At midnight, the mansion lay wrapped in silence, though unease lingered in every corner. Inside Vihaan's room, the air was heavy with worry. He lay on the bed, still unconscious, his breath steady but his body unnervingly still. Gauri sat by his side, her eyes fixed on him as she gently checked his wounds. To her surprise, the cuts and gashes had sealed themselves, leaving behind only faint traces of scars.
Her brows knitted. Then why… why hasn't he woken up yet? she thought, brushing her hand softly across his forehead.
"Didi…" Charvi's voice came from behind. She had quietly entered, carrying a small box. "You've been sitting like this for hours. At least let me help you."
Gauri turned to protest, but Charvi's gaze was firm, the way a younger sister sometimes scolds the elder. She guided Gauri to sit properly, then opened the first aid kit.
"Unlike jiju, your wounds don't heal on their own," Charvi said gently, dipping her fingers into the ointment. "So you'll have to let me do this."
Gauri fell silent, allowing her sister's careful hands to dab ointment over the bruises along her arms and the scrape near her temple. Her heart was heavy, yet the simple act of Charvi tending to her reminded her she was not alone.
"Charvi," Gauri whispered, her eyes still drifting back to Vihaan's still form, "he risked everything for me… even shielded me from death. And now, he lies here because of it. Why won't he wake up?"
Charvi paused, glancing from her sister to the unmoving figure on the bed. "Maybe his body healed," she said softly, "but something else… something deeper is holding him back."
The words hung in the room like an omen.
Gauri's grip tightened on Vihaan's hand, her voice trembling. "Vihaan… please come back."
And though he did not stir, the faintest flicker crossed his eyelids, unnoticed by both sisters—like a storm brewing in his dreams.
Charvi finished tending to Gauri's wounds and quietly closed the first aid kit. She looked at her sister with concern, her voice small but steady. "Didi… what do you plan to do if Kamini comes back?"
Gauri's eyes lowered. For a moment, she was silent, as though searching within herself for an answer she didn't yet have. "I don't know, Charvi," she admitted at last, her voice heavy with honesty. "I'm clueless. But one thing I do know—I won't let her succeed. She may have power, but I have faith. And faith can never be broken."
Charvi studied her sister's face, the quiet fire in her eyes, and for the first time that night, she allowed herself to breathe with a sliver of hope.
Meanwhile, in Sharda's room, the atmosphere was tense. Veena sat on the edge of the bed, her face pale, her hands trembling in her lap. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she broke the silence, her voice raw.
"This is all my fault," she confessed. "If Vihaan is lying there, it's because of me. I gave Kamini the chance—I handed her the opportunity when I agreed to trade Gauri. I thought I was protecting my son, but I was only feeding him into her claws."
Sharda's eyes burned with anger and disappointment. She rose from her seat and faced Veena squarely. "Do you even realize what you've done? The same girl you wanted to sacrifice—the same girl you sent into the shadow realm—was the one who saved Vihaan's life tonight!"
Veena flinched at the words, each one cutting deeper than the last.
Urvashi stepped forward, her voice trembling but firm. "Sharda is right. Gauri has done nothing but protect this family. And yet she has endured your suspicion, your scorn."
Dadi placed her hand on Veena's shoulder, her aged voice carrying both sadness and reproach. "Veena, you let your fear blind you. Look where it has brought us. That girl you distrusted is standing like a shield for all of us."
Veena lowered her head, her sobs breaking free as the truth crushed her pride. "I… I was wrong," she whispered. "So terribly wrong."
Sharda's eyes softened, though her tone remained stern. "Realize your blunder before it's too late. For once, look at Gauri not as a threat, but as the strength this family needs."
Veena buried her face in her hands, her tears falling freely now—not just for Vihaan, but for her own blindness.
with a rising panic. "You don't understand… Kamini won't stop. She'll return, fiercer than before. And when she does, none of us will be able to stop her. That's why it's crucial—Adrija must return. She is Jalpanchi. Only her powers can face Kamini's sorcery."
Sharda's expression hardened, her arms folding tightly across her chest. "Adrija?" she said sharply. "Don't forget, Veena—when the time came, that girl ran away. She left this family to face darkness alone. And you call her Jalpanchi?" Sharda's words cut like cold steel. "How can we be so sure she is what you claim? Where was her strength when we needed it most?"
Urvashi shifted uneasily, looking between the two women, while Dadi let out a weary sigh. Veena clutched her hands together, desperation pooling in her eyes.
"She ran because she was afraid," Veena insisted, her voice rising. "But that doesn't change the truth of her bloodline. If she returns, her power could be the key to saving Vihaan—and all of us!"
Sharda shook her head, her tone laced with skepticism. "And if she doesn't return? Or worse—if she's not what you think she is? Then what? Will you gamble our lives again?"
The room fell heavy with silence, the weight of unspoken doubts pressing down on everyone.