Soon, Vanya reached the dining table and sat on her chair.

Remembering what Kalpana had told her, she decided that she would ask about the temple after dinner.

Everyone soon started serving themselves.

While eating, Vikram looked at her.

"Aaj tumhara din kaisa tha, Vanya?"
(How was your day, Vanya?)

Immediately, her face lit up.

"Bahut accha tha, Uncle!"
(It was very good, Uncle!)

She happily started telling him everything.

"Sabse pehle maine Aarav ke saath Mysore bonda aur chutney banayi."
(First, I made Mysore bonda and chutney with Aarav.)

At that statement, Rudra and Veeransh looked up.

For some reason...

They felt something strange.

But they didn't understand what it was.

Then Vanya continued,

"Phir main, Aarav, Ari Bhaiya aur Kabir Bhaiya sabne mere room mein saath mein snacks khaye aur bahut baatein ki."
(Then me, Aarav, Ari Bhaiya and Kabir Bhaiya all ate snacks together in my room and talked a lot.)

A small smile appeared on Vikram's face.

But then he realized something.

Everyone had been there.

Arjun.

Kabir.

Aarav.

Vanya.

Only he had missed the little snack party.

For some reason...

He felt a tiny bit jealous.

His sons got snacks.

And he didn't.

The thought was so unexpected that he almost laughed at himself.

Meanwhile, Rudra and Veeransh felt even more left out.

Why did everyone else get to spend time with her except them?

(🙏: if you both are forgetting you didn't even try to talk her before judging.)

Completely unaware of everyone's thoughts, Vanya continued happily.

"Aur phir humne carrom khela!"
(And then we played carrom!)

Vikram smiled.

"Accha? Kaun jeeta?"
(Really? Who won?)

A huge grin appeared on her face.

"Uncle, pehle aap guess kijiye!"
(Uncle, first you guess!)

He chuckled.

"Mujhe toh bilkul idea nahi hai."
(I have absolutely no idea.)

Vanya proudly pointed at herself and Aarav.

"Main aur mera Twiny!"
(Me and my Twiny!)

"Twiny?"

Vikram repeated in amusement.

"Haan! Aarav ab mera twin brother hai."
(Yes! Aarav is my twin brother now.)

The entire table became silent.

Kabir immediately started laughing.

Arjun almost choked on his water.

Even Aarav looked slightly embarrassed.

Vikram raised an eyebrow.

"Aur yeh kab hua?"
(And when did this happen?)

"Aaj dopahar ko."
(This afternoon.)

She replied proudly.

Then she looked at Aarav.

"Hai na, Twiny?"
(Right, Twiny?)

Aarav looked at her for a few seconds.

Then a small smile appeared on his face.

"Haan."
(Yes.)

Seeing the smile on Aarav's face and the excitement on Vanya's face, Vikram's heart warmed.

The tiny jealousy about the snacks disappeared.

Instead...

He felt happy.

Very happy.

Only two days had passed, and yet Vanya was slowly becoming comfortable around them.

She was laughing.

Talking.

Making nicknames.

And his sons were opening up to her too.

Especially Aarav.

The same Aarav who rarely smiled was now smiling because of a silly nickname.

Seeing the four children talking and laughing together, Vikram couldn't help but smile.

For the first time in a long while...

The dining table felt alive.

It felt like a family.

Soon, dinner came to an end.

Everyone was in a good mood.

Everyone...

Except Rudra and Veeransh.

Both brothers were frustrated.

For the past two days, they had been unable to decide what to think about Vanya.

Was she really innocent?

Or was she pretending?

And the more they saw their younger brothers getting comfortable with her...

The more confused and irritated they became.

Meanwhile, Vanya looked around the table.

Remembering Kalpana's words, she finally gathered some courage.

She looked at Vikram.

"Uncle... mujhe aapse kuch poochna tha."
(Uncle... I wanted to ask you something.)

Vikram looked at her warmly.

"Haan beta, bolo."
(Yes, dear, tell me.)

Vanya smiled softly.

"Mujhe mansion ke mandir mein pooja karne ki permission chahiye thi."
(I wanted permission to do pooja in the mansion temple.)

The moment the words left her mouth...

Silence.

Dead silence.

The clinking of spoons stopped.

The servants nearby froze.

Vanya blinked.

She looked around in confusion.

Why had everyone suddenly become quiet?

Vikram's hand froze.

The word-

Temple.

It echoed in his ears.

And with it came countless memories.

