The next morning, the sound of clinking bangles woke Vairagya. He opened his eyes to see Sarangi fixing her hair in front of the mirror. Smiling, he watched her—her innocence and the freshness of the morning felt especially endearing. But his smile faded the moment he realized the time.
"Where's the princess off to so early?" Vairagya asked lazily, straightening his back.
"You… you're awake?" Sarangi asked, startled. She hadn't expected him to wake up so early.
"Well, with so much noise, even Kumbhakarna would wake up… Anyway, all decked up this early—what's the occasion?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"I wasn't making noise… I'm going downstairs for the morning prayers… then I need to prepare breakfast…" she replied calmly while adjusting her bangles.
"Yeah, but this early? Even mom probably isn't up yet… Take some rest, go down around seven," Vairagya said, lying back on the sofa.
"No way… A good daughter-in-law wakes up early," Sarangi said briskly as she exited the room.
"Good daughter-in-law? Who put that idea in her head?" Vairagya mumbled, following her. But seeing Savita ji downstairs, he paused and turned back.
"Mom, I'm here," Sarangi said as she approached Savita ji.
"Very good… Now come, first we need to clean the temple and then perform the aarti. Just do as I guide you," Savita ji said affectionately and walked toward the temple.
"Okay, Mom," Sarangi followed her.
Back in the room, Vairagya tried going back to sleep, but it was no use. He kept tossing and turning, his thoughts repeatedly drifting to Sarangi, who was already immersed in morning rituals and household chores.
A little while later, Vairagya got out of bed and headed straight to Rajveer's room. Rajveer was fast asleep. Vairagya shook him awake and dragged him to the gym area without saying a word.
"Vairagya, why are we here so early?" Rajveer grumbled, clearly annoyed from being woken up.
"People come to the gym to work out, Raj," Vairagya replied curtly and started doing push-ups.
"If you want to work out, go ahead. Why drag me into it?" Rajveer said irritably and sat on a bench.
"Hey, when you're already here, why should I work out alone? You'll do it too," Vairagya smiled and handed him a dumbbell.
"What a weird form of bullying…" Rajveer muttered.
"No, it's friendship," Vairagya winked and continued exercising. Rajveer watched for a bit and then reluctantly picked up the dumbbell.
Sarangi finished cleaning the temple and doing the prayers, then began preparing tea for everyone.
Since Vairagya preferred green tea in the morning, she made it for both him and Rajveer and brought it to their room. Rajveer was there, but Vairagya was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did he go now…?" Sarangi mumbled to herself, but since she also had to make breakfast, she placed the cups on the table and returned to the kitchen.
Vairagya and Rajveer were returning from the gym, with Vairagya's hand on Rajveer's shoulder. Rajveer still looked sulky, annoyed at being dragged for an early workout, while Vairagya seemed to be enjoying his grumpiness.
Shanti ji woke up at 7 and was shocked. Breakfast was fully prepared, and the kitchen was spotless.
"You did all this, Sarangi?" she asked, surprised.
"Yes, Mom. From now on, I'll be the ideal daughter-in-law," Sarangi replied with a smile.
"But there's no need, dear… We could have done it together…" Shanti ji said.
"No, Mom. It's not right for a mother-in-law to do chores when the daughter-in-law is around. I'll handle everything from now on," Sarangi said firmly.
"But dear, doing it all alone—" Shanti ji tried to say.
"I said I'll do it, and I mean it," Sarangi insisted.
Vairagya, who was standing near the railing, raised an eyebrow. He'd been noticing changes in Sarangi's behavior since last evening. Still, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
"Sarangi dear, today is your pagphere ritual," Savita ji said warmly, caressing her hair. "Go get ready."
Sarangi looked at her with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Okay, Mom," she replied softly.
Soon, everyone was at Rajvansh House, where a farewell-like atmosphere had set in. Sarangi hugged Shanti ji and Karnika, crying, while Rudransh was also sobbing.
"This was the only thing missing from my wedding… Now that's complete too," Vairagya mumbled while watching everyone.
Rajveer, meanwhile, wore his typical teasing smile.
"What happened, brother-in-law? Something bothering you?" Rajveer teased.
"If you weren't my brother-in-law, Raj, I'd have knocked you out," Vairagya said with mock anger.
Raj laughed and hugged him. "Thanks for making me your friend."
Vairagya patted his head affectionately.
Shanti Devi placed a hand on Sarangi's cheek. "Don't worry, dear. I'll send Vairagya to pick you up tomorrow."
"No, no, Samdhan ji," Savita ji interjected. "In our home, the bride stays with her parents for at least a week after marriage. So please send Vairagya after a week."
Vairagya's face fell. He was eager to bring Sarangi home that very evening, but now he had to wait an entire week. A wave of disappointment washed over him.
"As you wish, Samdhan ji," Shanti Devi replied with a smile. Rajveer patted Vairagya on the shoulder like a true friend.
