Continue....

My help?"

"Yes. I came here to know your side of the story. Ishaan told me everything from his side, but I want to hear what happened from you. Please... tell me what happened in that hotel."

Aransh sighed deeply and they both sat on the sofa.

He began.
___

**"On 8th August, Nisha and I were supposed to meet at our usual restaurant for dinner.
I was waiting for her, but she took longer than usual.

I ordered a juice.
The waiter brought it.
The moment I drank it... I felt strange.
My head felt heavy.

Then the same waiter came to me and said, 'Sir, you don't look well. Let me take you to freshen up.'
It made sense at that moment, so I got up.

But instead of taking me to the washroom... he changed direction and started taking me upstairs towards the hotel rooms.

I tried to protest, but he didn't listen.

By then, I was half-dizzy.
My vision was blurring.
When we reached the second floor, a girl was waiting there.

She took me inside a room.

She started unbuttoning my shirt.

I tried to push her away with whatever strength I had left.

She didn't stop.
She only removed my shirt and... wore it herself.

With half-open eyes, I watched her make fake scratch marks on her own body.
Then she went and sat on the sofa... pretending like something happened.

I lost consciousness after that.

When I woke up the next morning, I was fully dressed again... in my shirt.
My head was bursting with pain.

The only thought in my mind was Nisha.
Whether she had come... whether she was safe. What if who ever they are also hurt nisha.

I somehow made my way downstairs.
That waiter was there.

I grabbed his collar and dragged him to the corner.
I asked him who planned this. Why he did this.

He didn't say the name.
He only said, 'Whatever had to happen has happened.. Your girlfriend saw you in the room with the girl.'

I froze.

I punched him and ran out.

I called Nisha again and again. She never picked up.

Next day, I tried to meet her.
But Ishaan stopped me at the mansion gate.
He beat me and said he would never let me meet Nisha again.

I begged him, Aanya... I begged him to listen.
But he threw me out.

Days passed. I try everything but Nothing worked.

Then... on 18th August, suddenly Nisha called me.

She said she knew the truth.
She knew I didn't cheat.
She even knew who planned the entire trap.

She said she wanted to meet me that evening...
and she would come with Ishaan.

I was relieved.
I thought everything would go back to normal.

I finished my work quickly so I could meet her.

But evening came... and no call.
Nothing.

I got restless.

When I was going out of the company that when I saw the news on the lobby screen.

A raid on Mehra Co.
Drug smuggling allegations.

I rushed there immediately.
I thought Nisha was trapped inside.

But one employees told me neither Ishaan nor Nisha was there.

I ran to the Mehra mansion.

The maid told me... they took Nisha to the hospital.

She tried to end her life.

I rushed to the hospital.

But when I reached...
it was too late.

She was already gone.

I didn't even get to see her one last time.
Ishaan didn't let me.
Aanya... I didn't get to see my love for the last time..."**

His voice cracked.
He broke down, hugging Aanya tightly.
Aanya cried with him, her heart shattering.
___

After crying in each other's arms, both Aanya and Aransh finally calmed down.

Aanya wiped her eyes and asked softly,
"Bhai... you talked to Nisha dii that day. Then why didn't you tell Ishaan about it?"

Aransh let out a painful breath.

"I tried, Aanya... I really tried. But he wouldn't listen to me.
We've known each other since childhood—we grew up together, did everything together. But still... Ishaan didn't trust me. Not even once. He didn't try to hear my side of the story.
He stopped me from meeting Nisha... stopped me from even talking to her.
It broke me."

His voice cracked. Aanya felt anger rise inside her after hearing all this—she couldn't believe Ishaan had refused to listen even once.

She gently assured her brother and stayed with him for some more time.
After a while, she noticed he was drifting off to sleep. She helped him lie down comfortably, pulled a blanket over him, and quietly stepped out of the room.

Right outside, she found her mother waiting anxiously.

Aanya walked to her and held her hand. Mrs. Verma immediately pulled her into a tight hug.

"It's okay, Mom... bhai is fine. Everything will be alright," Aanya whispered.

Mrs. Verma pulled back and asked softly,
"And you? Are you okay Baby."

Aanya nodded with a small smile.

"I'm okay, Mom. Really."

Mrs. Verma held her hand and led her to the living room, where Mr. Verma was already sitting with a tense expression.

He made Aanya sit beside her and then asked slowly,
"Aanya... Ishaan didn't hurt you, right? Tell me everything. What happened in that house?"

Mr. Verma looked at her like a broken man, afraid of the answer.

Aanya sighed, took a deep breath, and spoke honestly.

