03

CHAPTER 2

Aavya couldn’t make any sense of what had just happened. She knew very well how much Koyal used to like Vanjeet.

“Di… Di… where are you…”

She had been restless for the past several hours, and her sister’s absence was making her even more anxious. She was falling into a strange, overwhelming state of confusion. Pulling out her phone with trembling hands, she began dialing her sister’s number repeatedly. Even though she knew her sister wasn’t answering her calls and knew all too well that the only response she’d been hearing was the same mechanical voice saying the phone was switched off, something inside her refused to accept it. It was as if she were intoxicated by denial, unable to grasp the truth. She kept calling obsessively, clinging to the hope that, at some point, her sister would pick up any phone or device. All she wanted was to hear her voice. Nothing else mattered anymore.

“Please… please… You’ve never been angry with me before… How could you be now? You always answer my call in just one ring. Why aren’t you picking up now?”

She kept dialing like someone possessed, as if frantically trying to escape a nightmare. But it was all in vain. With a frustrated groan, she hurled her phone onto the bed and began pacing back and forth. Everything around her was beginning to feel suffocating. Her head was throbbing, her body felt heavier with every passing second, and nothing seemed right. A deep, nauseating discomfort took over her senses. The room was empty, utterly devoid of anyone who could possibly help her. But even if someone had been there, perhaps no one could have handled the storm brewing inside her. Her turmoil was drowning her.

Her head started spinning violently. She tried to open and close her eyes, hoping the blurriness would go away, that her vision would return to normal. But it didn’t. And then, without warning, everything blacked out. She collapsed. Her head hit the sharp corner of the bed, and within seconds, everything went dark.

Vanjeet stood furiously at the balcony, staring blankly below. There was nothing particular to see, but it seemed as if his eyes were frozen, searching for something unknown, even to him. For a moment, he drifted into old memories.

PAST EVENT

Vanjeet had been attentively listening to the presentation, absorbing every word. But it wasn’t just the presentation that had his attention. His eyes had locked onto her, the girl presenting. He knew she had sensed his gaze; it was impossible not to. Yet, for the first time in his life, he found himself truly impressed by someone’s work, so much so that he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

When she finished her presentation, she gave a soft smile in his direction before going to sit beside her father, Kishan Singh. Unwillingly, his gaze followed her. He noticed that she looked at him once and then immediately turned her eyes away. It was the first time something like that had happened, but it carried a rare, quiet beauty in it, something delicate and unforgettable.

PAST EVENT ENDS

Recalling their first meeting only fueled the fury in his heart. He slammed his hand hard against the railing, his knuckles turning red. Then, turning toward his room, he muttered under his breath with a tight jaw,

“I never imagined everything would change in just one moment. When did you even plan all this? Why did you do it? I still don’t understand if your love was ever real… or if the foundation of our relationship was always so weak that you could just walk away this easily.”

He opened the door abruptly and walked in and instantly, his eyes fell on Aavya, lying unconscious on the floor.

“Aavya…”

He rushed to her, turning her face gently toward him. A thin trail of blood was seeping from her forehead. His anger didn’t fade, but he knew showing it right now was pointless. There was a girl lying unconscious before him, hurt and fragile. He quickly pulled out his handkerchief and pressed it against her wound to stop the bleeding. Then, without wasting another second, he scooped her into his arms and placed her on the bed. Pulling out his phone, he immediately dialed his father, Yogendra.

“This girl, she’s unconscious in my room. Call the doctor. Now.”

“Vanjeet Rana… This girl is now your wife, Aavya Vanjeet Rana…”

“I don’t have time for these formalities right now,” he snapped coldly. “This girl is bleeding. If a doctor doesn’t come and something happens to her, then be ready to answer to the whole world. Today you forced us into marriage to ‘protect your honor.’ But if this girl dies tomorrow, be prepared to watch how that same honor gets dragged through the mud in the middle of the market.”

He ended the call without waiting for a response, his gaze returning to Aavya. His eyes, however, were now filled with something more complicated than just anger. They were heavy with echoes of a voice playing over and over in his mind—Koyal’s voice.