After taking blessings from Shanti Devi and Sarvam ji, Rajveer opened the car trunk to place Sarangi's luggage. Vairagya also helped, though his mind was elsewhere.
When everyone was busy with farewell rituals, Vairagya saw a chance and pulled Sarangi gently behind the car.
"You… what are you doing, Mr. Rajvansh?" Sarangi asked, startled, stepping back.
But Vairagya didn't care. He pulled her into a tight embrace, resting her head on his chest.
"I'm gathering strength to survive being away from you for so many days…"
Their hearts raced. The closeness between them stirred up strange feelings.
A few moments later, Sarangi softly said, "I should go now." Vairagya let her go and leaned forward, pulling out a brand new smartphone from his pocket.
"Call me whenever you feel like," he said, handing it to her.
"But I already have a phone…" Sarangi said, looking at it.
"Yeah, but I wanted to give you a new one," Vairagya replied with a smile.
He handed her the phone and then pulled out a big milk chocolate from his other pocket.
"Usually, husbands give roses. But since I have a little girl, I brought chocolate."
"I'm not a little girl…" Sarangi said with a frown, snatched the chocolate, and gave him a playful push on the chest. He stumbled slightly as she quickly walked back toward the car, where her parents were waiting.
Vairagya held his chest and smiled. Her innocence and light annoyance made her even more adorable.
After Sarangi left, the rest of the family went inside. Shanti Devi's eyes were misty. Karnika and Rudransh were quiet, reminiscing Sarangi's mischief and innocence.
Vairagya tried to appear normal, but he felt an emptiness inside. Soon after, without talking much to anyone, he left for the office—hoping work would distract him and make the week's wait easier. But on the way, his mind kept replaying memories of Sarangi's laughter, innocence, and the moment he held her close. The wait now felt like a mountain.
Meanwhile, back at Sarangi's home, she ran straight to Shikha. Rajveer shook his head—his sister was still obsessed with Shikha even after marriage!
"Shikha! I missed you so much!" Sarangi exclaimed, hugging her.
"Sarangi… you…" Shikha's eyes fell on the simple diamond necklace around Sarangi's neck—it was worth crores. Her eyes widened.
"This necklace…?" Shikha couldn't stop herself from asking.
"Mr. Rajvansh gave it to me," Sarangi said proudly.
"Ohh, right! I heard you married Mr. Vairagya Rajvansh…" Shikha feigned surprise.
"Yes… I don't know how those photos ended up at the wedding… they were all lies. Mr. Rajvansh was just helping me…" Sarangi then told her everything about the pool night and how Vairagya saved her with CPR.
"Really? What kind of person is Mr. Rajvansh? And who all live in his house?" Shikha asked with interest, a strange gleam in her eyes.
"Mr. Rajvansh is nice… but also mean sometimes," Sarangi said innocently.
"Why mean?" Shikha asked.
"He keeps teasing me, calling me a kid," Sarangi pouted.
"Oh wow… is that the latest iPhone you're holding?" Shikha asked, noticing the phone.
"Yes! He gave it to me today," Sarangi said happily.
"So… who all are in the Rajvansh family?" Shikha asked, pretending to be curious but clearly scheming.
"Umm… mom, dad, Kritika, and Rudransh bhaiya," Sarangi replied with a soft smile.
"Oh… and they had no problem with you being with Mr. Rajvansh?" Shikha feigned surprise again.
"No, they welcomed me with love. Everyone's really nice," Sarangi said.
"And probably as naïve as you…" Shikha thought to herself. "I tried to ruin your honor, but your luck was stronger. That man in the photos turned out to be Vairagya Rajvansh—and not only did he marry you, but his family accepted you too…"
She smiled faintly, but a deep jealousy burned in her eyes.
"What happened? Why'd you go quiet?" Sarangi asked, noticing her silence.
"Nothing, I'll go make tea…" Shikha said quickly.
Sarangi nodded.
"Actually, Sarangi, why don't you make tea? I really missed your tea…" Shikha said sweetly, trying to distract her.
"Okay, I'll make it," Sarangi smiled and headed to the kitchen.
"Wait—don't take your phone into the kitchen. It could explode! Give it to me," Shikha said, quickly grabbing the new iPhone from her hand.
Sarangi handed it over and went to the kitchen.
Shikha hurriedly checked the phone. Only a few contacts were saved, so it was easy to find Vairagya's number. She called briefly to confirm it.
Meanwhile, when 'Jaan' flashed on Vairagya's phone, he was surprised. He hadn't expected Sarangi to call so soon. A soft smile appeared on his face.
He answered, eager to hear her voice—but said nothing, hoping to hear her speak. On the other end, Shikha waited for him to talk.
"Sarangi…" Vairagya finally said after a pause.
Shikha now had confirmation—it was indeed his number. She immediately cut the call and saved the number in her own phone. A new plan was forming in her mind.
Meanwhile, Vairagya stared at his phone, unsure if Sarangi had called by mistake or just got nervous. But since he had an important meeting, he silenced the phone and headed into the meeting room.