“Aarohi!”

Vihaan’s voice cut through the stunned silence of the hall like a whip. He stepped onto the stage in a heartbeat, his face darkened with a mixture of shock and thunderous fury.

Aarohi didn't back down. Her palm was still stinging from the force of the strike, her breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps as she glared at Rudra with a hatred so pure, so visceral, that it seemed to burn through the air between them.

“How dare you raise your hand against my brother!” Vihaan demanded, his dark eyes locking onto hers. The protective instinct he had always held for his family flared up violently, eclipsing the quiet warmth that had passed between them just an hour ago.

“How dare I? Are you fucking serious, Vihaan?” Aarohi spat, her voice raw with grief and disbelief. She gestured wildly toward the limp form of Naina on the marble floor. “Your brother just systematically destroyed my friend in front of a room full of strangers! He called her characterless! He publicly abandoned his own child, and you are standing there shouting at me?”

“Just like you blindly trust your friend, I trust my brother!” Vihaan retaliated, taking a intimidating step toward her. The air between them, once filled with unspoken promises, was now poisoned with betrayal. “If Rudra says he is not the father, then he isn’t! Naina lied to you, Aarohi. She used you, and she is using him!”

“Yes, Aarohi…” Riya chimed in, stepping up beside Rudra. She cast a disdainful, pitying glance at Naina before looking at Aarohi with cold certainty. “Bhai would never lie about something as serious as this. We know him. I trust him completely, and you have no right to assault him.”

A bitter, hysterical laugh escaped Aarohi’s lips. She looked at Vihaan, searching his face for even a sliver of the man who had held her hand so gently moments before putting a ring on her finger. But all she found was a solid, impenetrable wall of Malhotra pride.

“You truly are his brother,” Aarohi whispered, the words dripping with agonizing disappointment. “When it comes down to it, you don’t care about the truth. You only care about protecting your precious, untouchable family name.”

“That is enough!” Gayatri’s authoritative voice boomed across the stage as she stepped forward, her silk saree rustling loudly. “We have tolerated enough drama from these middle-class girls tonight. You slap my son in my own house, in front of our guests? Have you lost your mind? Security, escort this girl out!”

“Don’t you dare lay a finger on her!”

Kabir’s voice roared from the floor, dangerous and unyielding.

He didn't care about the security, the guests, or the scandal breaking out around them. He gently slid his arms beneath Naina—who was barely groaning, her eyelids fluttering weakly as consciousness slowly bled back into her shattered body—and lifted her securely into his arms.

Standing up to his full height with Naina held close to his chest, Kabir fixed his gaze on his Rudra and his parents.

“If anyone touches Aarohi, I swear to God I will burn this place to the ground,” Kabir threatened, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched violently in his cheek.

Naina’s mother stepped forward, weeping hysterically, her hands clutching her chest. “Kabir, put her down! She has ruined us! She has dragged our pride into the dirt! What will society say? How will we ever show our faces again?”

“Pride?” Kabir barked, turning his searing gaze onto Naina’s mother. “Your daughter was just publicly humiliated and branded a liar by the man she loved, and your primary concern is society? She is bleeding on the inside, Aunty! If you can’t stand up for your own daughter when she’s being torn apart, then step aside!”

“Kabir, control yourself!” Rudra’s father, snapped, his face flushed with embarrassment. He gestured angrily toward his son. “You are an outsider who has no right to interfere in our internal family matters! You are standing against our blood for a girl who tried to trick us!”

“I’m proud to be an outsider if your blood teaches you to act like a coward!” Kabir shot back, glaring straight into Rudra’s eyes.

Rudra flinched as if struck. He stood frozen, his cheek still burning red from Aarohi’s slap, his eyes locked on Naina’s pale, tear-stained face resting helplessly against Kabir’s shoulder. A faint, broken murmur escaped Naina’s lips… “Rudra…” …a soft, involuntary plea made in her semi-conscious state.

Hearing his name on her lips fractured something deep inside Rudra, but before he could take a step, Vihaan placed a firm, heavy hand on his shoulder, keeping him grounded beside their parents.

Vihaan’s father, Shakti Malhotra, stepped forward with his wife, Meenakshi, standing rigidly by his side. Shakti’s authoritative voice boomed over the hushed murmurs of the room.