"No, Mom... he didn't hurt me. Yes, in the beginning he used to yell at me.
He was angry... confused... lost.
He treated me coldly at first.
But then... he realized his mistake. He apologized. He accepted me.
And then we both decided to work together to find the truth."

She explained everything—how difficult the starting days were, how Ishaan slowly changed, how he tried to correct his wrongs, how they started trusting each other, and how they were now trying to uncover the real culprit.

By the time she finished, Mr. Verma's eyes were filled with tears.
He looked crushed with guilt.
Mrs. Verma was already crying silently.

Aanya wiped her mother's tears and said gently,
"Mom, I'm completely fine. Yes, Ishaan didn't behave well in the beginning... but he never physically hurt me. Believe me."

 Mr. Verma stood up slowly, as if his legs were suddenly too heavy with guilt.

He walked toward Aanya and stopped right in front of her.

Aanya looked up at him, confused.
Before she could react, he sank down onto the floor—right at her feet.

Aanya gasped.
"Dad—"

But he gently placed a trembling finger on her lips, stopping her from speaking.

His voice broke as he spoke.

"I-I'm so sorry... Aanya.
I'm really, really sorry.
I know I did wrong.
You didn't deserve any of this. Not even a little.

This mess... this pain... none of it was your fault.
You had no part in any of this, yet you were dragged into it... forced to suffer."**

His eyes filled, tears slipping down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, baby.
Believe me... if I had even one more option... just one... I would have never forced you into this marriage. Never."

Aanya's eyes softened instantly. She moved down a little so she could hold his face gently in her hands.

Her voice was calm, steady... but heavy with emotion.

"Dad... I know.
You don't have to say sorry."

She took a breath, her voice cracking just a little.

"Yes... in the beginning, I was angry.
I didn't understand why you pushed me into this marriage.
Why you made me go through something I never asked for."

She swallowed, trying not to cry.

**"But now I know the truth.
After hearing the Mehra family's struggle... after understanding Ishaan's side... and now bhai's side... I finally see it.

No one was wrong intentionally.
Everyone was just trapped in a situation that went out of control."**

Her voice grew stronger.

"No one is to blame entirely, Dad.
It was the circumstances."

She squeezed his hands.

**"And now... everything will be okay.
Very soon, the truth will come out—
what actually happened that day.

Me and Ishaan... we'll find the real culprit.
I'll clear bhai's name."**

Mr. Verma broke down, tears silently falling, but there was relief in them—relief that his daughter didn't hate him... that she understood him... that she was strong.

Aanya leaned forward and hugged him tightly, her voice barely a whisper.

"I'm here, Dad. I'm fine. And we're all going to be okay."

Then she looked at Mrs. Verma. She was still crying softly, her shoulders shaking. Aanya immediately reached forward and tried to calm her. Mrs. Verma let out a shaky sigh and whispered,

"My both children are hurting... and I can't do anything. I'm sorry, Aanya."

Aanya stayed quiet, listening.

Mrs. Verma continued in a broken voice,
"But once all of this ends, you won't have to stay at Mehra Mansion anymore. You can come back home. We will file for your divorce. This marriage... it began as revenge, it was forced by Ishaan. And when the truth finally comes out in front of everyone, this marriage will have no meaning."

Aanya didn't say a word—because she knew every word was true.
This marriage did start as revenge.
When the game ends... the marriage should end too.

But her heart stung painfully just hearing the word divorce.
They were finally starting to make things right.
Ishaan had told her that he wanted to accept this marriage for real—
not to pretend,
not for revenge,
but for them.
For her.

So did that mean... Ishaan didn't want this marriage to end?
Would he still want to stay married even after this entire revenge game was over?

The thought twisted inside her chest. Before she could think further, Mrs. Verma's soft sob pulled her back.

"Aransh is not okay, Aanya... he is hurting badly," she whispered.

Aanya looked up, alarmed.

Mrs. Verma continued, her voice trembling,
"He has started hallucinating. Sometimes he just stands there... looking at the wall... and talks to it like he's talking to Nisha. He gets nightmares. Every night he wakes up screaming her name. One day, I heard him talking to her photograph... saying he wants to go to her."

Mr. Verma, sitting beside Aanya, looked completely broken.

Tears filled Aanya's eyes.
Her softhearted brother... suffering like this... shattered her.

"I'm scared, Aanya," Mrs. Verma cried. "What if... what if he harms himself?"

"No, no Mom," Aanya immediately tried to assure her. "He won't. He's strong. He would never do that."
But deep down... even she was scared.
What if something went wrong?

When Mrs. Verma finally calmed down, she let out a long, shaky sigh.
Her voice trembled as she asked softly:

“A-Aanya… how is my Ishii?”

