So sorry for the delay but book has ben edited with not much changes but it needed a little touch-up.

So I end up writing this chapter a bit longer, I hope you are okay with it.

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NIA'S POV

I was utterly shocked by the scenes unfolding before me.
I could hardly believe my eyes; my wedding was happening, yet there he was turning the entire mandap into a battlefield.

When one of the goons approached to attack him from behind, An instinctive scream left my mouth, terrified of what might happen next.
But in that moment, I forgot who stood beside me! The Veeransh Raghuvanshi.

In an instant, he spun me around and pulled me into his protective embrace.

Watching those goons assaulted him from behind nearly took my breath away, I hid my face in his chest.
When I tried to lift up my face, my gaze locked onto him, frozen in disbelief. With merciless precision, he throbbed his gun against the thug's neck and pulled it out with a sudden jolt, blood splattering across his white sherwani and striking his furious handsome face.
But he was continuously spiking it like a madman as he pushed him out from the mandap.

Before I knew it, the goons were groaning on the ground. When he turned to me, his intense eyes meeting mine, and my heart raced at his terrifying expression coupled with a villainous smirk. I parted my lips to speak, but he forcefully led me to complete the Pheras (Hindu wedding ceremony) and I swallowed my words.

*LIGHTING*⛈️⛈️

Lost in a dizzying whirl movement with him, I finally snapped back to reality and looked up. A sudden flash of lightning lit up the sky, with a thunderous noise, causing me to shudder as heavy rain began to fall out of nowhere. Yet, according to Veeransh's orders, no one dared to move but they rather chose to stay still without even moving a step, put and shower us with flower petals.

The loud music of drums and the melodies of Rajasthani songs filled the air. Everyone was soaking except us sitting in the Mandap, but aware of Veeransh's anger, they continued with the wedding ceremony undeterred.

As it was my turn to took the lead in Pheras, I glanced at Veeransh, but he didn't spare me a glance for once. His intense gaze seemed wandered elsewhere. I baffled, how he still managed to keep our knots secure even amidst of such fight, yet why he cared when this marriage was merely a formality to the outside world.

We took our seats again to perform the impending rituals, but my heart raced like it was foretelling impending danger.

"V..Vadhu Ko Mangalasutra Pehnaiye." Pandit stammered in fear.

("Now make the bride wear the mangalsutra ( A traditional piece of jewellery symbolise the marriage")

At that moment, Veeransh finally met my gaze, with devoid of overt emotions yet filled with an undeniable inner turmoil. He took the mangalsutra from the plate, extending it toward me slyly leaning on my neck.

The overwhelming feeling of belonging to him forever washed over me, my gaze drifted from his face to the sacred fire. As his cold, blood-stained fingers brushed my skin, my eyes instinctively fluttered shut, enveloped in the intensity of his unmatched proximity and I dug my nails into my fists.

"Ab Vadhu ki maang mein sindhoor lagayein." Pandit explained, his trembling hands presenting a small, intricately carved golden box of sindhoor to Veeransh.
("Now fill the bride's hair partition with vermilion.")

True to My instincts , suddenly, a shuddering gunshot rang out, striking the pandit's hand and causing the sindhoor to scatter across the ground. The chilling silence engulfed the momentarily chaos, but it was merely th stillness that ominously foreshadowed an enormous storm.

Before long, his eyes glanced at Viaan, who was eagerly waiting for his single command and nodded in response.

It was enough, shattering the tranquility of the hall a storm erupted, came crashing down with the distant roar of machine guns from the sky.

The screams of the crowd gathered for the joyous wedding ceremony reverberated throughout the hall as they frantically sought refuge ducking under the tables or slipping the bar.

I glanced at Veeransh who was looking above with a winning smirk on his face, ignoring the intensity of the moment.

Upon following his gaze my eyes widened in disbelief, as I observed from the lighting in the dark stormy sky, Veeransh's fighter jets emerged with emblazoning an eagle logo embedded their polished black exteriors, were hovering over the mahal, unleashing a barrage of fire along with heavy rain and indiscriminately eliminating the goons intruding from the backyard.

In some seconds, the hall had been transformed into a battlefield. Veeransh's armed force surrounded the area of with metallic bulletproof shields and began to take down the thugs who were trying to break in, wielding swords, guns, and various lethal weapons.
Children and aged people had been already sent to the safe spots while others were hustling here and there.

