Continue....

When everything in your life starts slipping away at the same time—your hard work, your family, the people you love—and you're the only one left who has to hold everything together... it breaks something inside you.
You have to stay strong, manage the situation, take care of everyone, fix everything.

But what about you?
Who takes care of you?
Because even the strongest person needs someone to lean on.

And when you don't have that support... when there is no one to hold you while you're falling... it feels like you're completely alone in this whole world.

That's exactly how Ishaan felt in that moment.

But he didn't have the luxury to fall apart.
He had to stay strong—for his siblings, for his mother, for Nisha.
Even when his own heart was breaking, he had to carry the weight of everyone else's pain.

Ishaan's voice grew quiet—almost hollow—as he continued.

"When I completed all the formalities at the hospital... they asked me to make the payment," he said. "And when I tried... my card didn't work."

Aanya's brows knitted in confusion.

"I thought it was a network issue. So I tried another card. Then another.
None of them worked."

He shook his head, still unable to believe it even now.

"I tried online banking—same thing. Every single account was blocked."

Aanya's breath hitched.

"I panicked," Ishaan whispered. "I called my secretary. I told him to bring cash. Immediately. Whatever amount he could arrange."

He looked at her, eyes burning with the memory.

"You know what he told me?"

Aanya could only stare, horrified, tears trembling in her eyes.

"He said... 'Sir, the company has been raided.'"

Aanya gasped softly.

Ishaan continued, voice tightening with pain.

"Someone filed a complaint saying our company was being used for drug smuggling under the cover of business. Police found drugs in both my office and Nisha Dii's office."

Aanya covered her mouth in disbelief.

"They sealed the entire company. All our accounts. Even our properties. My secretary said the police weren't letting anyone move. They were questioning every employee."

His voice cracked.

"I felt like... everything inside me just collapsed. How could so many things go wrong in a single day? How was I supposed to handle all of that? I... I couldn't even think."

Aanya's tears fell freely now.

"But even then," Ishaan said softly, "all I could care about was Dii. Nothing else mattered."

They were sitting side by side on the sofa—two broken people in the dim light of the room.

Ishaan's eyes were red, but he wasn't crying.
His breath was uneven... shoulders stiff... and his hands—

Aanya noticed the way his hands were trembling uncontrollably.

Without thinking, she gently reached forward and held his hand.

Ishaan looked at her sharply—surprised—but then his gaze softened.
He stared at their joined hands for a moment... and then his fingers slowly intertwined with hers.

He gripped her hand tighter.
As if her touch was the only strength he had left.

As if holding her kept him from collapsing again.

Aanya squeezed back, silently telling him she was there.

Ishaan inhaled shakily and continued.

"When I realized I had no other option... when everything was falling apart around me..." he said in a low voice, I had only one option "I called my best friend."

Arav....

FLASHBACK

The moment Ishaan dialed Arav's number, he had felt like he was drowning.

Minutes later, Arav came running through the hospital lobby, breathless, panic written all over his face.

"Ishaan—what's going on?" he rushed to him. "I heard about the raid... about the company. And why are you in a hospital? What happened? Is everything okay?"

Ishaan looked exhausted—drained in a way Arav had never seen before.

"I'll tell you everything, Arav," he said, voice shaking. "But not right now. First, come with me. I have to make the payment for Dii's surgery and... all my cards, all my accounts—everything is blocked. I don't have any cash. I need you to pay."

Arav didn't ask a single question.

He didn't waste a second.

He simply nodded and said, "Let's go."

Together they walked to the billing counter.
Arav paid the entire amount—without hesitation, without blinking.

Once the payment was done, they both hurried back to the operation theater, where Mrs. Mehra and Jiya were waiting anxiously.

On the way, Ishaan told Arav everything—about Nisha, what Aransh did, how nisha ended in hospital, the company raid, the frozen accounts.

Arav's face twisted in horror.

"How... how is this even possible?" he whispered.

He walked straight to Mrs. Mehra and gently hugged her.

"Aunty... she'll be okay," he assured her softly. "We're all here. Ishaan is here. Everything will be fine."

Mrs. Mehra nodded, though tears wouldn't stop falling.

They all stood together outside the operation theater—waiting, hoping.

