Ishaan car comes to stop in front of mehra mansion. nisha didnt wait for anyone she pushed the door open.

Her feet hit the ground before anyone could call her name.
She didn't wait for help.
She didn't wait for breath.

She ran.

Ran as if her entire life was waiting behind those doors.

The massive iron gates of the Mehra mansion swung open, and the moment she stepped inside, her world froze.

Her family was gathered in the living room—
all of them sitting together, hope barely holding their hearts together.

Her mother sat with Jiya, her little princess.
Her younger brother sat on the floor, his head buried in his knees.
The room felt heavy, suffocating with fear and prayer.

Then the door behind them clicked.

Everyone turned.

And the world... stopped.

There stood Nisha.

Her clothes dusty.
Her face bruised.
Her eyes glassy with exhaustion and survival.

For a full heartbeat, nobody moved.

Mrs. Mehra's breath caught in her throat.
Her hand rose to her mouth.
Her eyes widened—
and then she collapsed to her knees, the sheer shock buckling her legs.

"Nisha...?" Her voice broke apart mid-word. "Nisha... beta?"

That was all it took.

A sob tore out of Nisha's chest and she sprinted across the room.

"Mom!"

She fell into her mother's arms with such force it knocked the breath out of both of them.

Mrs. Mehra wrapped her arms around her daughter like she was holding a piece of her soul that had been ripped away.
Her fingers trembled as they cupped Nisha's face, tracing every bruise, every cut.

"My child... my baby... what did they do to you?"
Her voice shattered into tears.

Nisha couldn't even speak—
only cry.

Huge, helpless sobs that had been trapped inside her for days.
She clung to her mother with desperate strength, shaking uncontrollably as her mother rocked her gently, whispering prayers through her tears.

Jiya slid off the couch and ran toward them, her  arms circling Nisha's back.

"Dii... dii..."
Her  voice cracked, making Nisha cry even harder.

Her younger brother joined, hugging her from the other side, burying his face in her shoulder.

mr dinesh and sikha aslo join the family hug. behind them verma family stand stuned.

A family torn apart—finally holding itself together again.

While Nisha was wrapped tightly in her mother's arms, Aanya stepped quietly behind her.

Mrs. Verma—was standing near the corner, trembling, her hands pressed against her mouth.
Her husband, Mr. Verma, stood beside her, stiff and pale, as if he had forgotten how to breathe.

The moment Aanya came into their view, both parents froze.

"Aanya..."
The word left mrs verma mouth like a broken prayer.

Before Aanya could take another breath, Mrs. Verma ran toward her and pulled her into a desperate, shaking hug.

Aanya stumbled into her mother's arms.

For a second, she didn't hug back—
the shock was too heavy.
But then her mother's scent—warm, familiar, safe—hit her, and something inside her cracked open.

She wrapped her arms around her mother tightly.

"My child... my brave girl..."
Her mother's voice broke again and again.

Mr. Verma stepped closer, his hands shaking.
He gently rested a trembling palm on Aanya's head.

Aanya pulled back from her mother just enough to look at her father.

Lines of worry carved deep around his eyes.
His lips trembled as if he was battling with emotions he had never learned to show.

"Dad..." Aanya whispered.

That one word was enough.

He cupped her face with both hands and kissed her forehead, his tears falling onto her skin.

"I am proud of you," he whispered, voice breaking. "Do you hear me? Proud." You handle everything so well my tiger. 

Aanya inhaled sharply, her chest tightening painfully.

Nobody had told her that in a long time.

When she finally stepped away from her parents, Aanya saw the Mehra family watching her.

Not with distance.

Not with formality.

But with raw gratitude.

Mrs. Mehra held Nisha in one arm and reached her other hand toward Aanya.

"Come here, beta," she whispered.

Aanya stepped forward.

Mrs. Mehra pulled her into an embrace so gentle yet so full of emotion it nearly broke Aanya's heart all over again.

