"Where were you last evening, Bhai?" Kritika asked as she fastened her seatbelt.

Rudraksh kept his gaze fixed on the road, his hands steady on the steering wheel. "In my office. Why?"

Kritika sighed, her frustration evident. "You need to talk to Aunty. Di isn’t a kid anymore. She’s an adult. How long are they going to keep treating her like this?"

His grip on the wheel tightened slightly as he slowed the car, glancing at her. "Maa said something?"

Kritika crossed her arms and turned to the window. "She didn’t just say something, Bhai. She hit her—with her footwear. Slapped her. And the whole family just stood there, watching."

A sharp silence filled the car. Rudraksh didn't say a word, just dropped Kritika at her college. But instead of heading to his office, he took a U-turn.

His jaw clenched, and his knuckles turned white against the steering wheel. He had warned his mother—again and again—not to raise her hand on Sanaya. And yet, she did.

The engine roared as he pressed down on the accelerator, speeding through the roads.

The moment he reached the haveli, he stepped out and slammed the car door shut. His grandparents, who were sitting on the lawn, looked up, puzzled by his sudden arrival. He ignored their gazes and strode inside.

His mother was instructing the workers when she noticed him. “Oh, Rudraksh. Did you forget something?” she asked, confused.

He rubbed his forehead, taking a deep breath before meeting her gaze. "You did it again, didn’t you?" His voice was calm—too calm—but his eyes burned with restrained anger.

His mother scoffed. "So she went running to you? I can’t deal with that girl anymore."

Rudraksh’s expression remained unreadable, but his next words were sharp. "She’s my sister. She’s a princess. She is as important in this house as I am. As much as Kritika and Kunal. If you have this much of a problem, I’ll move out—with my sister—to our other house."

His tone didn’t rise, but it carried weight. A warning.

His mother’s face twisted in disbelief. “Have you gone mad, Rudraksh? For that girl—”

His voice cut through hers. "That girl? She is the daughter of this house. That will never change."

A door creaked open, and his father stepped out. “What’s going on?” he asked, looking between them.

Rudraksh turned to him, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. "Where were you last night? How did you let this happen? How did you stand there and not stop her?"

His father sighed, shaking his head. "Rudraksh, it’s not that serious—"

"Did you even love your brother?" Rudraksh’s voice was sharp, but his question was even sharper.

The room fell into silence. His father’s face tensed. His mother’s expression hardened.

His grandparents had walked in by now, standing by the door, watching.

Rudraksh turned to them, his voice unwavering. "Did you even love your son? How could you stand by and let this happen? Let someone raise their hand on her? A slipper? Seriously?"

No one spoke.

He let the silence linger, his disappointment heavy in the air. His eyes scanned their faces—one by one—before he turned on his heels and walked out.

Not another word.

🎀

Anirudh was still lost in thought, his mind circling back to that unexpected encounter. The Princess of Udaipur. Her loud voice. Her dramatic expressions. The way she had no idea he had been so close—breathing in the faint scent of her hair serum.

His entire family was gathered for breakfast, engaged in their usual topic—his marriage. They had been eager for his wedding for years now, discussing, planning, and even shortlisting potential brides in their heads.

“Bhai, just get married already.” Tara whined, stirring her tea lazily.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips. “Irritating Singh Harsana.” His head remained lowered, his gaze fixed on his plate, but his mind? Still stuck on that loudmouth princess.

A strange silence followed. When he finally looked up, he found his family exchanging confused glances. His parents. His grandparents. Tara. All of them staring at him like he had just sprouted two heads.

He frowned. "What?"

"Did you just… laugh?" His grandmother asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tara leaned forward dramatically. "Bhai, are you okay? Like, seriously? Do you have a fever?"

Anirudh sighed, shaking his head. "Never mind. What were you all talking about?" He quickly changed the subject, suppressing his smile.

His mother took the opportunity. "About your marriage, of course. Tara is right, you should get married. We all want to see you settle down."

Tara nodded eagerly. "Yes! I want to spend time with my bhabhi. If you delay too much, I'll have less time to enjoy because dadi and you start already worrying about my marriage!"

Anirudh rolled his eyes, but before he could reply, Tara smirked. "Besides, weren’t you talking about getting married last night?"

His head snapped up. "Tara." His voice was calm but laced with warning. "It was a joke."

She giggled. "Sure, sure. A joke."

Their grandmother, sensing the shift in conversation, sighed. "I want tea."

Tara immediately turned to her, then glanced back at Anirudh with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Anirudh exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "You know what, Tara? I’m never talking to you again." He pushed his chair back and stood up, in annoyance.

Tara laughed, quickly running after him. "I'm sorry, okay? I won’t tell anyone!" She grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back.

Anirudh clarified. "It was a joke, I didn’t mean that."

She beamed, dragging him back to his seat. "Okay, now sit."

She then turned to the family with a regal look. "Okay, everyone, don’t ask me anything. This is between my brother and me." She flashed a thumbs-up at Anirudh.

Their father, who had been silently observing, finally spoke up with a teasing smirk. "Never knew Anirudh could crack jokes."

Anirudh shot him a dry look, and the table burst into laughter. His grandfather hummed, still lost in thought. "I'm curious... but never mind."

Anirudh shook his head, suppressing a smile as he returned to his breakfast.

Tara leaned in and whispered, "By the way, bhai… who exactly were you thinking about when you laughed?"

His hand paused mid-air, his fingers tightening around his spoon.

"No one, just my new project. It's too profitable," he said, straightening his face, keeping his voice firm, even though he was pretending to look cold.

🎀

Sanaya was busy with her new job. Since it was still new, she was enjoying it—at least she was away from home.

Just then, her phone rang. Seeing her mother's name on the screen, she smirked.

“Oh! Someone’s missing me already?” Sanaya teased, though she knew her mother must have either some work or a complaint.

“Before you ask—yes, I’ve had my lunch, no, I’m not tired at all, and yes, I love this job. I’m not leaving it,” she added,She said it herself, even though she knew her mother would never ask.

Her mother’s next words, however, made her smile slowly fade.

“You told Rudraksh about last evening?”

Sanaya’s brows furrowed. Her fingers stilled over the keyboard.

“Huh?… No. Did he say something to you?” she asked, her tone shifting to concern.

Her mother’s voice grew sharper. “Listen, Sanaya. One day, you’ll get married and leave this house, but I have to live with my son for the rest of my life. Why did you have to say something that caused an argument between us?”

Sanaya let out a quiet scoff, lowering her voice. “And why did you do something that caused an argument in the first place?”

A pause.

“I mean… Bhai has told you so many times not to raise your hand on me. Why don’t you just stop? Not for me, but for your own son. Or is your disappointment in me bigger than your love for him?”

Her mother glanced around nervously—she wasn’t alone. Her grandmother and aunt were sitting beside her.

Sanaya exhaled, her voice calmer now. “Think about it. It was my fault for coming home late, I accept that. But was it really my fault that you and Bhai had an argument?”

Sanaya ended the call. “Honestly tired,” she mumbled to herself before shaking off the thoughts and getting back to work.

To be continued.......

- For the people asking why chapters are short then I've already told y'all that Sanarudh is short story. Ch. And story itself will be short.