It was already 10 a.m., and Tara was still sleeping. Vikram had left for the office an hour ago.
Concerned, Dadi wondered if Tara was feeling unwell. It wasn't like her to stay in her room this late. She walked to Tara's door and called out gently, "Tara beta? Tara?"
When there was no response, Dadi slowly opened the door and was surprised to find Tara sleeping—not on the bed, but on the couch.
Frowning, Dadi walked closer and gently placed her hand on Tara's forehead.
"Tara beta, are you feeling alright?"
Tara stirred, blinking groggily. "Dadi? It's so early..."
Dadi smiled softly. "It's 10 a.m., beta."
Tara sat up, startled. "What? Oh no! I'm so sorry, Dadi. I'll get ready and come down right away."
"You didn't come down for breakfast, so I came to check on you. Is everything okay, beta?"
"Yes, Dadi. Everything's fine. Why do you ask?"
Dadi looked at her, unconvinced. "Then why were you sleeping on the couch?"
Tara quickly put on a fake smile. "I was watching something on my tablet and must've fallen asleep on the couch. I didn't realize."
Still unsure, Dadi nodded slowly. "Alright. Get ready and come downstairs. After breakfast, you're coming with me somewhere."
Dadi left the room, and Tara rushed to get ready.
In their room, Dadaji noticed something was off. "You look worried, Parvati."
"Yes," she admitted. "I went to check on Tara—she was sleeping on the couch."
Dadaji sighed. "I always feared Vikram's temper. Tara is still young and has gone through so much. When Vikram first told me about marrying her, I was scared. But I agreed because I saw how sincere Tara was."
Dadi's eyes welled up. "I just want Vikram to be happy again. Since his mother passed, I haven't seen him smile genuinely. Only Tara can bring that light back."
---
Later, Tara joined Dadi for breakfast, and then the two headed out. Before leaving, Dadi spoke briefly to the staff.
They visited an orphanage where Dadi distributed gifts to all the children. Every year, the Suryavanshi family hosted a special Christmas party for these kids at their estate—something Dadi and Dadaji had done for years. Dadi extended a warm invitation to the staff and children once again.
At the beach nearby, Dadi and Tara sat watching the children play under the warm sun.
"You come here often, don't you?" Tara asked.
"Yes, beta. The peace here calms my soul."
"Last year, I celebrated Christmas with these children too."
"You should enjoy it this year as well."
Tara noticed a flicker of sadness in Dadi's eyes.
"Are you okay, Dadi ji?"
"I'm alright, beta. Narayan—my son—was our only child. We prayed and waited for years to have him. From a small shop, he built this empire through sheer hard work. He had two sons—Vikram and Prithvi. But now, the two barely speak. Prithvi hardly comes home because of Vikram."
Tara thought quietly, One man's inner storm is unsettling everyone.
"Vikram isn't a bad person, Tara," Dadi continued. "He can't bear to see others in pain, even if he pretends not to care. He used to be such a cheerful boy, but after his mother passed... everything changed."
"What happened to her?" Tara asked softly.
Dadi smiled gently. "You're part of this family now, you'll know someday. But not today."
Tara spent the afternoon playing with the children while Dadi watched from a distance, smiling.
That evening, they returned home.
"You should rest, Dadi ji," Tara said. "You must be exhausted."
"I'm tired, but you played with those kids all day—you must be more tired than I am. Go rest, beta. I'll send your dinner upstairs."
Tara went to her room and, after changing in the bathroom, came out—and froze.
"Where's the couch? That was just here! Who put this tiny single-seater in its place?!" she muttered, frustrated. "How am I supposed to sleep now? That monster must've done it. Probably trying to freeze me to death. Dadi ji called him kind—sorry Dadi, your Vikram is cruel through and through!"
She sat on the small sofa, complaining to herself. "Who can even sleep on this? I couldn't sleep properly on the couch, and now this? I miss my big comfy bed!"
Tara's rant slowly faded as she drifted off on the cramped seat.
---
Around 8 p.m., Vikram returned to find Tara half on the couch, half hanging off.
"Who replaced the couch? Where did the old one go?"
He walked over to her and adjusted her head gently. Tara stirred awake, and their eyes met. Vikram's expression softened. Tara's eyes, however, burned with fury.
"Don't touch me!" she snapped.
"I wasn't trying to," he said sharply. "Your head was slipping—just fixing it."
"First you cause pain, then pretend to be a healer. Classic."
"What pain are you talking about?"
"There are too many to list, but let's start with this latest stunt—replacing the couch! How am I supposed to sleep now? Planning to freeze me to death?"
"I didn't do it! I'm just seeing this for the first time myself."
"Oh please. Don't act innocent. You probably wrote a book called '1000 Ways to Annoy Tara.'"
Vikram walked toward her, making her scoot back and sit defensively on the sofa.
"I'm telling you for the last time—I didn't do it. And next time, think twice before accusing me," he said, voice sharp.
He headed to the bathroom without another word.
Dinner was brought to their room. Though Tara was quiet, she was hungry and ate silently. So did Vikram.
Later, Tara struggled to sleep on the small sofa, trying different positions. Vikram, watching from the bed, finally gave in.
"What are you trying to do? I'm trying to work."
"Your plan to make me freeze won't succeed. I'm not dying like this."
"Speak louder, Tara."
"Where am I supposed to sleep in this cold? Is that what you want?"
Vikram sighed. "I told you, I didn't remove the couch. I'll fix this by tomorrow."
"And if I freeze to death tonight?"
"Then sleep on the bed. You won't die."
Tara hesitated. "But if you sleep on the floor, you'll freeze too."
"I'm not sleeping on the floor either. I'll sleep on the bed—right side. You take the left. We'll fix everything tomorrow."
She sat thinking, then got on the bed and placed a row of pillows in the center.
"This side is mine. That side is yours. No crossing over."
Vikram said nothing. He shut down his laptop, turned off the light, and lay down. Tara, too, lay on the very edge, wary and tense. But exhaustion caught up with her.
Just as Vikram started to drift off, Tara rolled over, crossing the pillow barrier and placing her hand on his chest.
"What the f—" he muttered, turning on the light. But seeing her peaceful sleep, he paused. He gently moved her hand and turned off the light again.
Moments later, she rolled over again, this time thudding her hand hard onto his chest.
"Oww—!" he grunted.
She draped her leg over him and murmured, "Kang Tae-moo, you're so sweet..."
Vikram clenched his jaw. He was about to yell when she rested her head on his chest. He froze.
And then, surprisingly, he let her stay there.
Eventually, he too drifted off to sleep.
---
Morning.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Tara's scream jolted Vikram awake.
"What happened?! What's wrong?!"
"You're asking me what's wrong?"
Vikram was still groggy. "What are you talking about?"
"Why are you on my side of the bed?!"
"Listen—you slept on my side all night. Not just that—"
"Lies! You're under my blanket! You were holding my waist! And you say I crossed over?!"
Vikram looked around. She was right. He was on her side. Her blanket was wrapped around him. His own had fallen to the floor.
Speechless, he got out of bed and went straight to the bathroom, wondering, When did I end up on her side? And why was I holding her waist?
As he stepped out, he noticed Tara muttering to herself.
"Say it aloud if you want," he said.
She ignored him and went to the bathroom without a word.