Episode 3- Unknowingly Yours

Ekansh’s brows furrowed slightly as he looked at her.

“Girl…?”

The woman didn’t respond. Instead, her gaze dropped to her own hand. Slowly, almost mechanically, she removed the ring from her finger and extended it toward him.

Ekansh blinked, confused.

“Excuse me…?”

Her voice came out calm, detached—almost emotionless.

“Thank you for saving my life. This ring isn’t very costly… but take it.”

For a second, silence hung heavy in the room.

Ekansh let out a faint scoff, his sharp eyes locking onto hers.

“I didn’t save you for money. Because of you, I got what I wanted—that’s why I saved you.”

She didn’t react. She simply stared at him—blank, unreadable, like a calm surface hiding a storm beneath.

Then, without hesitation, she spoke again.

“Take it… and give me the same amount in cash. Also… can I borrow your phone? I need to make a call.”

Ekansh raised an eyebrow.

“Money…?”

She corrected, curt and direct.

“Phone.”

A brief pause.

Ekansh turned his head slightly.

“Dev.”

Dev Singh stiffened immediately and hurried forward, pulling out his phone with slightly trembling hands, as if he already sensed something unusual about her.

He handed it over.

The woman took a deep breath before dialing.

“Shiv.”

On the other end, a voice came instantly—tense, worried.

“Boss!?”

Her expression didn’t change.

“Alive or dead?”

There was a brief silence before Shiv replied dryly,

“Unfortunately alive… to hear your cold voice.”

She rubbed her forehead, irritation flickering across her face.

“Did you tell Maa and Baba anything? I hope you didn’t.”

“No,” Shiv replied quickly. “I used your voice recording.”

A faint, almost approving smirk touched her lips.

“Smart boy.”

Her eyes flicked toward the phone screen, then she spoke again—firm, commanding.

“Meet me at the airport in one hour. We’re going back to Delhi.”

“Boss… your husband—”

She let out a soft, sarcastic laugh. Cold. Cutting.

“I have zero interest in meeting him right now. And get that f*cking bastard.”

Before Shiv could respond, she disconnected the call.

The room fell silent again.

She handed the phone back to Dev, who swallowed hard, his mind racing.

So it’s true… she’s exactly like the rumors…

Without another word, she pushed the blanket aside and tried to get off the bed.

The moment her feet touched the ground—

“Ahh—”

She winced, clutching her injured belly.

Instinctively, Ekansh stepped forward and grabbed her arm to steady her.

But in the very next second—

SLAP.

Her hand struck his away.

“I don’t like it when anyone touches me.”

Her voice was low, sharp, final.

Ekansh froze, staring at her—perhaps more shocked by her reaction than the slap itself.

She straightened slightly despite the pain.

“Thank you… for saving my life.”

Dev stepped in nervously.

“M-Ms… you should rest. Your wound might reopen—”

“I need money,” she cut him off. “Can you lend me some? I need to leave this place.”

Dev instinctively looked at Ekansh.

Ekansh exhaled slowly and turned toward her—

“Look, lady—”

And then he froze.

His eyes had fallen on her neck.

A gold chain.

Black beads.

Small diamonds glinting faintly under the light.

A mangalsutra.

For a moment, everything went silent.

His expression hardened… then stilled completely.

He didn’t say another word.

She repeated calmly,

“Can you lend me money?”

Dev hurriedly pulled out his wallet and handed her cash. She took it and, in exchange, pressed her ring into his hand.

“M…ma’am…” Dev stammered.

“Thanks.”

She slipped into the slippers beside the bed and began walking toward the door—slow, slightly unsteady, but determined.

Ekansh stood still. Watching.

Not stopping her.

Not questioning her.

Just… watching.

The door closed behind her.

A long silence followed.

Dev finally spoke, hesitantly.

“Boss… that girl—”

“Let her go,” Ekansh said coldly. “Follow her. Find out where she goes.”

Dev hesitated… then took a breath.

“Boss… you know you’re married.”

Ekansh shot him a sharp glance.

“And you haven’t taken a divorce from lady boss.”

Silence.

Then Dev added, a bit louder this time—unable to hold back anymore:

“What kind of man are you?”

Ekansh’s gaze turned dangerous.

“What?”

“You’re raising your voice in front of me?” he said, his tone low and threatening. “Don’t you love your life?”

Dev clenched his fists.

“Forget my life… don’t you think you’re doing wrong with your wife?”