Sanvi standing in the temple with a pooja thali.

Her soft smile.

Her voice.

"Vikram, aaj aap bhi aarti kijiye."
(Vikram, today you should also do the aarti.)

Another memory.

Sanvi decorating the temple during Diwali.

Lighting diyas.

Smiling happily.

Another.

The temple after her death.

Dark.

Silent.

Closed.

No one had entered it since then.

No one had the courage to.

Vikram's eyes slowly lost focus.

He wasn't in the dining room anymore.

He was trapped in memories.

Pain.

Longing.

Grief.

"Uncle...?"

Vanya called hesitantly.

No response.

Slowly, Vikram stood up.

"Dad?"

Arjun called softly.

But Vikram didn't react.

Without saying a single word, he turned around and walked towards his room.

Everyone watched him leave.

The room became even quieter.

Vanya looked confused.

"Maine... kuch galat kaha?"
(Did I... say something wrong?)

Nobody answered.

Arjun, Kabir and Aarav lowered their eyes.

Because they knew.

The temple reminded their father of their mother.

And once those memories returned...

He needed time alone.

Vanya's smile slowly faded.

She hadn't meant to upset anyone.

She only wanted a place to pray.

Then-

BANG!

Rudra slammed his hand on the table.

Vanya flinched.

Everyone looked at him.

He slowly stood up.

His face was cold.

His eyes were full of anger.

"Bas! Bahut ho gaya!"
(Enough! I've had enough!)

Vanya's eyes widened.

"R-Rudra Bhaiya...?"

"Tum khud ko samajhti kya ho?"
(What do you think of yourself?)

She looked at him in confusion.

"M-Maine kya kiya...?"
(What did I do?)

"Tumhe yahan aaye do din bhi nahi hue aur tum demands karna shuru kar chuki ho!"
(You haven't even been here for two days and you've already started making demands!)

Tears immediately gathered in her eyes.

"I-I wasn't demanding..."

But he didn't stop.

"Apni masoomiyat aur achhe bartav se tum sabko apni taraf kar rahi ho!"
(With your innocent behavior and kindness, you're making everyone take your side!)

"Bhai, please!"

Arjun stood up.

"Aap galat samajh rahe ho!"
(You're misunderstanding!)

But Rudra wasn't listening.

Two days of confusion and frustration finally exploded.

He needed someone to blame.

And unfortunately...

That person became Vanya.

"Pehle Dad... phir Arjun... phir Kabir... aur ab Aarav! Sab tumhare aas-paas ghoom rahe hain!"
(First Dad... then Arjun... then Kabir... and now Aarav! Everyone is revolving around you!)

A tear rolled down Vanya's cheek.

She didn't understand.

What had she done wrong?

Then Veeransh slowly stood up too.

His expression was equally cold.

"Aur sabse badi baat..."
(And the biggest thing...)

He looked directly at her.

"Tumhare parents ko gujre ek mahina bhi nahi hua."
(It hasn't even been a month since your parents passed away.)

The room became even quieter.

"Lekin tumhe dekhkar aisa lagta hai jaise tum apni zindagi maze se jee rahi ho."
(But looking at you, it seems as if you're enjoying your life.)

A broken sound escaped Vanya's lips.

"N-No..."

But he continued.

"Jaise tum bas intezaar kar rahi thi ki koi aaye aur tumhe yahan le aaye."
(As if you were simply waiting for someone to come and bring you here.)

"Veer Bhai! Bas!"
(Enough!)

Kabir shouted.

Even Arjun looked horrified.

Aarav had clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

They had never seen their brothers say something this cruel.

Tears kept falling from Vanya's eyes.

Her vision blurred.

Her ears rang.

Neither Lavanya nor Vanya had ever been good with shouting.

In her previous life...

She hated arguments because her parents used to fight.

And in this life...

Vanya had been raised like a princess.

Her parents rarely even scolded her.

So hearing such harsh words...

She couldn't bear it.

Her body started trembling.

She took a step back.

Then another.

"M-Maine... kuch galat nahi kiya..."
(I-I didn't do anything wrong...)

Her voice was barely a whisper.

But no one heard it.

Or perhaps...

No one noticed.

More tears rolled down her cheeks.

She looked at Rudra.

Then at Veeransh.

Finally, she lowered her head.

In a small, broken voice, she whispered,

"Sorry..."

The word was so soft that it broke everyone's hearts.

Without looking at anyone...

She turned around.

And ran.

"Vanya!"

