There was a strange, suffocating silence in that prison cell. On one side of the bars sat Rudraksh, head bowed. On the other side stood his parents.
Vijay Rajvansh, trembling with rage, spoke —"Did you see...? Did you see what your child has done...? Murder..! He's committed murder! God knows what kind of filthy blood he has...!"
With a trembling voice, Lakshmi said,"No... my son can't do this... I have complete faith in the way I raised him..."
Vijay laughed — a cold, mocking laugh."Upbringing...? What kind of upbringing can a woman give whose own shadow is stained? I regret the cursed moment I made you my wife."
Until now, Rudraksh had remained silent. But he couldn't tolerate anyone speaking about his mother like that. He roared —"Shut up! Don't say a single word about my mom!"
Vijay boiled over further."Why...? It hurts now...? Well, it should — after all, your blood is filthy—"
"And you think you're pure...? You married my mom only for money — to get rich. You used her. So don't you dare blame her," Rudraksh said, staring directly into his eyes.
Vijay lunged forward, grabbed his collar, and yanked him back hard — Rudraksh's head slammed into the cell wall.
Lakshmi screamed —"What are you doing...? Let him go!"
She rushed over and freed Rudraksh from Vijay's grip.
Vijay, trembling with disgust, said —"Listen carefully — I'm not going to save you. A dirty-blooded man like you doesn't deserve to carry my name. So just accept your fault… and die."
He pulled Lakshmi away and stormed out.She kept looking back again and again — her heart crying out in agony. Rudraksh didn't even glance in their direction. He turned his face away.
And the moment they left, Rudraksh collapsed to the ground — his lips trembling, his eyes hollow.
"Yes... I deserve to die... I just deserve to die..."He kept mumbling.All his reasons for living were slipping away. All of them...
Meanwhile, Anay was pacing restlessly outside the hospital ward.Inside was Advika. Her injuries weren't severe, but Anay's heart was still stuck in his throat.
When he had arrived to rescue her, she had already been fighting her own battle — so he had stayed back, letting her fight with her own strength. She was capable.She just needed a chance — and today, when that chance came, Anay made sure no one could steal it from her.
But today, once again, his father had repeated an unforgivable mistake — attacking not from the front, but from behind, like a coward.
That horrifying scene kept flashing before his eyes — when Advika had fallen, bleeding onto the ground — and for a moment, he had thought he'd lost her.That one moment had shaken him to his core.
Just then, the doctor came out and said,"The patient is awake. You may see her now."
Anay snapped out of his thoughts. He took a deep breath and said,"No... thank you."
He walked up to the glass window beside the ward door and peeked in.Inside, Advika lay on the bed, a bandage on her head. She was staring at the ceiling. And as soon as her eyes moved toward the spot where Anay stood, he quickly stepped away.
He didn't stay. With Tiwari Ji arriving, Anay thought it best to leave quietly.There were more things to handle.His next battle was to get Rudraksh released — as soon as possible.He had to reach him.Advika was safe now — but Rudraksh was still trapped in darkness.
When Advika woke up again under the influence of medication, she found herself in a hospital ward.Her head throbbed slightly, and in front of her, a handsome young man was flipping through a magazine.
When she tried to sit up, the boy looked her way, smiled softly, and walked up to her.
"How are you feeling now? Should I call the doctor?"
"No... but who are you...? And why am I here...?" Advika replied, holding her head.
"You're in the hospital. And if you don't recognize me, that means my brother hasn't told you about me. Oh, my brother, I swear..." he said dramatically, clutching his chest.
"Would you please tell me who you are?" Advika was starting to get irritated.
"I'm Aksh Rajvansh... Rudraksh Rajvansh's younger brother — and the sole heir of the Rajvansh family," he said with a bow, as if giving an intro on a show.
"You're Rudra's brother?"He looked like a film star, and something about that annoyed Advika.
"Hmm... I know. Hard to believe, right? That someone as handsome, charming, and polite as me could be your husband's brother..."
"Such a self-obsessed person..." Advika mumbled to herself.
"Anyway, let's get to the point, bhabhi..." — he deliberately emphasized the word —"As you know, my brother is in jail, and there's no one to run his company. His negative image has affected share prices, too. So as his wife, you'll appoint me CEO of Lakshmi Enterprises in front of all board members."
"What nonsense is this...? Your brother's in jail and all you care about is the company and money?" Advika snapped at him.
"And without money, how will you get him out of jail...? I don't think you can..." Aksh replied, coolly crossing one leg over the other.
Advika fell silent. Aksh now sat down across from her and started slicing an apple.
"If I make you CEO, what will you do in return?" Advika asked directly.
Aksh paused mid-slice. He glanced at her and smirked.
"I thought women only had beauty and innocence... but you've got brains too."
Advika kept glaring at him.
"How about this — I help get your husband out of jail?"
"But... Rudra's father is already doing that."
"What a joke!" Aksh laughed."Mr. Vijay Rajvansh is helping Rudraksh...? Dream better, bhabhi..."
"But he hired the best criminal lawyer — Mohan Pahadiya. He told me himself." Advika said.
Aksh's eyes narrowed. His face turned serious. He knew very well how low his father could sink.
"You rest. I'll be back..." he said and walked out.
As Aksh stepped out of the hospital, his phone rang.A voice on the other end said —"The man you asked us to save — his name is Ravindra Thakur, former village head of Thakurpur... and his son Anay Thakur is the one looking for him."
"Anay Thakur..." Aksh smiled faintly."Quite interesting..." he said, and ordered a full background check on the man as he slid into his luxury car and drove off.
Elsewhere, Anay was pacing anxiously outside the police station.Inside, Mohan Pahadiya sat in front of Rudraksh.
"Hmm... I understand," Mohan said, nodding."You were just trying to help someone in need, without realizing it might've been a trap."
Rudraksh nodded slightly.
"Do you suspect anyone who might be behind this?"
Rudraksh fell silent for a while, then clenched his fists.
"No..."
"Hmm..." Mohan flipped through the file."Your house has surveillance cameras — where can we access the footage?"
"They're on my laptop... which is probably with the police now..."
"Any backup?"
"Yes... there's a copy on Advika's phone. You can get it from her."
"Alright," Mohan noted."Do you know the murder weapon had your fingerprints? Any valid reason...?"
Rudraksh took a deep breath and began recounting the entire incident — how he had only picked up the knife, how the situation escalated...
Mohan listened silently and took notes."That's enough for now. I'll try to get you bail by tomorrow. I'll be going now."
He was about to leave when Rudraksh's voice stopped him —"Mr. Pahadiya..."
Mohan turned."Yes?"
"You're absolutely sure... that it was Advika who hired you?"
Mohan smiled slightly."Do you doubt that, Mr. Rajvansh?"
Rudraksh looked away and whispered,"No... I just didn't think she'd have such strong contacts..."