“Enough of this madness!” Shakti declared, throwing a harsh, dismissive look toward Kabir and the girls. “The Malhotra family will not be held hostage by wild allegations and middle-class drama. If Rudra has spoken his decision, then that is the end of it. We are business leaders in this city; we have a status to maintain!”

Meenakshi adjusted her designer silk pallu, her expression dripping with cold arrogance as she looked at Aarohi. “Vihaan, control your fiancée. She has already humiliated us enough by striking your cousin in our house. Tell her to apologize to this family right now!”

Vihaan looked back at Aarohi, his heart tearing in two directions. The heavy weight of his engagement ring on his finger suddenly felt like an iron shackle. He was caught between his fierce loyalty to his brother and the desperate, burning love he felt for the woman standing across from him.

“Aarohi, listen to reason,” Vihaan urged, his voice dropping into a tight, frantic whisper as he reached out toward her. “Let the elders handle this. Don't ruin everything between us over this. My family just needs time to sort this out. Please... just step back.”

Aarohi looked down at her own hand, at the sparkling diamond ring Vihaan had placed there only minutes ago. The light it caught felt hollow now. Cold. Meaningless.

“Step back?” Aarohi’s voice trembled with a lethal mix of heartbreak and disgust. “You want me to stand quietly while your family destroys my best friend? You want me to play the dutiful daughter-in-law while a woman’s life is dragged through the dirt?”

Slowly, deliberately, Aarohi raised her left hand. Her fingers wrapped around the silver band, and with a single, firm pull, she slipped the engagement ring off her finger.

Vihaan’s breath hitched violently in his throat. “Aarohi… what are you doing?”

Meenakshi gasped in outrage. “Have you lost your mind, girl?”

Without a single word of apology, Aarohi held out her palm and let the ring drop. It hit the polished marble floor with a sharp, echoing clink, rolling a few inches before coming to a stop near Rudra’s expensive shoes.

“Aarohi!” Vihaan gasped, his composure completely shattering as he took a step forward, his hand extending instinctively to grab hers.

“Don’t touch me,” Aarohi said, her voice terrifyingly calm as she took a step back, positioning herself shoulder-to-shoulder with Kabir. “If believing your brother means turning a blind eye to a innocent woman’s destruction, then I don’t belong in your world. I thought you were different, Vihaan. I thought you were a man who stood for truth. But you’re just a Malhotra.”

The words struck Vihaan like a physical blow, stripping the air from his lungs. He stared at her, completely paralyzed, as the space between them widened into an unbridgeable chasm.

“How dare you insult our family!” Shakti roared, taking a step toward Aarohi. “You come from a modest background, and we welcomed you into our home! You will regret this insolence!”

“She won’t regret a single thing, Mr. Malhotra.”

A strong, clear voice rang out from the back of the stage.

Vinod and Smrita, Aarohi’s parents, stepped forward through the crowd. Smrita immediately wrapped a protective arm around her daughter’s trembling shoulders, while Vinod stood tall, his jaw set, facing the powerful Malhotra patriarchs without a hint of fear.

“Papa…” Aarohi whispered, tears finally cascading down her cheeks.

Vinod looked at Shakti and Meenakshi with utter disdain. “We may be simple people, Mr. Malhotra, but we raised our daughter with values, integrity, and a spine. We have complete and total faith in Aarohi. If she stands by Naina tonight, it is because she knows what is right.”

Smrita glared at Meenakshi, her voice shaking with quiet motherly fury. “We thought we were giving our daughter into a home where she would be loved and respected. But today, we saw the truth. You take pleasure in someone else’s ruin. You trade human dignity for your pride and your precious status.”

“Mind your language, Vinod!” Mahendra snapped, his face turning red. “You are speaking to the Malhotras!”

“And you are speaking to a father!” Vinod fired back, his voice echoing through the massive hall, silencing the wealthy elite gathered around them. “I would rather have my daughter live in a small house with her head held high than send her into a palace of cold-hearted monsters who crush innocent girls to save their reputation!”

Vinod turned to Vihaan, who was standing pale and speechless, staring at the ring lying uselessly on the floor.

“You lost a diamond today, Vihaan,” Vinod said softly, the pity in his voice cutting deeper than anger. “Because you were too weak to stand up for the truth.”

