Recommendation: Read the last part of previous chapter before reading ahead.

***

Chapter 80 : Better Together

Suppressing emotions can be like bottling up a storm inside oneself. Initially, it might seem manageable, even necessary at times, to maintain composure or avoid conflict. However, repeated suppression can lead to a dangerous accumulation of feelings that eventually demand release. This buildup can manifest explosively, often at unexpected moments.

For Aadarsh it was the moment when his lips had met hers. There was a strong spark, almost like lightning.

Interestingly, love and passion often operate as counterforces to emotional suppression. When verbal communication fails, physical intimacy becomes a powerful outlet. In such moments, touches, gazes, embraces and kisses convey what words cannot, allowing emotions to flow freely and authentically.

Ruhaani pulled him closer, stepping back and he yielded. He gently pushed her back against the mirror breaking the blazing contact between their mouths. Their eyes filled with a deeper yearning met as he closed all distance between them yet again. His hands met hers hurriedly and lifted them over her head, pressing them against the mirror.

Ruhaani breathed heavily gazing at him with a need whose depth could put Marina Trench to shame. Her eyes were talking to him better than words. He lowered his face into the crook of her neck. She submitted herself to him, tilting her head back against the mirror giving him as much room as he needed, welcoming his touch.

Aadarsh nibbled at her freshly showered skin. He was hardly gentle. He wanted to claim all parts of her, even those that she hid for him.

Ruhaani released a whimper as he tortured her skin at the sweet spot in the crook of her neck where she was the most sensitive. "Ah, hmm, Aadarsh," she drawled in a mix of pain and pleasure as he nipped at her skin.

That sensuous sound made Aadarsh pull away slightly to look at her, their gazes burning with hunger and passion. Aadarsh left her hands, his now free hands slid over the sides of her neck, his thumbs gently raising her chin up. He met her parted lips capturing them in a ferocious scorching kiss, this time deeper and demanding.

Ruhaani kissed back just as fervently. She felt his one hand move roughly down to her clothed breasts while the other reached to the back of her neck and then up to her hair tugging at it. Oh, how he loved that!

"Ruh," Aadarsh gasped, breaking the kiss trying to get a leash on himself. He failed. His eyes soaked in dire need stared at her. He wanted to feel her, feel so close to her that they were inseparable.

She grabbed his face and kissed him back before asking him to go on and do whatever he pleased, as he pleased.

Aadarsh didn't have to be told twice. He got rid of the kurti in a jiffy, glad that she had forgotten to wear her leggings. He looked down at her enticed. She wore a beautiful lace bra that matched the color of her eyes— a deep rich brown. He glanced up at her eyes, before dropping to his knee.

Ruhaani let out a sigh, as her gaze followed down to him. He tugged at the underwear and slid it down until it dropped. His mouth kissing the skin that the garment exposed. She bit down on her lower lip, as her hands braced his shoulders. His hands caressed her thighs, gliding inwards and he finally reached up to the point where she needed him most. He let out a soft audible exhale as he felt her moist heat on his fingers.

Tilting his head, he looked up at her. He saw pure need, a need that was a reflection of his own. Fuck foreplay, she was already needy for him.

Aadarsh quickly got on his feet while his fingers teased the wetness between her slick feminine folds. His dark gaze pinned hers, as his fingertips gently rubbed the nub of her femininity. Her eyes were imploring him to make her feel loved again. He pulled his hand away and Ruhaani staggered, almost protesting at the loss of the contact that was building up a big wave of pleasure. She held on to the collar of his shirt, her eyes fixated on his, silently urging him to hurry and give her what she wanted.

Words had ceased. They only spoke through their heated gazes and carnal touches.

With haste, he got rid of his trousers and briefs. Kicking them aside, he shifted closer to her. She hadn't looked him in the eyes like that since a long time. In that moment, she had bared all of herself, all of her needs and desires before him, fearlessly. There was no diffidence, no hesitation, nothing holding her back. In a quick move, he slid his hand behind her thigh, gripped it, and lifted up one of her legs and drove his needy lower body forward.

Ruhaani gasped at the sheer suddenness of the thrust with which he claimed her. There was an undertone of dominance in his actions that doubled her arousal.

Her right leg wrapped around his thigh as a moan escaped her mouth and her arms wrapped around his shoulder for support. Their eyes stayed glued to each other's as they moved against each other. Slowly at first, and then slowly building up a pace.

Ruhaani parted her moist lips, her eyes glistening with pleasure as he relentlessly moved inside her with hard determined thrusts.

