📍 M U M B A I

Ishvik's plane landed smoothly, and soon he was back at home. He headed straight to his room, freshened up, and then made his way downstairs.

Riaan was lounging on the sofa, scrolling through his phone. Spotting Ishvik coming down, he immediately stood up, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Ishvik bhai, aap kab aaye?" he asked, hurrying toward him and wrapping him in a quick hug.

"Abhi kuch der pehle..." Ishvik replied, his tone steady. "Ansh told me to come home. They're bringing Dadu here, right?"

"Yeah, Dadu is alright now," Riaan assured him, a faint smile of relief on his face.

Four cars pulled up at the main gate. Three were bodyguard vehicles, and the fourth, a luxurious one, had Ansh and Dadu inside. Maya sat in the second car, followed by more bodyguards in the remaining two.

As the cars came to a stop, Ansh stepped out and quickly moved to assist Dadu. Ishvik and Riaan followed, and as Ishvik reached Dadu, he pulled him into a warm hug.

"Dadu, ye sab kya hai?" Ishvik asked with a playful frown.

"Ap hame marne ki planning kar rahe hai?" Riaan joked, his tone light, trying to lift the atmosphere as he made his way to the living room.

Ishvik smiled, nudging Riaan. "Iski toh abhi girlfriend banane ki umar hai," he teased.

"Aur tum dono ki shaadi karni ki," Dadu responded, looking at Ansh and Ishvik with a serious glint in his eyes.

Ansh immediately stepped away, knowing where the conversation was headed.

---

Ishvik had only returned a couple of days ago, and it was no secret that his presence would unsettle Ansh for a while. Adjusting to having Ishvik around always took time - everyone knew that. Their bond was a strange one, complex and layered, like a tightrope between brotherhood and rivalry.

They were brothers in spirit, yet their friendship carried the sharp edges of a feud. They fought like enemies, challenged each other like adversaries, but somewhere in the chaos, there was an unspoken loyalty, a bond neither could truly sever. For Ansh, Ishvik's return was both a disruption and a reminder of the battles they had faced - together and against each other.

The atmosphere at the Rathore mansion during dinner was thick with tension. Everyone sat quietly at the dining table, their focus on the food rather than each other, as if any conversation might trigger an explosion.

Breaking the silence, Ishvik finally spoke, his tone casual but inquisitive "Riaan, tum kaha ja rahe ho trip ke liye?"

Riaan barely looked up "Canada."

Ansh froze mid-bite, his gaze darkening as he placed his fork down with deliberate care. His voice cut through the room like a blade "nahi, Canada nahi. Kahi aur ka plan kar lo."

Riaan frowned, his confusion evident "kyu?"

Ansh's reply was sharp and final "maine bola na, waha nahi."

"But why?" Riaan asked, his frustration creeping into his voice.

Dadu, seated at the head of the table, glanced between the brothers, his expression grave but silent.

Ansh leaned forward, his voice lowering but no less menacing "tum mujhse sawal karoge?"

Ishvik, trying to ease the tension, interjected firmly, "Woh bas pooch Raha hai, Ansh."

Ansh's glare shifted to Ishvik, and his tone turned icy "Main apne bhai se baat kar raha hoon. Tum beech me mat bolo."

Ishvik straightened, meeting Ansh's glare head-on "Main bhi iss family ka hissa hoon."

Ansh cut him off with a bitter laugh, his voice laced with venom "Of course, kaise bhool skta hoon? Tumhari wajah se maine apni family khoyi."

The words slammed into Ishvik like a punch, but he didn't flinch. Before he could respond, Maya spoke up, her voice trembling "Bhai, woh bas pooch Raha tha..."

Ansh slammed his spoon onto the table, the sound echoing in the tense room as he rose to his feet "Ab tumlog mujhse sawal karoge? Tum log jo yahan zinda baithe ho, woh meri wajah se. Yeh jo high lifestyle hai na tum logon ka, woh meri wajah se. Maine ek baar bola, waha nahi jaana hai, toh kyun nahi samajhte?"

The silence was deafening until Riaan pushed his chair back, standing to meet Ansh's glare with equal defiance "Main kal Canada ja raha hoon."

*Vo bhi toh Ansh ka hi bhai tha*

Without waiting for anyone's response, Riaan turned on his heel and strode out, leaving the room heavy with unresolved anger. Ansh stood there, his fists clenched, while Dadu's weary eyes followed Riaan's retreating figure. Ishvik, though visibly shaken, stayed seated, his jaw tight, a storm of emotions brewing beneath his composed exterior.

For most, family is a source of strength. But for Ansh, his family haunted him. Before his father passed away, he had placed an immense burden on Ansh's shoulders - the responsibility to keep the family united, no matter what.

Every night, before closing his eyes, Ansh ensured that each member of his family was safe, no matter where they were. Only then could he find a semblance of rest. His life was a battlefield, and his enemies were many. There were those who had destroyed his family in the past, and now, with his growing success, the list had only multiplied.

To protect the ones he loved, Ansh had made sacrifices others wouldn't dare to. He had changed the names of every family member, erased the fragments of their old lives, and left behind the city they once called home. Every decision he made, every step he took, was to shield his family from the shadows that hunted them - a responsibility that had become both his duty and his curse.

Ansh entered his room, the weight of the evening still pressing on him. He walked to the bedside table, his movements mechanical. Without hesitation, he opened the bottle of sleeping pills, a ritual that had become all too familiar. Tonight, like so many nights before, he needed them.