“You lost a diamond today, Vihaan,” Vinod said softly, the pity in his voice cutting deeper than anger. “Because you were too weak to stand up for the truth.”

“Aarohi…”

A faint, trembling murmur broke through the chaos. Aarohi turned around to see Naina, who had regained partial consciousness, looking up at her with tears spilling helplessly over her pale cheeks.

“Please… please take me away from here…” Naina sobbed, her fingers weakly clutching Kabir’s jacket. “Please take me home…”

Aarohi’s heart shattered into a thousand jagged pieces. Naina was more than just a friend—she was the sister Aarohi had chosen in this life. Seeing a girl usually so bright, confident, and resilient reduced to a broken shell in the middle of a ruthless crowd tore Aarohi apart from the inside out.

“I’m taking you home, Naina,” Aarohi promised, her voice laced with soft, fierce devotion as she wiped a tear from Naina’s cheek. “I’ve got you.”

Aarohi moved to Naina’s left, shielding her, while Kabir held her securely on the right. Together with Aarohi’s parents, they turned toward the massive mahogany doors of the hall, ready to leave the toxic spectacle behind.

“Kabir! Stop right there!”

Riya’s frantic voice pierced the room. She hurried down the stage steps, her heavy designer lehenga rustling loudly as she threw herself directly into Kabir’s path, blocking the exit. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her face twisted in a mixture of panic, anger, and utter disbelief.

“Kabir… you cannot be serious!” Riya cried out, her hands reaching out to grab his forearm, though Kabir instinctively pulled back. “You cannot break everything between us because of her! She is lying, Kabir! Look around you… everyone sees it!”

“Move out of the way, Riya,” Kabir said, his tone dangerously low, a storm brewing behind his dark eyes.

“No! I won't!” Riya shouted, her voice trembling as the crowd watched on. “I agree that Bhai went too far! He shouldn't have called Naina characterless in front of everyone… that was wrong! But why are you choosing her over me? Over our relationship? Over our future?”

Aarohi stepped forward, her eyes blazing. “Riya, have some shame! Your brother just publicly humiliated a woman he claimed to love, and all you care about is maintaining the Malhotra family narrative! Naina is innocent, and Kabir is doing what any decent human being would do!”

“Stay out of this, Aarohi!” Vihaan barked, stepping off the stage to stand beside his sister, his face pale and eyes burning with complex grief. “You’ve already thrown away our ring and dragged my family’s name through the mud! Don’t poison my sister’s relationship too!”

“She didn’t poison it, Vihaan—you did!” Kabir roared, his restraint completely snapping as he stared down the man he had once considered a brother. “You stood there and watched Rudra butcher an innocent girl’s dignity, and then you had the nerve to defend him! You’re so blinded by your legacy that you can’t tell right from wrong anymore!”

“He is my brother, Kabir!” Vihaan shouted back, stepping directly into Kabir’s space, his fists tightly clenched. “Loyalty means something in this family! If Rudra says the child isn’t his, I stand by him!”

“Then your loyalty is spineless!” Aarohi spat at Vihaan, her voice ringing with absolute clarity. “And it’s toxic!”

Riya’s composure completely disintegrated. Watching Kabir hold Naina so protectively—watching him choose to walk away from their upcoming engagement without a second thought—ignited a blinding, ugly jealous fury inside her.

“Why do you care so much about her, Kabir? Huh?” Riya shrieked, her voice hysterically echoing off the high ceiling. “Why are you fighting everyone for her? Unless… unless she didn’t lie about being pregnant, but lied about who the father is! Is that it? Are you the father, Kabir? Is that why you’re acting like her knight in shining armor? Did you sleep with my brother's fiancée?!”

The entire hall gasped in collective horror. The accusation hung in the air like a poisonous fog.

Kabir’s mind went completely blank.

A violent surge of rage hit him so fast, so hard, that his body moved on pure instinct. Offended to his absolute core by the disgusting accusation against his honor and Naina's helpless state, Kabir’s right hand flew back, curling into a tight fist as he raised it toward Riya.

“Kabir, NO!” Aarohi screamed, lunging forward to catch his arm.

Riya flinched, instinctively ducking her head and raising her hands in terror.

Kabir froze mid-air, his chest heaving like a wounded animal. His hand hovered in the space between them, trembling violently with unspent fury. He looked at his raised fist, then at Riya’s terrified face, and finally at Naina, who was weeping silently against his chest, terrified by the violence exploding around her.

