Page 63 of When Love Trespassed

Three months Later – Raichand Villa

Shaurya Ahuja

Weds

Nandini Raichand

It hadn’t been easy winning over Nandini’s parents, but with Grandpa and Shaurya fighting as one unshakable front, their resistance eventually gave way to acceptance.

What had once seemed impossible now unfolded as a celebration of love, trust, and hard-earned approval.

Three months had passed, and today, the Raichands stood united to bless the union of their daughter Nandini with Shaurya Ahuja.

The wedding was nothing short of magical.

Held within the vicinity of Raichand Villa, the ceremony venue had been chosen intentionally so that even the mango tree, a silent witness to their stolen glances, confessions, heartbreaks, and eventual togetherness could bless the couple taking their sacred vows.

The lush garden that stretched between the Raichand and Ahuja villas had been transformed into an open-air mandap, draped in blooming marigolds, fragrant white jasmine, and strings of fairy lights that swayed gently in the early evening breeze.

Both villas were decorated with festive lights, symbolising the joy of a love that had finally found its rightful place.

Guests poured in from every corner—relatives, close friends, and the entire Serene Meadows community.

Everyone came dressed to the nines, their hearts full of joy for the couple whose journey they had witnessed firsthand.

Lakshmi and Meera moved through the crowd like seasoned hosts, their trays full, and their smiles wider than ever.

This wasn’t just Nandini and Shaurya’s wedding.

It felt like a community celebration of something long overdue.

Upstairs, in her bedroom, Nandini was ready, looking radiant in her red and gold bridal lehenga with delicate zardozi work and heirloom jewellery passed down from her late Daadi, Ambika Raichand.

Her friends, Priya, Kavya, Jyoti, and the rest of them had teased her non-stop ever since the wedding was fixed, especially about being the one to have claimed ‘the hottest man in Serene Meadows.’ If anyone deserved him, it was Nandini.

Kavya brushed a stray lock of hair behind Nandini’s ear and teased, “Just so you know, even if you’ve officially bagged the Mr. Hotness, we still get to admire him from afar.”

Jyoti immediately chimed in. “Exactly! Just because you’ll be married doesn’t mean you’ve got exclusive rights. His wedding vows don’t come with a monopoly clause. We still hold full admiration rights with us.”

Kavya winked mischievously at Priya. “Whenever he drops by the community pool, we’ll be right there, shamelessly checking him out. And you can’t stop us, Nandini.”

Nandini let out a dramatic groan. “Ugh! You two better get your own men. He’s never going to the community pool again, I’ll make sure of it.”

Jyoti threw her hands up, grinning. “Good luck with that, bridezilla. Let’s see if you can make it happen.

But seriously, think about us too. We also need some excitement, some distraction from our boring routines.

At least, let your eye candy of a husband swing by the pool now and then.

You can do that much for your friends, right? ”

Nandini rolled her eyes, but her smile gave her away as she reached out and swatted their hands. “Enough, girls. He is mine. Every inch of his belongs to me.”

The girls pretended to be devastated. Kavya even wiped an imaginary tear. “Fine. We’ll survive.”

At that moment, her mother, Nivedita, entered the room, followed by Grandpa. The girls smiled knowingly and slipped out, leaving the family to their moment.

Nandini stood and immediately bent to take Grandpa’s blessings. His eyes, damp with unspoken emotion, rested on her face for a long beat. “You look just like Ambika today,” he said softly.

“That’s because I’m wearing her ornaments, Daadu,” Nandini said, her voice cracking slightly. “Thank you. You gave me a piece of her… and I’ll carry it with me forever.”

He gently cupped her cheek. “I’m going to miss you terribly.”

She choked back a sob, but before emotion overtook them, her mother stepped in, saying, “Papa, not you... you’ll still have her next door. We’re the ones who’ll miss her once we go back to London.”

Grandpa nodded, brushing away a tear that had unknowingly escaped. “I know. And I’m grateful for that. I just meant... I’ll miss her here. In this house. In Raichand Villa.”

Nandini rested her head briefly on his shoulder.

“I’ll still be here, Daadu. Full-time. You’re stuck with me forever, whether you like it or not.”

He gave a soft laugh and wrapped his one arm around her shoulder. “Who said I don’t like it?” Then he sighed dramatically. “But do me one favour. Please tell Shaurya to spare me from his boring yoga sessions. Ask him to keep his fitness regime far, far away from me.”

