A Gift and Letter

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In just a short while, after completing the farewell rituals, Sanjay, Shalini, Preeti, Vikram, Anokhi, and Rishabh left for Vikram’s house. Meanwhile, the others took Shivika to Shergill Mansion.

Vikram’s house

Shalini performed the aarti for Vikram and Preeti and then welcomed Preeti into the house. Anokhi quickly brought a large tray filled with milk and a few rose petals and made Vikram and Preeti sit facing each other.

Anokhi said, “Well, I don’t need to explain because everyone already knows about this ritual. So no chatter, let’s start the game!”

Just as Anokhi was about to drop the ring into the tray, Vikram stopped her and said, “Wait a minute. First, tell me whose side you’re on.”

“What do you mean, Bhaiya? Does it matter whose side I’m on?” Anokhi asked.

Vikram narrowed his eyes at her and said, “It does matter, kiddo. If you’re on your Bhabhi Maa’s side, I’m sure you’ll purposely drop the ring toward her so she can get it easily.”

Hearing this, Anokhi pouted and said, “Bhaiya, are you calling me a cheater? Do I look like someone who cheats?”

In the same tone, Vikram replied, “Yes, little sister. Kids with innocent faces like yours are the ones who cheat in school, and teachers think such an innocent child could never cheat.”

Everyone burst out laughing at Vikram’s comment, and Anokhi pouted even more. She said, “Fine, then I won’t drop the ring.”

As she started to get up, Preeti grabbed her hand and made her sit back down, saying, “Anu, where are you going? And you stop it, Vikram! How much will you tease her?”

Hearing Preeti, Vikram fell silent. Anokhi teased, “Wow, Bhaiya. Just one word from Bhabhi Maa, and you’re quiet. Bhabhi Maa is a strong player. I’m on Bhabhi Maa’s side, but I won’t cheat. I’ll drop the ring in the middle.”

Anokhi dropped the ring into the milk and swirled it. Both Vikram and Preeti started searching for the ring. After some time, Vikram found it.

Anokhi encouraged Preeti, saying, “Bhabhi Maa, win quickly. You have to win!”

The second time, Preeti found the ring. She found it the third time as well.

Noticing the glow on Preeti’s face after her win, Vikram held her hand in the milk. Preeti looked at him in surprise. Everyone noticed their hands paused in one place but didn’t say anything.

Anokhi said, “Bhaiya-Bhabhi Maa, why have you stopped? Did someone find the ring?”

When Anokhi grabbed Vikram’s hand and lifted it, everyone saw that Vikram was holding Preeti’s hand, and the ring was in Preeti’s hand.

Shalini teased, “Oh, so that’s why your hands stopped! This naughty one held her hand.”

Vikram smiled and said, “Hey, I held my wife’s hand. I can hold it whenever I want. Now no one can stop me.”

Everyone smiled at his words, and Preeti’s face flushed. Her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment, and she silently cursed Vikram for putting her in this situation. Then Anokhi said, “But who’s the winner? Well, since the ring is in Bhabhi Maa’s hand, she’s the winner!”

Sitting beside Vikram, Rishabh smiled at Anokhi and said, “True. Your Bhabhi Maa won the game. But she also lost something in the process.”

Hearing this, everyone smiled, and Anokhi looked confused. “Lost? What did she lose?” she asked.

At that moment, Vikram took the ring from Preeti’s hand and slid it onto her finger, smiling. “Don’t overthink, Princess. And my dear brother, stop. Otherwise, my wife will punish me by throwing me out of the room tonight.”

Before he could finish, Preeti pinched his hand. Vikram yelped, and everyone looked at him. Vikram, now rubbing his hand, smiled at Preeti, who still had her eyes lowered—a sight he found utterly adorable.

Shalini smiled and said to Anokhi, “Anu, take your Bhabhi Maa to her room. She must be tired. All the rituals are done. Tomorrow morning, we have the first kitchen ritual.”

“Okay, let’s go, Bhabhi Maa,” Anokhi said and escorted Preeti to her room. Everyone else went to their rooms, leaving only Vikram and Rishabh in the hall.

Noticing Vikram deep in thought, Rishabh asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Vikram said, startled.