He poured two or three pills into his palm, his hand steady despite the chaos within. He didn't even need water to swallow them; the act was second nature by now, a numb comfort to drown out the noise in his mind. The pills slid down easily, and with them, the hope for a fleeting peace, even if it was only for a few hours.

It had become his escape - the only way to silence the turmoil that never seemed to end.

---

Next day,

"Hello, cifer," Ishvik was already in Ansh's room early in the morning. Ansh, who had been reading, placed his book aside. He wore a rough t-shirt and trousers, looking unkempt yet somehow still carrying an allure, and watched Ishvik approach with a shopping bag in hand.

"Mujhe laga ab tak tum meri precense me adjust ho gaye honge," Ishvik said as he walked over, the tone light but knowing. Ansh kept his gaze on him, no longer unsettled by his presence. This time, he had adjusted.

Ishvik tossed the shopping bags onto the bed, folding them neatly before looking back at Ansh.

"Hello, cifer," he teased.

Ansh leaned back, a smirk on his lips, matching his energy "Hello, lucid."

"Kal raat jo tumne kaha, mai usse tumhari mental condition samjhunga," Ishvik remarked casually, his voice laced with both concern and challenge.

"Tumhe maan lena chahiye, mai tumse nafrat karta hun," Ansh said, his voice calm but with an edge.

Ishvik, now sitting on the bed with a mock dramatic gesture, grinned. "Haar 4 ghante me 1 call aur haar 2 ghante me 1 msg, ye pata karne ke liye ke mai zinda toh hun na... usee mai ky samjhun?" he teased further.

"Galatfahmi," Ansh replied flatly, his eyes locked on Ishvik.

Ishvik, laying back as if to sleep, sighed deeply "Maine tumhe bohot Miss Kiya, cifer."

Ansh leaned back, his expression unreadable, and then responded, "Beleive me, mere sath aisa bilkul nahi hua." He paused, his voice shifting into something darker. "Maybe maine tumhe Marne ko aadmi bheje ho..."

Ishvik sat up with a small, knowing smile. "Tum apni family me kisi ko nahi maar sakte, cifer..." His tone softened as he locked eyes with Ansh, "Tum kisi ko nahi maar sakte, khoon-aag... Tumhara trauma trigger kar deti hai" He relaxed again, letting the words hang in the air.

Ansh paused for a moment, his gaze narrowing before he spoke "Haan, mai maar nahi sakta, lekin kisi se marwa toh sakta hun na?"

Ishvik sat up, shaking his head, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips "Tum mujhe maar nahi sakte," He extended the shopping bag toward Ansh "Ye mai tumhare liye laya hoon."

Ansh, with his curiosity piqued, reached into the bag. His hand brushed against the velvet-lined boxes, each one containing cufflinks - cufflinks, cufflinks, cufflinks - all worth a fortune. He didn't care much for them, just collected them.

Ishvik stood up, a playful glint in his eyes, and once again folded into a playful position before Ansh. This time, as Ansh bumped into him, he felt a heat radiating from Ishvik.

"Ky tum bimar ho? Fever hai tumhe? Tumne mujhe bataya kyu nahi?" Ansh's concern was sudden, a rarity. He reached out, placing his hand on Ishvik's forehead, his fingers cool against his skin, checking for a fever.

It was always like this with his family - even the slightest fever could make Ansh's world tilt, his heart racing with worry, as if every small ailment could threaten to tear apart the fragile peace he fought so hard to maintain.

After a while, they found themselves in Ishvik's room. Ishvik lay on the bed, wrapped in a blanket up to his neck, looking vulnerable in a way Ansh rarely saw him. The doctor had already come and gone, leaving a trail of instructions that still hung in the air like a lingering scent.

Ansh stood before him, his eyes hard and resolute, pointing toward the medicine on the side table "ye dawai time pe lena," his voice carrying the weight of authority "aur kal subah tak, tumhe bilkul thik chahiye. Agar tum thik nahi huye, toh 6 mahine tak tum out of country nahi ja rahe."

Ishvik, still weak but not willing to back down, looked up at him with a defiant glint in his eyes, "nahi, tum mere sath aisa nahi kar sakte, mere project hai."

Ansh's gaze softened for a split second before hardening again, the words leaving his lips with a quiet determination, "main tumhe kahi bhi bilkul fit bhejta hoon, wapas bhi tum mujhe bilkul fit hi chahiye."

Without waiting for a response, Ansh turned and walked out, the door clicking shut behind him. His mind was already elsewhere, but a part of him stayed with Ishvik, caught in the unspoken promise that no matter the distance, no matter the cost, he would ensure his family was always whole.

---

Evening Shadows

As the evening descended, Riaan kept his word — he left for Canada without meeting anyone, his departure as quiet as a shadow slipping away. The house seemed oddly hollow in his absence, though no one dared to voice it aloud.

In another part of the mansion, Ishvik remained confined to his room, drifting in and out of sleep, the medicine dulling his usually sharp presence. The blanket still wrapped tightly around him, he lay in the quiet, his breath steady, a rare moment of stillness in his otherwise restless nature.

Meanwhile, Ansh was at his office, drowning in work that demanded his unwavering focus. Yet, no matter how engrossed he seemed, the weight of his family's fractured state lingered at the edges of his thoughts—a silent burden he carried, as always.

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