Nandini rolled her eyes, thinking, here we go again. Grandpa turned to Nivedita and launched into a full-blown rant about Shaurya’s ‘fitness fundas.’

“Ever since I accepted him as my son-in-law, he’s taken over my health like it’s a corporate takeover.

Every morning, he is here, dragging me out of bed to stretch and twist like a pretzel.

I can’t even enjoy a lazy morning with my newspaper anymore.

It’s always, ‘Come on, Daadu, five more minutes! One more set!’ I mean, does he expect me to walk the ramp and compete for Grandpa of the Year? ”

Nandini and her mother burst into laughter.

“Oh, Daadu,” Nandini said, still chuckling. “Sorry, but I’m not getting in between you two. This war is yours to fight.”

“He’s doing the right thing, though,” her mother added with a smile. “He’s keeping you young and healthy.”

Grandpa tried to keep a straight face but failed, hiding his own grin behind a dramatic eyeroll. “Well, I suppose if I have to age like fine wine, I may as well do it with some flair.”

“Exactly!” Nandini chimed in cheekily. “If you want to keep flirting with Sharma Aunty during your evening walks, you need to be in top form.”

Grandpa’s eyes widened in mock offence. “You little traitor! I knew you were watching us!”

Nandini grinned. “Please, Daadu. Everyone in Serene Meadows knows about it. Sharma Aunty even wears extra-bright lipstick on the days you join the group for evening walk.”

He huffed dramatically, but the twinkle in his eyes gave him away. “I need to have a word with that Shaurya. He’s turned my sweet granddaughter into a complete menace.”

Nandini burst into laughter while Nivedita tried to suppress her chuckle.

Just then, her father, Ritesh, entered the room. His eyes welled up as he looked at his daughter dressed as a bride. He walked over to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“When your Daadu first told us about Shaurya, we had our doubts,” he admitted honestly. “But having spent time with him these past few weeks… I’ve come to realise that even I couldn’t have chosen a better man for you.”

He smiled, pausing for a moment before adding, his face alight with admiration, “He’s sharp.

A smart and shrewd businessman, especially when it comes to choosing the right clients and ventures.

Did you know he gave me some brilliant insights for our company’s upcoming expansion?

The man knows his game, no doubt about it. ”

Then, Ritesh’s smile softened into something more personal, more vulnerable.

“But what truly won me over wasn’t just his intellect, it was his heart.

He’s down-to-earth and compassionate. Well grounded.

A true family man. And you both managed to do what none of us could for years.

You bridged the gap between me and Papa.

You helped, pushed, and forced us to talk again, even though we were stubbornly resisting it.

Because of you two, we are all celebrating this wedding together, as a family, without any old baggage weighing us down. ”

Nandini’s eyes glistened with tears as she recalled that evening—just days after her parents had flown in from London.

When the air at Raichand Villa still carried the weight of unspoken tension.

The years of strained conversations, missed chances, and misunderstood intentions between Grandpa and her parents had lingered like a shadow, wrapping the house in suffocating silence.

That’s when she and Shaurya had taken it upon themselves to change that and bridge the distance between them. They had gently but firmly brought everyone into the same room to have a long overdue heart-to-heart conversation.

She remembered watching her father finally open up and speak about the silent expectations he had carried for years…

the need for independence, to forge his own path, and to earn not only his father’s pride but also his approval.

And Grandpa, proud and stubborn as ever, had, for the first time, truly listened.

Then he, too, had opened up about how hard it had been to let go, how the silence wasn’t due to anger but from a misplaced fear.

Of losing his importance, of slowly fading away from his son’s life, of no longer being needed.

Later, they had both cried. Apologised. Laughed. Hugged.

That day, old wounds had healed, and the bond between father and son, once fractured by time and silence, was rebuilt with something even stronger than before.

Now, standing here, with her father’s hand in hers, Nandini felt the full circle of that healing. Everything was mended. The bitterness had been washed away. And what remained was love—strong and unshaken.

Ritesh reached for Nandini’s hand and squeezed it. “Shaurya hasn’t just stepped in as your husband. He’s stepped up as a son to all of us. For me… he’s not just a son-in-law. He is my son.”