbringing." He paused briefly. "You don't need to stay here... for the person who gave me that upbringing."

The words lingered between them. Her eyes slowly lifted to his face. Nothing had changed. The same quiet stillness. The same unreadable eyes.

Another long silence passed.

"Go home, Aditi."

She looked at him for a long moment before quietly shaking her head.

"I'm not leaving."

Her voice was soft, but unwavering.

"So... please stop asking me to."

Aryan didn't answer.

His eyes remained fixed on the narrow glass panel of the ICU door, waiting for it to open once again.

"It won't stop here."

Aryan remained still.

"You were attacked. Today... she was attacked."

"I know what you're thinking. By tomorrow morning you'll have changed everything you think went wrong."

She paused before continuing.

"But tomorrow will end."

Another silence settled between them.

"When she comes home... she can't be alone. Someone will have to stay with her. And the moment someone does... they become the next target."

Her eyes never left the ICU door.

"So it can't be just anyone. It has to be someone who knows exactly what they're choosing... and stays anyway."

The words dissolved into the silence. Minutes passed. The corridor remained still, disturbed only by the distant footsteps of a nurse before quiet reclaimed it once again.

Then—

"Aditi."

She looked at him.

He didn't.

"What reason..." His voice remained as calm as before. "...could justify someone trying to take her life?"

Aditi froze. There wasn't one.

"There can't be one for an act as heinous as that."

The answer came almost as a whisper. Silence lingered between them. Only then did Aryan turn towards her.

"Then why did you?"

Aditi remained silent.

The call disconnected.

Aryan stared at the dark screen for a brief moment before pressing the call button again.

No response.

He tried once more.

Nothing.

The Academy gates came into view.

The car had barely stopped before he stepped out.

The night glowed an unnatural shade of orange. Smoke drifted silently across the empty grounds.

His mother lay a few feet from the entrance, her saree stained with blood and ash.

Aryan dropped beside her.

"Mom..."

He slipped an arm beneath her shoulders and gently lifted her into his arms.

"Mom... look at me."

Her eyelids fluttered.

Slowly...

They opened.

The moment she saw him, something inside her seemed to settle.

"What happened?" His voice remained steady, though every word came a little quicker than the last. "Who did this? How did this happen?"

She looked at him.

No words came.

His fingers tightened around hers.

"Please..."

"Tell me."

Her trembling hand slowly lifted. It took everything she had. One finger pointed towards the Academy.

Her lips parted.

"...Aditi..."

The name escaped as little more than a breath.

Her hand slipped from his.

Aryan followed her trembling finger.

The Academy stood consumed by flames. Fire burst through shattered windows while thick black smoke disappeared into the night.

His eyes searched through the blaze. Searching... refusing to stop until they found her.

Aditi.

She stood within the fire. The flames climbed around her, reaching higher with every passing second, yet she never moved. As though she had accepted them long before they had reached her.

Their eyes met.

A few feet behind him lay the woman who had given him life. A few feet ahead stood the woman who had stained every certainty he had ever carried.

His mother's blood still stained his hands. Aditi's accusations still stained his mind.

One was fighting for life. The other stood waiting for death. Somewhere between them, his world had forgotten how to breathe.

The questions that had consumed him all evening suddenly demanded answers. Who had done this? Why had they done it? Why was his mother lying in blood? Why was Aditi standing inside the flames? Every answer seemed to begin and end with the same person.

Aditi.

He moved. One step. Then another. Then he ran.

He had barely reached the entrance when the Academy erupted.

The explosion tore through the night.

The blast hurled him backwards, throwing him across the ground. For a few endless moments there was nothing but smoke, fire and the deafening roar echoing inside his ears.

He pushed himself up.

His eyes searched for her.

Nothing.

"No..."

The word escaped before he realised it.

He staggered forward before breaking into a run once again.

"Aryan!"

Karan caught him from behind.

He tore himself free.

"I have to—"

Another pair of hands stopped him.

Ishita.

"No!"

He struggled again. And again. Every second they held him back felt like another second the fire stole from her.

"Leave me!" His voice cracked. "She's still there!"

