A/N: Added a few more scenes in the Reveal chapter check it out.
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The morning sun cleared the high stone walls of the Kakatiya set. The staff moved efficiently through the courtyard. They dismantled the lighting rigs, folded the heavy Persian carpets, and loaded the wooden chairs into transport trucks. The massive event had concluded. It was time to leave.
Inside the residential manors, the guests packed their bags.
Arjun, Sameer, and Feroz carried their duffel bags out of their guest house. They walked to the gravel parking area and loaded their bags into the trunk of Arjun's SUV. They did not stay for long farewells. They had spent the last five days managing the venue, the vendors, and the guests. They were exhausted. They waved to Siddanth, got into their vehicle, and drove out through the main iron gates.
On the other side of the courtyard, the Bride's family brought their luggage out to the pathway.
Subba Rao dragged two heavy suitcases. Anjali carried a smaller bag and a garment cover containing her lehenga. Suma held a small brass plate containing the pooja items she had used over the past few days.
Siddanth stood near the center of the courtyard with his parents, Vikram Deva and Sesikala. Krithika stood beside him.
The two families converged near the vehicles. The convoy of cars was waiting to take them back to the city.
The reality of the departure set in. The wedding rituals were complete. The post-wedding traditions were done. Krithika was officially leaving her family to live in the Deva household.
Krithika looked at her mother.
Suma's eyes filled with tears instantly. She dropped her brass plate onto the passenger seat of their car and turned around. Krithika stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her mother. Suma began to cry, her shoulders shaking as she held her daughter tightly.
Krithika started crying. She buried her face in her mother's shoulder.
Anjali dropped her bag on the gravel. She walked over and hugged Krithika from the side, tears streaming down her face. Subba Rao stood near the open trunk of the car. He crossed his arms over his chest. He took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure, but the tears spilled over his cheeks.
Siddanth stood a few feet away. He kept his hands in his pockets. He did not step forward to interrupt them. He allowed them the time and space to process the separation.
Sesikala walked forward. She placed a gentle hand on Suma's back.
"Suma," Sesikala said quietly. "Do not cry. She is not going far."
Subba Rao wiped his face with a handkerchief. He looked at his daughter. "Krithika. Stop crying. We are very happy for you."
Krithika pulled back from her mother. She wiped her eyes. She hugged Anjali one last time. She walked over to her father and hugged him. Subba Rao patted her head firmly.
Vikram Deva stepped forward. He looked at Subba Rao and Suma.
"The distance between Tarnaka and Shamshabad is just a one-hour drive," Vikram Deva stated calmly, his voice projecting solid reassurance. "The wedding functions kept us busy. We did not get to sit and talk normally. Subba Rao garu, bring your family to our house tomorrow. Come to Shamshabad for lunch. We will eat together."
Subba Rao looked at Vikram Deva. He nodded slowly. "We will come, Vikram garu. Thank you."
"We will expect you by one o'clock," Sesikala added, smiling at Suma.
"Get into the car," Subba Rao instructed his family.
Suma wiped her eyes and got into the front passenger seat. Anjali got into the back seat. Subba Rao closed the trunk, walked to the driver's side, and got in. He started the engine. He rolled down the window and offered a final wave.
Siddanth raised his hand in acknowledgment. Krithika waved back, wiping a final tear from her cheek.
Subba Rao put the car in gear and drove away.
Vikram Deva turned to Siddanth. "Let's go home, Siddu."
Siddanth and Krithika walked to the Range Rover. Rahul was standing near the driver's door. Siddanth took the keys from him.
"I will drive, Rahul," Siddanth instructed. "You take care of everything here."
"Yes, Boss," Rahul replied, stepping aside.
Siddanth got into the driver's seat. Krithika got into the passenger seat. Vikram and Sesikala got into the back.
Siddanth started the engine. He drove the Range Rover out of the Kakatiya village set, leaving the towering fiberglass walls and the massive Banyan tree behind. They merged onto the Outer Ring Road.
The drive to Shamshabad was quiet. Krithika leaned her head against the window, watching the city traffic pass by. Siddanth kept his eyes on the road, navigating the highway smoothly.
One hour later, the Range Rover pulled up to the heavy iron gates of the Deva estate. The security guards recognized the vehicle and opened the gates immediately.
Siddanth drove up the long gravel driveway, passing the mango orchards and the stables. He parked the car near the front steps of the main farmhouse.