Slowly, deliberately, Kabir lowered his hand. The muscle in his jaw twitched so hard it looked painful.

“You just proved…” Kabir whispered, his voice shaking with a terrifying, icy calm that was far worse than his rage, “…that you really are a Malhotra through and through. Sick. Vicious. And hollow.”

Riya’s breath caught in her throat, the realization of what she had just said washing over her as her face paled. “Kabir… I… I didn’t mean—”

“Don’t touch me,” Kabir said softly, stepping around her as if she were a stranger. “We are done, Riya. Whatever we had… it died the moment those words left your mouth.”

The heavy silence of the hall stretched out behind them, thick with the scandal and heartbreak left in their wake. Step by heavy step, Kabir walked toward the massive entrance, his arms holding Naina securely against his chest, while Aarohi and her parents guarded their sides like an unyielding wall.

They were mere inches from crossing the grand marble threshold—seconds away from leaving the suffocating nightmare forever—when a sharp, shrill voice sliced through the air.

“If you come back right now and accept the ring, Aarohi, I will forget everything that happened tonight and still make you the daughter-in-law of this house. Think carefully!”

It was Meenakshi. She stood near the edge of the stage, her posture stiff, her head held high as if she were bestowing a royal pardon upon a commoner.

For a long, agonizing moment, no one moved. The entire hall held its breath. The quiet was so absolute that the heavy, shallow breathing of the broken family at the door echoed clearly off the high ceilings.

Suddenly, Aarohi stopped.

She froze right at the threshold, her back still turned to the room.

A sudden wave of relief washed over Vihaan. His bloodshot eyes widened, a desperate flicker of hope igniting in his chest. She’s coming back, he thought frantically, his heart pounding against his ribs. She’s going to fix this.

Meenakshi’s lips curved into a triumphant, mocking sneer. She adjusted her diamond necklace, casting a smug look toward Gayatri. In her eyes, no middle-class girl could ever truly walk away from the immense wealth, power, and prestige of the Malhotra empire. Money and status always won.

Slowly, Aarohi turned around.

She didn't look broken. She didn't look defeated. Her stance was rigid, her jaw set, and her tear-stained face bore an expression of such cold, absolute authority that even the oldest patriarchs in the room shifted uncomfortably.

Aarohi walked back into the hall. Her heavy lehenga rustled against the floor as she bypassed the staring guests, her eyes locked straight ahead. Vihaan took an eager step forward, extending his hand toward her, his lips parting to speak her name.

“Aarohi—”

She stood before him and took his head. For a second, relief came into Vihaan’s heart, but when he felt Aarohi taking his engagement ring off, the relief turned into dread.

Meenakshi’s smug smile widened. “A sensible decision, girl. Apologize to your elders, and we shall…”

“Shut up.”

The words were spoken softly, but they landed like a thunderclap.

Meenakshi gasped, her eyes bulging in utter shock. “What did you just say to me?!”

Aarohi closed her fingers around the diamond ring, clutching it tightly in her fist as she stepped directly into Meenakshi’s personal space. Her gaze was sharp enough to draw blood.

“I am taking this ring with me,” Aarohi said, her voice dripping with lethal, quiet venom, “because it was bought by my father. And I refuse to leave anything that belongs to my family behind to be sullied by the hands of a Malhotra.”

Vihaan’s breath caught in his throat. The hope that had briefly flared in his chest shattered into jagged pieces.

Aarohi leaned in slightly, her eyes narrowing as she looked Meenakshi up and down with pure, unadulterated disgust.

“And as for your generous offer…” Aarohi continued, a bitter, mocking smile touching her lips, “…you must have completely lost your mind if you think I would ever want to be your daughter-in-law. You couldn’t pay me all the money in your bank accounts to step foot into a house so hollow, so rotten, and so completely devoid of humanity.”

Meenakshi went deathly pale, her lips trembling in rage, but for the first time in her life, she was completely speechless.

Aarohi turned on her heel without granting anyone another second of her time. She walked back to the door, slipping her hand into her father’s, while Kabir tightened his hold on Naina.

Together, they crossed the threshold into the cool night air, leaving the Malhotra legacy crumbling under the weight of its own disgrace.