It was raw. The need to feel close to each other was raw. The desire to diminish all distance between them was raw. The desire to satisfy each other's wants was raw.

Ruhaani parted her lips as he greedily lifted the other leg and wrapped that too around himself. She was held between him and the cold surface of the mirror. She tightened her hold around his broad shoulders as his thrusts became deeper, harder and longer. Her mind was numbed with the pleasure he built up inside her.

She rested her chin on his shoulder, staring at their reflection in the other mirror, across the closet from them. His muscles tightened and flexed with every forward push. Physical desire has never felt more real and palpable.

From there on there was no control. Just a maddening need that raged. The closet was filled with deep moans and breathless cusses as their bodies desperately engaged in aggressive heated movements against the other's.

They went on like two raging wild animals that just couldn't be tamed. Like two lovers, who had a union after centuries of separation.

His every hard thrust was met by a wild needy push of hips from her. Heat was all over their skin and in their gazes. It was not gentle, careful or kind. It was rough, hard and wildly relentless.

Ruhaani shattered into his arms as she came undone with a long gasp, followed by a scream that she halfway muffled by pressing her mouth against his shoulder. All her insecurities, all he fears, all her inhibitions, everything that got in the way between them blurred into oblivion.

With a loud exhale and moan, Aadarsh followed her from the deepest hell of lust to the highest sky of gratification. He stilled, resting his head on her shoulder, as he tried to catch his breath.

Their uneven audible breaths and arrhythmic heartbeats filled the stillness between them as they held onto each other.

After a few minutes passed, Aadarsh quietly walked over to ottoman with her wrapped around him. He seated himself down with her in his lap, his arms securely around her.

Their gazes met, their cheeks flushed with heat and their eyes still darkened with the carnal desire, as their breathing got back to normal.

Ruhaani leaned closer and captured his lips into a soft sloppy kiss.

"That was fucking amazing," he remarked, minutes later, breaking the soulful silence that settled between them. With flushed cheeks, swollen lips, hair completely messed up, and a reddened mark on the crook of her neck—that would most likely stay like an hickey; she looked like a beautiful mess.

She beamed, her fingertips, fondly touching his cheek. "It was hot!"

"Earth-shattering, honestly!" he added cheekily, his hand gently tucking away the loose strands of her hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail.

"I have to agree, didn't even realize you never got rid of your shirt," she spoke, the fingers of her other hand toying with the knot of his tie that she had made just some time ago.

Aadarsh chuckled, before gazing at her hair with concern. "Did I tug at them too hard?" He asked, soothingly running his hand over her hair.

"Nothing I didn't like," she admitted. Their gazes swiftly met at her voluntary unabashed confession.

Aadarsh looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Don't say it. Whatever it is that just crossed your mind, don't say it." She warned, a blush creeping up her cheek, knowing he had something perverse on his mind.

"I am beginning to believe there's so much I am still to learn about you, especially about your sexual fantasies." He mumbled, unaffected by her warning gaze.

The blush on her cheeks deepened and she bent her head forward, hiding her face in his chest, from his gaze.

"Oh, and now you're being shy, Missus?" he teased with a radiant smile playing on his lips. He leant forward, with his lips almost touching her ears, he whispered, "I would really like to know more of this side of you, Ruh. I want you to tell me what you like, what you don't, what you want, what you don't. I want to give you all that you desire and want, not just what you need."

Ruhaani blinked, her eyes becoming heavy as an emotional storm churned in her. They stayed in the comfortable silence that fell upon them.

"I am not ignoring you, Ruhaani." He spoke once again, his knuckles softly brushing along the length of her bare back, while he kept his face in the crook of her neck. "I am sorry, if I made you feel that way. And there's no way I am going to ever put distance between us."

Ruhaani's eyes teared up. She gently caressed his back, hiding her face in his shoulder. Her words ditched her, as she felt overwhelmed.

She had always associated love with bestowing. She had always learnt to give love—the way she would want to receive it. She had never been truly loved until she found him.

Now that she was loved, she realized that she didn't know how to fully accept it and let it consume her. She didn't let herself fully experience trusting him. She still chose to hide parts of her, parts that had been her vulnerable moments, parts she had never really dealt with but shoved under the rug and never spoke about to anyone.

"Ruh, you okay?" he whispered softly, when she stilled in his arms and remained uncharacteristically quiet.

"Hmm, can we stay like this for a few more minutes?" she mumbled, her cheek resting against his shoulder.