Are you okay sweetheart she wispered. 
Aanya nodded. 

__

Behind everyone, Ishaan entered the mansion slowly.

His eyes immediately searched for Aanya—
and there she was.

But instead of looking at him—
she looked away.

Not once.
Not by accident.

It was deliberate.

She avoided his eyes like touching them would burn her.

Bella noticed it instantly.
She glanced at Ishaan, then at Aanya, and sighed quietly.

She understood.

There were too many emotions between them, too many unsaid words, too many wounds still open.

Ishaan took a step toward Aanya

"Before he speak."
__

The door swung open with a crash.

And there he stood.

Aransh.

His chest rising and falling too fast.
His hands trembling.
His shirt torn at the collar from running, pushing, fighting his way inside.

His eyes—those normally calm, steady, unshakable eyes—were wide with terror.

Not anger.
Not shock.
Terror.

The kind a man feels only when he thinks he has lost the woman he loves.

His gaze found her instantly.

Nisha.

Bruised.
Exhausted.
Shaking.
Alive.

For a moment, he did not move.

He simply stared at her as if his brain refused to believe what his eyes were seeing.

Like he was afraid that if he blinked, she would disappear again.

Nisha's breath caught in her throat.

"Ar... Aransh...?"

Her voice broke on his name, a fragile sound that sliced through his chest.

That was all it took.

He stumbled toward her.
Not walked.
Not ran.
Stumbled, as if every step was pulled out of him by something inside that hurt too much.

"Nisha..." His voice cracked—shattered.
"Nisha—oh God—Nisha..."

She tried to stand, but her knees buckled.
Before she could fall, he caught her.

And then—

He collapsed to his knees with her in his arms.

His forehead pressed to her neck.
His arms wrapped around her waist so tightly it was as if he was afraid the world would snatch her away again.

Nisha gasped at the sudden pull, but the next second she melted into him, arms locking around his shoulders, fingers digging into his back.

As if trying to convince herself he was real.

As if she was terrified he might slip away too.

Aransh's breath came out in a broken sob.

Not loud.
Not dramatic.

Just a small, cracked sound of pure pain—
the kind that comes from deep inside a man who almost lost the woman he couldn't live without.

"I thought—"
His throat closed.
He tried again.
"I thought I'd never see you again."

Nisha's tears spilled instantly.

She cupped his face with trembling hands and lifted it.

His cheeks were wet—
he was crying.

The man who never cried.
The man who held everyone together.
The man who always looked unbreakable.

She wiped his tears with her thumbs, but they kept coming.

"I'm sorry," she whispered through her sobs.
"I'm so sorry... I made you worry... I didn't want—"

"Don't."
His voice shook as he grabbed her hands and pressed them to his chest.
"Don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. I should have... I should have protected you. I failed you."

The guilt in his eyes was unbearable.

She shook her head fiercely, tears streaming down her face.

"You didn't fail me. Aransh—you didn't fail me."

He closed his eyes, breathing her in, as if her presence alone was the only air his lungs needed.

"I couldn't breathe without you."
His confession was barely a whisper.
"When you vanished... something inside me stopped."

Her lips trembled.

"Aransh..."

He pulled her into him again, arms locking around her like steel.
This time deeper, tighter, almost desperate.

"I would've burned the entire world if they had hurt you," he whispered into her hair.
"I swear, Nisha... I would've destroyed everything."

Nisha's sob hitched and she buried her face in his shoulder, holding him as if she had waited lifetimes for this moment.

Behind them, silence fell.

Even Bella looked away.

Even Ishaan swallowed hard.

Even Aanya's eyes filled with tears.

Because this wasn't just a reunion.
It was two souls breaking open, reaching for each other across fear, pain, and almost-loss.

It was love—
raw, messy, terrifyingly real.

And when Aransh finally lifted his head, his voice was softer than a breath.