Aanya’s lips curved into a gentle smile.
She knew exactly who her mother was talking about—
Her Ishii,
her sister-like best friend,
Mrs. Mehra.

Aanya reached forward and held her mother’s hands tightly.

“Yes, Mom… she’s okay now,” Aanya said tenderly.
“She finally woke up from the coma.
The doctors said she needs rest and care for a while.
She can’t handle any sudden shock or stress…
but apart from that, she’s completely fine.”

A single tear escaped from Mrs. Verma’s eye and slid down her cheek.

“I miss her… so much,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
“I want to go to Mehra Mansion.
I want to see her… hug her… talk to her.
But I can’t.
I know she must hate me now.
She must be thinking the same thing everyone else thinks…
that Nisha took her own life because of Aransh.”

Her words were filled with helpless pain.

Aanya immediately shook her head.

“No, Mom. She does not hate you.”
She squeezed her mother’s hands tighter, her voice firm yet soft.
“Yes, Dii’s death shocked her deeply.
Just like everyone else, even she believed that bhai was responsible…
that because of him, Dii committed suicide.”

Aanya paused, inhaling slowly.

“But Mom… the situation that day—
everything pointed towards bhai.
Everyone trusted the things  they saw they heard."

Her voice softened even more, filled with reassurance.

“But the truth is coming out soon.
Very soon everyone will know what really happened that day.
Everything will be fine again… I promise.”

Aanya wrapped her arms around her mother,
holding her tight as Mrs. Verma finally broke down in her daughter’s embrace.

“And then, Mom…
you can meet your Ishii whenever you want.”
Her voice trembled with emotion.
“No one will stop you.”
____

Ishaan was waiting impatiently in Aanya's room. It had been hours since she left to talk to Arsanh. Evening was settling in, but she still hadn't returned.

He wanted to go find her... but he didn't want to face Mr. Verma. Or Arsanh.
He didn't want to lose control in front of Aanya. He had promised her he wouldn't hurt her.

So he stayed. And waited.

But beneath his patience was a fear eating him alive—
What if her parents convinced her not to return to Mehra Mansion with him?
The thought alone made his chest tighten.

He took a shaky breath and continued waiting.

Some time later, the bedroom door creaked open. Aanya stepped inside.

Ishaan immediately stood up. "Did you talk to him? Come on,"let's go home," he said and walked toward the door.

But he stopped when he realized...
Aanya wasn't following him.

His breath caught in his throat.
He slowly looked back—and that's when he saw her face.

Her eyes were swollen and red.
Her cheeks and nose were flushed like she had been crying for hours.

He walked toward her slowly and stood in front of her.

"Was his side of the story... that painful?" he asked gently.

Aanya blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"Arsanh's story," he clarified. "Was it so hurting that you cried this much? Look at you... your eyes are swollen."

She didn't answer. She only sighed deeply.

"You shouldn't have done that, Ishaan," she whispered.

Ishaan stiffened.
"What shouldn't I have done?" he asked quietly, almost fearfully.

"You should've let my brother meet Nisha di... at least once. You should've let him see her one last time."
Her voice cracked again, tears gathering.

Ishaan turned his face away. He couldn't bear the hurt in her tone or those heavy tears.

"He is suffering, Ishaan," she said softly. "He is suffering badly. Mom said he's hallucinating. He talks to walls like he's talking to Nisha. He talks to her photo, saying he wants to go to her."

Ishaan closed his eyes, pain hitting him like a punch.
No matter what... Arsanh had been his friend since childhood. Hearing this broke something inside him.

"If you had let him meet her one last time... maybe he wouldn't be this shattered today," Aanya said. "You knew each other for so long... didn't you trust him even a little? Couldn't you listen to him once? You wronged him, Ishaan. Really wronged him."

Ishaan let out a long, defeated breath.

"I know," he whispered. "I know I was wrong. I should've let him see her. I should've listened. And it isn't true that I didn't trust him. It's just... at that time everything was against him. I was angry—he had cheated my sister, or at least I believed he did. When Nisha dii committed suicide, my anger turned into hatred. I didn't even want him near her. And my hatred only grew when I found out about the Mehra Company mess... I bleave he had done that too. I wanted revenge. I wanted him to feel the pain he caused me and my family. That's why I—"

Aanya cut him sharply.

"My brother never cheated on Nisha di. And Nisha di KNEW that," she said firmly.

Ishaan's world froze.
"What..? What do you mean she knew?"

"Nisha di called Aransh bhai the day she died. She told him she knew he didn't cheat her. She knew the whole thing was planned. She even knew who planned it. She told him she would come with you in the evening to meet him... to tell you everything. But she never came."

