The first light of dawn spilled across the sky as Gauri, exhausted and broken, finally reached home. Her clothes were dust-streaked from the long trek, her eyes swollen from a night of endless tears.
"Charvi!" she called out hoarsely, her voice cracking.
The door creaked open, and Charvi came running, worry etched across her face. "Didi!"
Before Charvi could ask more, Gauri threw her arms around her younger sister, clutching her tightly as though she might vanish. Her body shook with sobs, startling Charvi.
"Didi… why are you crying like this? What happened?" Charvi asked, her voice trembling.
Between sobs, Gauri pulled back just enough to look at her. "Vihaan… he deceived me, Charvi. He trapped me… he blackmailed me into marrying him. He showed me a video of you—tied up, pleading for help. I thought your life was in danger… I didn't know what else to do."
Charvi froze, stunned. Her hand tightened on Gauri's shoulder. "What? But… I'm fine, Didi. Vihaan never touched me. I was here the whole night!"
Gauri's lips trembled as she shook her head, disbelief and anguish battling inside her. "Then he lied… he ruined everything with his lies…"
At that moment, Gayatri, who had been listening from the doorway, gasped audibly. "What nonsense is this?" she blurted, stepping inside, her eyes wide with shock.
Gauri turned, her gaze falling on Gayatri. Her body sagged under the weight of her emotions, and suddenly her voice softened—raw, pleading. "Please… for just one day… don't be my adoptive mother, don't be someone distant. Just… be a mother to me, mom. I can't… I can't bear this alone."
Her words cracked, and before Gayatri could react, Gauri fell against her, hugging her desperately, tears soaking her shoulder.
Gayatri stood frozen, her arms half-raised, her face a canvas of shock and confusion. This wasn't the reaction she expected from the girl she often resented. For once, the calculating glint in her eyes dimmed, replaced by an uneasy, speechless silence as she felt Gauri's raw pain pressed against her.
Charvi stood by, her eyes filling with tears as she watched her sister cling to the very woman who had never truly mothered her.
For a moment, Gayatri's guard dropped, and she almost seemed like a caring mother. Though she wasn't Gauri's birth mother, the years of raising her had forged a bond she could never fully deny. Gauri's distress pierced through her hardened exterior, and for the first time, her composure faltered.
Gayatri's eyes widened in shock, her face pale. "What? How could he do that?" she whispered, her voice laced with outrage and dismay.
Her usual detachment slipped away, replaced with something closer to maternal protectiveness. "What is his problem? Why is he after you like this? Forcing you into marriage... it's unconscionable."
Her words were a mix of indignation and concern, and for a fleeting moment, she seemed like the mother Gauri had longed for.
Gayatri placed her hands on Gauri's shoulders, her voice firm yet trembling. "Don't worry, we'll get him punished for what he's done to you. I won't let anyone destroy you like this."
But before they could take another step, loud knocking rattled the door. Gayatri opened it, her determination still burning—only for her expression to collapse into shock as she saw the police officers standing there.
The officers stepped inside, and Gayatri's eyes widened in disbelief as they handcuffed her.
"What's going on?" Gauri cried, rushing forward in panic.
One of the officers, Harsh, replied firmly, "Gayatri Sharma, you are under arrest for colluding with Dianaswari, a known brothel owner and drug dealer."
Gauri froze, her mind struggling to process the words. Charvi's face drained of color as she instinctively reached for her sister's hand.
"Ma!" Gauri screamed, tears filling her eyes as she tried to hold onto Gayatri, who looked back at her with a rare flicker of emotion—something caught between guilt and helplessness.
Gauri and Charvi trailed the police van in a taxi, their hearts pounding as they watched their adoptive mother taken away in handcuffs.
At the Bandra police station, Gauri watched in distress as Gayatri was taken into custody and locked up.
Gayatri's demeanor shifted from defiance to desperation as she clutched the bars, pleading, "Save me, Gauri. I can't go to jail. Please, you have to help me."
Gauri's jaw tightened, her expression resolute. "I will. But first, I need to speak to ACP Vihaan. Where is he?"
Harsh's reply was curt. "He's not here."
Charvi, standing close, looked shaken but stayed beside her sister, her eyes filled with worry.
This is his doing, Gauri thought bitterly. Vihaan is trying to hurt me… through Maa.
She stormed out of the station, Charvi following silently, her steps quick to keep up.
Just then, Vihaan's vehicle pulled into the compound. He stepped out with his usual composed air, only to find Gauri marching toward him with fire in her eyes, Charvi right behind her.
"You're behind this, aren't you?" Gauri spat, her voice sharp with fury.
Vihaan's expression remained calm, though a trace of amusement tugged at his lips as he watched her approach.
"You're destroying my life, Vihaan!" Gauri's voice rose, her eyes blazing. "First, you forced me into marriage, and now you've had my mother arrested. What more do you want from me?"
Charvi hovered close, her hands clenched in fists, but she said nothing—her silence only amplifying Gauri's anger.
Tears welled in Gauri's eyes as she grabbed Vihaan's collar, her voice breaking. "Why are you doing this to me? Why are you hurting my mother? What have we ever done to you?"
Her grip tightened, her anguish pouring out. "Stop destroying everything I have—please."
Charvi's gaze burned into Vihaan, silently echoing her sister's pain.