"You're safe now."
Aransh cupped Nisha's face with trembling hands and pressed a long, shaking kiss on her forehead.

His voice cracked as he pulled her against him again.

"Oh God... I missed you so much."

Behind them, every family member stood frozen.
Tears shimmered in every pair of eyes.

Because they all knew—

These two were not just lovers.
They were childhood shadows of each other.
Playmates.
Crime partners.
Business partners.
Best friends.
Soulmates long before they even understood what the word meant.

Nobody could imagine what five months of separation had done to them.

"Nisha..." Aransh whispered into her hair, his voice breaking.
"Please don't leave me again. Please... I can't—"

She pressed her face into his chest, whispering back:

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I won't let you go ever again," he breathed, holding her tighter. "Not now. Not ever."

She smiled through tears.
"Good. Because I don't want to go anywhere."

Aransh let out a shaky laugh, the kind that came from too much pain and too much love tangled together.

"You better not. Or else this time I'll actually die," Aransh said dramatically.

Nisha lifted her head and lightly smacked his arm.

"Oh shut up! You're not dying that easily. I'll be the one to kill you—with my boldness."

Aransh burst into a wet laugh, cheeks flushed red.
"I missed your boldness," he murmured, cupping her face.

"And I missed your cuteness," she countered, tugging his cheek.

"I'm not cute," he said with a small pout.

"Oh, you are cute," Nisha laughed, kissing his face.

They melted into another hug—arms wrapped, bodies shaking, breaths tangled.
For a moment, the world disappeared.
They forgot the fear, the trauma, the pain...
They forgot the room full of people watching them.

To them, only each other existed.

Until—

"Ahem."

Mrs. Mehra cleared her throat loudly.

"we are still here, beta," she teased, hands on her hips.

Both of them froze.

Slowly—very slowly—they pulled apart and turned around.

Every family member stared at them with soft smiles and watery eyes.

Aransh scratched the back of his neck, blushing so hard it almost reached his ears.
Nisha nudged him, giggling at his shy face.

And then the entire family burst into laughter—bright, warm, emotional laughter that finally broke the tension that had been hanging in the air for months.

Nisha hid her face in Aransh's chest again, and he wrapped an arm around her waist protectively, still smiling like an idiot in love.

After months of nightmares—
this was their dawn.
___

Everyone had taken their seats, but no one spoke—not because they had nothing to say, but because the truth that had been buried for five months sat heavy in the center of the room like a loaded gun.

Finally, Mr. Verma exhaled shakily, his voice cracking as he asked the question burning in every mind:

"Nisha... who did all this to you? Who is this Corvo?"

The air thickened.

Nisha froze mid-sentence. She had been softly talking to Aransh—his hand still wrapped protectively around hers—when mr verma question struck her like a lightning bolt. Her spine stiffened. Her breath hitched. The memories she had fought so desperately to bury tore open inside her—five months of torment flooding her vision.

Beside her, Aransh immediately tightened his hold, his voice gentle but firm.

"It's okay, love. If you're not ready... you don't have to speak about it now. We'll wait."

But Nisha shook her head.

Her eyes shimmered with a quiet, painful resolve as she whispered:

"No. You all deserve to know. And especially Ishaan—he needs to know, so he can never be used again."

She lifted her eyes toward Ishaan, who sat frozen across the room. His gaze was fixed entirely on her, searching, hopeful—and afraid.

Aanya, seated beside her own mother, tensed. She already knew. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest because she knew exactly how this truth was about to break Ishaan.

Nisha inhaled deeply, grounding herself by gripping Aransh's hand with both of hers.

Then, in a voice so soft yet so earth-shattering, she said:

"It was Arav."

The world stopped.

Every breath in the room vanished.

Ishaan's chest caved inward, like someone had punched the air straight out of his lungs. For a second he didn't even blink—his mind refusing, rejecting, denying what he just heard.

"Wha—what are you saying, Dii?" he whispered hoarsely.
"Arav? Our Arav?"