He turned off the engine. They all stepped out of the vehicle.
Siddanth walked toward the front door. Krithika walked beside him.
"Wait," Sesikala commanded sharply from behind them.
Siddanth stopped. He looked back at his mother.
"Do not step on the porch," Sesikala instructed. "Stay on the gravel."
Sesikala walked quickly past them. She unlocked the front door and went inside the house.
"What is happening?" Krithika asked Siddanth quietly.
"She is preparing the Aarti," Siddanth explained, putting his hands in his pockets. "You cannot enter the house for the first time without it."
They waited for five minutes on the driveway. Vikram Deva stood near the car, checking his phone.
The front door opened again. Sesikala stepped out onto the porch. She held a wide brass plate. In the center of the plate, water was mixed with turmeric and kumkum, creating a deep red liquid. A small piece of camphor burned brightly in the center of the water.
"Come to the bottom step," Sesikala instructed.
Siddanth and Krithika walked forward and stood at the base of the porch stairs.
Sesikala held the brass plate with both hands. She moved the plate in a wide, slow, clockwise circle in front of them. She completed three full circles. The burning camphor cast a warm light on their faces.
This ritual was designed to ward off the evil eye and formally welcome the new bride into her permanent home.
Sesikala set the brass plate down on the side of the porch. She looked at Krithika.
"Place your right leg inside first," Sesikala directed clearly.
Krithika nodded. She stepped up the stairs. She reached the threshold of the front door. She lifted her right foot and stepped carefully over the wooden frame, placing her foot firmly onto the marble floor of the living room.
Siddanth followed her, also stepping over the threshold with his right foot.
They were officially inside.
"Go to the pooja room," Sesikala said, walking in behind them and closing the front door. "Take the blessings of the gods."
Siddanth led Krithika down the hallway. They entered the pooja room. They folded their hands, bowed their heads, and stood in silence for a minute.
"Alright," Vikram Deva said from the hallway. "The formalities are done. Siddu, carry the bags upstairs."
Siddanth walked back to the car, grabbed their luggage from the trunk, and carried it up the stairs to the master bedroom. Krithika followed him.
They entered the room. Siddanth set the bags down near the closet.
Krithika looked around the room. She had been in this room before, but the context was entirely different now. It was no longer his room. It was their room.
She sat down on the edge of the bed. She let out a long breath.
"We are home," Siddanth said, sitting down next to her.
"We are," she agreed.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Subba Rao navigated his car through the familiar streets of Tarnaka.
He turned the steering wheel and pulled up to the curb outside their house. He parked the car and turned off the engine.
They stepped out of the vehicle. Subba Rao walked to the trunk and opened it. He pulled out the two heavy suitcases. Anjali grabbed her garment bag from the back seat. Suma unlocked the front gate.
"Subba Rao garu!" a voice called out from across the street.
Subba Rao turned around. His neighbor, Mr. Murthy, was walking briskly toward them. Murthy was an older man who lived two houses down. He had been invited to the wedding. He was part of the very small group of neighbors who had been sworn to secrecy regarding the groom's identity.
Murthy crossed the street and walked up to the car. He immediately reached out and grabbed the handle of one of the suitcases.
"Let me help you with that," Murthy offered, pulling the bag toward the gate.
"Thank you, Murthy," Subba Rao said, taking the other suitcase.
"You must be exhausted," Murthy said as they walked up the short driveway toward the front porch. "I just wanted to come over and tell you... I have never seen anything like that in my entire life."
Suma opened the front door and walked inside. Subba Rao and Murthy stood on the porch with the bags.
"The wedding was done spectacularly," Murthy continued, his voice full of awe. "The palace set, the security, the lighting. And the food. Subba Rao garu, I have attended hundreds of weddings. I have never tasted Haleem and Biryani like that. It was exquisite. I don't know if I will ever go to a wedding like that again."
Subba Rao smiled politely. He let go of the suitcase handle.
"What can I say, Murthy," Subba Rao replied, his tone humble and grounded. "It is all God's grace. We did not expect any of this. I am just thankful to Him that Krithika got a good husband and was married into a good family. He takes care of her. That is all that matters."
"He is a very good boy," Murthy agreed, nodding his head. "I saw him talking to the catering staff. Very respectful. She really is a lucky girl."
"Thank you for coming to the wedding and keeping the matter quiet."
