She walked over with completely exhausted steps and sat down on the stairs. She didn’t want to cry at all, yet the tears began flowing uncontrollably from her eyes. She was trying hard to scan the rushing crowd around her, but her eyes were only searching for her sister—someone she still couldn’t find. Looking carefully at her phone once again, she dialed her sister’s number, but there was still no result. The phone remained switched off.

The inability to hear her sister’s voice, even once, shattered her completely from the inside. A sudden wave of grief struck her so deeply that it felt like a part of her soul had broken. She began crying loudly, unable to care about what the people around her might think or how they were looking at her. None of it mattered. All she knew was that it felt like someone had just snatched her life away. She opened her phone gallery, took out a photo of her sister, and began speaking to it with trembling lips and a heart full of regret.

“I made a mistake… I should’ve understood that you truly loved Vanjeet. I was just scared, that’s all. But I never imagined you’d do something like this… Where are you? Please, just come back.”

PAST

Koyal was glowing with happiness today, her joy was rare, radiant, and uncontainable. Her eyes sparkled as she carefully examined each of the gifts that had arrived from his side. She touched every single item with a special fondness because she knew that he had personally selected each one, running his fingers over them just like she was doing now. And in touching them, she felt like she was touching him, as if he were right there, surrounding her with his invisible presence. The texture of the fabric, the intricate folds of the sarees, the soft perfume lingering from the boxes, every detail whispered his name and sent delightful shivers down her spine.

Tomorrow was their engagement ceremony, and just imagining how happy Vanjeet would be made Koyal feel butterflies in her stomach. A soft smile curled on her lips as she kept glancing at the ring on her finger, still feeling the warmth of his touch.

Vanjeet was not fond of grandiose wedding ceremonies, so they opted for a more modest setup. The engagement was to happen yesterday, today both their homes were celebrating the traditional ladies’ sangeet, and the wedding would follow the day after. Naturally, she was already feeling very tired. Despite her fatigue, her energy remained unwavering. She was checking every detail with full attention because Vanjeet had gone out of his way to choose everything just to suit her preferences, and for that, she cherished every effort all the more.

Sitting quietly beside her was Aavya, observing Koyal’s beaming face. But instead of feeling happy for her, Aavya’s heart was sinking with an unknown dread. Her sister’s joy did not comfort her; in fact, it disturbed her deeply. She kept staring, unable to even pretend to smile.

Aavya had been watching her sister closely for the past two days, and her heart was sinking with each passing moment. She knew it too well, if Koyal went away from her after marriage, she wouldn’t be able to survive without her. That fear had kept her from accepting this wedding in her heart. Without any valid reason, she had started harboring an intense hatred for Vanjeet. All she knew was that he was the reason her beloved sister was drifting away from her.

Suddenly, Koyal picked up a beautiful pair of anklets and slipped them onto her feet. She turned towards Aavya with a playful smile that lit up her entire face.

“How do they look?” she asked with delight.

But Aavya didn’t even glance at the anklets. Instead, she locked her eyes on her sister’s face, her eyes filled with pain, anxiety, and something much deeper. Her voice cracked with emotion as she suddenly broke into loud sobs and cried out with unshakable urgency:

“Don’t marry him... Please... just don’t go through with this marriage.”

Koyal, previously lost in the joy of the moment and admiring every detail like an excited bride, suddenly felt her world stand still. Her smile faded as if someone had wiped it off her face with one harsh sweep. Her laughter froze in mid-air, and the sparkle in her eyes dulled instantly.

She understood immediately why Aavya was reacting this way. She looked at her lovingly, wanting to explain it and soothe her. But before she could ask anything or respond, her eyes shifted to the doorway behind Aavya—and there he was.

Her fiancé.

Vanjeet stood there, fuming with rage. From the moment he had met Aavya, he knew she didn’t like him at all. When the three of them were together, she would purposefully keep Koyal by her side, exerting every effort to interrupt him. He had ignored it all, choosing to remain silent. But hearing what she had just said when their wedding was barely a day away, it shook him to his core. Her words weren’t just disruptive; they were deeply hurtful.

His jaw was clenched, his eyes filled with a fierce, unfiltered anger that he couldn’t hide anymore.