Karan held on with everything he had. Ishita refused to let go. The Academy groaned

. A part of it collapsed into itself. The flames rose even higher.

Aryan's struggle slowed. Not by choice. His knees gave way beneath him, and he collapsed where he stood.

Neither Karan nor Ishita loosened their hold. Neither of them spoke. There was nothing left to say.

Aryan never looked away. His eyes remained fixed on the place where she had been standing.

The fire had erased her.

There was nothing left.

Only flames.

Hi Members,

Before starting on my new OG fiction, do spend a subscribe to my new fan fiction and OG fiction channel. U will surely like it. Do support and enjoy Flames.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIYDrSSAotc

---------------------------------------------

Chapter 12

Morning arrived almost unnoticed.

Aryan was still standing outside the ICU when the doors finally opened. The doctor walked towards him, a file in hand.

"Mr. Malhotra."

Aryan looked at him.

"She's out of immediate danger. If you're comfortable managing her care at home, we can discharge her today."

"I want her home."

The doctor gave a slight nod.

"We'll begin the formalities. A nurse will brief you on the medications and precautions before she leaves."

"Thank you."

The doctor walked away.

A few minutes later, Karan stepped out of the elevator.

"The police have finished at the house. They've collected everything they needed. Security has already been increased, and the staff are still being questioned."

"We're taking Mom home."

Karan nodded.

"I'll complete the formalities."

Aryan handed him the discharge file.

"Have everything ready before we reach. I don't want a single delay."

"It'll be done."

Without another word, Karan walked towards the billing counter.

Only then did Aryan look away from the ICU.

Aditi was asleep on the bench across the corridor. Sometime during the night, exhaustion had finally caught up with her. Her head rested against the wall.

"Aditi."

Her eyes opened instantly.

She was on her feet before the last trace of sleep had left them.

"The doctor has discharged her. We're taking Mom home."

She nodded.

"You should go home."

She was about to speak when he continued.

"Come to my house this evening."

"I'll be working from home for a few days."

A brief pause.

"There's work."

She looked at him.

"Okay."

Karan returned with the discharge papers.

A few minutes later, the nurse wheeled Aryan's mother out of the ICU.

She remained unconscious.

Aryan stepped forward and gently placed his hand over hers.

"We're going home, Mom.”

By evening, the Malhotra house had settled into an unfamiliar routine.

The dining table was covered with house layouts, security reports and medical schedules. Aryan stood at its head while Karan finished outlining the new arrangements. Additional guards had been deployed across the property, nurses had been assigned in rotating shifts, every visitor would be verified before entering the house, and the remaining cameras would be installed before midnight.

A knock interrupted the discussion.

Everyone turned as Aditi stepped inside. Aryan acknowledged her arrival with a brief glance.

"You're here."

She nodded quietly before taking the empty chair beside Ishita.

Karan looked back at the reports.

"That covers everything."

Aryan remained silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

"It won't be enough."

Karan frowned.

"We'll increase the security."

Aryan's eyes drifted towards the corridor leading to his mother's room before returning to the table.

"They'll all do exactly what they're supposed to do. The guards will guard the house. The nurses will look after Mom. The doctors will treat her. Yesterday proved that nobody failed. They simply reached the limit of what duty asks from a person. When their duty ends... they'll leave."

His fingers rested lightly against the edge of the table.

"What Mom needs now can't be assigned on a duty roster. She needs someone who'll stay because walking away was never an option. The moment that person chooses to stand beside her... they become the next target."

Silence settled over the room before Aryan turned to Ishita.

"Will you marry me?"

For a brief moment, no one seemed to understand what they had heard.

Ishita simply looked at him.

Across the table, Aditi's head lifted sharply. Her eyes found Aryan's face almost instinctively, disbelief replacing the quiet composure she had carried into the room. She hadn't expected the question. Not from him. Not to Ishita.

Aryan continued before anyone could respond.

"You can refuse. I know you've never looked at me as anything beyond a friend, and I know you never will. This isn't about us."

He paused briefly.

