The Kothari mansion seemed to hold its breath. Shadows stretched along the walls as the family huddled together, fear and disbelief painted on their faces. Veena's hands shook as she clutched Gauri's arm, tears streaking down her cheeks.
"He's… he's lost… forever," she whispered, her voice cracking like fragile glass.
Gauri's chest ached, but she lifted her chin. Her hands trembled, but her resolve did not waver. "No," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else. "Our love… it will pull him back. I won't let him go."
The front door creaked open, and Vihaan entered. But this was no longer the man she had married—the warmth in his eyes gone, replaced by a cold, merciless storm. His aura pressed down on the room like a physical weight, and even the air seemed to quiver in his presence.
He looked at each member of the family, his voice low and deliberate, each word striking harder than a blade.
"You all sit here, trembling like frightened children, and you call me lost… like I am some weak man you can pity," he said, pacing slowly. "Do you not see? I am no longer that man. That Vihaan—the one who laughed, who loved, who would kneel before you all in warmth—is gone. He is gone because he had to be. Because power chose me. Because fate has whispered its cruel truth into my ears, and I listened. Not to you… not to your cries… but to destiny itself."
He stopped, eyes blazing with an otherworldly light, and his gaze fell on Gauri. "And you… my beloved Gauri… I warned you. I begged you to leave. I whispered it in your ear when your heart was too blinded by love to understand. But still, you clung to me, to hope, to illusions. Did you think love could protect you? That it could shield you from what I am now? You see me as the man you loved. You call me Vihaan. I call it a lie. There is no Vihaan left… only Sarvansh. Only power. Only Pralay in waiting. And yet… here you stand, thinking your hands can reach me, your heart can reach me, your love can chain me back to the man I was. Foolish. So foolish."
He turned to the rest of the family, his voice rising, carrying grief and menace together. "And you… you who think you can stop me with fear, with tears, with prayers… you cannot. Not one of you. I am beyond your reach. I am beyond your hope. Your love, your loyalty, your devotion—worthless. Nothing will sway what has begun. Nothing will save you from what is coming. Tomorrow… tomorrow I will shed what little restraint remains, and Gauri… you will understand the true cost of your attachment. You will see how fragile you are against the tide of destiny, and yet… you will remain here, frozen, helpless, watching, because I will allow it. Because I can. Because this is what it means to be Sarvansh."
He took a step closer to Gauri, the air between them crackling with tension and sorrow. "So I tell you one last time… leave. Save yourself while you can. But you will not leave, will you? You never do. And that… that is your folly. Tomorrow… I will kill you. Not out of hatred… not even out of malice… but because that is the path fate has set before us. You, my love, my human weakness… will pay the price for daring to hope. And when I do, remember this: I am no longer the man you knew. I am Sarvansh. And Sarvansh cannot be swayed by tears, by love, by anything mortal. You are mine to break… or mine to lose."
With that, he turned, each step up the staircase echoing like thunder through the hall. The family stood frozen, the weight of his words pressing down on them, hearts heavy, minds shattered. Gauri's knees threatened to buckle beneath her. Her Vihaan—the man she had loved—was gone. Replaced by a force she feared, yet could not stop loving.
Yug knelt beside her, his eyes searching hers with a mix of worry and determination. His hand rested firmly on her shoulder, grounding her in the midst of fear. "Bhabhi… the car is ready outside," he said, his voice low but insistent. "Please, you have to go. I promised Vihaan I'd keep you safe, and I… I can't let anything happen to you. You have to trust me. You have to leave—even if your heart tells you not to."
Gauri shook her head, chest tight with a mix of anguish and resolve. "No, Yug. I… I can't run. Not now. Not when everyone I love… everyone I've sworn to protect… is in danger. Vihaan… he may have changed, but he's still in there somewhere. And I won't abandon him. I won't abandon the family. I… I can't leave them behind."
Charvi appeared suddenly at the entrance, her face pale and eyes wide, urgency etched into every line. "Didi… Gauri… you have to listen. It's worse than you think." She stepped closer, lowering her voice, trembling slightly. "Nani, Pratham Vanshi, and I… we foresaw this. Mohini… she doesn't just want Jiju to kill you. She wants his entire family destroyed. Everyone. She's planning to wipe them all out."
Gauri's fists clenched so tightly that her nails bit into her palms, the sting mingling with adrenaline and fear. Her eyes filled with tears, but her voice was steady, almost defiant. "Then I'll stop her," she said. "I have to. I have no choice. If I don't… if I step back… if I hesitate… she'll succeed. And Vihaan… I can't… I won't let that happen. Not to him, not to anyone I love."
Yug's brow furrowed, concern etched deep in his features. "Bhabhi… have you even retrieved the jal mani? Do you understand what that means? The jal mani… it's not just a gem. It's the key. It's the only thing that could give you a chance to stop her. If you go without it, if you go unprepared… you're putting yourself, and everyone here, in even greater danger. You have to think, Gauri. Not just about your heart… but about your life, and theirs."
Gauri's hand tightened around the knife at her waist, the cold steel grounding her as tears streaked her face. Her voice rang with determination, edged with desperation. "I've thought about every risk, Yug. Every possibility. And I know… this is the only way. If Vihaan is truly in danger… if the mani glows… I have to act. I have to go. No hesitation. No waiting. I won't fail. I can't."
Her steps echoed down the hall, each footfall a heartbeat of defiance, love, and courage. The family followed silently, breaths shallow, hearts pounding, unable to do anything but hope. Even the walls seemed to tremble under the weight of the choice she had made, as if the mansion itself feared what was coming next.