Chapter 02

Arnav

I sat in the living room with my family as the workers decorated the house for the wedding tomorrow.

"Bas abh jadi se shaadi hojaye aur Payal Ji Ghar aajaye!" Di said, smiling, as she opened a red velvet jewellery box while sitting next to me. "Kyu Akash?!" Her voice was slightly teasing as she looked across the coffee table at Akash.

"Kya, Di, Aap bhi." Akash pushed his glasses up as he attempted not to smile, but the corners of his mouth were already tilted upward, revealing his happiness.

I smiled slightly before looking down at my laptop and reviewing the documents Aman gave me.

"Arey, what did I do?" Di feigned a look of shock as she set the jewellery box down on her lap. "I'm just saying what is true. Aap kyu itna laal ho gaye hain, Akash? I was talking about Payal only."

Akash shook his head softly before pretending to read the newspaper and hiding his face behind it. Di grinned along with Nani while Mami ate something from a bowl sitting on the sofa with a dark green face mask all over her face.

"Arey, Akash. Don't be shy. Shaadi aapki hi hain!" Nani also teased him while scratching Laxmi's head with a smile.

"Dadi, you too?" Akash demanded as he set down the newspaper on his lap.

Nani smiled, and just as she was ready to respond, Hari Prakash appeared and said, "The Gupta family is here."

I looked up, and a faint smile was close to developing on my lips. Khushi. A glimpse of her last night came to my mind. I loved the feeling of holding her in my arms. Of dancing with her. While glancing into her brown eyes. I loved everything about it. I enjoyed the feeling so much that I didn't even feel upset about losing the Sangeet competition last night.

"The Gupta family? Today?" Nani spoke after nodding to Hari Prakash. "Were they supposed to come today, Anjali Bitiya?"

"No, Nani." Di shook her head as she placed the jewellery box on the table next to other items and stood up to gaze around the foyer.

"Hello-Hi-Bye-Bye, what do they want now, one day before the wedding? More jewellery?" Mami murmured as she set the bowl down and dashed upstairs to wash her face, while I glanced at the foyer, my heart pounding in my chest.

Bua Ji and Aunty moved forward, followed by Payal and... Khushi. Her hair was down, with some tresses pulled and secured back with some framing her face, while she was dressed in orange. She's beautiful.

I stared at her as she approached with her family. Her fingers fiddled, with the left end of her dupatta on her throat and a pair of delicate earrings dangling from her earlobes. Why does she looks worried and nervous?

"Namaste." Bua Ji and Aunty greeted Nani before Payal and Khushi.

* * *

"You all know Khushi was engaged before." Bua Ji began. Why is she bringing this up now?

Nani nodded. Her eyes were fixated on Bua Ji with attention.

"The guy...he lied to us. He told us he had no family or anything. That is why he was staying as a paying guest at our home." Bua Ji stopped short. "But he was actually married."

My eyes widened slightly as I gazed at Khushi. She sat silently next to Payal and her mother. Her gaze down on her lap on her hands.

"Hello-Hi-Bye-Bye, do all these things only happen to you refugee camp people?" Mami asked. Her voice contained a tinge of mockery.

"Manorama." Nani warned forcefully, without looking at her. Mami made a face, but kept her mouth shut while eating a biscuit.

"Thanks to Devi Maiya, then, Bua Ji, you were all protected from that man. Especially you, Khushi Ji." Di said. "At least, he's gone from your life now, right?"

Khushi forced a little smile that could hardly be called a smile. How could someone do that to her? How could anyone think of something like that? Such deceit.

"Not really. He's not really gone." Aunty spoke slowly. More to herself. Not gone yet? Is he still in her life?

My family clearly shared my astonishment as Nani queried, "Matlab?" with uncertainty in her expression.

"This...is their engagement picture." Bua Ji handed Nani a picture, and I felt my brows furrow in the middle. What is the purpose of telling us this? Why show us the picture? Not that I complain. I'd love to see the bastard's face who did that to her, who believed he could mess with her emotions.

I noticed Nani's face turning pale as she looked at the picture. Her expression was one of shock, awe, and disbelief.

"This is...but...How...?" Nani stuttered. She looked up to Bua Ji.

"I know it seems unbelievable to you, but... this is the truth. I know it's difficult for you to believe. This is why I brought the picture Nandkishore." Bua Ji explained. Who is in the picture? And why is she sorry?

Mami's eyes widened as she took the picture from Nani's fingers. And Mami, for the first time, went silent. Akash reached her, took the picture from her hand, and his eyes enlarged behind his glasses. Who is in the picture that is making everyone speechless and shocked?

I stood up, walked up to him, and grabbed the picture from him, and as soon as I saw who was staring back at me, I felt someone had hurled a bucket of cold water at my face. No. This can't be real. He would never. He loves her.

However, I found myself staring at the photo in my hand. Khushi stands in the sari she wore on Diwali. The ring was glinting on her ring finger. She smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. But what really drew my attention was the man standing close to her.

Jijaji. Di's husband. He stood next to Khushi. Smiling for the camera. His expression was filled with joy and excitement.

He was the one who was engaged to Khushi. He was the one who was the paying guest at Bua Ji's place. He claimed he didn't have anyone when, in fact, he was married and had a family.