He stood silently just a few steps away, his gaze boring into her. Every muscle in his body was tense. Aavya turned around, startled by his presence. She wanted to express her deepest feelings to her sister, but as always, he would interrupt and divert her attention.

He had only come into their lives recently, but in that short time, he had managed to take everything away from her. Her sister, her only family, her closest bond, was slowly being stolen from her, and that reality made her loathe him even more. Meeting his burning gaze, she shouted with all the bottled-up emotion in her voice:

“I hate you… I don’t want you to marry my sister. Not now, not ever…”

Before anyone could react or stop her, she turned around and ran out of the room, her footsteps thundering down the corridor.

Vanjeet didn’t move. He stood rooted, staring in the direction where she had disappeared. His fists clenched tighter, the fire in his eyes growing more violent. Something inside him had been triggered—something dark, something dangerous. Although his body remained still, an internal storm had begun to rise within him, and it wouldn’t die down easily.

Koyal glanced at Vanjeet but instantly rushed after Aavya because she knew her younger sister needed her more at this moment than anyone else. She caught up with her and gently pulled her into an embrace, stroking her hair softly as she whispered,

“Enough... If you really don’t want this wedding to happen, then it won’t. But don’t break like this. Seeing you like this is breaking my heart. Please tell me what I should do.”

Aavya immediately looked at her, regretting everything she had said. She didn’t want her sister to be unhappy. She knew how much Koyal and Vanjeet loved each other. But it was the unknown fear, the anxiety of separation, and the feeling of losing her sister forever that had driven her to such madness. She had never spent even a single day of her life without Koyal. Choking back her sobs, she replied:

“I’m sorry… But please don’t leave me…”

Koyal didn’t say anything further. She just held her tightly in her arms, trying to calm the tremors in her soul. However, her gaze remained fixed on the door, where Vanjeet had stood moments earlier, observing everything. She closed her eyes slowly, silently praying he would understand. But Vanjeet, overwhelmed with anger, had already turned away and walked out.

The sound of his departing footsteps echoed in the silence, and when Aavya turned to look, he was already gone. She looked at her sister and said in a whisper, full of guilt:

“I truly don’t know why I said and did all this. I shouldn’t have. I just felt terrible every time I imagined you going away from me. You know you’re the only one I have. Maybe… maybe that’s why I panicked... I’m sorry, Di... I made a mistake.”

But Koyal didn’t say anything. She just kept smiling gently, looking at her sister, because despite the pain, despite everything else, she loved her more than words could ever explain.

PAST ENDS

Aavya tried to hold back her tears, glancing around nervously and whispering softly to herself.

“I ruined everything… Everyone’s right… I can’t handle anything properly… I just mess things up. It’s all my fault. I knew how happy Di was… I shouldn’t have said anything.”

She tried to calm herself and looked around as if searching for some stability. Holding onto the wall for support, she tried to stand up, but the throbbing pain in her head and an empty stomach since morning made her feel dizzy. Her knees gave out, and she collapsed back down, her condition deteriorating not just because of hunger but because of the worry of her sister. She made another attempt, but the dizziness wouldn’t stop. Using the wall to steady herself, she slowly started walking toward the street to hail a cab.

Suddenly, a car screeched to a halt in front of her. She could barely open her eyes to see clearly but recognized him.

Vanjeet immediately got out of the car, grabbed her hand roughly, and forced her into the vehicle. Without even glancing at her, he muttered in frustration.

“You don’t know how to do anything properly, do you?”

She didn’t respond. With her head down and her hand lightly resting on her forehead, she just sat there in silence.

Vanjeet had a million things to say, but he didn’t know where to begin or how to frame his thoughts. So he just leaned back in his seat, pressing the bridge of his nose with his fingers in frustration, trying to contain the volcano building inside him. Aavya leaned her head against the window, eyes shut, drained both emotionally and physically.

He looked at her briefly, and then, without any buildup or softness, he began speaking.

“I don’t know where exactly things went wrong, but some videos have started circulating. Everyone here knows about our marriage now. My family is forcing me to present you publicly as my wife. I don’t have a choice. The situation has blown up, and I seriously don’t understand what the hell you were doing out there on the street in this condition…. Thank God, Koyal's friend Swati called me immediately when you just came out from her house.”

