𝐒𝐚𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐢 ~ 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 |𝟏𝟖+| - Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Author's POV:-
Sakshi was lost in her own whirlwind of thoughts when a cute little girl came running towards her, wearing a cream-colored frock that matched the festive mood.
The girl grinned up at her, and instinctively, Sakshi returned her smile, feeling a little light in the heart.
"Aap meri bhabhi banogi?" the girl asked, tilting her head cutely, leaving Sakshi slightly confused, unsure of who she was.
("Will you be my bhabhi??")
Before she could respond, the little girl looked at the man standing beside her and chirped,
"Bua ji ne bataya ki aap Sakshi
bhabhi ho, hain na bhaiya?"
("Bua ji told me that you are Sakshi bhabhi...hain na bhaiya??")
The man — her soon-to-be husband — nodded silently.
Realization dawned on Sakshi. She must be his younger sister, she thought, her heart melting a little at the adorable scene.
The girl then clambered onto her brother’s lap, swinging her legs playfully, looking completely at ease.
Unable to resist, Sakshi leaned a little and asked gently,
"Aapka naam kya hai?"
("What is your name?")
"Main Lata hoon," she replied brightly, showing her little pearly teeth.
("I am Lata..")
They shared a few lighthearted exchanges before being called toward the mandap.
"Arjun ji, aap yahan baithiye," the priest directed.
("Arjun ji please sit here..")
Hearing his name aloud for the first time, Sakshi registered it that his name is — Arjun.
As the rituals began, the priest chanted mantras, and amidst the smoke and the sacred fire, Lata too came and sat beside her brother, clutching onto his arm.
Some relatives, including Arjun’s phuphaji, moved to intervene, but Arjun spoke up calmly yet firmly,
"Nahi, Lata chahti hai toh use yahi baithne do. Mujhe koi samasya nahi hai."
("If Lata wants to sit beside me,then let her sit..I don't have any problem..")
Saying this, he gently pulled Lata a little closer, shielding her from the fire’s reach, making sure her silk frock didn’t catch any stray sparks.
The rituals continued with a peaceful flow. After the sath-phere, it was time for the sindoor daan — the moment that would bind them together forever.
Sakshi's heart hammered in her chest as she watched Arjun pick a pinch of sindoor between his fingers. Her breathing turned shallow as he leaned closer.
Giving her one brief, unreadable look, Arjun carefully filled it with the blood- red sindoor .
A little extra fell, scattering across her entire nose bridge, lashes, and even brushing against her lips.
Sakshi instinctively closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the rush of sensations.
The elderly women watching smiled knowingly, their eyes twinkling with blessings.
Sakshi coughed softly, raising her hand to wipe her face, but her mother quickly stopped her, shaking her head.
Arjun looked at his mother-in-law, confused.
"Nahi beta," she explained warmly, "sindoor girna bohot bada shagun hota hai... ise mat hataana."
("Falling of sindoor on nose is a good sign,don't wipe it beta...")
Sakshi nodded slightly, accepting the belief, her face tinted deep pink.
Just then, the priest said,
"Sakshi beti, ab apne sindoor se apne pati ko tilak lagao."
("Sakshi beta now put one tilak on your husband's forhead by taking some sindoor from your forehead ")
Sakshi’s eyes widened a little in surprise, darting to her mother for reassurance.
Her mother whispered softly,
"Ungli par le pehale, phir tilak laga."
("Haa just take some sindoor on your forehead and then apply it on his forehead..")
Arjun, understanding her hesitation, simply bowed his head slightly toward her.
Sakshi, biting the inside of her cheek to gather courage, gently touched the sindoor on her forehead with her middle finger and leaned forward.
With trembling hands, she drew a small tilak on Arjun’s forehead.
As her fingertip touched him, Arjun closed his eyes, accepting her touch with silent respect.
Just then, Lata, thinking it was a fun game, also tilted her head cutely toward Sakshi.
Suppressing her nervous giggle, Sakshi dipped her finger again and pressed a tiny dot on Lata’s forehead — a small, innocent bindi.
The priest’s voice echoed warmly through the hall,
"Ab se aap dono pati-patni hue."
And just like that, the sacred bond was sealed.
("Now both of you are considered official a husband and wife..")
The air around them shifted — heavy, emotional, final.
Sakshi’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she lifted her gaze toward her family — her whole world until this moment. The people she loved more than herself.
A painful lump rose in her throat.
Now... now she had to leave them behind.
Her feet moved of their own accord, carrying her first toward her beloved dadi, whose weathered hands reached up to softly pat her cheek.
"Apne pati ki har baat maan k chalna, beta..."
Her dadi’s voice, cracked with age yet steady with wisdom, whispered into her ears.
("Always listen to what your husband ask you to do..")
Sakshi nodded silently, biting her lower lip to keep the sob from escaping.
She was trying to be strong... but how could she?
Arjun stood nearby, silent as ever, his eyes lowered respectfully, letting her have these last precious moments without interruption.
