"Wicked man..." Sarangi was so startled by his closeness that she shoved Vairagya in the chest with both her hands.
Vairagya was standing very close to the pool and had never imagined such a move from Sarangi in any lifetime. He couldn't maintain his balance and fell straight into the pool. He shot her a glare, and she panicked and tried to run away—only to slip and fall into the pool herself.
Turning away, Vairagya muttered, "Stupid girl..." and quickly got out of the water. Meanwhile, Sarangi started flailing her arms and legs in the water. Although the pool wasn't deep enough to drown anyone, Sarangi had aquaphobia (a fear of drowning), and her panic made her feel as if she were trapped in a vast, deep ocean.
When Vairagya turned and saw her struggling, he was shocked—what's happening to her?—and within moments, Sarangi stopped moving. Water had entered her lungs, and she was unable to breathe.
Vairagya quickly jumped back in and pulled her into his arms. The moment Sarangi felt someone near, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Sarangi... hey, are you okay?" Vairagya tried to lift her out of the pool, but Sarangi had lost consciousness. Her body was getting cold.
"Oh my God... why is her body so cold? What should I do...?" Vairagya frantically tried to warm her hands and feet by rubbing them.
But with no response from her, Vairagya's mind went blank. His heart was racing for reasons he couldn't understand.
He quickly called Ashwin, a doctor and his friend, though he didn't mention that the girl was Sarangi.
"Vairagya, try giving her CPR. I'm on my way."
"But how…?"
"You idiot! Someone's dying and you're thinking about your 'someone special'? Just save her—you'll earn blessings for it!" Ashwin hung up.
Vairagya looked down at the unconscious Sarangi. Her lips had turned blue. Shaking off all hesitation, he leaned down and began to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After a few attempts, Sarangi slowly regained consciousness, and Vairagya immediately pulled back.
"Look, don't misunderstand me... I was just—" But before he could finish, Sarangi threw herself into his arms and broke down in tears.
Vairagya was stunned. He gently patted her head and carried her to his room. After all, if someone saw them like this, there would be endless questions and gossip.
As Sarangi slowly began to recover, Vairagya canceled Ashwin's visit. He wrapped her snugly in a blanket and let her rest on the bed, while he lay on the sofa, gazing at her. Eventually, his own eyes gave in to sleep.
The next morning, Sarangi woke up in an unfamiliar room and screamed.
Startled awake, Vairagya rushed to her side. "Are you okay, Miss...?"
"You...? What am I doing here? What did you do to me, old man?" Sarangi said in anger and fear.
"Hey! Enough with the 'old man' thing! I might be a bit older than you, but I'm not that old. And second, you fainted after falling into the pool, that's why I brought you here... and what would I even do to you? My taste isn't that poor! Now get up and get out of my room!" Vairagya snapped. Sarangi looked at him in surprise and immediately walked out.
She was still in last night's clothes, slightly dried, but still uncomfortable.
As soon as she left, Vairagya stormed into the bathroom. What angered him most was that Sarangi had questioned his character—accused him of something so low.
"For Vairagya Rajvansh, the most precious thing is self-respect... and this head will never bow to anyone. Never ever," he told himself.
Back in her room, Sarangi burst into tears. She felt deeply hurt by the way Vairagya had scolded her. She didn't even understand why his words affected her so much.
"What did he mean by saying his taste isn't that bad...? Am I not good-looking? Am I fat? Is my nose too puffy, like a fritter? Am I not fair-skinned enough? Then why did Mr. Rajvansh say his taste isn't that bad...?" She kept questioning herself, and with every thought, her tears flowed even harder.
Just then, Savita ji entered and said, "Saru... what happened, dear? Why are you crying?"
"Because I feel like crying, Mom..." Sarangi replied through sobs.
"Silly girl, it's not your farewell today... that's day after tomorrow. Why are you crying now?" Savita ji gently stroked her hair.
"I just feel awful, Mom..." Sarangi said, hiding her face in her mother's lap.
"This is our tradition, dear. Daughters are like birds who leave one nest to light up another. We can't change that..." Savita ji comforted her lovingly.
"Come now, get ready. The mehndi artist has arrived," she coaxed her with affection, and Sarangi nodded and headed to the bathroom.
Today was the mehndi (henna) ceremony, followed by the sangeet (music and dance night), and tomorrow was Sarangi's wedding.
A while later, Sarangi sat getting mehndi applied to her hands while her cousins danced and sang around her.
Shikha was also dancing along.
Sarangi smiled as she watched them.
"What's your husband's name?" the mehndi artist asked, but Sarangi was lost in thoughts of Vairagya, and from her lips came, "Vairagya..."
The mehndi artist carefully wrote a bold 'V' on her palm and smiled, "Your husband's name is quite unique..."
"Huh, what?" Sarangi snapped back to attention.
"I said, your husband's name is quite unique. I've never heard it before, but it's interesting." the mehndi artist smiled again.
Sarangi looked at the 'V' written on her hand and was utterly shocked. She had just realized her mistake and blurted out—
"Can you make it an 'A' instead...?"
"Sure, but why? Isn't your husband's name Vairagya...?" Before she could answer, Kamla bua entered and, looking at the mehndi, said:
"The color should come out deep, my dear... That's when we'll know how much our nephew loves you."
Sarangi smiled, but silently thought:
"If it's love from her son, then this question shouldn't be directed at me... I don't even know what to say anymore."