Every time he came home, he saw his wife folding towels. Arjun became suspicious, so he installed a camera and discovered the truth…
Whenever he returned from a business trip, Arjun would see Priya holding a wet towel, quickly putting it in the cupboard or washing it immediately. At first, he thought she had just taken a shower. But after three months, suspicion started creeping back into his mind.
One evening, Arjun came home earlier than expected. He quietly entered and saw Priya coming out of the bathroom, her hair wet, her face pale, holding a familiar towel. Her eyes shone with nervousness, and she forced a smile:
— “You’re back… I’m just washing the towel.”
Arjun said nothing, but that night, he couldn’t sleep. The next morning, he set up a small camera pointing towards the living room and bathroom.
For the first three days, nothing unusual happened. But on the fourth day, while staying in Jaipur, his phone buzzed. He turned on the camera—and his heart almost stopped.
On the screen, Priya was mopping the floor, glancing towards the door. Fifteen minutes later, a man wearing a white shirt and black pants, carrying a bag, entered. He smiled at Priya, and she smiled back—a smile Arjun hadn’t seen in a long time.
They spoke briefly, and Priya led him to the bathroom. Arjun rushed back to Delhi, his heart pounding, hands gripping the steering wheel.
He entered the house. In front of the bathroom door, he noticed unfamiliar shoes. He opened the door—Priya was in a bathrobe, her hair wet, and the man was holding a hairdryer.
— “What is happening here?” Arjun growled.
Priya trembled:
— “This is Raghav, a massage therapist. I’ve been having back pain for months…”
But when Arjun looked inside Raghav’s bag, he found not just massage oils, but also a thick envelope with red-sealed papers—the documents for Arjun’s family land in Lucknow!
Arjun was stunned:
— “Why are my family’s land documents here?”
Raghav stammered, and Priya burst into tears:
— “I didn’t want to hide this from you… but I found out that someone in the family was secretly trying to sell the land. Raghav… is your stepbrother.”
Arjun was speechless. Raghav sighed:
— “My father had given me that land before he passed away. But my stepmother was trying to sell it by manipulating the documents. Priya, knowing this through a friend at the registry office, asked me to pose as a massage therapist to safely deliver the papers without being followed.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang. Arjun’s stepmother—Savitri Devi—and two strangers entered. She looked at them with calculating eyes:
— “I know you have the papers. Hand them over, or else…”
The room grew tense. Arjun stood in front of Priya, his eyes sharp:
— “Or else? This is my father’s property. Don’t forget, I can take this to court.”
Savitri Devi pursed her lips but stopped when she saw Raghav standing next to Arjun. Raghav stepped forward, his voice cold:
— “Mother, I’ve stayed silent for too long. From today, we will set everything straight.”
The atmosphere was tense. Arjun held Priya’s hand, realizing that the wet towels were not a sign of betrayal—they were signs of a quiet battle unfolding in their home.
Part 2 – The Dangerous Dinner
That evening, at the invitation of Savitri Devi’s “emergency family meeting,” everyone gathered in the grand dining room of Sharma Haveli in Delhi. The table was filled with traditional dishes—but no one touched their chopsticks. The atmosphere was so heavy that even the clinking of spoons seemed deafening.
Savitri Devi sat at the head of the table, wearing a red saree, her face heavily made up. She looked at Arjun, Priya, and Raghav as a hunter might look at prey.
— “Tonight, we are here to clear any misunderstandings…” she said softly, but her eyes were full of threat.
Arjun lightly tapped the table:
— “Misunderstanding? You call secretly forging documents to sell my father’s land a misunderstanding?”
Savitri smiled sarcastically:
— “It’s family property. I just want to settle everything before it’s too late.”
Priya could no longer hold back:
— “Too late for whom? Your illegitimate son? Or the debts you were hiding?”
A silence fell over the table. Relatives sitting nearby took a deep breath.
Savitri clutched her gold bangle tightly:
— “Who are you to interfere in this matter?”
Raghav stood, his eyes cold as ice:
— “She is the wife of this family, and she saved us from losing everything. Mother, I always knew—the Lucknow land was meant for Arjun. But you erased his name from the inheritance records.”
