The dinner went on well into the night.

Aditi smiled and ate daintily, as was expected of brides. A couple of times, Darsh’s mother came over to check on her. Like the last time, she was loving, sweet, dripping with honey.

Aditi wondered if she too was in with her son in this drama. The mother-son duo might have planned this together. The rape story could be fake, just to set a common ground with her to curry her sympathy.

But his name has always been Darsh Karuna Rathore, her still-sensible part chided her gently. The woman might be innocent; she too might have been fooled by her son like he had fooled everyone else.

She scoffed. Whatever! It didn’t make a difference. Karuna Rathore might have suffered the same fate as hers, but the son she had raised was definitely not worth it. She had done a terrible job. Maybe she would have been better off thinking of herself rather than her baby. Maybe she should have considered her options…

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Darsh’s gentle voice murmured in her ear. She turned her startled face to see a pair of dark eyes scrutinizing her.

“You are very quiet. Are you okay?”

Under the table, his warm hand moved to cover hers in her lap. She felt her body going stiff. The warmth of his hand stayed with him; her skin refused to accept it. It felt wrong; this man, his words, this whole celebration was wrong. This was all a lie. The man was a fraud. He did not deserve to be here, at this table, sitting next to her, being her husband.

“It’s nothing. I’m a little tired. I think I need some fresh air.”

She got up and walked away. Fresh air, she did need, but she wondered where she could get it. People were everywhere, in the house, the gardens, and beyond. There was not a single place where she could hide in peace. Maybe her room, but even that sanctuary was forbidden after tonight.

Her lungs screamed for air as she searched for a refuge. Unbeknownst to her, her legs took her to the library.

She was about to enter when a gentle voice called from behind.

“Aditi, are you okay?”

She turned to see Karuna Rathore standing behind her. Her face was creased with worry. Aditi had to admit she was as good at acting as her son.

“I am fine." Aditi stretched her lips into a thin smile that did not reach her eyes.

“Are you sure?” Karuna looked anxious. “You look unwell, Aditi. Your face is…”

“What’s wrong with my face?” Aditi cut her short with a casual contempt that made Karuna flinch. Did she detect the hostility in her demeanor? Aditi wondered curiously.

“Nothing,” Karuna spluttered. “Nothing’s wrong. In fact, you look beautiful. It’s just that… I thought you were a little distracted at the dinner. You didn’t eat much and your eyes too looked puffy…”

How clever! Aditi marveled. The woman was perceptive, almost as observant as her son to see through her facade. Maybe it was a trait that ran in the family - like mother, like son.

She tilted her head as a little plan formed in her head. She had to start somewhere, and this seemed like a good place.

“Actually… there is something that’s bothering me, Ma.”

The way she stressed the last word, Karuna’s face lost its sheen. Aditi smirked.

“It’s nothing to worry about, Ma. It’s just that... I would like to spend some quality time with you. You see, everything happened so fast, I and Darsh got hardly any time to talk. I am ashamed to say I don’t know much about your life in Delhi.”

She took Karuna’s hand and led her to the quiet library. For a moment, the woman hesitated, but Aditi pressed on regardless.

“You must tell me all about yourself. I have so much to know, so much to learn from you. I can’t wait to get started.”

They entered the library and Aditi shut the door behind them. She motioned Karuna to an armchair, but the woman did not sit.

Instead, she stared at the closed door, then at Aditi’s ice-cold eyes.

“I think I just remembered something important, Aditi. I have to go…”

“Sit, Ma. And tell me. How did Darsh hear of Palampur? He told me he came here on a holiday; does he often holiday alone…? That’s a bit odd, isn’t it? And earlier someone mentioned your sister and her son. Why are they not here today?”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Aditi settled herself in an armchair and tapped her fingers thoughtfully as she waited for answers. The woman’s son had an entire file on her and it was high time she did some digging of her own.

*****

A couple of hours later, the party ebbed. Guests began to leave; the sound of leaving cars replaced their merry laughter. From her perch on the dark library’s windowsill, Aditi saw lights flickering through the trees as they ran along the length of the driveway before disappearing into the night. A sickle moon floated through wisps of clouds; the stars too peeped now and then making their presence known. Slowly the night became quiet, so quiet she could hear her own thoughts.

She wished she couldn’t. At this moment, she could not stand the depravity of it all.

He was Vicki’s cousin. He had come to Palampur seeking vengeance. There was no love. There had never been any scope for love. He was a man of this world who saw her as a tool to achieve his goal.

It all made sense now, it was plain and simple. She wondered why she hadn't seen it before. It was a jinx - first Vivaan, then those boys, and now Darsh. It was a vicious game her destiny played as it tossed her from one man to another and laughed at her expense. How she wished she was spared for once, but it was not to be.

