In the evening, when Sarangi and Vairagya were sitting with the entire family, all eyes were fixed on them. Sarangi had revealed the entire truth about the morning's chaos at the mandap and the forced marriage with Vairagya. The room was filled with an odd tension and curiosity.
Vairagya's respected father, Sarvam Rajvansh, spoke in a serious tone, "Dear child, you should have told them that it wasn't your fault. How can anyone make baseless accusations against anyone like this…?"
Sarangi said timidly, "I was scared, uncle…"
"Uncle…?" Sarvam Rajvansh raised his eyebrows and dramatically clutched his chest. "Call me ded, papa, or pitaji… What's this uncle? I will not tolerate this injustice! I'm telling you, Shanti ji should have explained to you…!" He pointed towards his wife.
Shanti Devi immediately clarified, "I did explain!"
"Me too!" Karnika raised her hand with a mischievous smile. Sarangi looked at everyone in surprise. Vairagya placed his hand gently on her head and stroked it lightly. This was their family's daily drama.
"No problem, child, this actually worked out well for me. I got a daughter-in-law… Now I won't have to go to kitty parties alone… I'll proudly take my daughter-in-law with me…" Shanti Devi said, holding Sarangi's hand in hers.
"And I'll take my sister-in-law with my friends…" Karnika said excitedly.
"Sis-in-law, whenever you get bored, just let me know. We'll go on long drives… Don't depend on this grumpy husband… Because you never know when he will be sweet and when he will start tantrums," Rudrakhsh teased, winking. Vairagya glared at him.
Sarangi whispered softly, "That's true…"
Vairagya looked at her in surprise, and everyone laughed together.
They all had dinner together as a family and then went to their respective rooms. Sarangi was restless, pacing the room. Vairagya was still outside, probably busy with some work.
As soon as Vairagya entered the room, Sarangi looked at him.
"Need anything…?" Vairagya asked quietly, his eyes fixed on her.
"Should I go to the guest room…?" Sarangi said in a low voice.
"Why...? If you're not comfortable, I can sleep on the sofa and you can sleep comfortably on the bed…" Vairagya suggested.
"Please let me go…" Sarangi almost pleaded, tears shimmering in her eyes. Vairagya was surprised by her reaction.
"Here's what we'll do, you stay here, I'll go to the guest room… then there'll be no problem," Vairagya said, not wanting to make her more uncomfortable.
"No, why should you go? This is your room…" Sarangi said.
"From now on, it's yours too…" Vairagya said.
"I won't be able to sleep here… Please…"
Vairagya looked at her for a few moments, then softly said, "Okay, go… it's on the left from the kitchen…"
"Thank you…" Sarangi said quickly, rushing out of the room.
Vairagya picked up her phone from the bed and said, "If you need anything, just call… I've saved the number…"
Sarangi looked at him for a moment and then quickly left the room. Vairagya stood alone, his eyes fixed on the empty door through which Sarangi had just left.
He lay down on the sofa, staring at the empty bed in the room. His mind was full of anger and restlessness. Before going down for dinner, he had seen a message from Shikha advising Sarangi repeatedly to go to the guest room, and Sarangi had agreed to her suggestion. This made his blood boil.
"You… I don't know, Miss Shikha,"
"You suggested to my life to stay away from me, which I did not like even a bit. You've made an enemy of Vairagya Rajvansh, and you will have to pay a heavy price for this…"
He closed his eyes, angrier still because Sarangi had listened to that woman's advice.
The next morning, when Sarangi came out of the guest room, Shanti Devi looked at her in surprise and said, "Beta, you were in the guest room…?"
Just then Vairagya came out of his room and said, "She wasn't comfortable in that room, Ma…"
"You're such a fool that a girl wasn't comfortable with you?" Shanti Devi glared at him and then turned to Sarangi, "Sarangi, tell me, did he scold you?"
Hearing himself called 'fool' made Vairagya's mind go blank. "Ma, I didn't tell her to go, she went on her own stubbornly…" he tried to explain.
"Why didn't you stop her…?" Shanti Devi raised her voice.
"Ma, I did stop her…" Vairagya almost shouted.
"Shut up… And Sarangi, next time you won't go to the guest room… If anyone goes to the guest room, it'll be like this…" Shanti Devi said, pointing to Vairagya.
"So you don't want your daughter-in-law to go to the guest room? Will it happen, son?" Vairagya asked.
"Yes, absolutely… If there's too much fuss, I'll even throw her out of the house," Shanti Devi said, then told Sarangi, "Beta, get ready, today some rituals have to be done…"
Sarangi nodded, and Shanti Devi left, glaring at Vairagya. Sarangi bit her lips and looked at Vairagya.
"Wife ji, come to the room a bit…" Vairagya said through clenched teeth.
"Look, please don't be angry…" Sarangi said softly.
"Will you come on your own or should I carry you?" Vairagya asked.
Sarangi looked at him for a moment and then silently bowed her head and went into the room. Vairagya followed and slammed the door, saying, "Now do you understand why I was refusing last night…?" His voice still angry.
"Sorry…" Sarangi said quietly, her eyes fixed on the ground.
"From now on, you'll live here… understand? So everyone knows their son is not a fool…" he said loudly enough for his mother to hear.
A slight smile appeared on Shanti Devi's face in the kitchen, which she quickly hid.
"Why are you speaking so loudly? I'm right in front of you…" Sarangi was startled by his loud voice.
"So everyone can hear…" Vairagya said, moving towards the closet.
"I'm going to bath, after that you also go…" He took clothes out from the closet and placed them on the bed. His voice was now calm, not angry.
"But I don't have clothes…" Sarangi started to say, but Vairagya pointed toward the sofa where many bags were kept.
"When did you…?" Sarangi turned to him, eyes full of surprise and questions, but Vairagya had already gone into the bathroom and closed the door.
"Vairagya ji is so good… I don't know why Shikha was telling me to stay away from him…" Sarangi muttered to herself.
A little later, Vairagya came out wearing a tie and coat, fixing his hair in the mirror, and said to Sarangi, "I'm going to office, call if you need anything…"
With that, he left. Sarangi watched him go.
Just as he stepped outside, Shanti Devi called him, "Hey, where are you going? Today are your and daughter-in-law's rituals…"
"Urgent work, Ma… I'll be back in an hour or two…" Vairagya replied hurriedly.
"Okay, at least have breakfast…" Shanti Devi said, but by then Vairagya had already left through the door.
"Running late, Ma…" he said and left quickly. Shanti Devi watched him go.
To be continued…