Ishita is not in love yet, but Raman is

When Shagun left Raman and got custody of Adi, he felt that he wasn't good enough as a husband, father, son, and provider. His only goal was to prove to himself and to the world that he could be rich and powerful too, equal to or better than Ashok.

Raman lost his innocence and his rosy view of the world because of what happened with Shagun, and it really took Ishita's entry in his life to change things around. I don't mean just the marriage but even their interactions before that. She made him face reality again, come out of his comfort zone, and awakened his fatherly feelings towards Ruhi big time. Not only that, his dealings with the rest of his family also became more about using his heart as well as his head.

She took away his insecurities, enabled him to step up and take responsibility, and also care for other people. She is a nurturer, that is what defines her character. People like her always care for others, always like to share other people's pain. This aspect of her personality extends to her relationship with Raman naturally. Yes, they are married on paper, and need to get along in order to give Ruhi a good home, but Ishita's driving force is Ruhi and the happiness of the family. She is probably on the way to becoming Raman's best friend and confidante, but she does not love him; nor does she seek his love. She still considers her connection to him as Ruhi's father.

Ishita had a lot of heartache to deal with because of what happened with Subhu and her inability to conceive, but she still went on living her life for those around her. She had insecurities but her priorities were always right. Marrying Raman hasn't really taken away her insecurities about her medical issues, as we've seen in yesterday's episode. In all other aspects, she is a confident woman, but in this regard she still has a lot of pain to deal with. Ruhi is the one who took away some of her heartache and made her feel proud about her motherhood.

I agree that Raman has completely accepted Ishita as his wife, whether he verbalizes it or not in front of her. He has started to completely count on her and the way he softens around her is becoming more and more obvious. He makes fun of her and uses his 'tough' facade to prevent himself from being overtly expressive about Ishita's place in his life. However, I don't think he can live without her anymore. When Ishita left him to go back to her parents, he felt the loss immediately. I think he has always known deep down that she is a good human being, which clashed with the stereotypes he had formed of women post the failure of his first marriage. He wanted to keep her at bay because he was afraid of opening his heart up to anyone again, for fear of being hurt. He is constantly afraid of losing her and that the darkness of his past could overtake her happiness and her place in his life.

Raman is also a basically good human being, one who was cheerful and caring by nature before life made him cynical. Ishita has helped him regain that part of himself, enjoy life, and become the Raman that he was always meant to be. Until Raman gives her the confidence of being a woman who is very much desired and needed by her husband, she will not see him as pure spouse material.

I am probably rambling, but what I'm trying to say is that Ishita has a long way to go before she sees herself as someone's love or someone's soulmate. She is still in a mothering role, the carer, the giver. Raman, on the other hand, has already stepped into that role of possessiveness and a right over his wife where Ishita is concerned, because he wants that place. He didn't need to ask, or make a fuss about it, he just did it silently. I think he is 100% confident that she is not a quitter, that she is the kind of person who will stay the course, but he doesn't want to allow anything to come between them, not even Adi. He made it very clear that there will never be any intersection between her place in his life and Adi's, indirectly letting her know that she is as important to him as Adi is. He would never want to choose one over the other.

I think it is Ishita who needs to realize how much Raman wants her and loves her for HER, for the wonderful person that she is, and for what she means to him.

Exactly ... Ishita really has her priorities straight.

While I don't think either is in love with each other, if Raman opened up about what is feelings with her, it would take just that little nudge to express hers.

Yes Raman's respect and admiration for her is growing leaps and bounds while the attraction simmers underneath. Their chemistry is palpable.