Sighing, she rested her aching head against the glass of the window, then pressed her cheek to it to feel the cool touch. A lone tear escaped her eye as she stared away into the dark. She wondered how it would be to lose herself in it. To disappear into the abyss never to see the light of day again. The idea appealed to her haunted heart but it was not to be. She could not cross the glass barrier. It was a beautiful barrier, too fragile, too easy to shatter to pieces but impossible to put back once broken.

She had to stay contented watching from here. The other side was not for her.

She ran a tongue on her parched lips and continued staring into the abyss. The grandfather clock in Dadaji’s study chimed twelve times to announce midnight. The lull of the night soon began to overpower her as she struggled to keep her eyes open. A peal of laughter sounded in the distance as servants started for home.

“Di! What are you doing here?”

Nehal’s irritated voice jolted her out of her stupor. Aditi looked in confusion.

"I... Umm.."

“Do you know what time it is?" Nehal cut her short. "Darsh went upstairs an hour ago. I thought you'd be sensible at least on your wedding day, but no. Why are you so adamant to embarrass everyone every time?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll go now.”

She got up and walked towards the door as Nehal’s cold eyes watched her with disdain. Her respite was over. It was time to face her husband.

*****

She entered the room to find Darsh pacing it frantically. Some candles had burned down some had blown off by the breeze. A half-burnt, smoky smell overpowered the flowers that already looked wilting on the walls. The sheets were still pristine though, without a single crease.

Some wedding night it was! She smirked in derision as her eyes went to the black bag lying at the foot of the bed.

“Oh, you found the bag! Did you check the contents?” she asked solicitously as she moved closer to take a better look. The zip was still open, a corner of the brown folder peeped from it.

“I hope everything is as it should be. Zorawar found it in your car and sent it to me for safekeeping but I’m sorry I was a bit clumsy. The zip is torn, we’ll have to get it fixed before you can use it again.”

Without waiting for his answer, she went to the bathroom to change. Ten minutes later when she was done, he was sitting on the bed staring at his feet.

His head snapped up as she came out.

What will he say now? There would be denials first, then angry tirades. Then explanations, maybe apologies. Huh, she knew it all.

“It’s not what you think Aditi. I can explain… ”

She stifled a snort. How predictable. And boring.

“There’s nothing to explain Darsh. I know everything. You see, I just had a chat with your mother. That’s why it took me so long. I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

He watched her stunned. She smiled and went to the dresser to finish her nightly routine. Now that she looked at herself in the mirror, she found Karuna was right. She did look unwell; her face was a ghastly shade of pale yellow and her eyes looked like she’d been crying for hours.

Sighing, she rubbed some cream into her skin, then opened her hair to comb through it, all the while keenly aware he was standing right behind her, merely a foot away.

“What did you tell Ma?” He asked as their eyes met in the mirror.

She shrugged. “I did not tell her anything. But she told me a lot: about your life in Delhi, about your aunt and Vicki. I am sorry he is in hospital; it must have been a nasty shock for you.”

His face paled as he stared dumbfounded. She continued with her combing assiduously.

Her mother used to comb her hair for hours to keep it shining bright. She said it was therapeutic, it helped to soothe the stress of the day. At the time Aditi was too young to understand but tonight she found it to be true. Her head was getting calmer, the pain was much more bearable. So much that she nearly forgot she was hurting.

“And yes, I have called the Fortis Hospital and asked them to assign a specialist for Vicki,” she added as an afterthought. “In fact, I wonder if we should move him to a private hospital, it would be much easier to monitor his progress. I have also spoken to Sonal’s dad - he is the dean of my college and an expert neuroscientist. He said he would be happy to help.”

There. The combing was done; she braided her hair in a loose plait. He still looked dazed as if someone had hit him on the head.

"Aditi...I... what are you saying? I don't understand.."

“And…I have a request to make." She smiled sweetly as she turned to him. "I’d like to sleep in Nehal’s room tonight. It’s my last day here and the girl is quite upset. I hope you don’t mind?”

She thought he would agree quietly, after all, she had given him enough to ponder upon for the rest of this night. But his eyes came alive as if he’d woken up from a dream.

"That's enough!" He thundered as he shot forward and grabbed her arms in a vice-like grip. “What are you playing at? You're not going anywhere, you understand? I know you are lying, that sister of yours doesn't give a shit about you. So stop this nonsense and tell me...”

“I am going Darsh,” she stressed each word with as much conviction as she could muster. She hoped he would understand, she did not want to spend another minute in this room.

Shrugging herself out of his grip, she took a step back to give him a cold look. “You can spend the night here, there’s everything here you could possibly need. If anything's missing, feel free to ring the bell for a servant. Just don't make a fuss about it as Dadaji needs to sleep undisturbed. Good night now, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She turned and walked out, not to Nehal’s room but back to the library to curl up on an armchair. The night was growing on her and she couldn't wait to drown in the lullaby.

***** *****