Kabir called.

"Sunshine!"

Arjun shouted.

"Twiny!"

Aarav immediately stood up.

But she didn't stop.

She ran out of the dining room.

Leaving behind a stunned silence.

And for the first time...

Everyone realized that maybe...

They had gone too far.

After Vanya ran away, silence fell over the dining room.

A heavy, uncomfortable silence.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

The sound of her soft "Sorry" still echoed in everyone's ears.

Arjun slowly turned towards Rudra and Veeransh.

For the first time, there was disappointment in his eyes.

Deep disappointment.

"Aap dono aaj jo bole ho na... ek din uske liye zaroor pachtayenge."
(One day, you'll definitely regret the things you said today.)

Rudra frowned.

"Humne sirf sach kaha hai."
(We only spoke the truth.)

Veeransh nodded.

"Haan, hum maante hain ki humein uske parents ke baare mein nahi bolna chahiye tha. Lekin hum galat nahi hain."
(Yes, we admit that we shouldn't have talked about her parents. But we're not wrong.)

He crossed his arms.

"Uska behaviour demanding hai. Woh spoiled hai aur attention chahti hai."
(Her behaviour is demanding. She's spoiled and wants attention.)

Arjun looked at him in disbelief.

Kabir's face darkened.

Then Arjun took a deep breath.

"Bhai... kya aapko ek baat samajh aayi?"
(Brother... did you realize one thing?)

Rudra frowned.

"Kya?"
(What?)

Arjun's voice softened.

"Usne aapko 'Rudra Bhaiya' kaha tha... un sab baaton se pehle."
(She called you 'Rudra Bhaiya'... before all those harsh words.)

The room fell silent.

Rudra's expression stiffened.

Arjun continued.

"Sirf do din hue hain usse yahan aaye. Phir bhi usne aapko apna bada bhai maana."
(It's only been two days since she came here. Yet she considered you her elder brother.)

Kabir looked at the two elder brothers.

"Aur aapne use badle mein kya diya? Daant... ilzaam... aur aansu."
(And what did you give her in return? Scolding... accusations... and tears.)

Arjun spoke again.

"Usne ek baar bhi aapse behas nahi ki. Ek baar bhi nahi. Woh bas roti rahi aur aakhir mein 'Sorry' bolkar chali gayi."
(She didn't argue with you even once. Not even once. She just kept crying and in the end said 'Sorry' and left.)

The image of Vanya looking at Rudra with teary eyes and saying

"R-Rudra Bhaiya...?"

flashed through his mind.

For some reason...

His chest felt a little heavy.

But he quickly ignored it.

Veeransh remained silent too.

Meanwhile, Aarav had been standing quietly.

His fists were still clenched.

He remembered Vanya's trembling voice.

Her tears.

And the way she had whispered

"Sorry."

Even though she had done nothing wrong.

Something in his chest hurt.

Without saying a word, he turned around and started walking towards the stairs.

Arjun and Kabir looked at him.

They understood immediately.

Vanya.

All three of them were thinking about the same person.

Kabir sighed.

"Chalo."
(Let's go.)

Arjun nodded.

The three brothers started walking towards Vanya's room.

Behind them, Rudra and Veeransh remained standing in the dining room.

For some reason...

The house suddenly felt empty.

And for the first time...

A tiny feeling of guilt appeared in their hearts.

But they quickly pushed it away.

After all...

They still believed they were right.

Unaware of everything...

Three worried brothers stood outside Vanya's room.

The room was completely silent.

Too silent.

Aarav slowly raised his hand and knocked.

Knock... Knock...

No answer.

He knocked again.

Still no answer.

The three of them exchanged worried glances.

Aarav's heart suddenly began beating faster.

Because for some reason...

He didn't like this silence at all.

Getting no response, the three brothers became worried.

Arjun knocked again.

"Sunshine, please open the door."

No answer.

Kabir also knocked.

"Cupcake, please open the door. You're scaring us now."

Still no response.

Aarav stepped forward and placed his hand on the door.

"Twiny... please kuch toh bolo."
(Twiny... please say something.)

Inside the room, Vanya was sitting on the floor beside her bed.

Her knees were pulled to her chest.

In her hands was a photo frame.

The only photo she had brought from Bangalore.

A family photo.

Her parents' smiling faces stared back at her.

And silently...

She cried.

Tears kept falling onto the frame.

When she heard the voices outside, she closed her eyes.

Right now...

She wasn't in a condition to talk to anyone.

