Author's POV

The music had finally died down, leaving behind an eerie silence that felt heavier than the noise.

 Guests were filtering out of the Bisht house, offering their final congratulations, unaware of the trauma lingering in the kitchen air.

Reeva was glued to Jhanvi's side, her eyes fixed on the thick white bandage wrapped around Jhanvi's palm. 

"Jhanvi, tu mujhse jhoot bol rahi hai," Reeva whispered, her voice sharp with suspicion.

 "Mehndi se koi aise nahi jalta ki bandage lagana pade. Sach bata, kya hua tha wahan?"

Jhanvi kept her gaze lowered, her fingers trembling.

 "Kuch nahi Reeva... bas wo mera hath garam bartan pe lag gya tha. Please, ab aur mat puch." She couldn't tell her.

Meanwhile, in the center of the hall, Dev stood with a terrifyingly calm demeanor, facing Mrs. Bisht. The air around him felt suffocating.

"Beta, Pandit ji ne kaha hai ki shaadi ka mahurat 7 mahine baad ka nikal raha hai," Mrs. Bisht said, her voice shaking as she fidgeted with the edge of her dupatta. 

"Abhi sahi waqt nahi hai... shayad humein thoda intezar karna chahiye."

Mr. Bisht stood beside her, his arms folded and his face stiff as stone. He knew Dev's reputation, and he knew the fire that lived behind those cold, dark eyes.

Dev let out a low, dry chuckle that made the hair on Mrs. Bisht's neck stand up. 

He took a slow drag from his cigarette and exhaled the smoke directly into the space between them.

"Saat mahine?" Dev repeated, his voice dropping into that dangerous, silky tone. 

"Aur aapko lagta hai ki main itne waqt tak intezar karunga?"

He stepped closer, his presence looming over the elderly couple. 

"Mujhe mahurat ki parwah nahi hai, Maine tay kar liya hai."

He turned his gaze toward Jhanvi, who was standing across the room, looking like a broken doll.

 A dark, possessive smirk played on his lips.

"Agle teen din mein," Dev announced, his voice echoing with finality. 

"Agle teen din mein Jhanvi meri hogi. Mrs. Dev Singhania. Tayyari shuru kijiye."

Mrs. Bisht gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Lekin beta, itni jaldi—"

"Yeh request nahi hai, Mrs. Bisht," Dev cut her off, his eyes flashing with a psychotic glint. 

"Yeh mera faisla hai. Aur mera faisla koi badalta nahi hai."

He said and left from there.

Next morning;

The morning sun filtered through Jhanvi's curtains, but her sleep was far from peaceful.

In her dream, the world was bathed in a soft, golden haze.

 A man, his face blurred like a watercolor painting, was sitting close to her.

"Jaan, yeh khao na... tabhi toh hamara baby healthy-healthy hoga," he whispered playfully.

 Jhanvi felt a strange weight in her dream—she looked down and saw she was pregnant.

She felt a surge of pure, uncomplicated happiness. "Acha ji? Aur agar main na kahun toh?" she teased.

The man laughed, a sound that felt like home. But suddenly, the light turned cold. 

The scene shifted to a dark, rainy night. Tires screeched. "JAAN! Please... mera haath mat chhodna!" the man screamed, his voice raw with agony as he gripped her hand. 

"I... I love you, A-r—"

Before the name could leave her lips, the shrill ring of her phone shattered the vision. 

Jhanvi bolted upright, her chest heaving, sweat dripping down her temples.

She rubbed her face frantically, trying to catch the tail end of the dream. 

"Yeh sapne kab aane band honge?" she whispered, her voice trembling. 

"Har baar wahi dard... wahi cheez."

Her gaze fell on her phone—Reeva calling. She picked up, her voice raspy.

"Hmm, bol?"

"Jaldi cafe aa ja, tujhse kuch zaroori baat karni hai," Reeva said urgently and hung up before Jhanvi could even argue.

Jhanvi sat there for a moment, her eyes drifting to her bandaged palm.

The memory of the blue flame and Dev's manic laughter flashed in her mind.

With a heavy sigh, she forced herself to get ready. She slipped past her mother without a word, her heart feeling like a lead weight as she walked toward the cafe.

As she stepped inside, the familiar scent of roasted coffee beans offered a small comfort.

 Reeva was at the counter, but before Jhanvi could speak, she felt two strong arms wrap around her from behind. She froze for a second, then smiled as a familiar scent hit her.

"Aa gaya tu," she turned around to face Jay, who had finally returned to Rishikesh.

"Haan, aa gaya! Par bhai, yeh main kya sun raha hoon? Tu shaadi kar rahi hai?" Jay's cheerful face clouded with confusion.

Jhanvi's smile instantly vanished. She forced a plastic nod, which Reeva noticed immediately from behind the counter.

"Agar tum dono ka milna-milana ho gaya ho, toh hum kaam karein?" Reeva teased, though her eyes remained worried.

"Jo aap kahein, Mohtarma!" Jay joked, saluting her.

They began their shift, but Jhanvi was a million miles away. Her mind was a whirlwind of the previous night's horror. Teen din... sirf teen din bache hain.

Her thoughts kept drifting to the one person who felt like a sanctuary. Aryan... itne din se mile nahi, pata nahi kaisa hoga.

"Jhanvi, table number 4 ka order de de," Reeva called out.

