The morning in the sprawling ancestral home was alive with the sound of grinding spices and the faint rhythm of devotional chants. The air smelled of sandalwood and fresh jasmine.

Near the old stone well, Anu stood filling brass pots with water. The sun glinted on her bangles as she worked silently, lost in thought.

"Anu!" a voice called.

She turned. Vaishnav stood a few feet away, dressed neatly, that polite, charming smile never leaving his face.

"I was hoping you could do me a small favor," he said casually. "I want to see the village—the old ruins, the mango orchards, the temple you told me about. Would you show me around?"

Anu wiped her hands on her cotton half saree and shook her head slightly. "Sorry, pedha bava. I can't come now. I have some work to finish."

Vaishnav's smile dimmed for a second, then returned—more controlled this time. "Oh come on, Anu. It'll just be an hour. Besides, who else can explain everything like you?"

Before she could answer, her grandmother, Rajyalakshmi, walked out from the courtyard, leaning on her cane.

"Enti discussion ikkada?" (What are you two discussing here?)

"I was asking Anu to show me around, ammomma," Vaishnav said quickly, sounding almost innocent. "But she's refusing because she wants to help you."

A sharp move—he knew exactly how to win.

Rajyalakshmi frowned. "What's wrong in going, Anu? See how politely he's asking."

"Nanamma, I—"

"No ifs and buts, Anu. Go with him. It's our duty to treat well. he will come once in a while."

Anu's shoulders slumped. Saying no to Nanamma was impossible.
"Okay," she said quietly. "I'll take him."

An hour later, the sun burned high above the fields as Anu and Vaishnav walked down the narrow village paths. The air shimmered with heat; children ran past them chasing a tire.

Anu walked a few steps ahead, pointing to an old banyan tree. "That's where the annual festival starts," she said. "All the villagers gather here."

Vaishnav smiled faintly, pretending interest. "You must have so many memories here."

She nodded but kept her distance. Something about the way he watched her made her uneasy. At first, she tried to ignore it—telling herself she was overthinking—but soon it became impossible not to notice.

His eyes lingered. On her face, her hands, even when she looked away.

"So," he said after a moment, his tone playful, "no one ever came with you here before?"

Anu frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

He smirked. "Just asking. A beautiful place like this... feels incomplete without company."

Her steps slowed. "Let's go back, pedha bava. It's getting hot."

"Already?" he laughed. "i haven't explored anything yet." he said eyeing anu..

Anu forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Nanamma will be waiting for us."

When they finally turned back, she walked faster, clutching the end of her saree tightly in her fist, counting every step until home.

Meanwhile, Vedansh entered the courtyard earlier than usual, dust still on his sleeves from travel. His eyes searched instantly for her. "where are the rest.."

Rajyalakshmi looked up from the veranda where she was sorting jasmine flowers. "Oh, Vedansh! You're home early! Anu went out and nidhi and rahul are in lasya's house."

His brows drew together. "anu Went out? Where?"

"She took Vaishnav to see the temple," Rajyalakshmi replied, smiling. "I insisted she accompany him. It's good to show hospitality."

Vedansh went still. His jaw tightened.
"Hospitality," he muttered, his voice flat.

He sat down silently, pretending to scroll through his phone, but his eyes stayed fixed on the gate.

.

.

The sun was dipping behind the hills when Anu returned, her cheeks flushed from heat and unease. Vaishnav was still talking beside her, cracking some joke about how even bullock carts moved faster than city traffic. She smiled faintly—out of politeness, not amusement.

As she stepped into the cool hallway, her smile froze.

Vedansh stood in the shadow of the archway, his expression unreadable. The sharp chill in the air made her heart thud painfully.

Vaishnav stopped too, sensing the sudden tension. "Ah, Vedansh! You're back early," he said lightly. "We just went to see the temple. Beautiful place."

Vedansh's eyes flicked to him, then to Anu. "I can see that."

The tone was calm—but it carried a weight that made Vaishnav hesitate. After a moment, he forced a smile. 

