Vihaan, his chest heaving with urgency, pulled out his phone and shoved the screen in front of Gauri's eyes.
Her breath hitched. On the screen, Charvi sat bound inside a car, her face streaked with tears, pleading desperately: "Didi, please save me… don't let them take me!"
Gauri's world collapsed in that instant. "CHARVI!" she screamed, her eyes flooding as her trembling hands shot forward, clutching Vihaan's collar in raw fury.
"If anything happens to my sister," she spat, her voice breaking under the weight of grief and rage, "I will never forgive you, Vihaan! I swear on my blood, I will not spare you!"
Her tears burned down her cheeks, grief turning into a storm of defiance.
Inside, Vihaan's heart twisted. The video you saw… it's nothing but an illusion I created with my powers, he thought, guilt clawing at his chest. Charvi must be safe at home. But I have no choice… I need you, Gauri. Only this way can I save my family.
Out loud, his tone hardened, masking his turmoil. "If you want your sister to be safe, then you will agree to marry me," he said, his words cold and edged like steel. "Otherwise… you will never see her again."
Gauri's grip faltered, her hands slipping from his collar. She staggered back, her face pale, staring at him in disbelief.
"You…" she whispered, her lips trembling, "…you would stoop this low?"
Her heart pounded like a drum of betrayal, torn between the terror for her sister and the hatred for the man standing before her.
Vihaan's jaw tightened, his patience thinning with every heartbeat. "I don't have time for your nonsense, Gauri. Come with me."
Before she could reply, his hand closed firmly around hers, pulling her toward his car with unrelenting force.
"Leave me!" she snapped, trying to wrestle free—but the image of Charvi, tied and crying for help, burned behind her eyes. Fear clawed at her heart. If she resisted now, what if something happened to her little sister?
Her breath hitched, her strength wavered, and her hands went limp in his grasp. She stopped struggling, her silence a bitter surrender to the threat that loomed over her family.
Vihaan dragged her to his car and opened the door, practically pushing her inside before circling around to the driver's seat.
Gauri's eyes brimmed with tears, but she held her head high, staring out of the window, her voice cracking as she whispered, "For Charvi, I'll endure this. But one day, Vihaan Kothari… you'll answer for this sin."
Vihaan didn't meet her gaze. His hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white, as the car roared forward into the night. His heart thudded with conflict, but he silenced it, focusing on the road ahead.
The temple bells soon came into view, their echoing chimes cutting through the darkness. At the edge of the temple grounds stood the ancient banyan tree, its sprawling roots twisting like serpents into the earth, its branches stretching wide like a silent witness to fate.
Vihaan's voice was low, urgent. "We've reached. This is where it will happen."
Gauri's stomach churned with dread as the car came to a halt, the sacred tree looming before them—a tree that would soon bind her to a man she despised, under circumstances she could never forgive.
The car screeched to a halt at the foot of the ancient banyan tree. The temple bells rang in the distance, their hollow clang echoing through the night.
Vihaan stepped out without hesitation, his eyes fixed on the sprawling roots of the sacred tree. Rounding to the passenger side, he opened the door and extended his hand.
Gauri sat frozen, her knuckles pale from clenching her dupatta. Every fiber of her being screamed to resist, to run—but Charvi's face in that cruel video held her bound tighter than any rope. Her breath shuddered as she slowly placed her trembling hand in his.
Vihaan pulled her out, his grip firm, unyielding. Gauri followed him like a shadow stripped of will, each step heavy with despair.
Under the towering banyan, everything was ready. A havan kund burned brightly, its flames dancing with an unnatural glow, casting long shadows across the sacred ground. A priest stood waiting, his voice calm but urgent, as if he, too, felt the weight of the night.
Without a word, Vihaan took a crimson veil from the priest's hand and gently draped it over Gauri's head. She stiffened, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks, but made no move to stop him. The veil fell like a shroud, sealing her into a fate she never chose.
Above them, the moon burned unnaturally bright. The strange sigil that had appeared earlier now pulsed across its surface, radiating power that made the air feel heavy.
The priest began chanting, his voice deep and rhythmic, ancient syllables vibrating through the night. The holy fire crackled, answering the invocations as if it recognized the gravity of what was unfolding.
Gauri's sobs were silent but relentless, her tears staining the edge of her veil. She looked at Vihaan from beneath the cloth, hatred and anguish mingling in her gaze.
Vihaan, however, stared into the flames, his jaw tight. His mind flickered back to Yug's convulsing form, his body seized by Kamini's dark energy, his life slipping away with every passing second.
I don't have the luxury of choice, he thought bitterly. If this marriage is the only way to save him, then so be it. Even if it destroys her… and me.
The priest's voice rose, signaling the beginning of the sacred vows. The night seemed to hold its breath, as if even the stars leaned closer to witness the forced union of two souls caught between duty and despair.