"Of course," Murthy said. He waved his hand and walked back down the driveway, returning to his own house.
Subba Rao picked up the suitcase and carried it inside. He kicked his shoes off near the door and closed the heavy wooden door behind him. The lock clicked shut.
Subba Rao stood in the hallway. He looked around.
The house was completely, utterly quiet.
Usually, when they returned from a trip, the house immediately filled with noise. Krithika and Anjali would argue over who got to use the bathroom first. Krithika would open the refrigerator and complain that there was no cold water. Anjali would drop her bags in the middle of the hall, and Suma would yell at her to pick them up.
Today, there was no arguing. There was no noise. Just the low hum of the ceiling fan in the living room.
Subba Rao carried the suitcases into the bedroom. He left them near the wardrobe. He walked back into the living room and sat down heavily on the sofa.
Suma walked out of the kitchen. She carried two glasses of water. She handed one to Subba Rao and sat down on the sofa next to him.
They drank the water in silence.
Anjali walked down the hallway. She went into the bedroom. She closed the door.
Anjali sat down on her bed. The silence in the room was deafening. She missed her sister already. She missed the constant presence, the person she shared every single secret with.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
Anjali pulled it out. The screen was flooded with notifications.
For the past week, Anjali had kept her phone on silent. She had not posted a single picture on social media. But two days ago, Siddanth had posted the wedding photo on Twitter and Vibe. He had tagged Krithika.
The internet had found Krithika's profile. They found her in Krithika's friends list. And eventually, they found Anjali's profile.
Anjali opened her Flash messenger. She had over fifty unread messages from her college friends. She had only invited three of her closest friends to the actual wedding. The rest of her classmates had just found out the news online.
She opened the chat group for her engineering class.
Jyothi: ANJALI!!! IS THAT YOUR SISTER?!
Surya: Bro. Your sister married Siddanth Deva? Are you kidding me?
Pooja: Why didn't you tell us?! We sat next to you in class for two years! You are Siddanth Deva's sister-in-law?!
Vicky: Ask him for a signed bat for me please.
Jyothi: This is insane. The whole college is talking about it. The news channels are showing her Vibe pictures.
Anjali stared at the messages. She typed a quick response to the group.
Anjali: Yes, it is my sister. I couldn't tell anyone because of security reasons. They wanted to keep it a secret.
The moment she hit send, her phone vibrated with five more incoming messages.
Pooja: You have to bring him to the college fest next month!
Jyothi: Did you meet Virat Kohli? Is he nice?
Anjali locked her phone and threw it onto the mattress. She did not want to answer questions about Siddanth Deva. She just wanted to talk to Krithika about how tired her feet were from wearing heels.
She lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
In the living room, Subba Rao and Suma sat on the sofa. The television was turned off. They did not speak. They did not need to speak to communicate.
Subba Rao looked at the single armchair in the corner of the room. That was where Krithika used to sit with her laptop on her knees, drinking coffee on Sunday mornings. The chair was empty.
He felt a heavy, physical ache in his chest. It felt like a distinct part of his heart had been removed from the house. He knew this day would come since the day she was born, but the reality of the empty house was harder to process than he anticipated.
He swallowed hard, forcing the lump in his throat down. He was not going to cry again. He had cried enough during the Appaginthalu ceremony. He was incredibly happy for his daughter. She had married a man who respected her, protected her, and loved her. There was nothing more a father could ask for.
Suma stared at the blank television screen. She wiped the corner of her eye with the edge of her saree. She took a deep breath, steadying her emotions.
She turned to her husband.
"What should I prepare for dinner?" Suma asked, her voice quiet. "Should I make rice and dal?"
Subba Rao shook his head slowly. "I am not hungry."
Suma looked toward the hallway. "Anjali!" she called out.
Anjali opened her bedroom door and walked into the living room.
"Do you want to eat anything?" Suma asked her. "I can make chapati."
"No, Amma," Anjali said, shaking her head. "I don't want to eat. I am not hungry."
Suma nodded. She did not insist.
"I am not hungry either," Suma admitted.
Their hunger had completely died. The absence of Krithika in the house overrode their basic routines. They sat in the living room for another hour as the sun set outside. They turned off the lights, locked the front door, and went to their respective bedrooms.