Sakshi then moved toward her brother, the one who had fought with her, teased her, loved her endlessly.
He gave her a sad smile — the kind that a person gives when they’re trying very hard not to cry — and gently caressed her head.
Her heart broke a little more.
But she didn’t stop, couldn’t stop — her feet finally took her to her ultimate heaven — her mother.
Without sparing a glance at her father, she ran into her mother's arms, clinging onto her like a child, burying her face into her mother's saree.
"Maaa... mujhe nahi jaana aapko chhodke..."
Her voice broke into pieces, and so did she.
("Maa I don't want to go leaving you..")
Her mother, fighting back her own tears, caressed Sakshi’s back in soothing circles.
"Nah, bacha... aise nahi kehte... bas, shhh... rona band kar..."
She whispered, her voice cracking despite the brave front.
("Don't say like that my child... don't cry like this ...shhh...")
The world blurred into a mess of colors and sobs for Sakshi.
Meanwhile, her father — who had been silently observing everything, his pride and ego dissolving into raw fatherly love — finally approached Arjun.
He placed a firm yet trembling hand on Arjun’s forehead, blessing him.
"Meri bachi ka khyal rakhna, beta. Agar kabhi koi galti ho jaaye... toh use bachi samajhkar maaf kar dena,"
he said, his voice unusually soft.
("Take care of my child.. forgive her if she does some mistake..")
Arjun nodded seriously, sensing the depth of this responsibility.
Sakshi, watching this exchange from the corner of her tear-streaked eyes, almost laughed through her tears.
'Jo aadmi khud ki patni ko hi har waqt galti karne se haath uthate the... wahi aaj kisi aur se keh rahe hain ki meri bachi ka khyal rakhna?'
("The man who used to raise his hand on his own wife every time she made a mistake... is now telling someone else to take care of his daughter if she does any mistake?")
She chuckled inwardly, the irony of it poking at her even in this heavy moment.
After many hugs, countless tears, and whispered blessings, the time for goodbye finally came.
Sakshi and Arjun stepped into the car — a beautiful vehicle adorned with rose petals and fragrant garlands.
The door closed with a soft click that somehow felt louder than the loudest thunder in her ears.
As the car slowly started, Sakshi exhaled a long, shaky sigh, her fingers nervously fidgeting with the edge of her dupatta.
She turned her face towards the window, trying to hide her teary, ruined face.
Her kajal was smeared, her nose was red from crying, but none of it mattered now.
She sniffed quietly, dabbing at her cheeks uselessly.
Arjun, sitting beside her, watched silently — seeing the sheer exhaustion in her posture, the way her eyes drooped even though she stubbornly tried to stay awake.
He could feel her fighting sleep, fighting tears... fighting the feeling of leaving everything behind.
He frowned slightly, then leaned closer and said in his deep, quiet voice,
"Paani pee le thoda..."
("Drink some water..")
Startled, Sakshi jerked a little, turning her tear-filled eyes toward him.
"Huh?" she whispered, confused.
Arjun offered her the water bottle patiently, his voice even softer this time,
"Meine kaha, paani pee le... acha lagega."
("I said drink some water, you'll feel good")
There was no command, no sternness — only care.
Without arguing, without even thinking much, she took the bottle from his hand.
She pressed her lips to the rim and took small, shaky sips — just enough to calm her parched throat.
She returned the bottle silently, her eyes still heavy with sorrow.
And again, she turned her face towards the window, determined to watch the world she was leaving behind... even as her body betrayed her.
Within minutes, her small frame slumped a little.
Her eyelids fluttered weakly before giving up.
Arjun, who had been silently watching her from the corner of his eye, stiffened a little when he felt a soft weight fall onto his shoulder.
He looked down.
Sakshi — now his wife — had fallen asleep against him, her cheek nestled lightly against his broad shoulder.
Her delicate features were softened in sleep, her mouth slightly parted, her breathing steady and peaceful — like a child who had finally found a moment of rest after an exhausting day.
Her chooda-clad hand, which had been clutching the edge of her saree tightly moments ago in anxiousness, now slipped unknowingly and rested lightly on his thigh.
Her bangles made the faintest, sweetest clinking sound with the movement.
Arjun's eyes flickered over her face — the smudged kajal, the tear-stained cheeks, the slight frown still lingering even in sleep.
A gentle breeze slipped through the slight opening of the window, stirring a few loose strands of Sakshi’s hair brushing against his forehead, tickling his eyes, blocking his view.
He blinked, then slowly — lifted his hand.
He brushed her soft hair back behind her ear, letting his fingertips barely graze her earlobe.
He adjusted his shoulder very slightly, making sure she remained undisturbed.He leaned his head back against the seat’s headrest, his own body relaxing marginally.
His eyes shifted to the world outside — where the sky was darkening into deep shades of blue and purple.
Inside the car, it was silent except for the soft hum of the engine and the occasional rustle of her bangles whenever the car hit a bump.
They still had at least an hour before reaching his home — their home now.