Halting the movement Vijay Raghuvanshi's (Veeransh's grandfather) commanding voice rang through the hall.

"Koi Apni jagah se nahi hilega, yeh humara aadesh hai! Veeransh shaadi sampann karein!"
("No one is going to leave there spots, it's an order! Veeransh proceed the impending rituals!")

Vijay Raghuvanshi, an old yet nimble man in his seventies, emanated an aura of dark authority that spoke of their family's royal heritage and dominance.

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AUTHOR'S POV

Veeransh nodded as a group of Rajwadi fighters emerged with weapons on Vijay ji's orders.
Meanwhile Vijay ji retrieved another box of sindhoor (vermilion).
As he reached out his hand to her, his gaze suddenly fell upon an intruder clad in a formal suit, who lunged at Nia, brandishing a sharp cleaver pulled from his blazer and shook into the air to spike on her.

Quick as flash, Veeransh's reflexes kicked in, and he grasped the edge of blade just in time to prevent it from grazing her head. Oblivious to his quick action, Nia stared at him in bewilderment. When she felt something warm trickling wet on her forehead, she glanced up, a tension flickered on her face.
Veeransh's hand was bleeding causing the drops to fill her Maang.

Without alotting a Chance to promote process, he jerked away the cleaver from his hands, twisting the assailant's arm with the same hand, and smashed a flaming piece of wood from the sacred Agni Kundh' into the intruder's face, sending him crashing out of the mandap.

Nia feared for the man's life, but just then, Viaan appeared, yanking the attacker away by his hair and dragging him from the scene.

The conditions were getting worse, when Veeransh lifted a piece of jewellery above her head, pouring sindhoor in her hair parting already decorated with his blood streaming down from her forehead to the beautiful face. While some grains of sindhoor fell onto Nia's nose.

Her attention was solely on his bleeding hand, where he was not even looking at her as Pandit proclaimed.

"Vivah sampann hua.. Aaj se aap dono pati patni!" His declaration stroked her heart like a dagger of contentment, yet emmense pain and thankfully both had been gifted only by HIM.
("The marriage is over... from today you both are husband and wife!")

In an instant Veeransh leaped on his feet and exited the Mandap. Family members rushed to Nia, as Sumitra ji enveloped her in an embrace.

"Niaaa.....get out of here, dear! This place isn't safe." She urged, cupping Nia's face.

"Y..Yes She is right...Leave fast!" Sunidhi ji uttered in panic dragging her away from the mandap, though Nia couldn't tear apart her eyes from his back and they took her inside.

A group of thugs charged at him with weapons drawn. Veeransh's swiftly retrieved a sword from the scabbard hung on the wall and turned; in a heartbeat, the blade found its mark in one thug's stomach, which has been thrusted across his back.
He jammed a fierce kick to another assailant, sending two more thugs tumbling to the ground beneath him. In a seamless motion, one of his man handed him a rifle, and he unleashed a flurry of shots between their thighs with a single grip before hurling the weapon at them.

The entire mahal had morphed into a scene of carnage, with the demised bodies of at least four hundred goons scattered across the ground. The chaos was heightened by the thunder and lightning accompanying the unending gunfire and explosions outside, creating an atmosphere of terror.
But not a single man of Veeransh's force lost their life despite sustaining some injuries; they were all highly trained for such emergencies, making it appear effortless for them to deal with it.
Media personnel were sent outside the mahal well in advance of the bride's entry, as Veeransh was aware that what was about to happen should not be disclosed to the media.

Whereas, Veeransh stood drenched in rain, blood trickling from his brows tracing there way down his body, mingling with the raindrops. His white sherwani completely painted in crimson , So on his wedding day. His fierce demeanor was enough to instill fear and burn alive anyone who met his blazing gaze.

As Nia had so astutely predicted, this event was destined to leave an indelible mark not just on the state of Rajasthan, but across the entire globe.

"RANAAA!"
His voice thundered in a furious shout, indicating that the recent upheaval was merely the start of an even greater chaos to come.

Moments later, Viaan rushed to him, out of breath.
"End it now and clear the area! You have 20 minutes!" Veeransh instructed as his voice alarmed again.

"Chalo Program Khatam, Ab Niklo Yahan Se....Yah Mehmaan Nawazi Karwake Jana Chahoge!"
His voice sent a chill through everyone's soul, and the impact of his words hung in air, left everyone weak in the knees as the hall quickly fell silent and empty.