Jhanvi took the tray, her eyes fixed on the order slip as she walked toward the corner booth. 

She set the tray down and was about to turn away when a soft, firm grip tightened around her wrist.

"Mujhse milke nahi jayegi?"

The voice was like a melody she had heard in a past life. Her heart skipped a beat, then began to thrum loudly against her ribs. 

She turned slowly, her breath catching in her throat.

Sitting there was Aryan.

But he wasn't the boyish, toy-clutching Aryan she knew.

 He was wearing a crisp brown sweater and glasses that gave him an air of sophisticated maturity.

A single strand of dark hair fell over his forehead. He looked ethereal, manly, and devastatingly handsome. 

The "child" was gone; in his place stood a man whose gaze was deep enough to drown in.

"Kaisi hain aap, Jhanvi?" he asked softly.

Jhanvi could only stare, her mouth slightly open.

"T-tu... tum? Yeh... ? Tum theek..." Aryan let out a gentle chuckle and stood up. 

He seemed to tower over her now, his presence commanding yet tender.

"Main theek ho gaya hoon, Jhanvi."

"Lekin... sirf teen din mein? Kaise?"

"Mere theek hone ka saara credit aapko jaata hai," he said, stepping a fraction closer. 

Jhanvi felt a blush creep up her cheek. 

"Yeh kaise... matlab?" Aryan looked down at her injured hand, his eyes darkening with a pain he couldn't hide.

"Yeh toh main bhi nahi jaanta... par shayad aapki wajah se hi yeh chamatkar hua hai."

Jhanvi smiled, a genuine, bittersweet smile. Toh aise dikhte the tum Aryan, 

she thought, her heart aching with a sudden, intense longing.

"Saari baatein khade hokar hi? Ya phir..." Aryan gestured to the seat.

"Oh, sorry! Baitho," Jhanvi sat across from him, her hand instinctively hiding the bandage under the table.

"Main bahut khush hoon ki tum theek ho gaye, Aryan."

Aryan looked at her, his soul screaming to reach out and pull her into his arms.

 Ab bas tumhara intezar hai, Anjali... kab tak khud ko mujhse door rakhogi?

"Suna hai aapki shaadi ho rahi hai," he said quietly, the words tasting like ash.

Jhanvi stiffened. The reality of her cage came crashing back. She nodded slowly.

"Main... main kal Delhi wapas ja raha hoon," Aryan said, his voice dropping an octave. 

Jhanvi felt the floor slip from beneath her feet. 

"Kal? Itni jaldi?" 

"Hmm itne din se aahan buisness sambhal raha tha,lekin maine theek hoon ab..toh vaps kaam pe toh jana hi padega" jhanvi nodded.

She was lost in her thoughts when Aryan's voice brought her back.

"Ye–ye aapke haath ko kya hua?"

Jhanvi looked down at her hand and then at Aryan,

 whose eyes were fixed on her bandaged hand.

"O–oh... ye–ye toh kuch bhi nahi. Bas... kaam karte karte choti si chot lag gayi."

Aryan, who was looking straight into her eyes, nodded slowly—but he didn't buy her reason.

They sat in a bubble of unspoken confessions.

 Jhanvi wanted to tell him that she felt a strange, cosmic connection to him—that her heart didn't want to marry Dev. 

Aryan wanted to scream that she was his wife, the mother of his child, his everything.

But as they shared that beautiful, tragic silence, they were oblivious to the dark car parked across the street. 

Behind the tinted glass, Dev Singhania sat, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the way Aryan was looking at "his" Jhanvi.

After Aryan stepped out of the cafe, the air felt thin and cold. Jhanvi remained frozen in her seat for a moment longer than necessary, her eyes still fixed on the empty chair across from her.

Reeva walked over, leaning against the table, her gaze sharp. 

"Kitna bhi jhoot bol le ki tu use pyaar nahi karti... par teri aankhein jhoot nahi bolti, Jhanvi."

Jhanvi snapped out of her trance, her voice defensive.

 "Kitni baar kahun ki nahi karti main pyaar usey? Woh bas ek dost hai...ya-ya phir pata nhi."

Reeva let out a dry, knowing chuckle. "Mujhse jhoot bol le, Par khud se kab tak jhoot bolegi?"

Jhanvi's fists tightened, the bandage on her palm digging into her skin, reminding her of the monster waiting for her at home.

 She stood up abruptly. "Cafe ka bahut saara saaman khatam ho gaya hai. Order dena padega, main ja rahi hoon."

She turned to leave, desperate to escape Reeva's piercing eyes, but Reeva's voice stopped her at the door. 

"Aakhir aisi kya baat hai jo tu mujhse bhi chhupa rahi hai?"

Jhanvi stood still, her back to her best friend. The weight of Dev's threats, the burn on her hand, and the hazy dreams of a life she couldn't remember pressed down on her chest.

"Kuch baatein aisi hoti hain, Reeva... ki woh kisi ko na hi pata chalein toh zyada acha hai," 

she whispered. Without looking back, she pushed the door open and hurried out into the street.

Reeva sighed, a heavy feeling of dread settling in her stomach. She turned back toward the kitchen, 

only to find Jay standing there, his usual playful expression replaced by a look of deep confusion and concern. Reeva simply gestured for him to follow her into the kitchen; it was time to talk.