As Avanthika woke up in the morning, it was only then she realized she was lying on a soft mattress. She looked around to find any trace of Raghav, but finding none, she sighed in relief. ‘Thank goodness! That Snow Prince didn’t come near this room last night. So where could he have gone? There’s absolutely no chance he’d be talking to the people in this house. If I ask, he’ll just start lecturing me about “status and class,”‘ she muttered to herself.
She got up, bathed, put on her old clothes, and went downstairs. When she greeted the maid’s daughter-in-law, the woman looked at her and asked, “Dear, why are you wearing old clothes?”
“We’ll be returning to Sandanpur today, Masha, so I wore these,” Avanthika replied.
The woman took her by the hand and led her to her room, showing her a beautiful, bright yellow lehenga. “Do you like this?” she asked. Avanthika’s face itself was her answer.
Giving the outfit to her, the woman said, “Please accept this as our gift, child. There are still many days left until the wedding of the girl in our house, and it is our family custom to present this to any Sumangali (A married woman whose husband is alive, often associated with auspiciousness) who visits. You must accept it without saying no.” Avanthika took it and pressed it to her eyes in gratitude.
She went back to her room, put on the lehenga, and looked at herself in the mirror. “Not bad, Avanthika! You look beautiful, too. Mwah!” she exclaimed, blowing a flying kiss to her reflection.
Suddenly remembering Raghav, she went downstairs and inquired about his whereabouts from the servants. They informed her that Raghav was outside, taking off a car tire to fix it. She headed out to call him.
As Raghav was changing the tire, the maid’s grandson who was standing nearby said, “Bhaiya! Aapki Patni Aa Rahi Hai (Brother! Your wife is coming).” Raghav turned, forgetting to blink as he stared at her. Avanthika was walking toward him, running her fingers through her hair, looking captivating in the yellow choli, gazing at the garden. Her beauty stunned him into a statue for only a few seconds!
He shook his head and internally admonished himself, ‘Be careful, Raghav. This girl is haunting you. Concentrate on your work.‘ He then pretended not to notice her and focused on the job.
Unaware of any of this, Avanthika approached him, still looking around. She asked how much longer it would take. Raghav, stating the work was nearly done, successfully replaced the car’s wheel.
Veer, meanwhile, was video-recording and photographing everything that transpired. All the captured media was immediately sent to Siraj’s mobile. Siraj, upon seeing the videos and photos, immediately called one of his associates.
“The photos I sent last night are already in the news. Broadcast these as well. The entire media must tear Raghav to shreds after seeing these photos,” he instructed before hanging up.
Then, he mused with arrogance, “After this, the Shukla Group deal and Naina Shukla’s wedding will both be off. This is what you call two mangoes with one stone. Before you can recover from this, Raghav, the industry will be under my control,” Siraj Mehra gloated, revealing his plan.
Inside, Avanthika saw Raghav eating dinner with the entire family and remarked to herself, ‘Surely the sun must have risen in the west today.‘
After finishing their meal, as the two were saying goodbye to the family, the maid placed a pair of ivory bangles on Avanthika’s hands as a gift, which Avanthika accepted without objection.
As they were approaching Sandanpur, Avanthika suddenly remembered her phone. Since both their phones had run out of charge and switched off, she plugged them into the car charger. Avanthika was looking out, oblivious to the fact that her destiny would change in a few hours—and the one responsible for it was just as unaware. That was the irony.
At the very same moment, a crowd of reporters was jostling outside the Sandanpur Palace gates.
The chief attendant, Maansingh, having managed the reporters at the palace entrance, came inside and told Kalyani Devi that they couldn’t hold them off for much longer. Inside the hall, Kausalya, Avanthika’s paternal aunt (Chithi), was staring blankly at the news playing on the large television screen. Pratyusha was seated beside her, comfortingly holding her hands. Rithima and Avanthika’s uncle, Raghuvaran, were busy calling Avanthika’s phone.
As the same few photographs flashed on the TV screen, Mythili and Kausalya, unable to bear the commentary, covered their ears.
The gist of the news was this: “While news was circulating that business world’s most eligible bachelor, Raghav Kapoor, was soon to marry Naina, the heiress of the Shukla Group, these photographs, sourced from reliable locations, suggest he may have been vacationing with a young woman in Jaipur. Who is this young woman? It is understood that she is neither an industrialist’s heir, a model, nor a cinema celebrity. Since this confirms there is no long-term connection between Raghav Kapoor and this woman, Raghav Kapoor’s reliable sources suggest this may just be a one-night stand. Stay tuned for more interesting information!”
Every news channel was reporting the same information. But the common thread was that Avanthika was being portrayed as Raghav Kapoor’s new girlfriend or companion!
Unaware of any of this, Raghav and Avanthika drove up to the Sandanpur Palace gate. Seeing the crowd of reporters, Raghav parked the car and opened the door for Avanthika, which led to the reporters immediately swarming them.