“I asked, what’s wrong? What are you thinking about?” Rishabh repeated.

“I’m wondering if your wife will let me into the room or not.”

“What do you mean?” Rishabh asked, confused.

Vikram said, “You weren’t there. You went to the study. Shivika really gave your brother a hard time. She didn’t let him into the room. And your wife? She’s four steps ahead of everyone. Who knows what she’ll do to me? Whether she’ll even let me in or not, and if she does, in what condition? Princess, why are you troubling me like this?”

Vikram dramatically pretended to cry, and seeing this, Rishabh chuckled.

Seeing him smile, Vikram said irritably, "Here your friend is troubled, he’s so tense, and you're standing here smiling? Stop smiling and help me out. Go, take your wife along with you."

Rishabh walked over, put a hand on Vikram's shoulder, and said, "Rishabh Shergill helps only once, and I already did that for you on the Haldi day. Anyway, you’re the one parading her around like a princess, so handle your princess yourself. Okay, good night. That is, if the night turns out to be good."

Saying this, he began to leave but then stopped, turned back, and said to Vikram, "Oh, and whatever you say, think carefully, because no one can beat my wife in arguments—except me. And send my wife back soon, alright? Bye."

With a smile, he went to the guest room, leaving Vikram glaring at him until the door closed. Thinking something, Vikram too headed towards his room.

When he reached near his room, he saw Anokhi standing outside as if guarding the door. He hid behind a pillar and began watching her. Anokhi was tapping her feet on the ground and looking left and right repeatedly.

Seeing her, Vikram said to himself, "Oh man, she’s standing like she won’t let me in no matter what I say or do. What do I do now? I’ll have to come up with some trick, or I’ll end up spending the night outside the room."

Vikram stood there, lost in thought. Meanwhile, Anokhi continued waiting for him. A lot of time passed, but Vikram didn’t show up. Walking slowly here and there, she headed towards the hall while muttering, "Where is Vikram Bhaiya? I’ve been waiting for so long. Even Bhabhi is waiting, but he doesn’t seem to care about coming."

Then, with widened eyes, she said a little louder, "Could it be that he and Rishabh Ji have sat down to party? You can’t trust these two friends—they’ll start doing anything. If they’re really partying alone at this hour and Vikram Bhaiya is leaving Bhabhi Maa behind to party, I won’t spare him."

Vikram, hiding behind the pillar, heard her. Smiling to himself, he walked quietly towards her and said, "Hey, Princess, what are you doing here? Why haven’t you gone to sleep?"

"Forget about me, Bhaiya. Tell me, where were you, and what were you doing? Tell the truth—were you partying with Rishabh Ji? That’s why you’re so late, isn’t it? Shame on you! Here your sister is standing outside the door waiting, your wife is waiting inside the room, and you’re busy partying!"

"Oh, my little express train, calm down. I wasn’t partying. I had an important phone call to attend. And as for your Rishabh Ji, I don’t know about him. But now that I’m here, why don’t you go and look for your Rishabh Ji? I’m going inside."

As he moved towards the room, Anokhi blocked his way and said, "Not so fast."

"What do you mean?" Vikram asked, pretending not to understand.

Anokhi extended her hands forward and said, "Don’t play dumb, Bhaiya. By now, you must know about the dwar chekai ritual, right? It’s not just for namesake; it’s done by the groom’s sister, and I’m your sister. So I’ll do it."

"Alright then. I never said no. Tell me, what do you want? Should I gift you a car? Or maybe some property in your name? Should I take you on a world tour? Or buy you a nice dress? Or take you shopping? Tell me, what do you want?" Vikram asked calmly.

Anokhi made a face and said, "Oh, you agreed without arguing! That’s not fair! There’s supposed to be some banter, some little fights, some debates."

"But I don’t want to argue with my sister—especially not now, when my wife must be waiting for me inside. I’ll give you whatever you want. Just ask," Vikram said.

Anokhi thought for a moment, then smiled mischievously and said, "Alright then. What if I ask you to stay outside the room all night? Yes, that’s a great idea. You stay here, and I’ll sleep with Bhabhi Maa. We’ll have a girls' night party—it’ll be so much fun!"