Savitri slammed her hand on the table, her voice raised:
— “Be quiet! You’re only half my blood, and yet you think you have the right to interfere?”
Arjun squinted:
— “So… Raghav really is my stepbrother?”
Raghav nodded, eyes red:
— “My father told my biological mother before he died. But for the sake of respect, Savitri’s mother hid this from us and sent us away from Delhi. My father continued sending money until… his sudden death.”
Priya opened her bag and revealed a pile of documents:
— “This proves that Savitri’s mother borrowed money from a Jaipur businessman and was paying debts using Arjun’s land. If we hadn’t stopped it, it would have all been lost.”
One uncle sighed:
— “Savitri, is this true?”
Savitri turned, her voice filled with anger:
— “I did all this to protect the family! Do you think I wanted to sell the land? I wanted to keep this house safe so no one ends up on the street!”
Arjun leaned towards his stepmother:
— “Protecting the family… by deceiving your husband, hiding your son, and betraying me? Don’t you see the irony?”
Savitri was silent, her hands trembling. Only the ceiling fan whirred.
Raghav placed his hand on Arjun’s shoulder:
— “Younger brother, father gave you that land because he trusted you to protect it. Now, we must protect the truth together.”
Priya looked at Savitri firmly:
— “Tomorrow, we’ll submit all the papers to court. If you want to save the Sharma family’s honor, you’ll stay here.”
Savitri smiled faintly, standing and draping her saree pallu over her shoulder:
— “Honor? You think you’ve won? This war isn’t over yet.”
Arjun knew then—this was only the beginning of the battle.
Part 3 – Trap Within a Trap
Three days after that unfortunate dinner, Arjun, Priya, and Raghav received a letter inviting them to a “conciliation session” at the Sharma family legal office. The letter bore an official seal, the words gentle yet urgent.
Priya held the letter, frowning:
— “I don’t think Savitri’s mother wants a truce. This is happening too quickly, it’s unusual.”
Raghav pondered:
— “If we ignore this, she could accuse us of obstructing the law. We should go—but carefully.”
That day, they entered a luxurious building in central Delhi. The legal office was on the tenth floor, with glass walls giving a panoramic view of the city. Savitri Devi was already seated, wearing a green saree, her eyes sharp but with a faint smile.
— “You are here. Good. I want to end this peacefully today,” she said.
Arjun crossed his arms:
— “Peace? Only if you return the land documents.”
Savitri lowered her head, her voice sweet:
— “Of course. I brought them here…”
She opened her bag and pulled out a file. But before Arjun could grab it, two men in black suits suddenly shut the door, locking it.
Priya panicked:
— “What’s happening?”
Savitri stood, her eyes cold:
— “Do you think I am a fool? Ever since Raghav returned, I knew you’d pry into my past. Today, I will eliminate everyone threatening me.”
Raghav stepped forward:
— “You won’t dare do anything in broad daylight!”
Savitri laughed, her laughter echoing through the room:
— “In the daytime, everyone is too busy. No one will hear. And if the police find you, it will just be… an unfortunate accident.”
One of the guards produced a strange liquid and placed it on the table. Its smell was sharp and pungent.
Arjun immediately pulled Priya back, shouting:
— “Are you insane? This is murder!”
Savitri stared directly at Arjun:
— “I did this to protect the family—and I won’t let you ruin it.”
As the guard approached, Raghav suddenly threw a chair, creating a path. Priya quickly took out her phone, switched to video recording, and shouted:
— “Mother Savitri, everything you’re saying is being recorded!”
Savitri paused for a moment, then said sarcastically:
— “Do you think I don’t know how to delete videos?”
Suddenly, the door opened. A group of police officers entered, led by ACP Vikram Singh, an old college friend of Arjun.
— “Savitri Devi, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder and fraud.”
Savitri’s eyes widened:
— “You’ve trapped me?!”
Raghav looked at her, his eyes cold:
— “No, mother. This is a trap within a trap. You walked right into it, thinking you were in control.”
Priya raised her phone, showing a live video feed connected to ACP Vikram since their entry. Everything had been recorded and broadcast outside.
Savitri staggered, still furious:
— “Do you think this is the end? I still have more cards…”
The words made Arjun, Priya, and Raghav realize—this family war was far from over.