"It's about Mom. What Aditi said at the hospital was right. The person who stays beside her becomes the next target. I can't lose my mother."

Aditi never looked away.

Anger lingered in her eyes.

So did sadness.

Yet she remained silent, listening to every word as though each one quietly settled somewhere she could no longer protect.

For a long moment, Ishita didn't answer.

Then she asked quietly,

"Can you really spend the rest of your life without love?"

"Yes."

There wasn't the slightest hesitation.

Aditi searched his face for the faintest trace of doubt.

She found none.

A faint smile appeared on Ishita's face.

"For Aunty..."

She paused.

"...and for you."

She nodded.

"Yes."

Aditi's eyes never left Aryan. Some part of her still waited for something to change. Anything. Nothing did. Aryan acknowledged Ishita's answer with a small nod.

"Thank you."

"You don't have to."

"I do."

He remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

"The wedding will be tomorrow."

He looked at Ishita.

"I'll speak to Uncle and Aunty tonight.”

The room went silent. Aryan kept looking at Ishita for another moment. His eyes carried the scars time had given him. He waited for a second longer as though it was something he needed. His eyes closed and his voice echoed.

"Thank you…

Thank you, Aditi, for staying with my mother last night. You didn't have to. You could've walked away. No one would've questioned you. No one would've blamed you. But you stayed... and for that... thank you."

He opened his eyes. Nothing. Then he turned towards Aditi.

"It changes nothing."

Aditi's feet moved back.

How can... what happened to him?

"I used to think about this day. Three years is a long time. A long time to keep talking to someone who isn't there. I did. Every day. For three years.

I asked the same questions. Why? What did we ever do to deserve that night? What did she… ever do to deserve that night? What did I miss? What didn't I see? I thought... one day that woman would stand in front of me. I thought... one day I'd finally have those answers."

He stopped. A slow breath escaped him.

"But the woman I wanted those answers from died that day. She died there. Not in the Academy. She never reached the Academy. She died the very second you decided to kill her. Yes… yes, Aditi, you killed her. You killed that woman the very second you stepped out of that office. You killed her the moment you accused that lady of those charges. She loved you like her own. She thought of you as her own. And you accused her of…"

He couldn't finish.

"So… so tell me...Who exactly am I supposed to question now? You?"

He looked at her for another moment before giving the slightest shake of his head.

"No. I don't know who you are. And that's the cruel part. I don't even get the luxury of asking why anymore. I don't get answers. I don't get revenge. She doesn't get justice. I don't have anything. Nothing. What I have is… I have just..."

He stopped. His jaw tightened. Words have weight. But so does silence. And Aryan was struggling to carry both.

"You know what that woman gave me? She gave me silence. She gave me endless silence. I just wake up every morning and open the same door. Same room. Same silence. The machines changed. The medicines changed. The doctors changed. But one thing never changed. Silence. That lady... my mother... my mother... never opened her eyes. The silence never ends."

For the first time, his voice became heavier.

"I remember the fire. I remember carrying her. I remember her blood. I remember praying she'd survive. I remember praying she'd forgive me for not reaching her sooner. If only I would be sooner... if I would be sooonerr..."

A loud ache echoed through the room. The pain searched for a passage. Its owner had made it his own. Because that had become the only voice he could hear in all the nothingness.

"I remember..."

The words refused to come. He looked away. Only for a second. Then back at Aditi.

"I spent three years feeding that silence. I thought the day I saw that woman again... I'd finally be able to end it. I was wrong. There are no voices anymore. Only silence. And somehow this keeps getting louder. I wanted... I wanted her to know what those three years felt like. I wanted her to look at my mother... and tell me why. Why does she deserve this? But she never came back."

The pain was still there. The anger was still there. Neither mattered anymore.

"But it isn't about us. It stopped being about us a long time ago."

He glanced towards the corridor leading to his mother's room.

"That room decides my life now. My mornings begin there. My nights end there. My hope. My fear. My tomorrow. Everything. And if holding on to this costs me one second with my mother, then it's too expensive. If hating you takes one second away from her, then I can't afford it. If chasing the voices behind that silence that started three years ago means I look away from the woman still fighting today then I won't."