Anu turned toward Vedansh, words tumbling to her lips. "Bava, nanamma told me to go, I—"

"pillalu(children) dinner is ready.." said rajyalakshmi.

He didn't answer. Just brushed past her, his voice clipped. "I'm not hungry. You all eat."

.

.

After everyone finished dinner, Anu quietly took a plate and walked toward his room. She couldn't eat knowing he hadn't.

She found him sitting by the window, the lamp light tracing the sharp lines of his face.

"Bava," she said softly, setting the plate down. "You didn't eat anything."

He didn't turn immediately. When he did, his eyes held a quiet storm. "i don't want anything...i am not hungry."

Her throat tightened. "why are showing my anger on food...—"

"Stop," he said, not loudly, but firmly. "You think I don't see the way he looks at you?"

Anu's eyes widened. "It wasn't like that. I felt uncomfortable too."

Vedansh's voice lowered, hurt seeping into it. "Then why didn't you tell me before going?"

"bava liste--"

He didn't wait for her to answer. His hand shot out, not in a slap, but in a calculated, brutal claim. He grabbed her left side,of his palm digging into the soft flesh of her waist, just above her hip, and squeezed. Hard. It was a focused, crushing vice, designed to inflict maximum pain and communicate absolute, suffocating control.

A sharp, white-hot line of agony tore through Anu. She sucked in a breath—a sharp, strangled HAAH!—arching her back, desperate to escape the pressure point that felt like a localized, burning fire. Tears sprang instantly, hot and stinging. She knew this fury, the furious possessiveness that erupted whenever Vaishnav's name surfaced.

"Didn't i say to stay away from him.. huh??" Vedansh hissed, his breath hot against her ear. "Tell me!"

He didn't release her. If anything, the pressure intensified, his knuckles digging deeper, grinding her against the wall until she felt she might faint from the sheer, localized agony.

The tears, once a trickle, were now running continuously, scalding paths down her temples. She bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood, desperate to suppress the sound that threatened to escape. She knew if she screamed, the house would wake. If she shouted, the thin wall would betray the dark, ugly reality of their secret.

"Bava, pls odulu," she choked out. "Noppoi ga undi..."

(Brother-in-law, please leave me. It hurts so much...)

Vedansh froze. His chest rose and fell heavily, his eyes flicking from her wound to her trembling lips. For a moment, guilt and rage warred in his expression. Then, without saying a word, he turned away.

"bava!" she called out, startled.

But he had already moved — his fists clenched tight, his jaw trembling. He punched the wall once. Then again. Again. Each blow harder than before, the dull thud echoing through the room. Blood splattered on the pale wall, running down in red streaks.

His breath came in sharp gasps, voice breaking with anger and hurt.
 he rasped. "Even I was dying inside, Anu... when you went with him... every second burned me!"

He hit the wall again, knuckles torn now. The rage wasn't against her — it was against himself, against his helplessness.

Anu's heart sank. The pain in his voice shattered her completely. She rushed to him, grabbing his bleeding hand.
"Stop it, bava! Please, you're hurting yourself!"

But he didn't look at her. His eyes were glassy, lost.
"You don't know, Anu... what it did to me. Seeing you with him... it broke something inside."

Her eyes filled with tears. "Bava... please, look at me."

When he finally did, the anger melted, replaced by the raw ache of love and guilt. His hand trembled in hers, blood smearing on her wrist.

She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
Vedansh stiffened for a second — then all his resistance broke. He held her back, his forehead pressing against her shoulder, breath shuddering.

The wall behind them still bore the marks of his pain — crimson fingerprints of love twisted with agony — but in that fragile hug, something inside both of them began to heal.

...........

Guys so don't be offended by this scene but trust me it was important to write as I can't hurt like by other things like slapping beating.... pinching was slightly better..so if you are not comfortable then please avoid it reading rather than reporting...

What do u guys think who is right and who is wrong..... comment down