Finally, she spoke.

"Please... Bhaiya... mujhe thodi der akela chhod dijiye."
(Please... brothers... leave me alone for some time.)

Outside, all three of them froze.

Aarav immediately spoke.

"Twiny, please humse baat karo."
(Twiny, please talk to us.)

A few seconds later, her soft voice came again.

"Please... mujhe thodi der akele rehna hai."
(Please... I want to be alone for some time.)

The three brothers looked at each other.

Arjun sighed.

"Theek hai, Baccha. Hum baad mein aayenge."
(Okay, kiddo. We'll come later.)

There was no reply.

Arjun gently pulled Aarav away from the door.

"Let her calm down first."

Kabir nodded.

The three of them slowly walked away.

Inside the room...

Vanya broke down again.

She looked at the photo in her hands.

"Why, Lavanya...?"

She whispered to herself.

"Why did you become so comfortable with them in just two days?"

A bitter smile appeared on her face.

"You had decided to stay away from the Rathores, remember?"

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

"But everyone was so nice to me... except those two."

She wiped her tears.

"No."

She shook her head.

"I won't ask anything from any Rathore from now on."

Her grip on the photo frame tightened.

"I'll only talk to those who are good to me... but I won't expect anything from anyone anymore."

Her gaze fell on her parents' smiling faces.

Immediately, her lips trembled.

"Why did you leave me?"

She whispered.

"If I had reincarnated earlier... maybe I could have saved you."

Tears blurred her vision.

"I could have lived happily with both of you."

A sob escaped her lips.

"I miss you, Mom... Dad..."

She gently touched the photo.

Then another thought came to her mind.

The letter.

The letter that said she should go to the Rathores.

"Dad... agar aapne woh letter nahi likha hota toh main yahan kabhi nahi aati."
(Dad... if you hadn't written that letter, I would never have come here.)

More tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Maine kabhi yahan aane ke liye zid nahi ki..."
(I never insisted on coming here...)

She lowered her head.

And silently cried.

After a long time...

Her tears slowly stopped.

A knock suddenly came from the door.

Knock... Knock...

Then a familiar voice.

"Twiny... darwaza kholo. Main hoon."
(Twiny... open the door. It's me.)

Aarav.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Vanya stood up.

She wiped her tears and opened the door.

Aarav was standing there.

A chocolate bar was in his hand.

She looked at him.

"Aap yahan kya kar rahe ho?"
(What are you doing here?)

Instead of answering, Aarav walked inside.

Vanya closed the door behind him.

Then, without saying anything, Aarav gently held her hand.

"Come."

He led her towards the balcony.

The night breeze was cool.

The swing moved slightly.

He made her sit on it.

Then he handed her the chocolate.

Vanya blinked.

Aarav finally spoke.

"Mushkil waqt ke baad kuch meetha kha lena chahiye. Mood thoda better ho jaata hai."
(After a hard time, you should eat something sweet. It makes the mood a little better.)

A tiny smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you."

She accepted it.

Both of them sat silently.

Because sometimes...

Words weren't needed.

After a few minutes, Aarav finally spoke.

"Mujhe pata hai unhone tumse aise baat nahi karni chahiye thi."
(I know they shouldn't have spoken to you like that.)

Vanya remained silent.

"Tum unse jitna chahe utna gussa ho sakti ho... lekin jo log sach mein tumhari parwah karte hain, unse door mat hona."
(You can be as angry as you want at them... but don't distance yourself from the people who genuinely care about you.)

He looked at the sky.

"Temple wali baat... uski wajah se sab aisa hua. Mom ke jaane ke baad kisi ne mandir mein kadam nahi rakha."
(The temple issue... that's why everything happened. After Mom passed away, no one entered the temple.)

Vanya's eyes widened.

"Oh... mujhe nahi pata tha. Sorry."
(Oh... I didn't know. Sorry.)

Aarav shook his head.

"It's okay. Yeh tumhari galti nahi hai. Woh bas... abhi tumhe samajh nahi paaye hain."
(It's okay. It's not your fault. They just... haven't understood you yet.)

Vanya softly hummed.

Both of them fell silent again.

A few minutes later, she slowly leaned her head on his shoulder.

Aarav stiffened.

Then relaxed.

"Thank you, Avi... mere saath rehne ke liye."
(Thank you, Avi... for being here with me.)

A small smile appeared on Aarav's face.

For the first time...

He didn't mind the nickname at all.

To be continued...