The crowd of reporters, the camera flashes—all of it was new to Avanthika. She was thoroughly stunned by the questions they hurled at her.
“Ma’am! They are calling you Mr. Raghav’s new girlfriend. Is it just friendship?”
“Many people are calling this relationship a one-night stand… Is that what this is?”
“They say you are the reason for Mr. Raghav’s previous breakup? Is that true, Ma’am?”
Unable to bear it, Avanthika instinctively covered her ears with her hands. Raghav lost his patience. “Enough! I will come and answer all your questions. Now, make way,” he said, putting his arm around Avanthika’s shoulder and leading her inside.
He didn’t realize that while he could handle the people outside, his diplomacy and cleverness were about to be flattened by the people inside.
The two entered the palace in silence. When Kausalya saw Avanthika standing at the entrance—dressed in a yellow lehenga and wearing the red and white ivory bangles typical of a married Rajasthani woman on her hands—she was stunned. Not just Kausalya, but Pratyusha, the wedding guests staying at the palace, and the staff—everyone was utterly shocked.
A silence fell, so complete that even the drop of a pin would have been audible.
Raghav’s phone rang, breaking the silence. Seeing that it was his mother, he answered. “Hello, Ma! In the Havel… Okay. No, Ma! I will come there! Ma… Ma, are you there?” he said, before his mother, Radhika, cut the call.
Putting the phone in his pocket, he looked at the faces around him. He noticed a middle-aged woman standing next to Avanthika who bore a resemblance to her. He guessed she might be Avanthika’s mother. The anxiety-laced look on her face further increased Raghav’s sense of guilt.
He realized that if he had only selected the flowers on time and left as she had suggested, none of this untoward incident would have happened. He felt he had to act before any more time was lost.
Looking at everyone’s faces for a moment, he said, “First, please forgive me, everyone. This problem is my fault. I will resolve it somehow. So please, don’t be tense; try to relax.”
Kausalya’s voice cut him off. “How? How will you resolve this? Look at the TV! See the kind of things they are saying about my daughter! My daughter has never been caught in a problem like this. She minds her own business. Does she deserve this reputation? Hearing all this makes me feel like I should just end my life!” she cried through her tears.
Raghav was in no position to answer any of her questions. She continued, “We are not high-class people like you, sir, to simply dismiss whatever happens. We are middle-class. We can’t ignore the questions the people around us are asking after seeing this news. This one problem feels like it will question my daughter’s entire future, Raghu,” she said, leaning on her husband’s shoulder and beginning to sob.
But Avanthika wasn’t taking it too seriously. She calculated that if an even more sensational piece of news broke tomorrow, everyone would forget about them. However, when she heard a reporter on TV repeatedly use the phrase “one-night stand,” she faltered for a second.
Seeing her distressed face, Raghav couldn’t bear it. “Don’t worry, Aunty! I will call them all right now and give an interview. After that, they will understand what truly happened,” he said, trying to calm Kausalya and Mythili.
The problem, however, came in the form of Kalyani Devi. “Even if you say something now, they will only think you’re lying to divert the problem! There’s no use in this, Raghav!” she stated sadly but with a grasp of the reality of the situation.
Avanthika did not wish to remain silent any longer. “Chithi, Naani, and everyone else here! There is only one thing I want to say! We got into a problem yesterday. It took this long to get out of it. Why are you getting so tense over this stupid news? Don’t blame Raghav. I am the only one responsible for what happened. If I hadn’t insisted on taking the shortcut, none of this would have happened! So please, don’t worry and calm down. Raghav said he’d give an interview to make them understand the situation. So, please calm down.”
Raghav liked Avanthika’s honesty, as she didn’t try to make him the sole responsible party in that situation. In fact, his role in what happened was much larger. He could only regret that if he hadn’t delayed selecting the flowers, none of this would have occurred.
Just then, Raghav’s mother, Radhika, arrived.
The courage Raghav had until now slightly faltered upon seeing his mother. He struggled to look her in the eye. Radhika walked straight up to Raghav. “What is happening, Raghav? Because of your business rivalry, it seems like that girl’s future will be ruined for no reason! When news like this came out about you with other women, I didn’t feel this bad, Raghav. But Avanthika is our daughter-in-law’s friend. Anything that affects her will also affect Usha. This will ruin the peace of both our families. How are you going to solve this problem?” she asked, staring at him with a question in her eyes.
Raghav looked at her. “Ma! I have never shirked my responsibility. Believe me, Ma! I can solve this problem,” he said with confidence.
Avanthika felt like slapping her forehead upon hearing this. Her sense of justice refused to accept that everyone was blaming Raghav. She felt that everyone was blowing a small problem out of proportion, so she remained silent.
Just then, Raghav received a call from Shukla. He answered, “Hello.”