("The program is over, now get out of here... Or Would you like to leave after getting this hospitality?")

Veeransh had barely taken a step toward the stairs when a sharp voice, laced with disapproval, sliced through the air.

"Lagta hai aap bhool gye hain Veeransh! Ki shaadi ke baad badon ka ashirvaad liya jata hai, Yah Shayad yeh bhi ab apko sikhana padega!"
Vijay Ji's voice hung in the air, leaving Veeransh momentarily bewildered as he turned around.

("You seem to have forgotten, Veeransh! After wedding,one seeks blessings from the elders.Perhaps I need to teach you this too!")

His hunter eyes fell on Nia, who had been watching him with tear-filled eyes, god knows from how long. Veeransh moved towards her with firm steps, left everyone in cold sweat.

But a releif washed over their faces when his hand reached for her wrist, as headed towards Sunidhi ji.

Nia was surprised by his sudden action, but her shock deepened as he bent to touch Sunidhi's feet. Sunidhi stopped him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and nodded with a smile, tears welling in her eyes.

"(My boy) Mera bacha... May God keep you two together forever!" She caressed his cheek, her voice cracked with emotion.

Veeransh had already endured much and the loss of his mother being the most painful. Her words, like a balm, soothed his heart, stirring a whirlwind of emotions within him. He managed a pained smile and hugged her tightly.

"Maine toh tumhein Usi din Pasand Kar Liya Tha Jab Tum pehli baar humare ghar aye the...Par main Naraz hoon tumse!" She said, patting his back as he broke the embrace, hearing her final words.

("I liked you the day you first came to our house...but now I'm angry with you!")

"Aunty, I'm..." He began, but she interrupted him.

"Mom! Today, you became part of our family... so none of that 'Aunty' business!" she declared, pulling his ear playfully.

"Ouch! Mom, please stop!" he whined, feigning pain.

("Gimmick!") "Nautanki!" she laughed, releasing his ear.

"Tumhein humare aashirwad ki jarurat nahi hai kya?" Sunidhi teased, giving Nia a sidelong glance.
(Don't you feel need of my blessings?")

Nia, who had been lost in the exchange between a mother and son, snapped back to reality at the sarcastic tone. With a forced smile, she bent and touched Sunidhi's feet.

"May you always be blessed!" Sunidhi placed her hand on Nia's head, and that was it.

The tears Nia had been holding back finally spilled over, and she clung to Sunidhi, sobbing uncontrollably.

"No more tears, okay! I know my son will keep you happier than us!" Sunidhi said, glancing at Veeransh, who averted his gaze.

Nia abruptly pulled away from her embrace.

"Mom! No one can replace you or Papa!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with both pain and determination.

Sunidhi smiled and nodded.

Moving forward, they received blessings from (Ridhima and Rakesh Raghuvanshi) Veeransh's uncle and aunt.

"Sada Suhagan Raho! Dudho Nahao puto Falo!" Sumitra ji said, caressing their head and kissed her own hand.
("May your marriage lives long! May you be blessed with wealth and child!")

"Saubhagyawati bhava! Ayushman bhava!" Vijay ji placed his hand on their heads and hugged Veeransh, patting his shoulder.
("May you be blessed with a fortunate and long life!")

"I'm proud of your choice, Veeransh." He released him, shifting his eyes on Nia.

Nia bent to touch his feet when he halted her moment and she raised her face nervous to him.

"Betiyon Ki Jagah Yahan Nahin, Yahan hoti hai." And he opened his arms for her with a gentle smile.

Nia froze, unsure of what to do. Her eyes darted between Veeransh and Sumitra ji, ass she blinked back tears.

Earning her assurance, without hesitation, she threw her arms around him with a wide smile. Sumitra ji gently stroked her hair.

"Hum aapke dada sa, aur aaj se aap humari beti hui!" The purity of his words broke her, and she clung to him tighter, sobs wracking her body.

(I'm your grandfather, and from now you are my daughter")

She felt overwhelmed with the feeling that in this one person, she had found her father and grandfather again, after losing them long ago.

"Da...daadu!" she choked out, fear and realization flooding her face.

"Yes, my dear!" Vijay pulled her nose playfully, offering a reassuring smile that finally eased her distress.