Ishaan stared at her, stunned, body trembling.

Nisha knew.
She knew Arsanh didn't cheat.
She knew everything was a setup.

Then why...
Why did she commit suicide?

A thousand thoughts crashed inside his mind, all at once.

"No... no... no..." Ishaan whispered, his voice breaking. "If—if dii knew the truth... then why? Why did she end her life?"
His hands gripped his hair as if he was trying to hold himself together. His whole body trembled in disbelief.

Aanya swallowed hard. "Ishaan... there's something bhai told me. Something that shook me to my core."

Ishaan looked at her with desperation.
"What?  what he said, Aanya? Tell me. What did he say?" he asked impatiently, almost breathless.

"He... he said it wasn't suicide," she whispered.

Ishaan went completely still.
"W–what do you mean it wasn't suicide?" he asked, fear rising in his voice.

"Aransh bhai said Nisha di would never do that. He believes she didn't take her own life. He thinks... it was murder. Someone planned this."

Ishaan's breath stopped in his throat.

"Murder...?" he whispered, horrified. "Aransh thinks dii was murdered? Someone planned to kill her?"

"Yes," Aanya said quietly.

"But why? And who would do something like that?" he asked, voice shaking.

"Maybe the same person who planned everything to frame Aransh bhai," she said. "Maybe the same person who created the Mehra Company mess. Ishaan... this is all a plan. Someone out there is trying to destroy you."

Ishaan couldn't speak.
His sister... didn't commit suicide?
She was killed?

If Aransh was right—if he really spoke to Nisha  that day and she knew he was being framed—then his suspicion might be true. Nisha's death wasn't suicide... it was murder.

But then how?

She was found inside her own room, with the slit on her wrist—open and visible.
How could that be murder?

Nothing made sense. Everything inside him felt tangled and suffocating.

He took a slow breath, trying to steady himself.

"If Arsanh is telling the truth... and he really talked to her... and she knew it was all a setup, even knew who did it..."
His voice hardened.
"Then you're right. Someone is trying to destroy me. And I will find that person."

His tone turned cold, sharp as steel.

"And if it's true Nisha didn't kill herself...it-it's a murder then I will kill the person who did this."

Aanya shook her head softly. "We will find them, Ishaan. Now we finally know something. I don't know if you trust Aransh bhai or not... but I do. And I know someone planned everything... carefully... and framing bhai for it."

Ishaan nodded slowly. "You're right."

Then his eyes darkened with realization.

"And I think... somewhere... I already know who that person might be." he thought himslef.
He released a heavy sigh. "Okay... let's go home. It's already evening."

Aanya nodded. "Hmm... but wait a little. I need to pack a few important things."

"Oh... okay," Ishaan said and sat down on the edge of the sofa.

Aanya walked to her study table, opened the drawer, and took something out.

"My lifeline... I missed you so much," she said with exaggerated relief.

At her words, Ishaan instantly shot up from his seat like lightning—eyes wide, heart dropping.
Aanya's back was facing him.
To whom was she calling lifeline?

"To whom... are you calling lifeline?" he asked cautiously, almost feeling betrayed.

Aanya turned around and held up her phone.
" To my phone," she said cheerfully, shaking it.

Ishaan let out a long exhale of relief.

"Oh... your phone..."

"Yes! You have no idea how I survived four months without it. I missed him so much," she said dramatically, hugging her phone.

That's when Ishaan realized—
For four months she didn't  have phone with her he  even hadn't let her talk to her family in this four months.

A wave of guilt hit him so hard it almost hurt.

How could I be this cruel?
I did so many wrong things to her... She'll never forgive me easily.

He sighed and sat back down.

Aanya walked to her closet, pulled out a trolley bag, and opened it. Ishaan watched every move, every tiny expression.

She began filling the bag with her books—one by one, from every corner of the room.

He look at her curiously.
"You said you needed to pack important things," he said, confused.

"Yes. And that's exactly what I'm doing," she replied calmly.

"These books... are important to you?" he asked.

"yess," she said simply and kept placing more books inside.

"You're taking all these books?" He looked around—every shelf of the room was filled with books.

"Well, technically all of them are important," she said. "But I can't take everything now. So I'm only packing the ones that are most important... the ones I haven't read yet."

"And you aren't taking anything else?" he asked. "Like your clothes, makeup... accessories?"

"No. That's not important right now. I'll take them some other time. These books are more important."

A faint smile appeared on Ishaan's face.

"You're unbelievable," he muttered under his breath, almost amused.

"Huh? Did you say something?" she asked, pausing.

"Hm? No, nothing. You go ahead... pack your important things," he said, trying not to laugh softly.