He repeated, almost to himself,

"I won't.”

Aryan kept looking at Aditi. His eyes told the story of the past three years. Aditi was not ready to hear that.

"I waited three years to stand in front of you. I waited three years for this very moment. And today I'm choosing to walk away instead."

He reached for the file beside him and placed it in front of her.

"You're fired. My mother still needs me. She'll always come first. I hope... for your sake... this is the last time you're standing in front of me."

His eyes never left hers.

"Because if you ever cross my path again..."

His voice became frighteningly calm.

"...I'll make you live what these three years felt like."

The mother might have been trying to say Aditi is there. Go help. He assumed she was saying Aditi did it. A lot of assumption.

Absolutely true...

Hi Members,

Before starting on my new OG fiction, do spend a subscribe to my new fan fiction and OG fiction channel. U will surely like it. Do support and enjoy Flames.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIYDrSSAotc

---------------------------------------------

Chapter 13

Lehron ki tarah takra kar bikhrta nahi hai pyaar.

Kisi par mar mitne ka naam hota hai pyaar.

Zinda logon ko kaam nahi hai pyaar karna.

Kyunki jo pyaar ko jaan le...

Ye pyaar uska jaanle.

The sacred fire flickered gently beneath the mandap.

Its warmth spread through the Malhotra house garden where the evening had settled in quiet shades of gold. Strings of lights rested over the trees, marigolds framed the aisle and the fragrance of fresh flowers drifted with the breeze.

There were no endless rows of guests. No photographers. No celebration loud enough to drown the silence that had lived in the house for three years. Only family. Only those who had remained when everything else had fallen apart.

Inside the house, beyond the open French doors, Aryan's mother lay exactly where she had since that night. Unaware. Today was her son's wedding. Today was the day she had once dreamt of. Today was the one day she could not witness.

Aryan sat before the sacred fire.

The ivory sherwani belonged to a groom. Everything else belonged to Aryan Malhotra. The same measured silence. The same unreadable face. The same eyes that had forgotten how to expect happiness from life.

The priest's chants rose through the evening. Aryan remained still. Almost as if he had surrendered himself to destiny long before he had arrived beneath the mandap.

The termination letter had begun to crease beneath Aditi's fingers.

She had walked without knowing where she was going. The city moved around her. Vehicles passed. People crossed paths. Nothing seemed to exist beyond the folded paper in her hand.

Her phone rang. She looked at the screen. For a long moment... She did nothing. Then she answered.

"...Hello."

Silence.

"...Yes."

Her eyes lowered to the letter.

"I'm fired."

She listened.

"...No. I can't go there anymore."

Another silence.

"...I know."

She stopped walking.

"He's getting married tomorrow."

The voice on the other end continued. Aditi closed her eyes.

"...I know. But nothing can change now."

Another pause.

"No."

Her head moved gently.

"It can't happen."

The silence stretched between every word.

"...No. I've already done enough."

She listened again. This time her voice almost disappeared.

"I won't ruin his life again."

The call ended. For several seconds, she continued holding the phone against her ear. Only when the screen went dark did her hand slowly fall to her side.

"The bride."

Every eye turned towards the entrance.

Wrapped in crimson, she walked towards the mandap with slow, measured steps. Gold embroidery shimmered beneath the evening lights as the edge of her dupatta rested over her head, casting a soft shadow across her face.

She stopped beside Aryan. Neither looked at the other.

The priest smiled.

"Shall we begin?"

The sacred fire rose a little higher.

Forty-eight hours earlier...

The Malhotra mansion had never felt so silent.

Police officers moved quietly from one room to another, sealing the house one step at a time. Every cupboard was opened. Every document examined. Every door was marked before being locked again.

The silence should have been enough to occupy her thoughts.

It wasn't. There were words. Broken. Incomplete. Words that had found their way into her mind for only a moment. Yet somehow... They had refused to leave.

"There isn't another way..."

She had heard them. Or perhaps... She had only heard enough to remember them.

"Tomorrow..."

"Twenty-four hours..."

"He can never know..."

