Gayatri wiped her tears and stood taller than she had in years, her voice steady but still trembling.
"I will not let anyone insult my daughter again," she declared, glaring at Sharda. "You don't deserve to even speak her name. Gauri has endured everything for me, and yet she stands here with dignity."
She turned to her daughter, her face breaking again. "Forgive me, Gauri. You're still bearing insults because of me. I'm so sorry…"
But Gauri stepped forward, eyes shimmering with tears, and gently pressed her fingers to Gayatri's lips. "No, Ma… don't say another word. You're the only family I have left. You and Charvi. That's all that matters to me." Her voice cracked but grew stronger. "And today… today I've realized this Kothari family means nothing to me. Nothing."
The room went silent. Vihaan's jaw tightened, but he couldn't meet her gaze; his eyes stayed fixed on the floor, his fists at his sides.
Gauri walked up to Sharda and folded her hands. "You asked me to choose between being this family's daughter-in-law or being my family's daughter. Today, I choose my family… over this marriage that holds no worth."
Everyone gasped softly. Sharda's face hardened but a flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
Gauri turned to the others, her voice soft but full of dignity. "Dadi… Aunty Urvashi… uncle Shyom… Yug… Raani… I'm sorry. I won't be able to live in this house anymore or be part of this family. Please forgive me."
She then glanced at Charvi and Gayatri, her expression tender but determined. "Wait for me outside. I'll get my luggage."
And without another word, she turned toward the staircase, lifting her head high despite the tears running down her cheeks.
Vihaan's chest heaved as he watched her ascend. Something inside him snapped. He moved quickly, his long strides eating the distance between them, and followed her upstairs, his face unreadable but his eyes burning.
Downstairs, the atmosphere was heavy with silence until Yug finally stepped forward, his jaw clenched.
"Bade Maa," he said firmly, "you did something very wrong today."
"Yug!" Urvashi quickly tugged at his arm, signaling him to be quiet.
But Yug shook her off. "No, mom… I won't stay silent anymore. My opinion about Sister-in-law was always right, but everyone kept misunderstanding her. Today… the truth proved she was never wrong."
Sharda's face hardened as she snapped, "Yug, mind your tongue—"
"Enough," Dadi interrupted, her voice breaking with both sorrow and authority. She turned toward Gayatri and Charvi with folded hands. "I am deeply sorry for all the insults you both had to endure in this house. No family should have to suffer this."
Charvi quickly stepped forward, stopping Dadi with tears in her eyes. "Please… don't fold your hands, Dadi. You're our elder. It's not your burden to apologize."
Meanwhile upstairs—
In her room, Gauri furiously packed her clothes, wiping at her tears with trembling hands. Vihaan rushed in behind her.
"Gauri… wait. Please, just give me one chance to speak—"
But she ignored him, folding her sarees tightly into her bag.
"Gauri!" Vihaan's voice cracked as he scattered her clothes across the floor, refusing to let her zip the bag. "I won't let you go!"
"Why, Vihaan?!" Gauri finally broke, shoving him back as her sobs tore through the silence. "Why don't you want me to leave when I hold no value in your life?! Tell me why! From the day I entered this house, you only insulted me, humiliated me… made me feel worthless!"
Her chest heaved as her voice softened into heartbreak. "And yet… these past few days, I thought maybe… maybe something was changing between us. That there was hope. But today—you killed that hope with your silence."
Vihaan's eyes glistened. He caught her hands, holding them desperately, his own tears finally falling. "I'm sorry, Gauri… I'm so sorry… I was wrong…"
But Gauri pulled free, her decision unshakable. She reached for her mangalsutra, her fingers trembling as she slipped it from her neck. Vihaan froze as she placed it firmly in his palm.
"This bond… this relationship—" her voice cracked, "is over."
Vihaan's world shattered as he stared at the mangalsutra lying in his hand, unable to believe what she had done. Gauri bent down, gathering her clothes once more, while he stood motionless, his heart heavy with helplessness.
Gauri clutched her suitcase tightly, her tears streaming as she walked out of the room, each step heavy with pain. Her sobs echoed faintly in the corridor, but she didn't look back.
Inside the room, Vihaan stood frozen, staring down at the mangalsutra lying lifeless in his hand. His vision blurred as tears dripped onto it, the small beads glistening like broken pieces of his heart.
Memories crashed into him—
Gauri's trembling hands tying a chunri over her eyes, standing by him when he begged her not to see his cursed state.
Her blindfolded arms wrapping around him as he cried in agony, her touch dissolving his pain.
Her smile, her arguments, her bubbly chatter as she ruined his bed with food.
Her fierce words as she swore she would fast for his long life, even when he told her not to.
And then the unbearable memory of how she had slipped the mangalsutra into his palm only moments ago, ending everything.
Vihaan's breath broke. His knees buckled beneath him, and he collapsed onto the floor, clutching the mangalsutra to his chest. His tears fell freely, his strong shoulders trembling with the weight of loss.
For the first time, the stern officer, the son of the Kothari household, wept helplessly like a man who had lost the only light in his darkness.