And then—

Footsteps.

Firm. Heavy.

Police officers—three of them—walking straight toward them.

Everyone straightened instantly.

One officer stopped in front of Ishaan.

"Mr. Ishaan Mehra," he said, voice cold and official, "you are under arrest."

Shock rippled through the hall.

"What!?" Arav stepped forward instantly, placing himself beside Ishaan. "What are you talking about? Why are you arresting him?"

Another officer spoke this time.

"Mr. Verma, we have an arrest warrant. Illegal activities were discovered inside Mehra Corporation. Large quantities of drugs were recovered from the company's offices. As current CEO, Mr. Mehra is responsible."

Mrs. Mehra stumbled forward, disbelief shaking her voice.

"No... no, officer, there has to be some mistake. Ishaan would never be involved in such things! Our company doesn't—"

"No mistake, Mrs. Mehra," the officer cut her gently but firmly. "The raid was conducted legally. The evidence is documented. We need to take him in. Please let us do our job."

Ishaan's wrists were pulled forward as the cuffs clicked around them.

Arav tried to intervene.

"Stop! Let him talk! He didn't do anything!"

But the officers held him back.

Jiya stood frozen on the side, crying silently.

Ishaan turned to her, then to his mother—trying to give them strength even when he was falling apart inside.

"Mom," he said softly, "don't worry. I'll come back soon. Just... just stay strong."

She shook her head violently, tears streaming.

"Ishaan—no—"

He forced a small, empty smile.

"Take care of Dii. Stay with her. She needs you."

Then he looked at Arav.

"Arav... please stay with my family. Don't leave them alone."

Arav nodded with trembling eyes.

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

The officers took Ishaan away—handcuffed, helpless, broken—while his family stood behind him, shattered and crying.

The hallway echoed with the sound of fading footsteps...
_____

Hours pass. The surgery is still going on. All of them sit outside the operation theatre, restless and terrified. Mrs. Mehra looks exhausted, her hands trembling. Beside her, Jiya sits motionless, staring at the floor.

Arav walks toward Mrs. Mehra and says softly,
"Aunty, I spoke to the doctor. The surgery will still take a lot of time. I've booked a private cabin for you. Please come and rest there. Sitting here on this chair for hours will make you sick too."

Mrs. Mehra shakes her head weakly.
"But Arav... Nisha... she..."

Arav gently interrupts,
"Nothing will happen to Nisha. I'm right here. Please, Aunty, come to the cabin and rest. The moment the surgery is done, I'll inform you. And if the doctor allows, we can see her too. Don't worry about Ishaan. We will do everything to bring him out safely."

He then turns to Jiya.
"Jiya, come on... let's go."

Jiya stands up silently, and both of them walk with Arav to the cabin.

When Mrs. Mehra sits on the bed, she suddenly breaks down and says,
"Arav... please call Jay. My child is alone in London. So much is happening here... he has no idea. I'm scared. What if something happens to him? What if someone hurts him? Please... however you do it... bring him to me. Please."

Arav nods immediately.
"Okay, I'll call Jay right now. Nothing will happen to him. He'll be here in a few hours. Don't worry."

He reassures her and steps out of the cabin to call Jay.
_____

Inside the police station, Ishaan is being questioned. He tells them everything.

"Sir, my sister is in the hospital. Please let me go. I'll do whatever you say. I'll even surrender after the surgery... please just let me go now."

But the officers don't listen.

Frustrated and helpless, Ishaan pleads,
"Okay... if you won't let me go, at least let me make one call. Please."

The officers sigh and allow him one call.

Within minutes, the Home Minister himself—Mr. Rajiv Kapoor, his father's closest friend—enters the station. The moment Ishaan sees him, he finally breathes.

Mr. Rajiv speaks to the senior officer,
"Release him."

All the officers salute him and unlock the cell. The moment Ishaan steps out, Rajiv hugs him tightly, then turns to the officers and says,

"Give him bail. Something bigger is happening here—something we don't know yet. Give him time. He will find the truth. And if not... he will surrender himself."

"Yes sir," the senior officer replies.

They leave the station.

In the car, Rajiv asks,
"Ishaan, what is happening? What is the news saying about drugs found in your company? Who is doing all this?"

