Veins of Power, Threads of Fate

Ekta sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers trembling around the tea cup in her hand. The silence of the Raghuvanshi mansion was not peaceful-it was suffocating.

She had not spoken to Dev properly since the night he sided with Niyati. Not a word of apology. Not a glance of remorse.

The slap had changed everything.

Not for Dev.

But for her.

The Visit

Naina arrived in the afternoon. Her warm presence brought a flicker of light into the otherwise gloomy house.

"Ekta," she said gently, pulling her friend into a hug. "You look tired."

Ekta gave a small smile. "I'm okay. Just... a little off, that's all."

They sat in the corner of the garden. A soft breeze rustled the flowers, but nothing could soothe the heaviness in Ekta's chest.

"I heard Niyati is still here," Naina said cautiously.

Ekta hesitated. "Yes. She's back for good, apparently. Dev didn't say anything to stop her."

Naina frowned. "But... she insulted your family. In front of everyone. Why didn't Dev-"

Ekta cut her off with a shake of her head. "He handed her a tissue. That's all."

Naina's eyes widened. "What?!"

Ekta looked away. "He didn't even look at me, Naina. Not once. I slapped her... for insulting Maa-Baba, and he... he didn't say a word to support me."

There was a long silence.

Then Ekta's voice broke, just a little.

"I don't know what I'm doing here anymore."

Sharing the Wound

Later that evening, Naina told Raghav everything.
They sat in a café near his office. Raghav's expression was unreadable, but inside, he was pleased.

"So... she slapped Dev's ex-wife? In front of everyone?"

Naina nodded. "Yes. And Dev just... stood there."

Raghav gave a sympathetic sigh. "Naina, I'm not saying she's wrong, but Ekta has always been... emotionally fragile."

"She's not fragile," Naina argued softly. "She's just been through a lot."

Raghav tilted his head. "But how much do you really know about what she's been through?"

Naina paused.

Raghav continued, planting each word like poison.

"Think about it. She gets panic attacks... anxiety... she sees threats where there may be none. What if Dev didn't mean harm, but she overreacted again?"

Naina looked uncertain now.

"I'm just saying... be careful," Raghav said gently. "Don't let her drag you into a mess she created in her mind."

Doubt Creeps In

A few days later, Naina came to visit again. But this time, something was different.

She sat with Ekta, but her words were more cautious.

"I'm not saying you were wrong," Naina said gently. "But... maybe Dev didn't know how to react in that moment."

Ekta stared at her. "You think I overreacted?"

"No!" Naina quickly added. "I just... I think you've been under a lot of pressure lately. You might be taking things too much to heart."

Something inside Ekta sank.

This wasn't the Naina who used to understand her without a word.

This was someone trying to explain away betrayal.

Meanwhile, Behind the Scenes

Raghav had dinner with Naina's parents.

He spoke kindly, with gentle concern.

"I just want to be honest with you. I care about Naina. And I know she cares about Ekta. But this marriage... it's not stable. And Ekta's mental health? It's... concerning."

Naina's mother looked shocked. "We knew she had anxiety, but-"

Raghav interrupted with a sigh. "Sometimes love makes us blind. I just don't want your daughter hurt in the crossfire of someone else's broken marriage."

He had planted the seeds.

And now, he waited for them to grow.

Ekta Notices the Shift

That night, Ekta looked at her phone. Naina hadn't replied to her last two messages.

She put the phone down quietly and walked to the window.

From her room, she could see Dev walking in the garden with Niyati.

They weren't talking.

But they weren't fighting either.

And that silence between them... was louder than anything she could scream.

"One day," she whispered to herself, "when the truth is on fire, I'll walk through it with my head high. But not today. Not yet."