For a few seconds, there was silence. She could almost hear his irritation breathing through the line.
“Then I’ll come there and carry my wife to the room myself,” he warned. “Don’t make me do that.”
He was about to disconnect the call when she spoke.
“Who do you think I am, Karan? A puppet who’ll blindly follow every command you throw at me?”
“Think whatever you like. But remember one thing, I don’t like to be refused. So, just do as I say.”
Karan hung up before she could argue, anger clouding his thoughts as he returned to his dinner table at the five-star hotel. Kanika was talking to the clients, but his mind wasn’t on the meeting anymore. The idea of Mishti in his room irritated him more than it should have. Yet, now that Abhimanyu was home, it had to look normal. Still, a thought pricked him.Would Mishti really obey him?Something in him said she wouldn’t. And he couldn’t wait to get home to see for himself.
Back at the mansion, Abhimanyu had freshened up and joined Mishti at the dining table. He looked delighted when he saw the spread of puris, paneer masala, aloo sabzi, dal, jeera rice, and suji halwa for dessert.
“Wow, Bhabhi,” he exclaimed, taking the first bite. “This is heavenly! Just like Maa used to make. She had spoiled me with her cooking until she was alive.”
Mishti smiled softly. “I’m glad you liked it.”
The dinner continued with light talks about Abhimanyu’s bond with Karan and how good brother Karan always had been. When Mishti suddenly asked him about Abhimanyu’s parents, his expression dimmed.
“Dad passed away too early, and Mom had a cardiac arrest, just five years ago. After that, it’s just me and Karan bhai left as family.”
Mishti’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Honestly, even if I’m married to Karan, I hardly know much about his family.”
He chuckled. “That’s understandable. Karan bhai isn’t exactly the‘let’s sit and share family stories’type. So, let me brief you on that. My mom, Mala, and his mom, Asha, were real sisters. And their husbands,our dads,were real brothers. We were one big family in every sense, even though we lived in two different cities. Karan bhai’s family stayed in Mumbai, while mine was in Delhi, where my father handled the other end of our business.”
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes growing distant. “As I said, my Dad passed away too early. I was barely five… I hardly remember his face. It was my Maa who raised me. She was everything…both parents in one. But when Karan’s parents passed away too, and then my mom a few years later…” His voice trailed off for a moment. “Life really changed after that.”
Mishti listened quietly, the ache in his tone twisting something in her chest.
Abhimanyu offered her a faint, nostalgic smile. “You know, even though we lived miles apart in our childhood, Karan bhai and I were inseparable. Every festival, every holiday, we made sure to celebrate together. Either they came to Delhi, or we came to Mumbai. Our families were so close-knit back then… it almost felt like we were living under one roof.”
Mishti smiled. For someone who had spent weeks trying to understand her husband, this was the first real glimpse she got of his past.
“Then why didn’t you come to our wedding?” she asked gently.
“I was in France on an important business deal. I wanted to come, but Karan Bhai didn’t like the idea of me missing work for that. You know how he is — a workaholic to the bone.”
Mishti nodded. How would she tell Abhimanyu that despite being married to his brother, she barely knew him? Every newdetail came to her through others like Maria, Rajat, and now him.
The dinner continued with a few more childhood glimpses of the Wadhwa families, after which, the two moved to the living room, where Abhimanyu handed her a few beautifully wrapped boxes.
“These are for you, Bhabhi. My wedding gifts to you both.”
“So many? You shouldn’t have.”
“Of course, I should,” he said with a grin. “If our mothers were alive, they would’ve given you all these…sarees, jewellery, sweets, in true traditional style. I’m just doing what they would’ve done for the daughter-in-law of this family.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes as she accepted the gifts. “Thank you. This means a lot.”
He smiled warmly, but then his eyes softened. “Tell me honestly, Bhabhi… are you happy in this marriage?”
Mishti was shocked. So far, ever since Abhimanyu had arrived, she had pretended to be the perfect sister-in-law, leaving no clues or hints for him to pick up the fact that Karan and her marriage were anything but normal.
“Why would you…ask me that?”
“Because I know my brother can be…difficult. He’s always been. But he’s a good man, deep down. He just doesn’t know how to show it.”
Just difficult?She thought.He was far worse than that. Mishti’s heart twisted as she remembered every cruel word, every cold glance, every night she’d cried quietly in the dark alone. Even now, Karan only wanted her in his room to keep up a pretence before his brother. But looking into Abhimanyu’s hopeful eyes, she couldn’t say that truth.