Meanwhile, Ananya and Agastya, Veeransh's siblings, hugged them from behind and shouted in unison, "Congrats, Bhaiya, Bhabi!"
("Congrats brother,sister in law!")

Startled, the couple turned around. Veeransh glared at his siblings, while Nia simply smiled at their childish antics.

Yet, amidst all the happy family members, there were several faces clouded with unhappiness and anger.

Nia and Veeransh now stood before his father, Amar Raghuvanshi.

He stared at them with extreme hate, his furious eyes piercing Nia. They then shifted to Veeransh.

"Today, you proved me wrong, Veeransh! You showed your true blood!"
He spat, his voice thick with displeasure and anger.

"Da..!" Leaving his words between Amar shot Nia a venomous look before leaving the room with his sister (Sandhya Raghuvanshi) who glared at Nia with disdain.

Veeransh stared at his father's retreating figure, his emotionless eyes reflecting the gravity of the situation as his fists clenched.

"Veera..." Sumitra ji tried to console when everyone lost their breath with his cold deep voice.

He declared,
"Enough! Bahut Hua Yeh Rang Naach, Aur Tum!" His voice was laced with irritation, but beneath it, they could sense a simmering anger.

("This charade has gone on long enough and youuu!")

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NIA'S POV

My thoughts swirled chaotically in my mind, trying to process the matter.

Just then, I felt his intense gaze boring into me and his chilling voice washed over me like acid.

"What's going on in his head?" she wondered. "He forced me into this marriage, and now he's pretending I'm the one who made him do it!"

"Hope I didn't ruin your good time, did I?" His words caused my eyes to widen as he unleashed a flood of accusations.

"This is what you wanted, right? Mrs. Nia Veeransh Raghuvanshi!" He shouted, stepping closer, prompting me to instinctively shrink away.

The veins on his forehead bulged, and his frown intensified, making it difficult for me to breathe.

"What nonsense!" I struggled to push down my anxiety and find some semblance of courage.

"Oh, now don't pretend like you don't know anything! This was entirely your plan, wasn't it?" His voice rose with every syllable.

*Wham!*

His head tilted on right side, earning a sharp slap on his left cheek, when someone stood between us. Anger written all over his face.

"Who dares-" His words hung in the air as he noticed Dadi sa standing before me, her expression ablaze with anger.

"I dare! Now tell me, what are you planning to do?" She crossed her arms defiantly.

"Da..."Veeransh tried to say gritting his teeth.

"How dare you raise your voice at our daughter? She is your wife now! And let me remind you, the men in our family treat women with respect!"

Just as Dadi sa finished her reprimand my eyes caught someone hidden behind railing with a big sniper.

My eyes traced his gaze and a chill ran down my spine when I noticed who was on his aim as I screamed.

"VEER!!"

He turned around as soon as my voice reached his ears and he snatched the pistol from one of the his man standing beside him.

BANG!

              BANG!

But it was to late, as a piercing gunshot crossed his chest, causing him to miss his shot and his pistol fell on ground.

"Catch that bastard!" Viaan commanded as he rushed to manage Dadi sa, who had just lost consciousness.

The moment Veeransh collapsed to the ground, everyone rushed to him. Hearing the gunshot, Amar and Sandhya Raghuvanshi hurried out of their rooms as well.

But there I stood, frozen in place! My world felt like it was crumbling around me. My gaze was fixated on his bleeding form on the ground. My heart felt like it had stopped, and my body was shaking uncontrollably. I could barely hear anything until someone jolted me back to reality by shaking my shoulders.

"Niaaaa!!!! Are you even listening to me? Veeransh's been shot!! Nia!" Mom shouted anxiously.

Realizing what had happened, my legs propelled me toward him. My knees gave way, and I collapsed onto the ground, cradling his head in my lap.

"V...Veer Veer, are you alright? Please say something..."
Tears filled my eyes, but I didn't cry as I cupped his face. He pushed me away just as Mom came from behind to steady me.

"Just stay away!" he roared, slowly pushing himself up to his feet, his one hand on his injured shoulder.

In the meantime, Dada sa quickly called for the doctor while Ananya and Agastya sobbed nearby. Uncle aunt moved closer to Veeransh, but he raised his hand to stop him.

"I don't need anyone!" His voice was fierce, like an injured lion.

As soon as his eyes fell on me a creepy painful smile curled up on his lips.