Hearing this, Vikram’s head spun. He was sure his mischievous sister was serious. Without wasting a second, he looked behind Anokhi and suddenly said, "Hey Rishabh, be careful!"

"What? Rishabh Ji? What happened?" Anokhi turned around in panic.

But when she looked back, there was no one—definitely not Rishabh. Just then, the sound of a door closing caught her attention. She turned around to see that Vikram had already entered the room and closed the door.

Anokhi banged on the door, shouting, "Bhaiya, this is cheating! You can’t do this to me!"

"Sorry, Princess, but I know you wouldn’t have let me in so easily. That’s why I had to do this. Don’t worry, I’ll make up for it by giving you your favorite thing. But for now, good night. Go to your husband—he must be waiting for you. Bye!"

"Bhaiya, I won’t spare you!" Anokhi said, stomping her foot as she walked away.

Shergill Mansion

In Shergill Mansion, Hardik and Shivika's ring ceremony was taking place. In the first round, Shivika found the ring, and in the second, Hardik did. In the third round, both were searching for the ring together. Everyone was cheering for their respective teams, while Shivika and Hardik focused on finding the ring.

Just then, Hardik's hand touched the ring, and a smile appeared on his face, which Shivika noticed. Under the milk, Shivika held Hardik's hand, and Hardik looked at her.

Seeing him look, Shivika winked at him. Hardik's eyes widened in surprise. Seizing the moment, Shivika snatched the ring from his hand and started showing it to everyone, who clapped for her.

Hardik calmed the crowd and said, "Wait a minute, wait a minute! Was there any cheating here?"

"What cheating did I do?" Shivika asked innocently, giving Hardik an innocent look. Everyone waited for Hardik's reply, but he said nothing. In his mind, he thought, "Shivika, you’re getting mischievous, aren’t you? Wait till we meet in the room, then I’ll show you."

Somehow, Shivika seemed to have read Hardik's thoughts and shyly lowered her gaze. Just then, the mansion's guard arrived and said to Alok, "Sir, a man has come with a parcel outside."

"Oh? Who is it, and why has he come so late at night?" Alok asked.

The guard replied, "Sir, he says he is from Mr. Khurana and has a parcel for Hardik."

Hearing Mr. Khurana's name, everyone's eyes turned toward Hardik. The smile vanished from Hardik's face, replaced by a calm expression. Without any visible reaction, he told the guard, "Alright, let him in."

"Okay, sir," the guard said and left.

After a while, a man entered holding a parcel. He greeted Hardik and handed over the parcel, saying, "Sir, this is a wedding gift from Mr. Khurana, along with these papers." He handed a file to Hardik.

Hardik took the parcel and the file without saying a word. The man left. Everyone was watching Hardik.

Dadaji said, "Hardik, Shivika, you both must be tired. Go and rest. And Hardik, calmly check what your uncle has sent, alright?" Saying this, Dadaji patted Hardik’s shoulder.

Hardik nodded in agreement. Surekha and Shobha escorted Shivika to her room, while Hardik sat in the hall, lost in thought.

"What are you thinking, Hardik?" Alok asked. Hardik looked up at him.

Sitting beside him, Alok said, "Hardik, relationships are strange. When they’re close, they feel ordinary, but when they’re distant, you feel their absence. And as for what happened with your uncle, we all know. His wife left him for someone else. In all this, he forgot his own family."

"What are you trying to say, Uncle?" Hardik asked, confused. Alok pointed to the file and said, "I don’t know what’s in the box, but I know what’s in the file."

"What’s in it?" Hardik asked. Alok, recalling something, said:

Flashback

A week ago, Alok went to a lawyer's chamber to collect a file for his business partner. As he approached the cabin, he noticed the door was slightly ajar and saw Mr. Khurana inside. He could also hear his voice.

Mr. Khurana was telling the lawyer, "I want to transfer these properties to Mr. Hardik Khurana and his future wife, Mrs. Shivika Hardik Khurana."

The lawyer asked, "Mr. Khurana, I’ve known you for years. Don’t you only have a daughter? And Hardik Khurana is your younger brother’s son. Didn’t you already give all of your younger brother’s share of the property to Mr. Hardik Khurana years ago?"