Fragments. Nothing more. Nothing that should have meant anything. She had spent the entire night trying to convince herself they didn't. But every answer led her back to the same feeling. Something was about to happen. Something she couldn't see. Something she couldn't understand.

Her eyes drifted towards the staircase before returning to the silence that surrounded the house. She didn't know what tomorrow would bring. She didn't know what those words meant. She only knew one thing.

I need to help him.

The priest closed his eyes and began the first mantras.

His voice rose steadily, each verse dissolving into the quiet evening before returning with the crackle of the sacred fire.

Aryan folded his hands. The bride did the same. The ceremony began.

Silver platters passed quietly from one hand to another. Offerings found their place in the sacred fire. Grains, flowers and ghee disappeared into the flames one after another as ancient rituals unfolded exactly as they had for generations.

No one hurried. There was nowhere else anyone wished to be.

The priest guided them through each ritual with patient familiarity. Aryan repeated every instruction without hesitation. The bride followed in silence.

The fire glowed brighter with every offering. Its warmth spread through the mandap, carrying with it the scent of sandalwood and camphor.

Around them, the family watched without speaking.

For the first time in years... There was nothing left to argue with. Nothing left to fight. Only a quiet hope that perhaps life had finally decided to be merciful.

A breeze wandered through the garden. The edge of the bride's dupatta stirred gently before settling once again.

Aryan never looked towards her. His eyes remained fixed upon the sacred fire.

The priest smiled.

"It is time."

Both rose together. The sacred fire stood between them.

"The seven vows are not merely promises," the priest said softly. "They are the journey that turns two lives into one."

The first step was taken. Then another. Around the sacred fire, they walked together in measured silence. Every circle carried another vow. Another promise. Another prayer. The evening itself seemed to slow around them. The sixth circle came to an end. Then the seventh. Silence lingered for a brief moment after the final step. The priest looked towards the silver platter resting beside him. His hands reached for it. Upon the crimson cloth... Lay the mangalsutra. He lifted it carefully and turned towards Aryan.

"Complete the final sacred ritual.”

Aryan extended his hands as the priest placed the mangalsutra upon his palms. The black beads rested quietly against the gold pendant, waiting for the moment they had been crafted for.

"A sacred bond is not formed by gold or thread," the priest said gently. "It is formed by the promise that neither life nor death shall separate two souls."

The evening breeze wandered through the mandap. The sacred fire answered with a quiet crackle. The bride lowered her head. Without a word, Aryan leaned forward. His hands moved with the same measured precision that seemed to define everything he did. The mangalsutra disappeared beneath the crimson drape as he carefully placed it around her neck.

For a brief moment, neither moved. The priest reached for the small silver box resting beside him.

"The final ritual..."

"Sindoor."

Aryan reached towards it. Before his fingers could close around the silver box, they brushed against the edge of the crimson dupatta. The fabric slipped away. Words filled in the silence but their noise was missing. Neither of them spoke. Neither looked away.

Three years collapsed into a single heartbeat. Questions that had never found answers, words that had never been spoken and wounds that had never healed stood silently between them. Around the mandap, every face had fallen still. The priest remained frozen, his hand suspended above the silver platter, while no one seemed capable of understanding what they were witnessing.

Then—

A sharp crack echoed through the garden. A decorative brass stand lurched from its place and fell towards Aditi.

Aryan moved. His right hand caught it just before it could reach her. Metal crashed against flesh. The weight drove the sharp edge deep into his palm, but his grip never loosened.

His eyes never left Aditi. Neither did hers. There were too many questions to waste even a single moment.

A thin stream of crimson slipped between his fingers...

...and fell softly onto her forehead.

The sacred fire crackled. For the briefest moment, the world seemed to exist only within the distance between them.

Then fear slowly found its way into Aditi's eyes. Her eyes had drifted beyond him. They had fixed themselves on something behind his shoulder.

Before Aryan could turn—

She stepped forward.

Wrapped her arms around him.

And in a moment, she turned.

Bang...

Even though he was getting married, she knew she had to go help. She felt something will go wrong.

What was that bang? A gun shot?

Yes.