“Raghav, what happened, man? What is going on? From the national media to the regional media, it’s all your photos. I don’t know what your relationship is with this girl. But it’s in your hands to ensure this news does not affect your growth and our deal. Do something to silence the media people who are criticizing you severely right now. And one more thing: I am also a father to a daughter. So, please take action with that girl’s future in mind,” Shukla advised before hanging up.
Raghav looked at Avanthika, who was trying to pacify everyone. Shukla’s words, “Do something to silence the media people who are criticizing you severely right now. And one more thing, take action with that girl’s future in mind,” echoed in his ears. He understood what he had to do.
He walked straight toward Avanthika, took her hand, and she looked at him questioningly. “Avanthika, I am responsible for everything that happened today,” he said, looking at her with piercing eyes.
While everyone waited to see what he would do, he announced, “Everyone, come to the Durga Mandir inside the palace,” and pulled her along.
Once there, he stood before the goddess Durga, who was seated calmly on a tiger, and folded his hands in prayer.
Mind Prayer: “Durga Ma! I did not intentionally try to play with this girl’s life! But I am the reason for the problem she faces today. As a remedy, I will marry her myself. I don’t know if this is right or wrong. But I feel we will be well if we get your blessings. Bless us,” he prayed earnestly.
Then, he reached up and took the Karugamani Mala (Black bead necklace, a type of Mangalsutra) from the deity’s neck. Everyone exchanged confused glances, wondering what had gotten into him. Taking the black-bead necklace, he walked up to Avanthika, who was still looking at him with questions in her eyes, and tied it around her neck. He then took the Kumkum (Vermilion) from the feet of Goddess Durga and applied it to the parting of her hair. Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Avanthika was so shocked that she forgot what to do and stood like a doll. Raghav put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her. “Everyone here, please relax now. I will put an end to the problem with those reporters. And no one needs to worry about Avanthika’s future anymore. She is my wife now. I won’t allow anybody to demean my wife,” he declared, and then led her outside toward the waiting crowd of reporters.
Seeing them approach together, a stir ran through the crowd, but Raghav paid no attention. For him, the interview he was about to give had to be the full stop to this problem, nothing more!
He measured them with a sharp glance, then spoke in a commanding voice, “When we got out of the car here, some of you asked questions, right? Ask them now.“
They hesitated at his voice. “Okay, I’ll state the questions myself and answer them one by one. Make sure you note down every single line,” he ordered.
“Question number one: Is the woman standing here my girlfriend? And my answer is ‘Yes.’“
A murmur ran through the crowd.
“Question number two: Was the relationship with her a one-night stand? No, definitely not. I want to spend every single night of my life with her,” he said with a definitive voice, looking at Avanthika, making the reporters look at each other.
“Question number three: Is she the reason for my previous breakup? No. God is the reason for that. Because my mother says that for amazing things to happen in this world, God first gives people a little trouble. So, we can just assume that God gave me the small trouble of a breakup and gave me the big gift of Avanthika,” he explained.
Listening to him, Usha and Rithima looked at each other happily. They then consulted with Naani and went inside the house.
A reporter who had been silent all this time asked, “Sir, so who exactly is she to you?“
Raghav looked at him sharply. “The relationship between a girl and a boy who are standing holding hands, with a Mangalsutra around her neck, these bangles worn by a married lady on her hands, and Kumkum on her forehead—that is the same relationship that exists between us,” he said. He looked at Avanthika’s face, found no emotion there, and shot her a piercing glance.
“She is my wife. She is Avanthika Raghav Kapoor,” he announced, and everyone standing there was stunned.
“How can we believe this, sir? Does saying she’s suddenly your wife make it believable?” someone asked sarcastically.
Raghav looked at him keenly. “I won’t lie for the sake of getting people here to believe me. And you have all spoken a lot without knowing this fact. But this must be the last time. If anyone criticizes me, my wife, or our personal life without proof from now on, I will take legal action,” he said in a severe tone.
Kausalya felt a sense of relief that no one could speak ill of her daughter anymore.
“Okay! Thank you, gentlemen! I hope you’ve all got the answers to your questions. You may all leave now,” he said. Happy to have gotten their news, they all dispersed.
Only after they left could everyone in the palace breathe a sigh of relief. Furthermore, although the wedding happened suddenly, Kalyani Devi commanded that the other rituals be performed correctly. The arrangements for the Grihapravesam (The ceremony of a new bride entering her husband’s home for the first time) began in earnest.
However, the main conspirators—the bride and groom—did not realize this and were sitting in the garden with their backs to each other. Raghav felt a sense of peace now. He was sure Kausalya wouldn’t worry about her daughter anymore, as no one could speak ill of Avanthika. But he did not yet understand that he would have to struggle for the rest of his life to deal with Avanthika because of this sudden marriage.
