At night, Shikha was tearing her hair out like a madwoman. Her eyes were bloodshot with anger and jealousy.
"I was going to shove that Sarangi out of here, and now she's going on her honeymoon like a queen…!" she muttered angrily.
"No, Sarangi… absolutely not… You can never take my place here… Vairagya must be mine… Yes, he must be… Why should only you get all the good things… every comfort, happiness, luxury… beauty… a good family… everything… why…? I have tried since childhood to get everything you had… and now I will have it."
Meanwhile, Vairagya and Sarangi were strolling around a shopping mall. Vairagya was lovingly taking Sarangi to different stores. Sarangi's eyes sparkled at every colorful piece of clothing and accessory. She had never seen so many branded and beautiful clothes together before. Vairagya was carefully attending to her preferences, showing her western dresses sometimes, and sometimes light, airy Indian wear. Sarangi tried on every dress, shyly asking for Vairagya's opinion. Vairagya looked at her lovingly and told her she looked beautiful in every outfit. He picked out many stylish tops, comfortable shorts, and some gorgeous maxi dresses for her.
When they reached an accessories store, Vairagya bought trendy sunglasses and beach hats for Sarangi as well. Sarangi felt like she was living a dream and couldn't believe how much Vairagya was caring for her. When she looked at him with love-filled eyes, Vairagya smiled back deeply into her eyes.
At home, Shikha put her plan into motion. She ordered a cake from a restaurant—specifically a blueberry cake.
She called Karnika and said, "Here, Karnika, I specially got this blueberry cake for you. You couldn't eat it at the restaurant the other day, right?" Karnika was happy seeing the cake because she loved blueberry cake.
"Thank you, Shikha… you're so kind," Karnika said gratefully.
"Yes, but this is what Sarangi should be doing… after all, she is your sister-in-law… it's her responsibility to take care of your likes and dislikes… but she only gets time when Mr. Rajvansh gives her time!" Shikha said venomously.
"Shikha, sister-in-law takes very good care of me, and their wedding was just a month ago. So they should spend as much time together as possible," Karnika said innocently.
Karnika ate the cake and went to her room.
A little later, Vairagya dropped Sarangi home and left for the office for some urgent work.
Sarangi happily started showing all the shopping to Shanti ji, showing every piece one by one. Shanti ji was very pleased with her daughter-in-law's choices.
Shikha took her a little aside and said, "Take this tea and give it to your sister-in-law." Her voice was artificially sweet.
"Why? What happened?" Sarangi asked in surprise.
"Your sister-in-law has been complaining to me all morning that she's very selfish, only thinks about herself… doesn't take care of me at all… just because she got newly married doesn't mean she should follow her husband around all day…" Shikha lied about Karnika.
"Did Karnika say that?" Sarangi couldn't believe it.
"What else? Take the tea and give it to her so she feels you care for her… Go quickly." Shikha handed her the cup of tea.
Sarangi took the tea and went to Karnika, who said as soon as she saw her, "Sister-in-law, you came? Please have this cake… it's very fresh." Karnika offered the plate.
"No, this is for you," Sarangi said lovingly and gave the cup of tea to Karnika.
"Sister-in-law, are you upset? Did I say something wrong?" Karnika asked worriedly.
"No, no, Karnika… nothing like that…" Sarangi said, stroking her head.
"Then please have some cake…" Karnika insisted again.
"Okay, alright," Sarangi smiled and took a small piece of cake.
Sarangi liked the cake so much that she asked innocently, "If you have some extra, can I have a little more?"
"What, sister-in-law… what's the difference between yours and mine?" Karnika said affectionately. "Let's eat together." She moved the cake plate toward Sarangi.
Both sat down together eating cake, chatting, and laughing. Sarangi really enjoyed Karnika's company and completely forgot Shikha's words.
A little later, Sarangi started pacing anxiously in her room. Her skin was itching badly and turning red. She was having difficulty breathing. Her heart was racing, and she couldn't understand what was happening to her. She looked at her hands, which were covered with red rashes, burning fiercely.
Karnika came near her and said, "Sister-in-law, what happened to you? Your skin…" She was scared seeing Sarangi's red skin and restless condition.
"I don't know… I'm feeling very restless… can't breathe properly…" Sarangi's voice trembled, and she could barely speak.
"Mom… Dad… Brother… Look, sister-in-law is not well…" Karnika shouted in fear, her voice trembling.
At that moment, Shikha had taken Shanti ji and Sarvam ji to the terrace and started playing loud music and games, so that no one downstairs could hear any noise. Shikha had done this deliberately to block Sarangi's screams. Rudransh was not home then; he was out with his friends.
"Oh my God… what should I do now… I'll call Vairagya brother…" she said, trembling and with tears in her eyes.
"Brother, please come quickly… I'm scared…" Karnika's sobbing was audible on the phone.
"I'm coming, Karnika… just give me ten minutes… take care of sister-in-law till then…" Vairagya said almost shouting and hung up.
Vairagya signaled Rajveer to come without saying a word, and seeing his panic, Rajveer quickly followed. Both ran towards the car, Vairagya's heart pounding wildly.
Meanwhile, Sarangi's condition was worsening in the room. Her entire skin was covered in raised red rashes, and her breathing was getting faster. She was dizzy and feeling weak. Her eyes were blurring, and she felt as if her throat was closing. She lay unconscious on the bed, struggling to breathe.
Karnika sat beside her crying, stroking Sarangi's cold hands.
Hearing the noise on the terrace, Shanti ji and Sarvam ji also came and were shocked to see Sarangi's condition.
"Call the doctor, Sarvam ji… my child…" Shanti ji cried.
"Brother is coming…" Karnika tried to reassure them, though she was scared too.
Standing on the terrace, Shikha smiled faintly, "Just let her suffer a little more… after that, she'll have marks on her skin that won't let her go anywhere, not Bali, not even out of the house."
As soon as Vairagya reached home and saw Sarangi's condition, he was stunned. Fear and helplessness were clearly visible in his eyes. Sarangi's face was swollen, covered in red rashes, and she was gasping unconscious.
Vairagya looked at Rajveer with a questioning look.
"Didi ate the blueberry… she's allergic… she needs to be taken to the hospital immediately," Rajveer said nervously.
"Start the car, Raj…!" Vairagya shouted.
He rushed to Sarangi and tried to lift her but she vomited over him.
"Sorry… I did it… on purpose…" Sarangi's voice faltered.
Vairagya took off his coat and threw it on the bed, then without wasting a moment, picked Sarangi up in his arms. Her body was shaking badly, and her breaths were fast.
Rajveer immediately ran to start the car. Shanti ji and Sarvam ji were extremely worried. Shanti ji was crying, repeatedly saying "My child." Sarvam ji called the doctor and explained the situation. Vairagya ran out holding Sarangi carefully, keeping her face close to his chest.
"I won't let anything happen to you, my love… nothing will happen to you…" The car sped toward the hospital. Vairagya kept Sarangi's head on his lap, gently stroking her hair. He kept talking to her, "Darling… nothing will happen to you. I'm here… just a little longer… we're almost there… please keep your eyes open… don't close your eyes, please…"
"It hurts, Vairagya…" Sarangi said, and his heart broke. He had been wanting to hear his name from her lips for so long, but never like this…
"Just a little more… we're almost there… Raj, hurry up…" Rajveer was driving fast, worry clear in his eyes. Upon reaching the hospital, doctors and nurses rushed in with a stretcher. Vairagya carefully laid Sarangi on the stretcher and ran alongside her.