"Sure, I don't mind. You have a really sexy back, have I told you that?" he murmured, as he watched their reflection. His fingers traced random patterns over her skin.

Ruhaani slowly curled her lips. "You've said I look sexy before, so I think that covers it."

"Hmm, point. By the way, before you demanded to be kissed—which by the way was bloody hot— I was trying to tell you that you forgot to wear your leggings in your frustration."

"I didn't forget," Ruhaani muttered embarrassed. Yes, she had forgotten. She had only realized when he was getting rid of her clothes. She was so annoyed at him that she had stepped out and went straight to making her hair and wearing her earrings instead of wearing her trousers. How foolish of her!

"Liar," he called out.

She pulled away from him. "You're annoying, you know?" she got off his lap and picked up her clothes that lay scattered on the ground. He titled his head as he watched her bend down to pick up her discarded underwear from the floor, her backside curving perfectly filling his mind with perverse ideas.

He held her hand and pulled her towards himself. "We are a mess already, maybe we can," he slowly got up from the ottoman and shifted closer to her, curling his arm around her bare waist, "have a little more fun?"

A grin spread across Ruhaani's face. She was tempted too. She wanted to indulge in some more of him being a badass lover. However her sane part decided to play spoilsport. "You've a client meeting Aadarsh, remember?"

"At eleven thirty, I have ample of time," he mumbled, kissing her cheek.

"The kids will..." she breathed, as she felt his hands move to clasp of his bra.

"The room's door is locked. We'll pretend that we slept in," He undid the hooks that were holding the garment around her bust.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Ruhaani whispered as he tipped her chin up, laying feather like kisses down her neck. "Everyone else will know."

"Ruhaani, we are very married, so every adult in the house already knows that we fuck each other." He muttered, his hand sprawling the length of her back and smoothly curving over her derriere.

"Gosh, did you have to put that in my head?" Ruhaani mumbled almost at verge of moaning in pleasure as his hand squeezed her butt cheek.

"Are you convinced or should I up my game?" Aadarsh asked meeting her eyes as he took off his hand, to deprive her of his touch.

"I would love to see how you up your game," she spoke boldly, her hands deftly undoing the knot of his tie.

Aadarsh gave her a cheeky smile and moved his hands from her hips to her breasts. "There, upped my game."

Ruhaani chuckled, shaking her head, swatting away his hands that came in the way of unbuttoning his shirt. "And I thought I was in for something..."

"Something?" he questioned raising an eyebrow, looking at her.

"I don't know, something... hot?" she glanced up at him, as she finished undoing the last button and went on to peel the shirt off his broad shoulders.

Aadarsh tugged at the tie around his neck, letting it fall loose. He gently used the end of the silk tie to brush her skin from the base of her neck to the swell of her bare breasts.

She sighed at the feather like touch, her gaze fluttering up to meet his.

"I am having so many ideas right now," he said in a low husky voice that almost made Ruhaani's insides clench.

He then held up the tie, "this is prop for next time," he dropped the tie to the floor. Ruhaani glanced at the dropped material and then looked back at him curiously, "What did you have on mind?"

"You'll know soon enough. Right now, I have other ideas." Having said that he held her hand and led her to the washroom, shutting the door behind them.

• • • Four Days Later • • •

"Hey, beautiful!"

Ruhaani glanced up from her mobile, a grin spreading across her face at the sound of those words. The night before, during their pillow talk, she had playfully confessed her fondness for the way fictional men addressed their love interests with romantic endearments. Now, it seemed, he was putting her preference to the test.

The last couple of days had been nothing short of blissful. They had rediscovered the joy of teasing and bantering, their connection rekindling with an intensity that matched their newfound closeness. Their intimate moments together had become more frequent and lingered longer, filling her with a sense of fulfillment she hadn't felt in a while. The emotional distance that had once troubled her seemed to have dissipated entirely.

"Hmm, you're wearing my white shirt!" Aadarsh remarked as he walked over to her side of the bed.

"Aadarsh, don't even think about it. I'm still sore from earlier," Ruhaani cautioned, then added with a playful smile, "and I'm pretty sure I've paid in advance for this." She tugged at the collar of the shirt she was wearing, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

He leaned forward and undid the first button and parted the lapels such that there was a good view of her cleavage.

"Seriously?" she muttered looking up at him, as he stood beside the side of the bed.

