i will still love you ❤️
She was crying uncontrollably.
Dressed as a bride in that pink lehenga, she felt as if she was suffocating, as if every breath was a struggle.
She had never imagined, not even in her dreams, that she would be married so suddenly.
Today was her elder sister's wedding—
to a man whose name alone made the entire city tremble.
Just hearing about him filled her with fear.
And today, she was going to marry him.
What would she do? How would she survive?
"Di, why did you run away? What did I ever do to you?
If you didn't want to marry him, you should have told us!
How could you run away from your own wedding at the last moment?"
She cried and questioned her sister—
but her sister was not here anymore.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
Aarohi quickly pulled her veil over her head and opened the door.
A woman walked inside.
"Hey! Is she still not ready? Are you stupid or what?
You have to go downstairs in a few minutes!"
It was Janki—her aunt.
"Yes, Aunt, I'm ready… but I really don't want to do this marriage. Please, don't make me. I'll go far away, I promise. I won't trouble you ever again. Please let me go. I don't want to marry him…"
Aarohi joined her hands in front of Janki, begging her.
"Enough of your drama! Don't act smart.
Just do what you're told.
That Isha girl already messed everything up, and now don't you dare create more trouble.
If you don't marry him, the consequences will be terrible.
Our family's reputation is already on the line.
If the Agnihotri family finds out that their would-be daughter-in-law ran away, do you have any idea what they'll do?
Stop this nonsense and come with me!"
Saying this, Janki grabbed Aarohi's hand and dragged her away.
Red marks appeared on Aarohi's wrist from how tightly she was held.
But no one cared about her pain.
All they cared about was this wedding happening at any cost.
Outside, the media and everyone else were already waiting.
Everything had gone too far to stop now.
The wedding was completed—every ritual performed perfectly.
She was no longer just Aarohi.
Now, she was Aarohi Agnihotri.
Today, she had become the daughter-in-law of the powerful Agnihotri family—
their only daughter-in-law.
Her fear only grew stronger.
What if everyone found out that it wasn't Isha under this veil, but Aarohi?
Would they all blame her?
Would they hate her?
But what is my fault? What should I do, Kanha? I don't understand anything…
Should I run away? No… that would be wrong.
Aunt and uncle will never forgive me. If I run away, they'll destroy me…
She kept scolding herself in her mind.
The wedding was over…
but what would happen next?
She hadn't even looked at her husband even once.
No one had seen the face hidden under her veil yet.
The farewell ceremony ended, and she was seated inside the car.
A tall, muscular man dressed in black opened the door for her.
Just looking at him scared her.
If even the guards are this dangerous, how dangerous must he be?
she thought to herself.
There were countless identical cars surrounding theirs—front and back.
From this alone, she could understand how powerful and terrifying he was.
As the car entered the gates of Agnihotri Palace, her heartbeat raced even faster.
In a few moments, everyone would know that it was not Isha, but Aarohi under this veil.
If everyone gets angry at me… I'm so scared, Kanha. Please do something… please…
she prayed silently.
The car stopped, and the door was opened for her.
She stepped out, her hands still trembling.
Suddenly, a strong, fair hand appeared in front of her.
She looked up.
He was looking straight at her, his face expressionless, emotionless.
He silently offered his hand.
With fear and trembling, she slowly placed her hand in his.
He extended his hand toward her, his expression completely unreadable.
With trembling fingers, she placed her hand in his.
Together, they walked toward Agnihotri Palace.
They stood at the entrance when Shivaay took a step forward to enter, but—
"Hey, wait, wait, wait! Why are you in such a hurry? Let us at least welcome our daughter-in-law properly," Abhinay said with a smile.
"Yes, yes! The eager groom can't wait anymore," Grandfather Dinesh teased, laughing.
"Look, dear, there isn't a single woman in this house, so we don't know much about these rituals. We asked the maids for help and prepared everything.
Please accept it with love," came a gentle voice. It was Shivaay's father, Mahesh.
She looked at him from beneath her veil and nodded softly.
They placed a sacred vessel in front of her, performed the ritual of welcoming her, and asked her to step over it. She did so and entered the house as the new bride.
"It truly feels auspicious today," said Grandfather Chandrakant with satisfaction.
Chandrakant and Dinesh were brothers. Chandrakant had two sons—Mahesh and Abhinay.
Mahesh had one son, Shivaay, and Abhinay had one son, Nikhil.
As she stepped inside, she looked around the grand house, but only one question echoed in her mind—
Why is there not a single woman in this house?
"Dear, now it's time for the Muh Dikhai ritual. Come and sit here," Abhinay instructed.
Shivaay was already seated there, his face as expressionless as ever.
"Come on, sister-in-law, I'll lift the veil first," Nikhil said excitedly, stepping forward.
"Hey! Stop! What are you doing? She's Shivaay's wife. Let him lift the veil," Abhinay said, hitting Nikhil lightly on the hand.
"Ouch…" Nikhil stepped back, pouting.
Mahesh looked at Shivaay. He knew his son disliked such rituals, but today was special—there was no escaping it.
"Shivaay, come, son," Grandfather Dinesh called.
He stood up and walked toward her. Her hands tightened over her lehenga as fear gripped her.
Soon, everyone would know the truth—and it would be a huge shock. She shut her eyes tightly.
He gently lifted the veil from her head.
In the next moment, her face was revealed to everyone.
Everyone stared at her in complete shock the moment they saw her face.
"Who are you? And why are you dressed as the bride? Where is Isha?" Dinesh Grandpa demanded, his voice sharp with disbelief.
Her fear intensified. She didn't know what to do or what to say anymore.
The confusion, the pressure, the unfamiliar faces—everything became too much. And before she could control herself, she burst into tears.
"Who is this girl?" Dadu Chandrakant asked, his expression darkening.
"Wait a minute. I'll call Rakesh and ask him who this girl is and why she's sitting in Isha's place," Abhinay said and immediately dialed her uncle's number.
"Don't cry, child. Calm down," Dadu said gently, seeing her trembling and sobbing uncontrollably.
For some reason, she had already touched his heart. Her face looked calm and pure, almost divine—like Goddess Lakshmi herself.
Her red, teary eyes, her trembling nose, her fair skin flushed from crying—everything about her made her look heartbreakingly innocent and adorable.
Abhinay put the call on speaker.
After two or three rings, the call was answered, as if the person had been waiting for it.
"Hello, Rakesh. Come here immediately,"
Abhinay said firmly.
There was some muffled conversation from the other side, and then Abhinay disconnected the call.
"He's on his way," Abhinay announced.
"Sit down, child. Don't cry.
Can you tell us what exactly happened and how you ended up here?" Mahesh asked softly.
She was too scared to speak. Words refused to come out of her mouth.
"Shivay, take her upstairs to a room," Dadu said, worried about her condition.
"But, Dada, the marriage happened with her instead of Isha.
We don't even know this girl! Those people have deceived us!" Dinesh said angrily.
"Dinesh, calm down. The marriage has already taken place. We cannot change that now. They will pay for this
deception, but first, let us understand what actually happened," Dadu replied firmly.
"He's right. We can't change the truth now. Shivay, take her upstairs," Abhinay ordered.
Shivay silently extended his hand towards her again, his face
expressionless.
Without hesitation, she placed her trembling hand in his. He led her upstairs to his room.
To be continued...