___

It was already 7 in the evening when they finally returned home.
Ishaan parked the car, stepped out, and walked around to help Aanya. She walked ahead while he followed behind, carrying her bag.

The moment they entered the living room...
both of them froze.

Because sitting on the sofa beside Mrs. Mehra...
was Karan.

Everyone in the room turned to look at them.

Mrs. Mehra gave them a warm smile.
Aanya and Ishaan stood still, stunned.
But when Ishaan looked carefully at his mother—really looked—he finally exhaled in relief.

She looked okay. Calm. Happy. Normal.
His biggest fear vanished.

"Oh, you both are back," Mrs. Mehra said softly. "Aanya beta, did you meet your family? How are they?"

Aanya's breath hitched.
Ishaan stiffened.

How did she know i went to meet my family?
Aanya's heart skipped.

That's when Sikha stepped forward and stood in front of them.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "I told bhabhi that you wanted to meet your family. That's why I sent you with Ishaan."

They both released a silent breath of gratitude.
Ishaan mouthed a quiet thank you to Sikha.

"Come here, why are you both standing there?" Mrs. Mehra called. "Look who's here. I told you someone was coming today. It's Karan."

Ishaan moved to sit on the empty space beside them.
Aanya picked up her bag and said softly, "I'll go keep my things in my room."

 Everyone was seated toward the dining area side, Thats Mrs. Mehra didn't notice her walking toward the staircase.
But Karan did.

He saw her quietly going upstairs towards ishaan's room... but he didn't show anger or judgment.
He simply sighed and continued talking to Mrs. Mehra.

Ishaan sat there, eyes only on his mother, relieved to see she was smiling, alive, and calm.
That was all that mattered to him.
___

Time skip.

Next morning Ishaan was the first one to wake.
He had received Matteo's call early morning—
They finally found information about the hacker.

He got ready quietly.
Aanya was still sprawled on the bed like a starfish, sleeping peacefully.
He slipped out of the room without waking her.
___

Soon, he was sitting in the Black Crown office, in his usual seat.
Across the table sat Matteo, Grace, and Vittale, all three waiting impatiently, excitement buzzing in the air.

Today, they would finally identify the mysterious hacker who had outsmarted all of them.

Matteo opened his laptop, typed a few commands, and turned the screen toward Ishaan.
The others leaned close to see clearly.

The loading bar moved slowly.

A blurred photo appeared first.
Then the pixels sharpened...
slowly...
slowly...

Until the face and information became crystal clear.

Everyone in the room sucked in a breath.

"Oh my God... it's a girl!" Matteo shouted dramatically.

But Ishaan didn't react.
He didn't blink.
He just stared at the photograph—
frozen.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Finally, a low laugh escaped Ishaan.

Grace and Vittale stared at him, confused.

"Boss... why are you laughing?" Vittale asked cautiously.

Ishaan didn't stop smiling.

He kept his eyes on the screen and asked,
"Is this information confirmed? Are we sure she's the hacker?"

"Yes, boss," Matteo said proudly. "My men verified everything. Look—"

He pointed at the glowing profile on the screen.

Name: AANYA VERMA
Education: MIT
Field: Advanced Cybersecurity – Top Graduate
Status: Freelance Hacker
Record: Undefeated in all hacking tournaments

Matteo shook his head in amazement.
"Oh my God... I can't believe it. The hacker who defeated every top-level contestant... is a girl."

Ishaan leaned back, a smirk forming on his lips.
Grace noticed that look.

"Boss... do you by any chance know her?" she asked carefully.

Ishaan chuckled.

"Know her?" he said, still staring at the photo.

"She's my wife."

The room went silent.

Everyone turned back to the photo—now focusing properly on the name.

Aanya Verma.
"Of course the name is similar to how they can miss that."

Arsanh Verma's sister.
The same Aanya their boss had married.

Everything suddenly made sense.
The AV signature.
The anonymous help to Arsanh.
The flawless hacking patterns.

Of course she would help her brother.
Of course she would be this good.

Ishaan kept smirking at the photo, pride and amusement glowing in his eyes.

"I never thought," he said slowly, "that the brilliant hacker we were chasing all over America... is sleeping in my own house... in my own room... on my own bed... like a dead starfish right now."

He shook his head, half-smiling, half-proud.

“My wife,” he repeated with a smirk." Mrs Aanya ishaan mehra.

He chuckled softly, the smirk never leaving his face.
“You really amuse me, Mrs. Mehra.”

This is the longest chapter so far,
so I’m expecting lots of comments.”

Thanks for reading. My flower's 🫀
Bye bye take care.✨