"Maine kabhi nahi socha tha ki tum iss hadd tak gir jaogi Nia, ki tum meri jaan lene ki koshish
karogi!"

("I never imagined you would stoop so low, that you would try to take my life, Nia!")

His words left me speechless as I stood there shaking my head in disagreement. Before I could respond, my mom interjected.

"What do you mean!" She came and turned him facing towards her.

"Aap sun payengi?" His voice filled with humour as he smirked.
("Will you be able to hear?")

"I just want to know the truth!" This time she rose her voice.

"Toh suniye...suno sab! This girl is responsible for all the mess happened today!" My gaze dropped as he directed his index finger towards me
("Then listen... listen everybody!")

Dadi sa slowly opened her eyes as she saw Veeransh blood badly bleeding from his chest. She stood up using Viaan's hand when, Veeransh's gaze shifted to dadi ji and again at Nia.

"Didn't you tell her? Whom did you call using her phone?" He asked bending towards her face a little.

"Let me confirm, She called her fucking Assistant to plan this blast!"

"Basss!" Dadi sa's voice echoed in the hall.
("Enough!")

"Kyun Dadi sa...sach kadwa laga kya?" And his poisonous laughter burst up, washing over my face with guilt.

And my control gave up.

"Shut up!!! Just shut the fuck up!!" I yelled out of pain, my sobs choked my words.

"Haan karwaya maine blast!Kyunki Tumne mujhe blackmail karke, zabardasti mujhse shaadi ki par goli..." My words trapped in my mouth as I felt a burning splash on my cheek.

("Yes I did plan this blast! Because you blackmailed me and forced me into this marriage but Gunshot...")

Mom spun me around from my shoulder and landed a bashing slap on face.

"Shame on you Nia! Usne jo kiya so Kiya badle mein tune apne pati ki aur hum sabki jaan khatre mein daali??"
("No matter whatever he did but you put everyone's life, your husband's life at stake for the sake of your revenge??")

The weight of her words seemed to be crushing me from inside.
My own mother didn't tried to hear me?

"Aaj se aur abhi se, Main tumse sare rishte khatam karti hun! Tumhein tumhari Shadi mubarak!" She turned around to leave as I held her wrist.

("From today, infact from now, I release you from every relation with me! Congrats to your marriage!")

"M...mom, atleast listen to me once! Mom please forgive me!!" I begged while sobbing but she jerked my hand.

"Agar thodi si bhi sharam baki hai...toh main umeed karungi ki tum is shaadi ko puri shradha se nibhaogi"
And she left wiping her tears with Ayaan, who was crying to stay there with me but she dragged him along.

("If there is even a little shame left... then I would hope that you will perform this marriage with full devotion")

I fell on my knees right there, witnessing my life getting ruined in front of me, with my own hands.

With an last attempt, my steps forwarded towards Veeransh with hopefull eyes , but in the next moment my only hope fled away with his words.

"Bura lag raha hoga na? Ki main mara kyun nahi!"
("Must be felling sad right? That how am I still alive?")

When I hadn't even cured myself from the past years blunder happened in my family, Today's incident marked as mist horrible moment of my life.
But now what I felt even worse was his anger, that too with me.

Because the man standing in front of me was no longer Veer, He was VEERANSH RAGHUVANSHI!

What I witnessed that day was something I had never anticipated.
Where my Maang was adorned with my husband's blood! My wedding costs the lives of countless individuals.

Every girl dreams of her wedding day being the most cherished and joyous occasion, and I too had hoped for that; I achieved the most unforgettable day of my life, but calling it joyous would be a grave mistake.

Every girl longs for someone who would go to any extent to protect and love her. He indeed did that, turning the entire wedding venue into a scene of bloodbath, just for the sake of our wedding! But love? It was never about that!
He just wanted to claim me at any cost, regardless of the blood he had to shed.

That was the day when I first caught a glimpse of his monstrous side, his face and clothes smeared with blood, hair dripping red. His eyes blazed like molten lava, ready to incinerate anyone who dared oppose him. His expression was the one of madness and ruthless determination.

I felt completely drained, unable to confront him anymore and at this time my tears also soaked up. I had gone numb when he turned around to leave.

However, it appeared that fate had penned a different plan as my body felt lifeless and my brain zone out!

I collapsed onto the back of the person in front of me.

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To be continued...

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