"These are my personal properties, and I want to gift them to him as part of his wedding. I have never fulfilled any duty toward him. When he was left alone, I gave him his share of the property, making him even lonelier. I couldn’t even be there for him or my daughter, Alia. But now, I don’t want to repeat my mistakes. He is starting a new life, a family. He deserves the family he always wanted. This is just a small gift from me, on behalf of his grandfather."

End of Flashback

Listening to Alok, Hardik’s eyes remained fixed on the papers bearing his and Shivika’s names, signed by Mr. Khurana.

Alok said, "Life tests us in many ways, Hardik. Sometimes it leaves us alone; other times, it reunites us. Accepting your uncle’s gift is up to you, but if you ask me, you should accept it. The rest is your decision." Saying this, Alok left.

After sitting for a while, Hardik stood up and went to his room. Inside, the room was decorated just like a wedding night. But instead of feeling the vibe, he searched for Shivika, who was not there.

His steps led him to the balcony, where Shivika stood. When Hardik called her name, she turned to look at him. After a moment, she gestured for him to come closer, and Hardik walked toward her.

When he reached her, Shivika took the box from his hand and placed it on the side table. She made him sit on the sofa and sat in front of him.

"What are you thinking?" Shivika asked. Hardik shook his head.

Shivika placed the box in his hands and said, "Open it."

"You open it," Hardik replied. Shivika looked at him and then opened the box.

Inside was a beautiful set of jewelry—a lovely necklace and earrings. Touching the necklace, Shivika said, "This is so beautiful."

Hardik, touching the necklace, said, "This necklace..." He trailed off.

Shivika asked, "Whose necklace is this?"

Hardik replied, ""This is Grandma's necklace, which is given to the daughter-in-law of the house. Grandma gave it to Mom, and later, after Chachi arrived, Mom gave it to her. Since then, I haven’t seen this necklace. When Uncle gave me my share of the property and Mom's jewelry, this necklace wasn’t included. "

"But he is giving it today because now I am the daughter-in-law of the Khurana family," Shivika said, and Hardik started looking at her.

When Shivika opened the box, she found a letter inside. She picked it up and began to read:

"Hardik,

I know you are angry with me, or perhaps you hate me. Even if you do, you are justified. I had wronged you deeply. Just a few days after Bhaiya and Bhabhi passed away, your aunt left me for someone else. In all this, I lost my mind. I threw you out of the house after giving you Bhaiya's share of the property and Bhabhi's jewelry, saying, ‘When Bhaiya and Bhabhi are no more, what will you do in this house?’

I broke the relationships with my own hands that day. And I couldn’t even raise Alia properly. When she needed me the most, I was consumed by work. I kept giving her expensive things, fulfilling all her material wishes, but I couldn’t provide her the upbringing she needed. That spoiled her completely.

I know somewhere you might think I am saying this because you sent Alia to jail. But that's not true. I know whatever you did was for Alia's good because she had crossed all limits. If she hadn’t been stopped then, she would have done something far worse.

I also know you feel bad for her somewhere deep down. But I am not here to talk about Alia. I want to talk about you and your new life.

I didn’t have the courage to face you, so I’m writing this letter. If possible, forgive your uncle. And please, please accept this necklace.

You must have recognized it by now; this is your Grandma’s necklace, which is given to the Khurana family's daughter-in-law. Now, Shivika is the daughter-in-law of the Khurana family, and she deserves it. That’s why I’m giving it.

As for the property papers, they are for you and Shivika from my side. These are the papers for the Khurana Mansion, which Bhaiya also had a right to, but I couldn’t give it to you then. I am transferring it to your name now.

If you don’t wish to live in that mansion, that’s fine. But whenever you feel like staying there, just let me know. I will leave the mansion. I can’t leave it now because, as you know, Grandma always wanted that mansion never to be closed or abandoned. She always wanted family members to live there.

So, I am not leaving it for now. But the moment you decide to come, I will move out. That’s all I wanted to say.

You’re starting a new life, and you’re building your own family. Always stay happy. Shivika is a wonderful girl. My blessings will always be with both of you.

Stay happy.

Your Chachu."**

After reading the entire letter, Shivika looked up at Hardik, who was staring at the candles burning in the room, his eyes slightly moist.

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