Chapter 26

I stepped outside Vani’s apartment and called Subh.

His text had been unlike anything he’d ever sent me—cold, distant, almost accusatory. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

He picked up on the second ring.

“Haan, kya hua? Sab theek hai kya?” I asked, concern heavy in my voice.
[Yo, what happened? Is everything alright?]

“Nothing’s alright. Nothing. What did you do now?” he shot back, his voice sharp with hurt and anger.

I frowned, raising an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.

“You must’ve done something, right? And why the hell are you always with Vani di if you hate her so much?”

I shut my eyes, jaw clenching as I tried to stay calm.

“Subh, watch your tone. Talk to me like that again, and I’ll remind you why I’m your elder brother,” I said, letting the warning sit in my voice.

“I will. I will talk to you like that again! Just tell me why you did it!” he yelled, his voice cracking.

“What the hell did I even do?!”

I waited for his response, but for a few seconds, there was nothing—just the sound of his breathing on the other end.

“Subh?”

“Kya hua hai?” I asked again, my concern deepening.
I knew my brother. He never talked like this—not unless something was seriously wrong.

“Ayanshi stopped talking to me,” he finally said.
“She ended whatever was going on between us.”
He took a shaky breath while I stood there, frozen in confusion.

“Because of you, veere.”
Confusion etched itself deep into my mind.

“Because of me?” I asked, genuinely lost, my brows furrowing.

“That’s why I was asking what you did,” he said, his voice tight with frustration.
“She told me her sister’s life is ruined because of my brother. And then she turned it around on me—said how could I talk badly about her sister?”

His words rushed out, messy and pained, like he was trying to make sense of it all himself.
“I don’t know what the hell is going on. I never said anything. I swear, veere—I didn’t do anything.”

I felt something stir in my chest. Not anger—yet—but a cold, rising tension. The kind that comes when things don’t add up, when people twist stories behind your back. And now, somehow, it was all falling on me.

I was still lost in confusion when the door opened and Ayanshi stepped out, holding a trash polythene bag. She didn’t even glance in my direction as she walked toward the elevator.

“Ayanshi, wait,” I said.

She stopped but didn’t look at me.

“I’ll call you later,” I told Subh and ended the call.

“Look at me,” I said firmly.

She finally turned, but the look on her face hit me like a punch—like I disgusted her.

“What did I do? How did I ruin your di’s life?” I asked, barely holding back my anger.

“Oh, like you don’t know?” she snapped.

I took a deep breath, calming myself.

“I don’t know.”

“Great. Then let me tell you,” she said, voice trembling with rage.

“At Inaiyat di’s wedding, at your house—your dadi decided that you and my sister should get married. But you and your brother were up on the terrace, talking trash about her. You called her shameless. You said you’d rather die than marry her—that your life would be ruined. Fine, maybe that was your opinion. But then you said she had a boyfriend… and that she tried to take her own life because of him.”

My heart sank.

“Our mother thought you were that boyfriend. She misunderstood everything. That’s why she arranged her marriage with Paras. And now… whatever condition my sister is in, it’s because of him. Actually—because of you. You started all of it. You made it happen.”

Her voice broke. Her face was red, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“My di keeps saying she’ll accept whatever her mother decides. You destroyed her spirit,Mr Brar. You ruined her life.”

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, trying to keep her dignity, but her hands were shaking.

“I hate you. I hate you so much,” she spat.

Then, pressing her palms together in front of me—more in frustration than in prayer—she said,
“Stay away from us. Please. You’ve done enough.”

She stepped into the elevator without looking back.

And I stood there, motionless. Silent. Broken.

The elevator doors closed, taking her away, but her words kept echoing in my head like gunshots.

You ruined her life, Mr.Brar.

I stood frozen, my hands clenched at my sides. My heart thudded against my ribs, each beat heavier than the last.

What the hell just happened?

I replayed everything she said, again and again.. My words were jokes,   never meant to be heard, never meant to carry weight. I never thought anyone would actually listen.

But someone had. And twisted them. Or maybe… maybe they didn’t even need to twist. Maybe I was careless enough to ruin a life without realizing it.

I didn’t know her mother thought I was her boyfriend. I didn’t know Paras came into the picture because of a misunderstanding I sparked.

I didn’t even know dadi arranged my and vani’s wedding, i never badmouth about vani, i can never.

Guilt hit me like a wave, sharp and suffocating.

I leaned back against the wall, running a hand over my face. My throat tightened, my vision blurred—not from tears, but from the weight of it all. I’d been blamed before, sure. But this… this was different.

This was destruction I hadn’t even realized I caused.

And now Ayanshi hated me.

Maybe vani too.

No—despised me.

Par hak bnta hai unka.

I never meant to hurt anyone. But intentions don’t undo damage. And from where she stood, I had ruined her sister’s future.

I didn’t know what to do, or who to go to. But one thing was clear:

If this happens because of me, I will be the one to make this right.

✧

I walked into my apartment, dropped my keys on the table, and immediately called Subh.

“Veere, were you talking to Ayanshi? What happened? What did she say?” he asked, his voice full of anticipation and worry.

“Subh, listen to me carefully,” I said, trying to stay focused.
“Go to Dadi. Ask her if she ever talked to Vani about arranging a marriage between the two of us—especially when she was visiting during Inaiyat’s wedding.”

“But what happened?” he pressed.

“Just do what I said and call me back.”

I ended the call, my heart pounding with a feeling I couldn’t name—part dread, part hope, part something else entirely.

✧

A few minutes later, Subh called me back.

“Hmm? Did you talk to her?” I asked right away.

“Yeah, I did. She was messing with Vani di—it wasn’t serious at the time. But I think she’s serious now,” he said.

“Sorry, what?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“She said you two are perfect, and that she’ll definitely arrange it,” he replied.

I rolled my eyes, frustration rising.
“Subhhhhh, kam pai aa yaar. It’s not the right time for this.”

“Haan, okay. But first, tell me—what did Ayanshi say?”

“Okay, listen,” I said, and began telling him everything. Every word, every expression on Ayanshi’s face. How broken she looked. How much anger and pain she carried.

When I finished, there was silence on the line.

“We never bad-mouthed Vani di, veere,” Subh said quietly.

I leaned back on the couch, lost in thought. His words echoed in my head.

“Veere?” he called out, snapping me out of it.

“On the terrace…” I murmured, remembering what Ayanshi had said.

“Wait… bro—maybe Vani di—” Subh started, but stopped, letting me finish the thought.

“She misunderstood,” I said slowly, realization dawning on me. “When we were talking about Aishmeen—my ex—she must’ve thought we were talking about her.”

I heard Subh curse under his breath. It was quiet, but I caught it.

And suddenly, everything made sense.

“To ab kya karna hai?” he asked quietly.
[So now what are we going to do?]

“Sab kuch theek karna hai,” I said, my voice steady—filled with confidence, but laced with guilt and heartache.

“Woh kaise?” he asked.
[ How?]

______________________________________

BOOM.. 🤯

bola tha na nav red flag nahi hai… 🤪

Vese kya lagta hai ab kya hoga ….
Ek chiz aur socho, pechle chapter mai vase kya hawa se gir gya tha?

Tata👋👋

Fir milenge jald hi…