Nisha nodded, heartbreak visible in every trembling line of her face.

"Yes, Ishaan. Your best friend Arav. He is Corvo."

Ishaan shook his head violently, as if the words were physical blows.

"No... no,  dii you must be mistaken. You have to be mistaken. Arav—he's always been with me, he's—he can't..."

His voice cracked.

But Nisha looked straight into his eyes, her own filled with unimaginable pain.

"So you think the man who kept me alive just to destroy me further... the man who drugged me, locked me away for five months... is a stranger?"

Her voice was fragile, trembling—but sharp enough to slice through denial.

"No, Ishaan. I know what I saw. It was Arav."

Silence. Horrified silence.

Aransh swallowed hard, then asked, voice laced with disbelief and anger:

"But why, Nisha? Why would he do this?"

She closed her eyes, tears slipping free as old wounds reopened inside her.

"Because he loved me."

Another wave of shock rippled through the room.

"What...?" Aransh whispered.

Nisha nodded. Her fingers tightened around his hand, like she needed his strength to continue.

"Yes. He loved me since university. He proposed after my graduation. I rejected him gently... I thought it was just infatuation. I thought he would move on. I was wrong."

Her breathing grew shallow.

"He became obsessed. And when I announced our wedding, Aransh... something inside him snapped. He couldn't accept losing me. He wanted me—at any cost."

Her voice trembled violently as she continued.

"On August 18th, the day its all happned... I went to meet him in his office. Before I could walk in, I overheard him speaking with his men... planning everything. I confronted him, threatened to expose him. I tried to run."

A tear slipped down her cheek.

"He injected me drug. But I still managed to escape the building. I called you, Aransh, in panic. I couldn't talk clearly because of the drug... but I tried to warn you. By the time I reached home, the drug began its real torture. I locked myself inside my room—everything hurt so much I couldn't think."

Her voice broke.

The entire room sobbed with her.

"The pain... the terror... the mirror shattered... I saw only glass, blood, and agony. I just wanted it to end. I didn't want to die... I only wanted the pain to stop."

She wiped her tears with shaking hands.

"So I... I slit my wrist."

Mrs. Mehra collapsed forward, crying uncontrollably. Jiya hid her face in her face on sikha sholuder, sobbing in fear. Even Mr. Verma's stoic face broke into grief.

But Nisha kept going—because she had to.

"Arav bribed every doctor in the hospital. No surgery was ever performed, Mom. I was unconscious—nothing more. The entire death report was fake."

Gasps filled the room.

"The scandal... that drug in Ishaan's office... the girl who is with arasnh on that hotel room. They were all Arav's people."

Ishaan squeezed his eyes shut—anger, betrayal, disgust twisting inside him.

His world was shattering.

Nisha continued, voice trembling:

"He reported Ishaan to the police himself. He wanted him jailed. He wanted everyone gone—so he could take me away. He even arranged a dead body to replace mine in the hospital."

She looked at Mrs. Mehra, her voice cracking:

"He make, Mom  and jiya. stay away from the surgery room, that whu he take them to private cabin. He knew you were too broken to fight him. When mom fell into a coma... his plan became easier." becuse its broke ishaan more, he is not in his right mind to think anything, and arav take benifit of his weakness.

Every person in the room cried openly now.

When Nisha finally stopped speaking, the silence that followed was suffocating.

Ishaan's tears dripped unchecked.
Aransh's jaw clenched in fury so strong he shook.

"I'll kill him." Aransh snarled—rage burning through every syllable.

But Nisha immediately grabbed his hand tightly.

"No. Not with anger. We have to be smarter than him. We'll get him punished—properly.

Her eyes moved from Aransh to Ishaan.

"I want to speak to both of you alone—just us three."

No one objected. They understood.

The three of them rose quietly and walked out.

Behind them, the mothers wept together—Mrs. Mehra collapsing into Mrs. Verma's arms.

