Third person's pov!

"And if I say I don't believe you?" Chaahat's words were like a blow. She scrutinized him, her gaze piercing and penetrating.

"Then I will keep trying. The three of us are our sole blood relatives, Chaahat." Dhruv paused, then met her gaze.

The sincerity in his tone caught her off guard, and she looked away, unsure how to respond. They were her only blood relations.

"I don't trust easily," she admitted after a moment. "And I have built my life to not need anyone. There are very few exceptions. Like Mithran, like..." She trailed off with a sigh. "I am not sure I know how to let someone in anymore."

"That's okay. I can completely relate to you on that score." Dhruv said gently. "I don't expect you to change overnight. Neither can I. But if you are willing to let me try, I will meet you where you are."

"This... it's not going to be easy. For either of us." Her fingers tightened slightly around the coffee cup, and she took a deep breath.

"I don't expect it to be," he said, a small, almost hopeful smile tugging at his lips. "But nothing worth having ever is."

"What does your sister think about this whole ordeal?" Chaahat asked softly and Dhruv took a deep breath.

"She doesn't know anything. I haven't told her.." Dhruv said.

"Why?" Chaahat asked with a frown.

"First step to becoming a family, I am letting you in on something that is of importance." Dhruv said, running his fingers through his hair.

Chaahat looked at him curiously.

"Diya is in rehab now.." Dhruv said and Chaahat looked at him in shock.

"Rehab? Why?"

And Dhruv told her everything..

"Ambar Khuranna's schemes and games affected all three of us in different ways, Chaahat. I wish he was alive now. So that I could have shown him hell for what he made us go through. But that is not possible anymore. All we can do is be a family. Something he would have hated like hell." Dhruv said coldly.

Dhruv glanced at his watch and realized it was becoming late. He had said what he could for the time being, and the rest would be up to Chaahat's and his own time and effort. He gently laid his coffee cup down while standing up.

"I should leave now," he said, his tone measured but warm. "I appreciate Chaahat's listening to me. I understand that it wasn't simple."

Chaahat fixed him with an incomprehensible look. Her fingers tightened somewhat on the coffee cup, like an anchor in an ocean of feelings. Mithran stood next her, a subdued show of support with his hand lightly resting on her shoulder.

Dhruv turned his head to Mithran and nodded slightly. "Take care of her," he said.

"I always do," Mithran said firmly, his protective posture unflinching.

Turning back to Chaahat, Dhruv added.

"I am going to keep in touch. And I will wait—for when you are ready to have more conversations." He stopped then flashed a little smile. " ONE step at a time, right?"

Chaahat nodded slowly, her shields still tightly in place, but her eye flicked with something gentler. "One step at a time," she remarked coolly.

Dhruv left, the door cracking closed behind him. His heart felt weighty yet strangely light as he moved down the corridor. Though gingerly, the first bridge had been crossed. Though still far to go, he was resolved to make an effort.

Dhruv leaned back against the seat in his car and inhaled strongly. Though his mind ran with all that had happened, one thought caught out: Shraddha. Pulling up his phone and opening his contacts, he discovered her new number—which Sai had surreptitiously helped him get.

Shraddha's old phone, the one she had lost during the accident, was still with him. He hadn't been able to let it go, even though she had moved on with a new one provided by the Agnihotris. Now, for the first time, he was about to use the new number.

Dhruv dialled and drew a long breath. One, two, and three times the phone rang. As doubts crept in, he felt his pulse race—would she even respond?

Her voice emerged on the last ring, soft and somewhat altered by something else.

"Dhuv?"

Her simple word set off a range of feelings, and he discovered he couldn't talk for a minute. His hold on the phone grew tighter, and he closed his eyes to let her voice envelop him like salve.

"Shraddha," he finally muttered, his voice low and heavy with everything he wanted to say—yet couldn't yet express.

Shraddha clutched the phone firmly, her heart beating as Dhruv's voice enveloped her like a whisper of desperation.

"I need you, Shraddha," Dhruv's voice was cracking, raw, and vulnerable.

Shraddha couldn't breathe because the sadness in his voice made her feel bad, even though she was still hurting from his betrayal.

"Dhruv? Are you alright? Share with me. what happened?" Her voice trembled, and she turned away from her own loss in front of his.

"I met Chaahat," Dhruv added. His words came slowly and weightily.

Understanding he needed space to share at his own pace, Shraddha stayed silent.

"She doesn't trust me," he said, his voice low. "I can't hold her responsible. Given my past misdeeds, I am sure I deserve it after everything we have gone through. Still, it hurt."

"Dhruva..." Shraddha spoke with a softer voice. "This has been a great beginning. She heard you, didn't she? She hasn't closed the door completely, so hope exists."

"Hope," he whispered, almost to himself. "She said she had no idea how to let people in these days. Though I don't think it was enough, I attempted to tell her I understood."

"It's not about being enough all at once, Dhruv," Shraddha explained gently. "It's about turning up consistently, even when it's difficult. That's how you build trust, brick by brick."

"I am scared," he said. "What happens if I fail her? What if I fail you both?"

"You won't," Shraddha replied firmly. "I know how determined you can be, Dhruv. You will discover a way for both Chaahat and yourself."

A beat of stillness passed, filled with unspoken feelings. Dhruv's voice lowered more, scarcely rising above a whisper.

"I wish I could sleep in your arms, Shraddha," he added, making Shraddha's heart skip a beat with his bare honesty.

"Dhruv..." she said softly, her throat clenching.

"Does your bedroom have a balcony?" He inquired abruptly, his tone changing.

"Uh, yes. Why?" Shraddha frowned, perplexed by the abrupt shift in topic.

"I am coming over. I want to see you," he added, and Shraddha's eyes widened in surprise.

"What? Dhruv, it's late!" She shouted, looking at the clock.

"I don't care," he responded, his voice firm now and full of determination. "I need to see you, Shraddha."

A/n

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