"Looks hotter," he mumbled moving closer. With his right hand braced against the mattress for support, Aadarsh leaned in closer to her cheek. Meanwhile, his other hand stealthily crept towards the AC remote tucked beside her. Pressing his lips to her cheek, he grinned triumphantly, savoring his small victory.

However, his celebration proved to be premature. As he pulled back, Ruhaani smiled and deftly grasped the other end of the remote. "Very sneaky, handsome!" She remarked with a smirk.

Aadarsh couldn't help but break into a silly grin at her playful address, though he quickly regained his composure and attempted to tug the remote from her grip.

Yet again, Ruhaani anticipated his move and held on tighter. "I get to decide the AC temperature today!"

Aadarsh sighed, it had rained a while ago leaving the air oppressively humid. "Ruh, it's a pretty humid tonight. I need the room to be cold in order to sleep. Besides, having you sleep in that next to me is going to make me more hot."

Ruhaani fought to suppress a smile, "Nice try, but it's not going to work, husband dearest."

"God, help me! Why are you so stubborn?" He grumbled.

"Why are you so unkind? You know I freeze when you set the AC temperature as per your liking." Ruhaani countered.

"Unkind? I freaking make sure you're tucked in and warm through the night. You're the one being unkind and ungrateful." Aadarsh snapped back, pulling at the remote.

Ruhaani gaped at him with narrowed eyes, "Snatching is bad manners, Mister Sehgal."

"Ugh, you are so annoying, Mrs. Sehgal," Aadarsh muttered in frustration as he tugged at the remote. Sensing Ruhaani's determined resistance, he eventually released his grip suddenly.

Ruhaani, caught off guard by the sudden slack in tension, tumbled backward onto the bed. Aadarsh couldn't help but smile at the indignant glare she threw his way.

He climbed onto the bed, further causing her to widen her eyes as he hovered over her.

"Aadarsh, I swear if you try something underhand, I am going to..."

"You wish, darling. Just getting on my side of the bed." He flicked his finger over her nose, before rolling away from her onto his side of the bed.

Ruhaani muttered a curse under her breath, and Aadarsh's smile widened. He couldn't quite explain why he enjoyed teasing her so much.

"Try being a gentleman for once!" Ruhaani retorted, pushing his arm away with irritation. She despised how he could turn what seemed like a loss on his part into a victory for himself. She was determined to find a way to outmaneuver him in their playful exchanges; losing to him in their banter always stung.

Aadarsh chuckled at her expense, laying his head on his pillow, "Says the woman who was begging me this morning to not be gentle."

Ruhaani turned a shade of red and turned to glance at him as she sat up.

"Just speaking facts," he shrugged with a smirk.

Setting the remote on the nightstand beside her side of the bed, Ruhaani crawled over to his side of the bed. She straddled his hips sitting over him, tossing her open hair back. Aadarsh parted his lips slightly, adoring the magnificent sight.

She smiled noticing his look, and moved her hands up from his abdominal muscles towards his shoulders. She leaned forward, her back arching as she took her face close to his.

"Ruhaani, what the hell are you doing?" he chuckled, knowing well that this was her trying to get back at him. Silly of her to think, she could compete with him at teasing.

"What would you rather I do?" she whispered softly over his lips.

Aadarsh blinked, as he felt her groin subtly move against his. His hands grabbed her hips instantly stilling them. His dark eyes met hers that shone with mischief. "You're awakening that part of me that isn't going to let you sleep. You better proceed with caution." he mumbled, his eyes pinned on hers warningly.

Undeterred in her mission, Ruhaani further lowered her chest, such that it pressed teasingly against his hard one.

"Fuck, Ruhaani, I am bloody serious. If you don't want to be anymore sore than what you already are..."

She kissed his cheek, effectively making him lose the words he was going to speak. He had to stop her for her own sake.

Aadarsh took a deep breath and finally spoke, "If this was to tease me, consider me teased and get off before I change my mind, Ruh. You're triggering a freaking time bomb."

Ruhaani sighed and got off. As much as she wanted to indulge in some more sex, she knew her body had no energy and her insides were still sore from their earlier adventure.

Aadarsh took a deep breath missing her weight as she lay down beside him.

"Is it just me or we've been over indulging lately?" Ruhaani asked staring up at the ceiling.

Aadarsh chuckled, turning towards her. "Five consecutive days of having sex and you think it's overindulgence?"

With a soft blush on her cheeks, Ruhaani turned to the side to face him.

"We have so many months of abstinence to compensate for," he whispered like it was a scandalous secret. He'd never forget those first few months of their marriage where he was a sexually deprived and sexually frustrated man. He was almost at the verge of being diagnosed with blue balls.