"I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry, Disha..." i intrusted arasnh i blame him.  when he himself is hurting. she cried, shaking.

Mrs. Verma held her tightly.

"No... don't apologize. What matters is that everything will be okay now." our kids are fine now togather. 

Then her eyes moved to Aanya, who sat silently—lost in her own storm of thoughts. Bella, seated beside her, watched her quietly. She could see Aanya breaking behind her composed expression.

But she didn't interrupt.

Some pain was too raw to touch.

__

The three of them—Nisha, Ishaan, and Aransh—entered Ishaan's private office in heavy silence. The door clicked shut behind them, sealing them away from the world. They sat down, the air thick enough to drown in. Ishaan's hands were trembling on the table. Aransh kept his gaze fixed on Nisha, sensing something heavier still.

Nisha inhaled slowly, steadying herself.
"There's something I didn't tell outside," she began, voice low. "There is more."

Aransh's brows pulled together.
"More? What do you mean?"

Nisha nodded. Her fingers laced tightly with each other, almost white from pressure.
"The reason Arav did all this... the reason behind his obsession... there's another truth connected to our past. To our family."

Both men stilled.

Her voice dropped, barely above a whisper.
"It's about Dad."

Ishaan's whole body went rigid.
"Dad?" he breathed. "What could he possibly have to do with our father?"

Nisha looked directly at him, pain swimming behind her eyes.
"Ishaan... do you remember Rafael?"

Ishaan frowned, searching his memory.
"Rafael... the old leader of Divalo?"

"Yes," she said. "That Rafael."

Aransh looked between them, confused.
"What does Rafael have to do with Arav?"

Nisha swallowed.
"Arav is Rafael's son."

The shock hit the room like an explosion.
"What?" Aransh whispered.
Ishaan's lips parted soundlessly, disbelief shaking him.

"Yes," Nisha continued. "And you know what happened. Our father—Black Crown's leader—captured Rafael. He handed him over to the government. And they executed him."

"Because he was trafficking girls across borders," Ishaan murmured, remembering.

"Exactly." Nisha's voice softened with grief. "And the same day Rafael died, Arav's mother—Rafael's wife—had a heart attack. She died because she had no one except a , terrified child. Arav was alone. And his uncle... he fed him hatred. He told him everything. Every detail. Every name responsible."

She looked at Ishaan.
"Arav decided that day he would destroy the Mehra family."

Ishaan closed his eyes as memories clawed their way back.
"That means... Dad's accident—"
"It wasn't an accident," Nisha finished gently. "Arav's uncle planned it."

The room tilted. Ishaan saw it again—
him sitting beside his father,
sudden brake failure,
the terrified look in Mr. Mehra's eyes,
the push that saved Ishaan but doomed his father,
the explosion
the fire
the screaming
the first panic attack tearing through his chest—

His breath shook.

Nisha kept going, because she had to.
"Divalo thought Black Crown would end after Dad died. But you joined, Ishaan. With Rajiv uncle, with Dev uncle... you became Black Crown's leader at such a young age."

She looked at him with pride and sorrow mingled.
"When Arav's uncle learned that, he sent Arav to your university. He made sure he was close enough to learn every detail about Black Crown."

Aransh frowned.
"But then Arav fell in love with you."

Nisha nodded.
"Yes. He fell for me. He forgot his mission. He forgot the revenge. For a time... he changed."

"Until last year," Ishaan said suddenly, his voice hollow. "When you killed Ronan divalo's second leader."

Nisha's eyes dropped.
"Ronan... Arav's uncle. His only remaining family. When Ronan died, Arav shattered. And then—on top of that—I announced my marriage. Suddenly every wound reopened. He went back to his mission: destroy mehra's... and possess me."

Silence. Thick. Agonizing.

Ishaan and Aransh looked at her as if the world had tilted off its axis.
_____

After several long moments, Nisha exhaled shakily and asked the question that had been burning at the back of her mind.

