Kothari Mansion – Main Hall
The roka ceremony was in full swing. Mantras echoed softly while relatives smiled and exchanged trays of gifts. Still, an unspoken weight hung in the room—Babita's piercing eyes scanning every corner.
At that moment, Vihaan and Yug descended the stairs, their steps heavy with unease.
"Namaste, aunty," Vihaan greeted politely, bowing before Babita and Bharat's father.
Babita's smile was thin, her gaze sharp. "Namaste. But tell me, Vihaan… where is your wife? Surely she can't still be getting ready?"
The question dropped like a thunderclap. The entire hall turned their eyes to Vihaan. He froze, then instinctively glanced at Yug, who stiffened beside him. Both brothers exchanged a silent, loaded look—one of desperation.
Slowly, almost deliberately, their eyes lifted towards the grand staircase.
Gasps rippled through the guests.
From above, a lady draped in a heavy veil began to descend gracefully, her face completely hidden by the ornate ghoonghat. Her sari shimmered in the lamplight, the heavy anklets chiming with each step.
Babita's sharp features softened into a pleased smile. "Ah, so the new bahu finally shows her face—well, at least her presence. Good that you joined us, Gauri."
Vihaan forced a small smile, nodding. "Ji… she wouldn't miss her sister-in-law's roka."
Yug's heart pounded in his chest. As the veiled figure descended further, he and Vihaan shared a fleeting flashback—
Whispering urgently in the kitchen not long ago.
The nervous female house-helper trembling before them.
Yug draping the bridal sari around her, Vihaan adjusting the veil low enough to cover her completely.
"Just stand there quietly," Vihaan had pleaded. "Don't speak. Don't lift the veil. Just until this ceremony passes."
Back in the hall, the woman in disguise lowered her gaze, clutching the edge of her veil tightly, as though terrified of being exposed.
The priest gestured for everyone to settle as the rituals continued. Yet every moment Babita's gaze flickered toward the veiled woman, curiosity glinting in her eyes—as if she sensed something wasn't quite right.
Meanwhile, Vihaan and Yug stood rooted, praying silently that their desperate gamble wouldn't unravel before the entire gathering.
Kothari Mansion – Roka Ceremony, Inner Corridor
The sound of shlokas and clinking bangles filled the hall as the roka continued. Guests laughed, gifts were exchanged, and Babita's sharp eyes remained locked on the veiled "Gauri."
But away from the main hall, near the side corridor, Veena and Urvashi pulled Vihaan aside, their faces tense.
"Vihaan," Veena hissed in a whisper, her tone sharp and commanding. "How did you manage to convince that stubborn girl to come back? Yesterday she ran way and I thought she would never return!"
Urvashi leaned closer, anxiety etched across her face. "Tell us the truth. Did Gauri agree suddenly? Or… did you force her again?"
Vihaan clenched his jaw, lowering his gaze. The weight of his silence made both women uneasy.
"Answer us, Vihaan," Veena pressed, her voice harsher now. "That is Gauri sitting there under the veil, isn't it?"
Vihaan's shoulders sagged. He glanced quickly toward the hall where the veiled figure sat quietly beside Raani, then back at his mother and aunt.
Finally, in a low, heavy voice, he confessed:
"It isn't Gauri."
Urvashi gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "What… what do you mean?"
Vihaan took a deep breath, his words laced with guilt. "Gauri refused to return. She said she won't be a pawn for a witch, and I… I couldn't force her again. So…" His voice broke slightly as he admitted, "Yug and I asked our house-helper to disguise herself as Gauri. Just to keep Babita from calling off the roka."
Veena's eyes flared with anger, but also fear. "Are you out of your mind, Vihaan? If Babita discovers this trick, the alliance will shatter instantly! Not just Raani's marriage—our entire family's honor will be ruined!"
Urvashi trembled, glancing back toward the main hall where Babita sat with an almost predatory smile. "God help us… Babita must not find out. One wrong move, and everything will collapse."
Vihaan looked torn, his hands tightening into fists. "I didn't have a choice, Maa. I couldn't bring Gauri back. This was the only way to save today."
The three stood in the shadowed corridor, the distant sound of the priest chanting blessings reaching their ears, while the truth they carried threatened to explode like fire through the mansion at any moment.
Witch Island
The cursed winds howled around the daayan vriksh, its blackened roots writhing like serpents in the soil. Suddenly, the monstrous tree shuddered, and two daayans leapt down from its crooked branches, their anklets clinking, their long braids swaying like serpents.
Their reversed feet pressed into the mud, leaving fiery footprints behind as they landed with eerie grace.
One daayan hissed, her voice carrying like a whisper through the night:
"Our sister's cry reached us… Nishi is bound, trapped within the Kothari mansion's walls."
The second daayan tilted her head, her eyes glowing blood-red.
"If she calls, it means danger is near. The mortals dare to cage one of us? Then we will tear their home apart stone by stone."
The first daayan extended her clawed hand toward the horizon, where the Kothari mansion loomed faintly under the pale moon.
"We must go. The roka ceremony is underway… so many lives, so many fears. The perfect time to strike."
Their laughter—shrill, venomous, and bone-chilling—echoed across the island as their dark veils billowed. In unison, they rose into the air, their shadows stretching across the waves as they flew toward the mansion.
Back at the Kothari household, a flicker of the oil lamps dimmed suddenly, unnoticed by most, but a sign of the storm about to arrive…