The month of Sawan was coming to an end, and Raksha Bandhan was approaching. Divya Ji had some urgent work, so she left for England. Hansika decided to stay back in India to tie rakhi to Jai. Since Divya Ji had left, Aman stopped coming to Aman Villa. He stayed in the villa where Digvijay and Mitali lived. Whenever Jai called him to Aman Villa for some work, Aman always made some excuse to avoid coming.
–
The Day of Raksha Bandhan
Jai and Aditya were seated, ready to receive their rakhis. Hansika was the first to tie the rakhi on Jai's wrist. After that, Shivani tied the rakhi on Aditya's wrist. Just then, Aman entered. From a distance, he watched the rakhis adorning Jai and Aditya's wrists. After the ritual, both Jai and Aditya left for their rooms, leaving Aman standing there, staring at his own empty wrist.
Shivani, noticing his longing gaze, walked over to him. Aman was still lost, looking at his bare wrist when Shivani approached him and said softly, "Aman Bhaiya!" Hearing the word "Bhaiya" from her lips, Aman looked at her with surprise. "What did you just call me?" he asked, still in disbelief. "Bhaiya!" Shivani repeated with a smile.
Before Aman could say anything, Shivani took his hand and guided him to the chair nearby. Covering her head with her saree's pallu, she applied a tilak on his forehead and performed his aarti. Aman's eyes welled up with tears, but he held them back.
After the aarti, Shivani tied the rakhi on his wrist. She then fed him a sweet, and just as she bent down to touch his feet, Aman quickly grabbed her hand and said, "Bhabhi! Why are you touching my feet?"
Shivani looked at him with a gentle smile and said, "Because from today, you are my elder brother, and I am your little sister. That's why I'm touching your feet." Saying this, she bent down and touched his feet with respect. Aman, placing his hand on her head, blessed her, "Stay happy, Bhabhi!"
Shivani, pretending to be a little annoyed, said, "I am not your Bhabhi anymore. I am your sister now. So from today, you will call me Shivani, not Bhabhi."
Aman looked at her with tear-filled eyes and said, "What can I give you?" He placed his hand on her head and continued, "Shivani, may your life be filled with happiness. From today, your brother Aman promises that as long as I live, I will always protect you."
Saying this, he took out a black card from his wallet and handed it to her. Shivani shook her head, refusing to take it. "Bhaiya, I can't take this."
Aman looked at her and said with a smirk, "Oh, I see. You think your brother is poor, that's why you're refusing it, right?" Shivani shook her head, "No, Bhaiya, it's nothing like that."
"Then what is it?" Aman asked.
Shivani replied gently, "You've already given me such a priceless blessing; why would I need anything else?"
Aman smiled and said, "Oh, so that's the reason. Fine, then take it as your brother's love. Don't say no, or I'll be upset." He pouted like a child, making Shivani laugh. "Okay, Bhaiya! I'll take it. But stop pretending to be upset because you're really bad at acting," she said, chuckling as she took the card from his hand.
After that, Aman asked, "Shivani, where is Jai?"
"Bhaiya, he's in the study room," she replied and then headed to the kitchen to prepare something.
Aman made his way to the study room. After some important discussion, he stepped out and walked back to the hall, where he saw Hansika pacing back and forth with her baby in her arms.
As she walked, her eyes met Aman's. Seeing her, Aman quickly looked down and tried to leave. But Hansika's voice stopped him. "Aman, wait!" she called out. Her words made Aman halt in his tracks.
Hansika walked up to him and asked, "Aman, why are you ignoring me?"
Aman's voice choked a little as he replied, "Hansika, I'm not ignoring you. I made a promise, and I'm just trying to keep it. Hansika, we are like the two banks of a river that can never meet. It was never written in our fate to be together. You have moved on, and I'm happy for you."
Hansika's eyes filled with tears as she said, "But I'm not happy."
Aman was stunned. "What do you mean? Does your husband torture you? Tell me!" he asked anxiously.
Hansika laughed lightly, "No, he loves me very much."
Aman frowned, "Then why aren't you happy?"
Hansika looked straight into his eyes and said, "Because you are not happy. Until you are happy, I will keep feeling this sadness."
Her words brought a heavy silence between them. Finally, Hansika broke the silence with a deep breath and said, "Aman, you should get married. Look, even Jai Bhai moved on after Sanjana Bhabhi's passing. He found a good woman who takes care of him so well."
Aman gave a sad smile and replied, "My fate is not like Jai's, Hansika."
Just then, Hansika's baby started crying. She soothed him gently, and he stopped crying. Aman looked at the baby and said, "Your son... he's beautiful. What's his name?"
Hansika smiled, "Ayaan."
Hearing the name, Aman stared at her in disbelief. Hansika chuckled, "Yes, Aman, it's the same name you once chose for our children."
Aman's throat tightened with emotion. "Ayaan..." he whispered, gently placing his hand on the baby's head. He looked back at Hansika and asked, "When are you leaving for London?"
Hansika replied, "This evening. They are coming to pick me up."
Aman nodded silently. After chatting for a while, he left.
–
Days passed by...
Shivani was now two months pregnant. She was sitting at her dressing table, filling the parting of her hair with sindoor (vermilion). Jai sat on the bed, silently watching her. A thought crossed his mind, "I never saw Sanjana do this. Whenever I tried to put sindoor in her hair, she would turn into a volcano."