Ruhaani chuckled, extending her hand towards him. He gently lay his hand on hers. His fingertips first caressing her wrist, and them slowly settling over her fingers. They gazed at each other, each wearing a serene smile.

Ruhaani was the first to blink and break their mesmerizing interlock. It had been eating her up. She didn't want to hide things that he deserved to know from him.

She shifted closer to him. She rested their joined hands on her abdomen.

"I have told no one about Pari." She began softly without looking at him. "No one knows except me, and now you ...and Devashish."

Aadarsh blinked staring at her. He had begun to make peace with the fact that Ruhaani would never tell him anything about it. So her openly talking about it came as a bit of a surprise.

"No one will ever know about it, Ruhaani. I promise," he whispered, to reassure her knowing exactly how sensitive this was for her.

She went on, in a low voice, "Harsh had a really nice friend from college, her name was Parineeti. I met her during the engagement. She was a bit reserved but very good friends with Harsh and his other college friends." She slowly turned to him, to read his face.

"Go on," he said softly, his thumb gently caressing the back of her palm.

"When ...Harsh's..." she paused, her eyes blinking vigorously as though to keep at bay some memories and some pain. "... the day of his final last rites, his mother didn't even wait for all the guests to leave. She ...threw out my stuff from the house. She..."

Aadarsh gently shifted and sat up. Ruhaani had tears in her eyes and tears streaming down the sides of her eyes. "Ruh," he said softly, wiping her tears that streamed down her temples.

She met his gaze and slowly sat up turning to him. Her hand still holding on to his. He gently ran his other hand down her back, comforting her.

"It broke me, Aadarsh. She literally threw out my stuff, the wedding album, the wedding gifts, the wedding clothes...everything, just like that. Like it meant nothing. Like it was diseased. Like it was stale." Ruhaani sobbed. "She blamed it on me. She ...shouted, cried, yelled abuses and made a scene out of it. All the close family members just stood there watching. It was... not fair, Aadarsh. It was not my fault." She stared at him, with tears incessantly flowing down her cheeks.

Aadarsh gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs. He had always been aware that the situation had hurt Ruhaani, and she coped by masking it with humor. Yet, he hadn't realized how deeply it still affected her.

"You didn't deserve that, Ruh. No one deserves it," he murmured softly.

Ruhaani sobbed, clutching his hand tightly in hers. "Even chaachu chaachi, were there. They simply stood on the side watching. But Parineeti ...I didn't even know her then. She was a complete stranger. She came forward and took me away from there. She offered me to stay at her home. I was too devastated back then... I just didn't know what to do. Nothing made sense. She tried to become my friend at my worst.

In a few weeks, I got to know she was pregnant. She never told me who the father was. I never asked. We were both going through our own turmoil. With time, we just... learnt to be there for each other. She became a good friend. There's so much about Harsh that I learnt from her than I learnt from spending time with him.

We spoke about a lot of things. But she never told me about her family or about the biological father of her child. Everything was going fine. She was strong, brave, and defied societal norms. She was clear that she wanted to be a mother, and no one could dissuade her from that path.

She delivered a healthy baby, but unfortunately, she fell ill after her C-section. It turned out she had dengue during delivery, but it was still early and wasn't detected in her blood work until afterwards, when her platelet count dropped and she couldn't stop bleeding.

She fought the disease bravely, but on the seventh day, she collapsed. I didn't know... Aadarsh... maybe I was the bad luck after all. I tried to locate her family, but I couldn't find anyone. Besides Harsh and a few mutual friends, she had no close friends. No one knew about her family or the person she was involved with.

Her doctor was a kind lady. She knew about our situations. She gave me an option to take the baby and care for her or give her up for adoption.

I was going to do the latter. I was in a very bad headspace. I didn't want to bring misfortune to more people than I already had, let alone a just born baby.

That night, when I went to bid my final farewell to that baby in the neonatal unit, she was crying. I was even scared to touch her. She was so delicate. But she wouldn't stop crying. That was the second time I actually took in my arms. She gazed up at me with such curiosity, and gradually, her cries subsided, replaced by a look in her eyes... that I can never put in words.

When I put her back in her cradle, she held onto my finger. And that's when I knew, I wanted to be there for her. That night... I sat right next to her. I didn't know if I was worthy enough to be a mother, or if I would be a good one. I didn't know if I was actually the bad luck in people's life who destroyed their happiness or it was just fate destroying mine.

