Page 114 of One Hellish Love

Rudra’s face darkened, his mind racing as he tried to piece together what was happening. Anjali and Shekhar quickly recognized the ring.

“Shekhar,” Anjali whispered, “that’s your mother’s ring, isn’t it?”

Shekhar nodded, his confusion deepening.

“Yes, but why does Ruchi have it?”

Ruchi’s cheeks flushed as she held up the ring.

“This ring belonged to Rudra’s mother,” she explained, beaming. “Daadi gave it to me today for a special reason.”

Rudra stiffened as he guessed where this was going.

“Daadi said that this ring is meant for the woman Rudra will marry,” Ruchi continued, smiling shyly. “It’s clear why Daadi invited me here tonight. She wants Rudra and me to consider each other seriously.”

Ruchi’s words hung in the air like a bomb waiting to explode. Rudra clenched his fists, while Kashish felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity. Why was Daadi in such a hurry? Rudra and Ruchi hadn’t even had a proper conversation, yet Daadi had already given Ruchi his mother’s ring? It made no sense.

“Rudra,” Ruchi approached his chair with an eager smile. “I know we haven’t spoken much, but I also know how much you respect your Daadi. If she thinks I’m the one for you, surely, you’ll consider her decision.”

Rudra’s jaw tightened, but Ruchi, naive as ever, failed to notice the tension radiating from him.

“I believe this ring will create the magic we need,” she continued, holding out the ring. “I want you to put it on my finger, so that every time we see it, we’ll be reminded of what your Daadi—and perhaps even your mother—wanted. They want me to be your bride.”

Kashish’s eyes widened in disbelief. This was beyond foolish. Rudra turned to Daadi, who now looked completely uncertain, her earlier confidence shattered. She had witnessed the intense connection between Rudra and Kashish moments ago, and now, she feared her decision had been a grave mistake. But before she could intervene, Rudra stood. The entire table followed suit, anxious to see what he would do next.

Shekhar watched nervously, aware of how his brother’s temper could flare. Kashish felt her heart pound in dread. Without uttering a single word, Rudra took the ring from Ruchi’s hand. Her face lit up with a hopeful smile, but it quickly faded as he turned toward Kashish, who stood just a few feet away.

“This is my mother’s ring,” Rudra declared, his voice steady. “And if Daadi kept it for me to give to the woman I’m meant to marry, I won’t break that wish. If this ring is supposed to work its magic, then I’ll waste no time in making her wear it.”

In one swift motion, Rudra grabbed Kashish’s left hand and slid the ring onto her finger.

The room froze. Daadi covered her mouth in shock. Shekhar’s eyes widened, stunned by his brother’s audacity. Anjali looked as though she might faint from the sheer disbelief of this scene. Ruchi who was humiliated, stared in disbelief at the insult Rudra had just delivered, not just to her, but to the entire family. Rage and pain twisted her features as she grabbed her purse and stormed out even though Daadi weakly attempted to stop her.

“Marry me, Kashish,” Rudra proposed.

Kashish stared at him, horrified. Was he even in his right mind? She had spent so long avoiding his advances, convincing herself that he would never dare to voice such feelings in front of his family. She thought she had time to help him heal from their complicated past, but she had clearly been wrong. Every hesitation, every refusal to correct his advances had led to this catastrophic moment.

Her eyes dropped to the ring glinting on her finger, and in an instant, she yanked it off.

“You’ve crossed all limits today, Rudra,” she yelled, slamming the ring onto the table before rushing out.

Rudra stood there, swallowing hard as he picked up the ring again. Shekhar gave his brother a sympathetic pat on the back, while Anjali hurried after Kashish, hoping to calm her down.

“Rudra, what the hell just happened?” Shekhar asked, stunned. “You proposed to her? And in front of Ruchi?”

Rudra didn’t respond. With the ring still in his hand, he stormed out, leaving Shekhar and Daadi behind in confusion. Shekhar called after him, but Rudra didn’t bother to stop. Daadi turned to Shekhar, her face filled with regret.

“This is all my fault,” Daadi said, her voice breaking. “I never should’ve given that ring to Ruchi. She must be heartbroken.”

“Daadi, please don’t blame yourself,” Shekhar tried to comfort her. “But we do need to fix this. You rushed things with Ruchi without consulting anyone. This was bound to happen.”

“But how could Rudra even consider Kashish?” Daadi muttered, clearly shaken.

Shekhar didn’t flinch at her question, and that only worsened Daadi’s suspicions. Her voice grew sharp.

“You knew, didn’t you?” she asked, her eyes narrowing. “You knew Rudra had feelings for Kashish?”

Shekhar sighed, realizing there was no hiding the truth anymore. “Rudra mentioned it to me once,” he admitted.

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