Aavya… Avu is my everything. Understand this—she’s my whole world. She’s like my little baby, and I love taking care of her. She’s ten years younger than me, and I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved looking after her. My parents never paid her enough attention. So, whether she needs something, wants to complain, fight, love, or just talk—she always comes to me. I’m everything to her—her mother, her brother, her sister, her best friend, her girlfriend, her boyfriend… everything…. Sometimes I fear what would happen if I ever had to stay away from her. Honestly, the reason I’ve never thought about marriage or relationships is because of Avu… I simply cannot leave her... Without her, my life feels incomplete.

His eyes remained fixed on Aavya’s unconscious form. The fury had not left him completely, but now there was a storm of thoughts crashing inside his chest.

“I didn’t understand your words back then,” he said softly, his voice shaking with suppressed emotions. “But now… now I do. In your life, this girl mattered more than anything… more than our love, more than us.”

Vanjeet sat on the sofa, unmoving. The doctor had just finished bandaging the wound on her forehead and left. Across from him, lying unconscious in a bridal outfit, was her—Aavya. According to the doctor, she needed rest. She was going through a mental trauma, and it would be best to let her sleep.

He didn’t want to look at her. He really didn’t. But somehow, his eyes kept being drawn to her face. It was as though he were trapped with her in this moment, confined in the same cage of unwanted circumstances. No matter how much he tried to shake it off, his mind kept replaying what had happened at the wedding—again and again, without pause.

PAST EVENT

Koyal stood in front of him, dressed as a bride, her eyes lowered. He was waiting, smiling broadly, the wedding garland in his hands, anticipating the moment she would raise her eyes and place her own around his neck. When everyone encouraged her, she finally lifted her gaze and moved forward to place the garland around his neck. That was the moment he truly saw her eyes, filled with tears. Immediately, his eyes began searching the crowd for her younger sister, Aavya. But she was nowhere to be found. And suddenly, those tears began to make sense.

As Koyal lifted her trembling hands to garland him, he leaned slightly and whispered under his breath:

“Forget everything else and focus only on what you want to do.”

Koyal paused, then looked straight at him. He smiled. After completing the garlanding ritual, she quietly turned and walked back into her room.

Gradually, the preparations for the next wedding rituals began. About an hour later, Koyal’s mother went to fetch her daughter. But time passed, and neither of them returned. Slowly, whispers began to stir across the venue. One by one, relatives started disappearing from the scene. But none returned.

The wedding hall was packed to its capacity. Both families were highly reputable, and the guest list included not only business clients and political dignitaries but also many other prominent personalities. Vanjeet’s eyes instinctively turned toward his father, Yogendra, who was already exchanging glances with his own father, Vishambhar.

He didn’t even need to look again; he knew Vishambhar must be fuming by now. With hesitant eyes, he finally looked toward his grandfather, who sat facing the stage, appearing composed, but the fury in his eyes was unmistakable. Vanjeet’s mind was spiraling. Why is it taking so long? What’s happening?

The hall was buzzing with murmurs. His ears caught fragments of a heated conversation, not just any conversation, but voices from the in-laws of his sister, Niyati. They were clearly talking about his family. And not in a kind way.

“Is this wedding even going to happen or not? It’s been such a long wait just to hear about your brother’s marriage. He’s already 32. So many good proposals came, yet he never agreed to any of them. And now, even after liking this girl, it seems like she doesn’t want to marry him.”

“Is your brother alright? Is everything fine with your family? Because honestly, we’re not getting a good feeling about this. What exactly are we waiting here for?”

“If the wedding is happening, fine. Otherwise, we should leave. We don’t have time to waste on this drama. Our entire extended family is sitting here too. What do you want? For your family to be humiliated along with ours in front of everyone?”

Amidst all the commotion, Vanjeet’s eyes suddenly landed on Aavya. She was walking toward Vishambhar, seemingly to say something. The moment Vishambhar heard her, he looked at her sharply. Without a word, he signaled Yogendra and a few other family members to follow him.