Ishaan sighs shakily.
"I don't know, Uncle. Someone is framing me and Nisha di. I will find out everything... later. But right now I need to go to the hospital."

Rajiv frowns.
"Hospital? Why? What happened?"

Ishaan's voice breaks.
"Uncle... Nisha di... she... she tried to take her own life."

Rajiv freezes.
"What? But why?"

Ishaan explains everything from the beginning. They rush to the hospital.

________

But when they reach... it is already too late.

Ishaan runs inside, straight to the room. He sees Jiya on the floor, crying uncontrollably, Arav trying to hold her as she thrashes and screams about her mother and Nisha.

Rajiv and Ishaan rush to her. The moment Jiya sees Ishaan, she throws herself into his arms and sobs loudly:

"Bh-bhai... di... di left us... how—how could she leave us, bhai? How?"

Ishaan freezes, unable to understand what she is saying. He cups her face with shaking hands.

"Baby, look at me... why are you saying this? Hmm? Her surgery is going on, right? She will be fine. And why are you alone? Where is Mom?"

Jiya shakes her head violently, crying harder.
"No... no bhai... She—she won't come back now. She left us... she left us forever..."

A cold shiver runs through Ishaan's entire body.

A hand touches his shoulder.

He turns to see Arav standing there with broken eyes.

Ishaan gently makes Jiya sit on a chair and asks Arav,
"Arav... what happened? Where is Mom? And Nisha di's surgery... is still going on, right?"

Arav lowers his head and whispers, voice trembling,
"She is... no more, Ishaan."

Silence.

Ishaan stares at him blankly.
"...What?"

Arav's eyes fill.
"Doctor tried... but the surgery failed. They lost her in the middle."

Everything inside Ishaan collapses.

"No... no... NO. What—what are you saying? She's fine... she can't leave us... she can't!"

He screams Nisha's name, collapsing to the floor. Arav holds him tightly as Ishaan breaks.

Rajiv hugs the crying Jiya, whispering,
"Handle yourself, Ishaan... if you fall now, who will handle Jiya and Jay?"

After what feels like hours, Ishaan calms enough to speak again.

His voice is empty.
"Where... is Mom?"

Arav sighs deeply, trying to control his own tears.
"After hearing about Nisha... she... she had—"

He can't finish.

"She had what, Arav?" Ishaan demands, shaking.

Arav finally forces the words out.
"She had a heart attack."

Ishaan loses all strength and collapses to the floor again. Arav grabs his shoulders.

"Ishaan, stay with me! They took her to the emergency ward!"

At that exact moment, the door opens and the doctor steps out.

Ishaan stands instantly.
"Doctor... my mother... how is she?"

The doctor sighs softly.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Mehra. Your mother suffered a major heart attack. We tried to stabilize her, but... the shock was too much. Her brain shut down temporarily. She has slipped into a temporary coma. She might wake up in a day... or after months. We can't say. But don't worry. She can recover."

The doctor leaves.

Ishaan stands frozen. His body starts shaking. His breath becomes uneven. His hands tremble violently.

Mr Rajiv immediately notice that.
"Arav, make him sit. He's having a panic attack."

Arav is shocked.
"Panic attack? Ishaan has panic attacks?"

Rajiv nods.
"Yes. Since his father died. The first one was then. I never saw another one again... until now."

Jiya cries harder and kneels beside her brother, trying to hold him as he gasps for air.

They make him sit on a chair and call the doctor. The doctor handles him, stabilizing his breathing.

After some time, Ishaan finally comes back to normal... physically.
But mentally, he is gone.

He sits on the floor against the wall—motionless, eyes red, tears silently falling. He doesn't speak. He doesn't move. He just stares ahead... empty.

Almost 3 hours pass like this.

Jay finally arrives, running. Arav explains everything. Jay breaks down and rushes to Ishaan and Jiya, crying into their arms.

Three broken siblings sit together, their world shattered in a single night.
______

[Author note]

(Okay, so you all already know how Arav called Jay and what happened after that, so I'm not repeating that scene. You've already read it in chapter 14 flashback. I'm continuing the story from what happened after that.")