Something about her kept me there until morning, until she stirred awake from her sleep and cooed at me with those beautiful eyes. In that moment, I couldn't bear the thought of sending her away into the unknown. I couldn't let her go... in the fear that her fate would end up being like mine. I wanted her to be loved and cherished, not constantly made to feel like a burden or a reminder of charity.

I didn't want her to ever know that she was adopted. I wanted her to feel like she had never lost anyone. I wanted her to feel like she belonged where she was. I begged the doctor, tried to make her understand where I came from and she eventually reluctantly agreed to having the birth certificate and all other documents altered. For two years she regularly checked on me to see, if I was taking good care of Pari."

Finally a small smile broke out on her face despite the tears. "She relocated to Kolkata after that and she's the only doctor I have missed."

"You named her Pari?"

Ruhaani nodded, "she was my angel, just like Parineeti was. I don't know what I would have done without them... maybe...I wouldn't have even..."

"Shh..." Aadarsh prevented her from saying the words that he knew she was most definitely going to say. He couldn't bear the thought of her not being in the world.

"I am sorry, Aadarsh. I never wanted you to know about this. I never wanted anyone to know about it. I wanted to make our own world. However, I did need financial support to take care of her ... so I went back to Chachu and Chaachi. In hope that they would take me back. They did, but they made efforts to reconcile with Harsh's parents, so that they would take me back. Unfortunately, they rejected me, calling me unfaithful and Pari illegitimate. It didn't surprise me. Looking back now, I'm grateful they never accepted me," Ruhaani confessed, lifting her gaze to meet his. "Pari and I had to find our family with you."

Aadarsh fought back tears and enveloped her in his arms, pressing a kiss to her head. "I'm glad I found you both, Ruhaani."

Ruhaani's smile trembled, tears breaking through her resolve. She pulled back slightly from his embrace, her gaze searching his face. "I am sorry, I didn't share this with you. I don't know how to be vulnerable, Aadarsh. I don't know how to share my deepest parts with someone. I have not known how it is to be truly loved, how it gives you the power to confide in the person you love. How you need to let everything go and know and believe that they'll be there to catch you."

"You're learning, Ruhaani," Aadarsh reassured her with a soft smile, brushing away her tears with his thumb. "I will always be here with you, no matter what life throws at us."

"Thank you, for understanding, for being with me, for choosing to love me," she murmured, resting her cheek against his chest.

"It was not a choice, Ruhaani. It was a force to be reckoned with, a divine power I had to surrender to," Aadarsh replied, his voice soft yet resolute.

Ruhaani smiled against his chest, comforted by his words. "I love it when you say things like that," she murmured, "it's romantic."

After a serene pause, Ruhaani lifted her gaze to meet his. "I never want Pari to know about this. Not even when she's old enough to understand. Please?"

Aadarsh hesitated briefly, blinking in uncertainty. He had vowed to keep the secret, the past, hidden from the world, but considering Pari, he was unsure. "Okay, Ruhaani. She won't hear it from me."

Ruhaani noticed his choice of words but decided not to dwell on it. Perhaps in the distant future, if she changed her mind, she might reconsider. For now, she was resolved that Pari would never know about those first seven days of her life.

They quietly reclined, nestled against each other, each still absorbing the weight of the emotional moments they had just shared.

"You're a fantastic mother, Ruhaani. Pari, Mukti and Nirvaan are very lucky to have you." Aadarsh spoke softly, his voice filled with admiration.

Ruhaani smiled, her fingers tracing soothing circles on his arm that held her close. "Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't you ever consider legally adopting Mukti and Nirvaan? I know it's unusual because they're your siblings, but maybe it would have given them a sense of normalcy. Don't you think?"

"I was not mentally ready, Ruh. It took me an awful lot of time to deal with the fact that my parents will never be around. I was perhaps waiting for my father to bounce back to sanity and come take care of them."

"Hmm," Ruhaani murmured, understanding his struggle.

"Either way, they have us, and we have each other," Aadarsh continued, his tone gentle yet firm.

Ruhaani smiled warmly. "I never imagined a day like today in our marriage, where I could open up to you. You make the world a better place for me, Aadarsh."

Aadarsh hummed softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "I am glad I found you Ruh. It's like I found myself. You make me so much better."

Ruhaani looked up at him, her smile reflecting warmth and affection. Aadarsh returned her gaze with equal tenderness.

"You were right, we make a good team," she said softly.

Aadarsh smiled in agreement. "We're always better together."

• — The End — •

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