Sanaya's POV
It had been a peaceful few days—almost suspiciously so.
Freya had been suspended temporarily, pending an internal HR investigation. Whispers still ran through the office hallways like persistent echoes, but they were nothing compared to the storm that had already passed. My name wasn't a secret anymore. I wasn't "the intern" or "the girl next to the CEO"—I was his wife. And somehow, that truth carried both relief and weight.
Abhimaan had been unusually attentive lately. Silent glances that lingered longer than necessary, shoulders brushing as we worked on reports together, cups of chai placed at my desk without a word but always with the perfect sugar ratio. Even at home, he'd sit beside me during family dinners. His silence wasn't cold anymore; it was thoughtful, warming.
Maybe we were finally stepping into a new rhythm. Something real. Something soft.
But peace in my life never stayed long.
It came back the moment I opened the door that evening and saw her.
Arohi.
My sister.
Dressed in a flowy pastel suit that screamed nonchalance, her kajal-lined eyes scanned me from head to toe. And then—like nothing had happened—she smiled.
"Hi, chhoti."
I froze. My breath caught. For a second, I thought I was imagining her. That maybe, my mind was playing tricks on me.
But no. She was real.
She was here.
And she walked right past me like she owned the place.
Scene: Living Room – Minutes Later
The living room fell under a tense hush.
Pihu sat stunned on the armrest. Viraj looked like someone had just dropped a plot twist into his sitcom. Abhiraj, stone-faced as always, stood with his arms crossed, eyes never leaving Arohi.
"What are you doing here?" I finally managed to ask, standing across the room from her.
Arohi smiled again. Too softly. Too calmly.
"I missed my family. And you."
I flinched. "You missed me? You disappeared right before your wedding. Before everything. And now, just because things look different, you—"
"I didn't come to fight, Sanaya."
"Then what did you come for?"
Her next words dropped like thunder.
"I came to make things right. I came back… for Abhimaan."
The silence was no longer a lull. It was a scream that no one voiced.
Sanaya felt her fingers tremble. Her vision blurred. And her heart? It stuttered in a way it hadn't even when Freya tried to humiliate her.
Because this wasn't jealousy. This was betrayal layered in blood.
Sanaya's POV
"I'm sorry, what?" I whispered, barely audible.
Arohi stood, clasping her hands together in front of her as if this was some moral debate and not a declaration of emotional war.
"I've thought about it a lot, chhoti. I know I made a mistake running away that day. I was scared. Immature. But now that I've seen him… the kind of man he's become… I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have let go of him."
I took a step back. "He's my husband."
"Yes, because I ran away."
Her voice didn't hold guilt. Just logic.
"You married him in my place. That wasn't love. That was… damage control. A patch-up to save face. But Sanaya, you can go back to your normal life. You didn't want this in the first place. You never asked for any of it."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"You think I'll just… walk away? Hand him to you like—like he's an outfit that didn't fit me?"
She looked me in the eyes. "You're not in love with him."
"I never said that."
"But you're not denying it either."
I clenched my fists. "He's my husband, Arohi. You lost the right to say anything about him the day you abandoned him at the mandap."
"But he still loved me, didn't he?"
I opened my mouth to argue. But I didn't know the answer.
Did he?
He had never spoken of her. Never uttered her name in my presence. I didn't even know what she meant to him, truly.
"Abhimaan doesn't even know you're here," I said quietly.
She shrugged. "He will. I'll talk to him. I'll explain everything."
"And what if he chooses me?"
There was a beat of silence.
Arohi's lips twitched. "Then I'll walk away. But I want to give us a chance."
"Us?"
"Yes. Me and Abhimaan. The way it was supposed to be."
Narration
Sanaya stood rooted to the ground, her heart unraveling strand by strand.
This wasn't just a sister's return. It was a bomb—dropped in the middle of the fragile thing she and Abhimaan were slowly trying to build.
And the worst part?
She didn't know how Abhimaan would react.
Would he be angry?
Would he be tempted?
Or worse… would he feel something?
Abhiraj's POV
I watched the two sisters stare each other down like strangers caught in a war neither wanted to start.
And for the first time, I didn't know who to side with.
Because blood was blood.
But Sanaya… she wasn't just a bhabhi anymore.
She was family.
And if Arohi thought she could waltz in and unravel everything my brother had begun to fix, she was wrong.
Dead wrong.
Scene Ends with Sanaya's POV
That night, I stood outside my bedroom door, unable to walk in.
Abhimaan wasn't home yet. Still stuck in meetings, or maybe, just maybe… something else.
Arohi's words rang in my ears:
"You didn't ask for this marriage."
She was right.
But maybe…
Maybe I wanted it now.
And that made all the difference.