____

FLASHBACK END

Aanya is already crying, but Ishaan continues speaking—his voice trembling, his eyes lost in memories so painful they still bleed inside him.

"Arav handled everything," he whispers.
"I... I wasn't in my right mind. Jay and Jiya... they were breaking in front of me. Crying endlessly. And I—"

His voice cracks.

"We didn't see Nisha di for the last time. We couldn't. None of us had the strength. When the doctor took her body out... she was wrapped in white. Covered completely. I didn't have the courage to see her lifeless face. Arav said it too—'Ishaan, it's better if you don't. You won't survive it.' And he was right... I wouldn't have."

Aanya covers her mouth, tears streaming.

Ishaan's throat tightens.

"Arav did the funeral rituals. He arranged everything. We took her... to the graveyard. We waited for Sikhu Mom, Uncle, and Karan. When they arrived... we completed the rituals. And just like that..."

He exhales shakily.

"...we buried her."

Aanya's chest aches. She feels his grief like a weight crushing her ribs.

Ishaan continues, voice hollow:

"The next day... after we buried her... I got a message from Bella."

He closes his eyes painfully.

"All it said was:
'I can't stay with you anymore. You have nothing left. I deserve better.'
No explanation. Nothing else."

Aanya's tears fall faster.

"For a whole week, I was devastated. Uncle, Sikhu Mom, Karan, Arav—they never left our side. They took care of Jiya and Jay. And I..."

He looks down at his trembling hands.

"...I locked myself away. I couldn't face the world. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think."

Aanya gently holds his arm, trying to give him strength. He doesn't stop.

"And in that week... I learned one thing."
His eyes turn dark with rage.

"I hate him. I hate Aransh Verma with every corner of my heart."

Aanya swallows hard.

"After almost a week, I decided... I have to find the truth. I went back to the company. I checked everything. Every file. Every drawer. Every corner."

Then a faint, bitter laugh escapes him.

"And then I noticed my blazer... hanging in the corner. And inside it—my pen. The one with the tiny camera. I always carried it during meetings to record everything, in case investors created trouble or something went wrong."

Aanya listens, breath held.

"That pen saved me."
"When I checked the footage... I saw everything."

His voice grows tight, anger mixing with heartbreak.

"Three of my own employees entered my office. One was Nisha di's secretary. The other two were workers. I showed the footage to the officers. They were arrested immediately. During interrogation... they confessed."

Aanya's heart pounds.

"They said Aransh Verma ordered them to do it. He threatened them—said if they didn't plant the drugs in my office and Nisha di's cabin, they would lose their jobs."

Ishaan clenches his jaw.

"They informed the police on his orders. When I asked them why Aransh would do this... they told me he wanted to destroy Mehra Co. He wanted to replace us with Verma Industries. He wanted to be number one."

Aanya feels cold.

Ishaan says quietly:

"Before the officers reached him... I kidnapped Aransh."

Aanya's breath stops.

"The police would've punished him only for the scandal. But because of him..."
His voice breaks deeply.
"...my sister killed herself. My mother slipped into a coma. I lost everything. I couldn't let him walk freely. I couldn't let him breathe while my family fought for air."

He finally looks at Aanya—eyes filled with pain, anger, guilt, and something darker.

"After that, Arav gave me an idea. He said... 'Marry Aanya. Aransh loves her. She is to him what Nisha di was to you.'"

Aanya's tears fall, uncontrollable.

"And that... is how I ended up marrying you," Ishaan says softly, brokenly.
And that's how i ended up Married with you. On the same I was supposed to marry with bella.

She stares at him, stunned—her chest burning, her heart shaking.

She cannot believe how a family survived so much pain in one day. Now she finally understands the depth of Ishaan's hatred for Aransh... and how far he was willing to go.

But in her heart, she also knows—

There is more.
Something Ishaan Also don't know.
Something no one knows yet.

_____

"This is it—Aanya finally knows the truth about what happened that day. I honestly feel bad for Ishaan here; he really went through a lot.

So, how was the chapter, my lovely readers? Comment your thoughts below, and don't hold back—rant as much as you want in the comment section!

Enjoy the double update.
Thank you, my flowers. Bye-bye, take care."✨🫀