Start
Yug gently tucked Mannat's messy hair behind her ear, then lifted her in his arms and was taking her toward the bed when Mannat buried her face into Yug's chest.
Her eyes were still wet from crying too much, and she started rubbing her nose on his chest. Yug had already changed his clothes and was now wearing a white shirt with the top three buttons open.
As she rubbed her nose, it touched Yug's chest, making him feel something strange. This was the first time for Yug—he had never been so close to any girl before, nor had he ever brought one into his room.
Yug carefully placed Mannat on the bed, glanced at her clothes, and muttered to himself, "Strange girl, how can she sleep so comfortably in such heavy clothes?"
As Yug turned to leave, his eyes landed on the table where the food was placed. He walked over and saw the plates were untouched, just the way they were left.
He looked at her and said, "You didn't eat? Fine. Let's see how long you'll go without eating. So full of pride, aren't you? Watch how I break your arrogance now. You're so stubborn—it'll be fun breaking that stubbornness."
Meanwhile, when Keshav ji woke up, he saw Seema ji, Pihu, and Sujata ji sitting on the sofa. As he tried to get up slowly, Pihu came forward and helped him sit up. Seema ji asked, "Are you feeling better now?"
Pihu said, "Papa, should I call the doctor?"
Keshav ji shook his head and asked, "How did I get here? Who brought me?"
"Two people brought you here last night. You were unconscious. They said they were ordered to drop you home. Papa, where were you all day yesterday? We searched everywhere, asked everyone, but couldn't find you... and Mannat di—"
As she said Mannat's name, Pihu fell silent, unsure what to say next.
Keshav ji said, "When I was leaving for the hospital yesterday, a few people stopped me to ask for directions, and one of them injected something into my neck from behind. After that, I don't know where I was taken. When I regained consciousness, I was in a locked room alone. I'm sure the one who got me kidnapped is Yug Bajaj."
Hearing Yug's name, the three women looked at each other. Pihu, fumbling with her fingers, nervously said, "A-and Mannat di—"
Seeing Pihu unable to speak and not finding Mannat around, Keshav ji asked, "Where is Mannat?"
The women exchanged glances. Keshav ji, now more stern, repeated, "Where is Mannat?"
As Pihu continued stammering, Keshav ji asked angrily, "Am I not asking something? Where is Mannat? Can't you all hear me?"
Sujata ji stepped forward and said, "Bhai sahib, don't you know anything about Mannat?"
Before she could continue, Keshav ji stood up quickly and asked, "What do you mean I don't know? Will someone tell me where Mannat is?"
Seema ji quickly turned on the TV, grabbed the remote, and said, "Why don't you see it for yourself what your daughter has done? See it with your own eyes."
After watching the news, Keshav ji's blood boiled with rage. In anger, he threw the remote on the floor and said, "How dare he ruin my daughter's life like this? I will kill him."
Fuming with anger, he stormed out of the house. Seema ji blocked his path and said, "You won't go alone—I'm coming with you."
Pihu added, "Papa, I'm coming with you too."
Sujata ji said, "Bhai sahib, I'm also coming. We can't let you go alone."
Even though Keshav ji wasn't in good shape, this was about his daughter. They got into an auto-rickshaw and left.
On the other side, Mannat slowly opened her eyes after hearing a knock on the door. She sat up in shock to find herself on the bed.
She looked at herself—she was still in her bridal outfit from yesterday. She remembered falling asleep on the floor. Who put her in bed? Was it Yug?
While Mannat was still thinking, the knock came again. She quickly got up and walked to the door, which was already unlocked. Two servants were standing at the door.
One had clothes for her, the other brought food. Mannat turned her face away in anger. One servant stepped forward and said, "Ma'am, sir sent this for you."
Without looking, Mannat snapped, "I don't need it. Take it away. I'm fine."
Just as the servants turned to leave, Yug appeared, leaning casually against the doorframe. He gestured with his finger for the servants to leave.
They obeyed his command. Yug took the clothes from them, walked over to Mannat, and said, "Here, change quickly and come downstairs."
One look at Mannat's face showed how angry she was. She snapped, "I said I don't need it. I'm fine."
Hearing this, Yug twisted his lips and tilted his head slightly, replying, "It's not about your needs. It's about Yug Bajaj's needs. So, get ready quickly."
Grinding her teeth, Mannat said, "Didn't I say I won't change? That means I won't."
Yug gave a crooked smile and said, "I see the sindoor in your hairline, which I filled yesterday—to make it permanent. That makes me your legal husband, and I have every right to change your clothes myself."
Mannat glared at him in fury. Suddenly, Yug grabbed her arms and pulled her close so quickly that she couldn't react. His hand moved toward the clasp of her blouse. He was about to pull it when Mannat shut her eyes tightly and shouted, "Please no, please no! I'll change my clothes! Please! Please!" She kept screaming.
Seeing her like this, Yug gave a faint smile no one could see. He gently patted her cheek and said, "Good girl. Now go and get ready quickly."
As he turned to leave, he stopped and added, "Oh, and next time, don't say no. Otherwise, I'll do exactly what you don't want me to."
Mannat quickly grabbed the clothes and rushed to the washroom. Watching her flee, Yug smiled to himself.
To be continue...