"Ishaan..." she said carefully. "What exactly is going on between you and Aanya? You two are... very close. I can see it."

Aransh snapped his head toward Ishaan.
"Yes, Ishaan," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Please explain what exactly is going on between you and my sister."

Ishaan stared at his hands. His throat bobbed.
Then, quietly—
"Dii... we are married."

Nisha's breath punched out of her chest.
"What?"

Her voice broke into stunned silence.

Ishaan spoke for almost ten minutes—voice shaking, words tumbling, guilt pouring out of him like water through broken glass. He told Nisha everything:
why he married Aanya,
how it began as revenge,
and how he had realized the truth too late.

When he finished, the room fell silent.

Nisha's eyes hardened with betrayal.
"How could you do this, Ishaan?" she demanded, her voice trembling with anger. "She had nothing to do with any of this! Nothing!"

"I know—I know, Dii..." Ishaan whispered, tears rising. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

He turned to Aransh next, voice breaking.
"Aransh... I know what I did was unforgivable. But I am begging you—please forgive me. I'll do anything you ask."

Aransh leaned back, expression cold and unreadable.

"Anything?" his voice low, dangerous.

"Yes," Ishaan said instantly. "Anything."

Aransh didn't blink.
"Then let my sister go."

Ishaan's head snapped up.
"What?"

"This marriage," Aransh continued calmly, "started with revenge. That revenge is over now. There is no purpose left in this marriage. So let her go."

"No," Ishaan whispered, horrified. "No... I can't do that."

He stood up abruptly, chest heaving.
"I know this marriage happened for the wrong reasons. I know I wronged her—deeply. And I regret it more than anything. But I want to make it right now.  i did wrong i am guilt for that, and this guilt is eating alive.  i want this guilt go away want to give this marriage a chance. I want to accept her.

Just as the last word left his lips—

A sharp crack echoed.
All three turned.

Aanya stood at the door.

She had come to call Aransh —Mrs. Verma had sent her—but the moment she heard voices inside, she had paused.

Her heartbeat stumbled.

Ishaan instantly straightened.
"Ah—Aanya... are you okay? Do you need something?"

Aanya swallowed.
"Mm... yes. Bhai, let's go. Mom is asking for you."

Aransh nodded stiffly.
He took Nisha's hand, both of them giving Ishaan one last look—filled with anger, hurt, and disappointment—before leaving the room.

Aanya turned to follow them.
But Ishaan stepped forward.

"Aanya, please."
He caught her wrist gently.

Before she could speak, he pulled her inside and shut the door, locking it.

Aanya stared at him, startled.
"What are you doing?"

"Aanya... please talk to me," he begged. "Why are you avoiding me? If you're angry because of that morning—I understand. I should never have walked away like that. But I had a reason. Please let me explain."

She shook her head, trying to leave.
"Mom must be waiting. I need to go."

She took one step toward the door—
But Ishaan moved faster.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind.

Aanya froze, breath caught.

He held her tightly, as if she were the only thing keeping him alive.

"Rose..." he whispered into her shoulder. "Please. Don't do this. Talk to me."

Aanya's heart twisted painfully.

Why does he keep doing this to me?
Why does he hold me like I matter?

His voice broke.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry for everything. For hurting you. For forcing you into this marriage. I know sorry isn't enough... but please. Forgive me.  please please I am begging you. i am ashamed of my doing please forgive me."

Aanya closed her eyes.
Her voice was steady when she spoke.

"Ishaan... "When we decided to uncover the truth," Aanya said quietly,

"you told me that if Aransh turned out to be the culprit, you would do whatever you had to do and I wouldn't stop you.
And if he turned out to be the victim... then you would do whatever I asked."

"Yes—yes, Rose. I'll do anything you want" he said.

Aanya took a slow breath, painful and deliberate.

"Then let me go," she whispered.