Ekansh’s jaw tightened.

“Which wife?” he snapped. “I never accepted that woman as my wife. And secondly—we never had a relationship like husband and wife.”

He turned away, dismissing it like it meant nothing.

“Now go. Get that woman’s information.”

Dev muttered under his breath,

“Oh God…”

He was about to leave when something snapped inside him.

“BOSS—SHE IS ARADYA!”

Ekansh stopped.

Slowly… he turned.

“Who?”

Dev’s voice trembled, but he didn’t back down.

“Aradya… Aradya Ekansh Rajvanshi.”

A pause.

Then the final blow—

“Your wife. The one you left… on the second day of your marriage.”

Everything inside Ekansh went still.

Time froze.

Aradya…

Her name echoed in his mind.

Dev’s voice broke the silence again, panicked now—

“S-Sir… she’s injured—how will she even—”

But before he could finish, he ran outside.

Gone.

She was already gone.

Vanished.

And inside the mansion—

Ekansh Rajvanshi stood frozen in place.

For the first time in years…

He didn’t know how to react.

Ekansh stood motionless, as though the ground beneath him had suddenly disappeared.

The ring in his hand felt heavier than it should have.

His fingers tightened around it.

Barely above a whisper, his lips moved.

“...Aradya.”

The name felt strange on his tongue.

Unfamiliar.

And yet… painfully known.

A sharp ache twisted somewhere deep inside him, one he couldn’t explain.

His jaw clenched.

His dark eyes narrowed, shadows flickering across them as his mind tried to process what Dev had just said.

No…

This doesn’t make sense.

That woman…

That cold, unreadable face.

Those emotionless eyes that had looked straight through him as if he were nothing more than another stranger in her path.

His breathing grew heavier.

And then the memories struck him one after another.

Like flashes of lightning tearing through a storm-dark sky.

Her cold voice, sharp and detached—

“I don’t like it if anyone touches me.”

Her sarcastic laugh over the phone, laced with mockery—

“I have zero interest in meeting him.”

And then—

The mangalsutra.

The black beads.

The diamonds.

The undeniable symbol of a marriage he had spent two years pretending didn’t exist.

His grip on the ring tightened so hard that its sharp edges dug into his palm.

A dangerous realization slowly settled into his mind.

She knew.

From the very beginning…

She had known exactly who he was.

And yet she had looked at him with nothing.

No anger.

No hatred.

No pain.

Not even disappointment.

Just emptiness.

As if Ekansh Rajvanshi—the man who had once been tied to her by sacred vows—meant absolutely nothing.

For the first time in years, something unfamiliar stirred inside him.

Unease.

His chest felt strangely tight.

Why hadn’t she told him?

Why had she acted like a stranger?

Why had she left without a single question… without demanding answers… without even acknowledging their connection?

Ekansh’s expression darkened further.

Because if there was one thing he knew—

A woman who could walk away that calmly…

Was far more dangerous than one who screamed or cried.

And for the first time since hearing her name—

Ekansh Rajvanshi realized he had made a mistake.

A grave one.

The airport was restless, alive with movement, voices, and hurried footsteps—but amidst all the chaos, one man stood still.

Shiv Kumar.

His eyes were fixed on the entrance, tension written all over his face. His fingers curled and uncurled at his sides, his heartbeat uneven.

Then—

She appeared.

Aradya Rajvanshi stepped out of the taxi.

For a moment, time seemed to pause.

She looked fragile… pale… weakened.

But her presence?

Still terrifyingly powerful.

Shiv’s eyes widened.

“Boss—!”

He rushed toward her, panic breaking through his usual composure. Without hesitation, he held her arm, supporting her weight.

“You’re hurt… you shouldn’t even be standing—”

“Let’s leave,” Aradhya cut him off, her voice low, firm, leaving no room for argument.

Shiv hesitated. “Boss… you’re weak. We should stay—”

“No.”

A single word.

Sharp. Final.

Aradhya’s gaze shifted.

She looked back.

For a fleeting second, something unreadable flickered in her eyes.

“Ekansh Rajvanshi has found out about me.”

Shiv froze.

“…Weren’t you here to meet him?”

Silence.

Aradhya turned her head slowly, looking at him—not as a boss, but as someone carrying something far heavier than authority.

“Leave it,” she said quietly. “Now there is no use.”

And just like that—

The chapter closed.