Subba Rao lay in bed, staring at the dark ceiling. Suma lay beside him. Anjali lay in her room. They all slept that night thinking about her, hoping she was comfortable in her new home.
The next morning, the alarm went off in the Rao household at 7:00 AM.
The heavy, sorrowful atmosphere of the previous night had lifted slightly with the new day. The routine forced them to move.
Subba Rao took a bath, read the morning newspaper, and drank his coffee. Suma prepared a simple breakfast of upma. Anjali took a shower and dressed in a comfortable jeans and top.
They ate breakfast at the dining table.
"Vikram garu told us to come for lunch at one o'clock," Subba Rao said, checking his watch. "We should leave by eleven-thirty. The traffic on the highway will be heavy."
"I will get ready," Suma said, taking the plates to the kitchen sink.
At 11:30 AM, they locked the front door. Subba Rao started the car. Anjali got into the back seat, and Suma took the front passenger seat. They drove out of Tarnaka and merged onto the main roads leading toward the outskirts of the city.
The drive took exactly an hour.
Subba Rao turned off the main road and approached the massive iron gates of the Shamshabad farmhouse. The security guard recognized the vehicle immediately. He did not ask for identification. He hit the button, and the gates swung open.
Subba Rao drove up the long gravel driveway.
Subba Rao parked the car near the front porch of the main house.
They stepped out of the vehicle. Subba Rao walked toward the front steps.
Before he could even raise his hand to ring the doorbell, the heavy wooden door opened.
Krithika stood in the doorway. She was not wearing a heavy silk saree or gold jewelry. She wore a simple, light blue cotton kurti. Her hair was tied back in a casual ponytail.
She smiled widely. "Come in!"
The effect was instantaneous. The heavy, lingering sadness that Subba Rao, Suma, and Anjali had carried since yesterday evening vanished the second they saw her smile. The heaviness lifted from their chests.
Anjali ran up the stairs and hugged her sister tightly. "I missed you!"
"It has been twelve hours, Anju," Krithika laughed, hugging her back.
Subba Rao smiled, a genuine, relaxed smile returning to his face. Suma walked up and patted Krithika's cheek affectionately. They walked inside the house.
The living room of the farmhouse was cool and comfortable. Siddanth was sitting on the large leather sofa, wearing a plain red t-shirt and jeans. Vikram Deva sat in an armchair reading a book. Sesikala walked out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel.
Siddanth stood up as they entered. "Mamayya. Athamma. Welcome."
"Hello, Siddanth," Subba Rao smiled, taking a seat on the adjacent sofa.
Vikram Deva closed his book and set it down. "Subba Rao garu. How was the drive? The traffic near the city center is terrible on weekends."
"We left early, so we avoided the worst of it," Subba Rao replied.
The conversation flowed easily.
Krithika sat next to Siddanth on the sofa, listening to her father talk. The house felt warm and full of life.
At 1:30 PM, Sesikala stood up. "Lunch is ready."
They moved to the large dining table. There were no professional servers today. Sesikala and Krithika served the food. It was normal, household food. White rice, tomato dal, chicken curry, and fresh yogurt.
Siddanth sat next to Subba Rao. He ate quietly, answering Subba Rao's occasional questions about their next plans.
They ate, talked, and spent the entire afternoon together in the living room. Anjali forced Siddanth to play a racing game on the console, complaining loudly when he beat her three times in a row. Krithika sat with her mother.
By 6:00 PM, the sun began to set over the orchards.
Subba Rao stood up from the sofa. "We should leave. It will get dark soon."
They walked out to the front porch. This time, there were no tears. The emotional farewell had already happened yesterday. Today was just a normal departure after a family lunch.
Subba Rao shook Vikram Deva's hand. "Thank you for the lunch, Vikram garu."
"Come whenever you want, Subba Rao garu," Vikram Deva replied.
Suma hugged Krithika. Subba Rao patted Siddanth's shoulder.
"We will see you soon," Subba Rao said.
"Drive safe, Mamayya," Siddanth said.
The Rao family got into their car. Subba Rao started the engine. He rolled down the window and waved. Krithika waved back, smiling happily.
Subba Rao put the car in gear and drove down the gravel driveway, heading toward the main gates.
As they merged onto the highway back to Tarnaka, the silence in the car felt different. It was no longer heavy or sorrowful. It was a comfortable, peaceful silence. They knew Krithika was exactly where she belonged, and they were going home feeling entirely whole again.