Something didn’t feel right to Vanjeet. Instinctively, he left the wedding altar and followed them toward the room.

As soon as they entered, Vishambhar raised his voice, glaring at Koyal’s parents.

“What kind of joke is this? The hall is packed with guests from our community, and we’re becoming a spectacle out there. And here you people are, gathering in a room… Where is the girl?”

“Koyal… She suddenly disappeared. We’ve searched everywhere, but she’s nowhere to be found. We have no idea what’s going on.”

Vanjeet, who had followed them inside, was stunned to hear this. He stepped into the room and saw Koyal’s bridal outfit thrown across the bed, her jewelry scattered. But there was no trace of her. Turning slowly to her mother, Sunaina, he said in a low but firm voice.

“Where is Koyal? Don’t give me any nonsense. Just tell her to stop this drama. This isn’t the time for games.”

“I’m telling you the truth,” Sunaina said, panic lacing her voice. “She’s not here. We were all outside handling wedding preparations. She was alone in here, and suddenly… she vanished. The entire hall is overflowing with guests; half the city is here… How are we supposed to face anyone? We’ve tried calling her, but her phone is switched off.”

Vanjeet immediately pulled out his phone and dialed her number, only to confirm that her phone really was off. His eyes slowly moved to Aavya, who stood silently in the corner, looking utterly lost as her eyes darted around the room. He didn’t want to say anything to her, so he remained silent, observing everything. Suddenly, Vishambhar roared in rage.

“What kind of circus is this?… What does your daughter think of herself? If she didn’t want to get married, she should have said so earlier. Who runs away on the day of the wedding? Do you even know what people are saying out there? Now our son’s character is being questioned… People are accusing him of driving the bride away… The gossip is endless. How many mouths can we shut? You’ve turned our respect into a public joke!”

Koyal’s parents were visibly shaken, overwhelmed with shame and confusion. Her father, Kishan, spoke up, equally distressed.

“Our respect is being dragged through the mud as well… But right now, the only thing we can do is control the damage out there, or else the reputation we’ve built for decades will be ruined in minutes…”

Aavya, who had been silently listening to all the blame and bitterness being thrown around, suddenly turned to her father with anger in her voice.

“Instead of wasting time on all this nonsense, wouldn’t it be better if you focused on finding Di?”

Everyone turned to look at her. Yogendra, who was standing beside her, snapped with venom in his tone.

“Your sister ran away knowingly... She has humiliated everyone! Do you really think there’s any point in looking for her now? If she cared even a little about anyone’s dignity, she wouldn’t have done this!”

Aavya was stunned at his words. Her eyes filled with disbelief as she turned slowly toward Vanjeet—only to see him glaring at her, eyes burning with fury. She could see the storm brewing in him, and she knew exactly why he was angry. Still gathering courage, she walked toward him and said gently but firmly,

“Something must have happened. She wouldn’t just leave like that. Please… try to find her… Maybe she’s in trouble… Something might have gone wrong.”

Vanjeet’s eyes were blazing now, staring straight into hers as if he were trying to read her soul. Just then, his aunt, who had been quietly watching Aavya, turned to Vishambhar and said in a cold, decisive voice:

“The bride has already run away. Clearly, she had no concern for anyone’s honor; otherwise, she wouldn’t have done this. But we still have one option to save face, we must conduct this wedding right here, right now.”

All eyes turned toward her in shock. She then looked pointedly at Aavya and continued,

“Singh Sahab, your family’s reputation is on the line, and so is ours. One of your daughters ran away, yes—but the other one is standing right here. She’s of marriageable age. I don’t think I need to spell out what needs to be done to protect the dignity of both families.”

Everyone froze.

Vanjeet and Aavya turned at the same time, facing the entire family. Their voices rang out, loud and clear, united:

“Ye kabhi nhi hoga…”

(That will never happen…)

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Shruti Gajendra 🧿

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A person with weird imagination, love to weaving new story every second