Author's POV 

"Hukoom, you killed him!!" Phool suddenly asked, her voice trembling with fear. Krit quickly looked at her, and his face turned pale.

"Whom did I kill?" Krit asked in confusion.

Phool, in a frightened voice, said, "That... that... you were speaking to someone..."

Krit understood what she meant.

"What do you think of me?" he said, moving closer to Phool and kneeling in front of her.

This action felt strange to Phool.

Her lips wanted to say a lot, but nothing came out of her trembling mouth.

"You can speak. I'm listening. Say it once—I want to hear you," Krit said, looking into her eyes.

Phool hesitantly replied, "Hukoom... you... you..."

"What?? Do you think I'm bad? Do you think I kill people just like that?" Krit said, trying to look into her downcast eyes.

Phool was scared again, but she didn't raise her gaze. Krit gently held her chin.

"I said something. Look into my eyes and tell me—what am I to you? A murderer?" Krit asked directly.

Phool shook her head to say no.

"Then??" Krit asked again.

This time, Phool replied softly, "Hukoom, you are... hukoom. But..."

"But what?" Krit asked, his tone questioning.

"But you lower yourself like this before me and commit a sin. You made my Bhai-sa a prisoner just to marry me—that was a sin. You fought your own family for me—that too was a sin. You shouldn't do all this. These are sins." Phool said with great difficulty, yet quickly.

Krit's face turned hard. Phool's heartbeat raced.

In a cold tone, Krit said, "I'm already a sinner. And if doing all this is sin, then I want to keep sinning. I don't kill with a warning. My move is like a lion's—silent, swift, and deadly. Like a Titan, I rip the guts out of my prey and let their blood flow. That blood brings me peace."

Poor Phool was trembling with fear at his words.

Letting go of her chin, Krit said, "But I will not make the mother of my son my prey."

He got up and went to the washroom. After he left, Phool said to herself fearfully,  

"Did Hukoom really not kill that man? He even told those two guards that he would set them on fire. Is that what he calls hunting—killing people? Oh Lord Ram! Hukoom is so dangerous! I'm scared."

Then her eyes fell on Samaksh. Holding him in her lap, she said to herself,  

"Oh Lord Ram, how is my Ladesar living with Hukoom? Poor child... my baby."

Some time later...

Krit came out, wearing a simple kurta-pajama.  

He sat on the sofa in front of Phool and started serving food onto a plate. Phool was watching him.

"What are you looking at?" Krit asked, without looking at her.

Phool replied,  

"You didn't ask about Ladesar's food."

"I know he's already eaten. He never sleeps on an empty stomach. And now, he can't stay hungry anymore—because he has his Maa-sa with him." Krit said, sliding the plate toward her.

Looking at the food, Phool asked,  

"Hukoom, Thakur-sa's Maa-sa! Your wif—"

"This is my first marriage," Krit interrupted her.

Phool's eyes widened as she said,  

"First marriage? Then how was the child born without a wedding?"

Krit, chewing his food slowly and looking at her, thought to himself,  

"She is so innocent! Looks like I'll have to raise two kids at once."

"One doesn't talk while eating. And especially not ask questions, Chirayya," Krit said, cutting her off.

Phool went quiet, but in her mind, she thought,  

"I shouldn't be asking Hukoom such questions. I must be mad! What if he gets angry—he might make me his prey too. I should avoid making Hukoom angry, or else I'll be hunted as well."

She quietly started eating.  

Krit placed the tray with utensils and took it out of the room. Before he returned, Phool had already gone to sleep on the bed with Samaksh. She didn't want to make Krit angry anymore.

Krit didn't say anything and lay down on the other side of the bed.  

But he couldn't fall asleep—because tonight, he hadn't heard Phool's sweet voice singing a lullaby.

Staring at the ceiling, he thought,  

"Last night, I slept so peacefully. Why can't I sleep today?"

Right beside him, both Phool and Samaksh were sleeping soundly and peacefully.

Next Morning...  

When Krit opened his eyes, he saw Phool and Samaksh cuddled together, still fast asleep. He gently stroked Samaksh's head and thought,  

"Ever since his mother came, he's slowly starting to forget me."

He didn't disturb them and left for Singhwan.  

He fed Titan, spent some time with him, then worked out with his brothers in the gym. A little later, he returned to his room, got ready, and stepped out again—it was part of his daily routine.

As he came out, he saw Hukoom Rani-sa walking toward his room.

"Khamma Ghani, Tai-sa! You're here so early?"  

Krit greeted her.

"Chhora, I needed to ask you something. Bai-sa wants to conduct a virginity test on that girl, because—"  

Hukoom Rani-sa began to explain.

"She's lost her mind. With age, her brain is giving up. I won't let that girl go through anything that causes her the slightest discomfort. Please inform Bua-sa of that clearly," Krit said firmly and walked away.

Hukoom Rani-sa didn't even have the courage to stop or say anything to him.

She muttered to herself,  

"Krit won't agree. Don't know if Bai-sa will either."

Some time later...

"He's lost his mind! That Krit is going to ruin himself over some girl. A real Majnu!"  

Indra's furious voice echoed in the dining area. The women of the house looked at her in fear.

"Bai-sa, she's his wife now. And he said clearly that he married her of his own free will," Hukoom Rani-sa tried to calm her down.

To that, Indra replied angrily,  

"Free will? What free will? That girl has done something to Krit. She's the one who trapped our son! He was about to marry a perfectly good girl. I will not allow this marriage to continue!"

"Khamma Ghani..."  

All eyes turned to Phool, whose soft, scared voice came from the doorway. Dressed in an orange Rajputi outfit, she looked as lovely as ever.

"Eh eh girl, what are you doing here? Didn't I tell you not to enter the kitchen? Don't you understand?"  

Indra stormed toward her, stopping her at the door.

Phool, trembling, softly replied,  

"I... today is my first rasoi ritual."

"Shameless! You dare do a first rasoi ritual? You have the audacity?"  

Indra roared at her.

Meanwhile...

Unaware of all this, Krit was in his office cabin, researching schools on his laptop. Aakarsh was with him.

"Kaku-sa, this is the best kindergarten in Jodhpur. It's perfect for Samaksh," Aakarsh said.

Krit replied,  

"If you've chosen it for Samaksh, it must be the best."

Aakarsh teased,  

"Not as best as what you chose for him, Kaku-sa. But was this really just for Samaksh? Because I heard you kissed Kaki-sa in front of everyone yesterday."

Hearing this, Krit glared at him and said,  

"Have some shame—she's your Kaki! You're mad, not me. I'm not like you. Why would I do such a thing?"

"Not like me?"  

At that moment, a scene flashed in Aakarsh's mind—he had once kissed a girl in a dark narrow hallway.

He thought to himself,  

"Kaku-sa always knows everything..."

Bowing his head, Aakarsh asked,  

"Why? What's everyone saying about you at home?"

Krit, now angry, asked,  

"What nonsense is being spread about me?"

Aakarsh said,  

"They said you kissed Kaki-sa after the prayer. Didn't you? Is it all a lie?"

Krit recalled something strange, and his expression turned serious.

"Yes... I kissed her."

What will happen next in this sweet family's journey?  

To find out, wait for the next episode!