He looked at her carefully again but wasn’t even sure if she was registering his words. His voice rose suddenly in anger.

“Are you even listening to what I’m saying?”

Aavya, her eyes heavy with fatigue, was not feeling well, and worry for her beloved sister had already started impacting her negatively. She slowly turned toward him and asked softly, almost lifelessly.

“Did you find out anything about my sister…?”

Vanjeet stared at her. The anger surged again in his chest. He wanted to scream at her, to scold her for all the chaos, but he realized she wasn’t in a state to understand anything. Instead, he clenched his jaw and sat there, fuming in silence.

Soon, the car pulled up in front of Rana’s house, where Aaya’s family had already gathered. As Aavya entered with Vanjeet, Kishan’s eyes landed on her and then quickly flickered toward Sunaina. Aavya was wearing a simple salwar suit—clearly the same one Sunaina must have forced into her bag during her hurried departure from her wedding. Kishan immediately walked up to her, grabbed her arm forcefully, and pulled her aside into a corner. His voice was low but biting with disgust.

“You don’t have even a shred of shame, do you? Fine, you have no dignity, but at least think about ours. What kind of clothes are these? Is this how a bride dresses and walks around? Why the hell did you leave the house? You didn’t even inform anyone at home.”

Aavya stood frozen, her eyes downcast, trembling in fear.

Vanjeet stood with his back to them. His mind was burning with everything he had heard from his family—their plans, their public image worries. He had already checked how the media houses were reacting. The entire situation had descended into chaos, leaving him with no alternative but to publicly declare Aavya as his wife.

He turned around in anger, ready to lash out—but stopped midway. His eyes landed on her—on that timid, shaken girl who couldn't even raise her eyes to meet anyone’s gaze. This was the same girl who once had the courage to argue with him, challenge him, and even hate him out loud. But now, she stood so small, so broken, completely unlike her usual self.

Without another word, he walked over, grabbed Aavya’s arm, and pulled her away from Kishan. Looking in Kishan's eyes, he snapped,

“What’s the point of yelling at her now? Neither of us wanted this marriage in the first place. You all forced us into it. And even now, all you care about is your so-called name. Fine…. Things will go exactly how you want them to go…. But let me make one thing clear—we’ll never be happy together. No matter what anyone does, this drama will end sooner or later—whether it’s six months or a year from now, we will go our separate ways. But right now, we need to handle the situation… That’s all.”

He didn’t wait for a reply and dragged Aavya away with him. Somewhere in his mind, Koyal’s last words were still echoing loudly:

***My younger sister is my responsibility, and let me be very clear—if anything ever happens to her, anything at all—while you’re around, and you do nothing about it, then consider that whatever love existed between us was never real.***

Those words pierced through Vanjeet’s heart like sharp needles. On one hand, he wanted to hate Koyal for abandoning him, but on the other, he still couldn't bring himself to. Her words had left a mark—one that now made him feel deeply responsible for Aavya.

He didn’t even want to look at Aavya’s face… Yet here he was, unable to ignore her.

They entered the room, and he let go of her hand. Aavya slowly made her way to the sofa, clinging to the furniture for support. He could see how drained and weak she was, but he didn’t offer any help. A part of him still held her responsible—for everything—for being the reason he lost Koyal.

As she sank onto the sofa and closed her eyes, he sat across from her on a single chair, watching her in silence.

But his mind wasn’t quiet.

It was screaming with unanswered questions.

**"Why, Koyal?… Why did you suddenly take this decision? Everyone knew what Aavya had said to you…. They all knew how it would affect her…. You loved her, didn’t you? And yet look at her now—this girl you loved so much. Look at the condition she’s in... And no one knows where you are. She’s been searching for you like a madwoman... Honestly, I’m furious at her too, but watching her run around like a crazy person for you… it makes me feel like maybe she’s not the wrong one… Maybe I am. I don’t want to search for you anymore… I want to stay away from you… because you made your decision without me. I don’t know what the future holds, but one thing is certain—things are going to get very, very difficult from here on."**