With Shiv’s support, she walked inside the airport. Every step looked like it cost her strength, but she didn’t stop.

She never did.

A private jet was already arranged. No delays. No interruptions.

Within minutes, they boarded.

And soon—

The plane cut through the sky.

Leaving behind Italy.

Leaving behind him.

Back in Italy

Ekansh stood still.

Like a man turned into stone.

“When did you find out?” he asked, his voice dangerously calm.

Dev didn’t meet his eyes.

“The moment I saw her face properly.”

Silence.

Dev swallowed.

“How could I forget that face?” His voice softened, almost pained. “She was begging in front of you… asking you not to leave… asking what her fault was…”

Ekansh’s fingers clenched.

“…I’ve seen her many times,” Dev continued. “But you…”

A pause.

“You never even looked at her.”

Something cracked.

Deep inside.

“Leave,” Ekansh said.

Dev didn’t argue.

He left.

Because for the first time—

His boss looked… broken.

Ekansh closed his eyes.

Darkness swallowed him.

“I never saw her face…” he murmured.

His voice was hollow.

“The first and last time… was at the marriage registration office.”

A bitter laugh escaped him.

“What did you all expect from me?” he whispered into the empty room. “Everyone forced me into that marriage…”

A pause.

A breath.

“…Haah.”

But no matter how much he justified it—

Her voice echoed.

“I have zero interest in meeting him.”

And it hurt.

More than it should.

Inside the Flight

Aradhya sat by the window.

The sky stretched endlessly before her, painted in fading hues of orange and gold.

But her eyes?

Empty.

“Shiv…” she murmured.

“Yes, boss.”

She lowered her gaze.

For the first time—

Her voice cracked.

“What was my fault?”

Shiv froze.

Words failed him.

“I… I’m sorry, boss…”

A faint, humorless smile touched her lips.

“The one who should say sorry…” she whispered, “…He didn’t even know my own name.”

Her fingers tightened slightly.

“What a complicated life.”

Silence filled the space between them.

Then Shiv spoke again, cautiously.

“Boss… can I ask you something?”

“Hm.”

“Why did you come to Italy?”

A pause.

A long one.

“To take him back.”

Shiv blinked.

“Dadii… and Daddu miss him,” she added softly. “I just wanted to make them happy.”

Her eyes drifted back to the sky.

“But it looks like…” her lips curved slightly, but there was no warmth in it, “…he is happier without me.”

Shiv said nothing.

Because there was nothing to say.

“Did you arrange clothes?” she asked after a while, her tone returning to normal.

“Yes, boss. Just like you wear at home.”

“And the man?”

A dangerous shift.

“Our men have him. He’s at your base.”

“Good.”

Just one word.

But it carried something cold.

Something lethal.

Shiv opened his laptop and started working.

And Aradhya?

She closed her eyes.

Not to rest.

But to shut everything out.

Nine Hours Later — Delhi

The sky welcomed them with a soft golden glow.

Evening had settled gently, the wind cool and soothing.

But the moment she stepped out—

The air changed.

Aradhya Ekansh Rajvanshi had arrived.

And suddenly—

The atmosphere felt heavier.

Darker.

As if something powerful had just entered its territory.

She walked forward with long, steady steps.

Gone was the fragile woman from before.

Now—

She was dressed in a saree.

Elegant.

Commanding.

Bangles adorned her wrists.

A mangalsutra rested against her neck.

Sindoor filled the parting of her hair.

Her long black hair flowed freely, dancing with the wind.

A perfect image of a married woman.

A perfect illusion.

“Boss…”

Shiv opened the car door.

She got in.

“Hum haveli chalenge.”

(We’ll go to the mansion.)

“Ji.”

The car moved.

Delhi blurred past them.

Inside—

Aradhya was already working.

Scrolling through her iPad.

“I want Mehta’s project file on my table tomorrow morning.”

“Got it, boss.”

“And send me all pending files from the last three days.”

“Done.”

She didn’t stop.

“And Shiv…”

“Yes?”

Her eyes lifted.

Sharp.

Cold.

“Not a word in front of the family.”

A small smile appeared on Shiv’s face.

“Of course. You don’t want them to worry.”

“Hm.”

She turned her gaze outside.

The city lights flickered.

Life moved on.

As if nothing had changed.

Aradhya slowly closed her eyes.

But this time—

It wasn’t to escape.

It was to prepare.

Because back in Italy—

A storm had already begun.

And soon—

It would reach Delhi.

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