Destined – A Marriage of Convenience Love Story: Chapter 9

This is part 10 of 10 in the book Destined: A Marriage of Convenience

Destined: A Marriage of Convenience

Destined – A Marriage of Convenience Love Story: Getting to Know Mehek Bagchi

5,342 words, 28 minutes read time.

A Marriage of Convenience Love Story Set in Kolkata

Destined: A Marriage of Convenience Love Story – Chapter 9
They get hitched.

Don’t forget to read Chapter 8 of Destined: A Marriage of Convenience.

Destined – A Marriage of Convenience Love Story: Chapter 8

Destined – A Marriage of Convenience Love Story

Mehek

I watched droplets of water fall steadily against the windowpane. Tip… tip… tip… The rhythm never changed, even as the rest of Kolkata drowned beneath unseasonal rain.

While I stayed locked inside my room, I knew there was chaos outside. Voices drifted faintly through the walls, feet hurried across the corridor, doors opened and shut. But I ignored it all. I let my parents be the adults for once, not really caring what happened beyond the boundaries of my safe place.

My room.

A loud crack split the sky, and a shudder raked through my body. Lightning had always terrified me, but I had learned to live with it, just as I had learned to live with so many other things. Then another flash illuminated my room for the briefest second, followed by a deafening rumble. Whatever strength I had been gathering shattered, and I collapsed onto the floor, hugging my knees to my chest as I rocked gently.

Last week had been a dream.

It wasn’t a life I had ever lived. But I had experienced it, and it had been wonderful. For the first time, I had felt free, as though the bricks weighing down my shoulders had suddenly disappeared. As though I didn’t have to keep living for everyone else. As though I had a voice—one that could make decisions instead of merely pleading.

It had felt amazing.

But every dream came with an expiration date.

And then he had come.

Abhoy Chatterjee.

He wanted to become my friend, yet he couldn’t even let both of us walk away from this marriage of convenience. He wanted me tied to him, even when he wanted nothing to do with me.

I heard the bedroom door open, but I remained trapped in that place where there was no return.

“Mehek.”

I heard my name. I recognized the voice. But that was all. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t even nod.

Warm arms wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me close before gently shaking me.

“Priyo… what happened?”

Like ice finally cracking beneath the warmth of the sun, I broke out of the spell.

Then I threw my arms around my mother and buried my face in her shoulder, sobbing.

“Beta, tell me what’s wrong.”

“The rain, Ma… and the lightning.” My voice trembled. “It scared me.”

“I knew it would.” She stroked my hair slowly, her palm warm against my head. “That’s why I came as fast as I could.”

“But what after today?” I whispered. “What will happen after I get married?”

She hesitated, and I felt it in the way her hand paused for a heartbeat before resuming its gentle rhythm.

“Priyo, every woman goes through this. And Abhoyji is a good man.” She smiled softly. “Maybe he’ll hold you until the thunder and lightning pass.”

He won’t.

The words stayed trapped inside me.

I couldn’t tell her that.

“But the terrace is soaked,” I said instead. “The decorations have all been ruined because of the rain.”

She sighed. “We’re having the wedding at their place now. Mrs. Chatterjee—your mother-in-law—was very kind. She said we’d still have the wedding today, just at their house instead. It’ll be simple, with only family.”

A small smile tugged at Ma’s lips.

“She also said she’d stay in her room… but I told her we need to let go of old customs about the groom’s mother not attending the wedding. Do you know what she said?”

“What?”

“She said she could never forgive herself if she unintentionally brought bad luck into your married life.”

I already had enough bad luck of my own.

It didn’t matter if she added to it.

The cup had long since overflowed.

“Priyo, your Dodhi Mongol is done, and your mother-in-law mentioned that Abhoyji also woke up early and completed his.”

I’m sure he did.

He was the poster boy, after all.

For me, it had never been negotiable.

My mother sighed. “Priyo, we leave in an hour. You need to pack all your outfits for today and tomorrow.”

“Then what? I return here?”

“No… I mean your bidai will happen from here. We will be staying in one part of their house, and after the wedding we’ll return to our house. Then the Chatterjees will come, and you will enter their house as their daughter-in-law.”

I frowned.

“Is it a joke? I’m already married when I leave their house.”

My mother lowered her eyes. “Our house is so small…”

“I don’t care.” My reply came without hesitation. “We’ll do everything here.”

“Priyo…”

“Tell Baba I want the wedding here. Did you complete the Vriddhi Puja?”

“We did.”

“Then?” I looked at her. “Now I only need to wait for the turmeric. After the Gaye Holud and Snan, they can come. If it’s just family, I’m sure we can do it here as well. Our living room is big.”

She looked afar as though trying to imagine it.

“Um… let me talk to your Baba. But just in case we have to go, keep everything ready.”

Mom stood and quietly left, closing the door behind her.

I remained on the floor for a few more minutes, listening to the rain tapping against the window. The silence settled around me once again.

Finally, I pushed myself up and grabbed my phone from the bed. My thumb instinctively opened the gallery.

Panchgani.

Photo after photo filled the screen. Me standing against endless green valleys. A quiet café tucked away in the hills that I often visited in the four days I was there. The images didn’t do justice to what I experienced.

It had been the best trip of my life.

Because money hadn’t been the problem anymore, I had hired a cab for two full days and explored every corner of the hill station. One day, I had even gone to Lonavala, which was a few hours away from my hotel. I had left before sunrise, watching the roads slowly wake up as the sky turned shades of orange.

No one knew that.

Not even Abhoy.

He hadn’t asked me much about the trip other than how it was.

The hotel he had booked wasn’t just a normal hotel. It was a resort with a valley-view room. Every morning, I woke up to mist floating over the mountains, and for a few precious moments, nothing else existed.

It had felt unreal.

The hotel even agreed to serve me breakfast in my room. I would sit by the large window, a steaming cup of tea beside me, the cool breeze slipping through the slightly open balcony door. The valley stretched endlessly before my eyes, and with every bite, the weight on my chest grew a little lighter.

For those brief mornings, I forgot everything waiting for me back home.

A marriage of convenience.

A life where I had little to no control.

And a man who was willing to become my husband… but didn’t love me.

And never could.

Abhoy

It was after eight in the evening when we left the house and got into the car, while the rain continued to pour relentlessly. Water lashed against the windshield as the wipers struggled to keep the road visible.

Mehek’s father, Bhaskor Bagchi, had called Baba and asked us to come over, saying they wanted the ceremony at their place, as per the customs.

Mehek didn’t want to marry at my place and then go to hers for the bidai. That was logical, but I was sure she had her own strange reasons for not wanting to come to my house for the wedding.

God knew.

That girl had a wild imagination.

When she had returned the card and I had casually checked the transactions, I was shocked to see payments made in Lonavala, which was supposed to be three to four hours away from Panchgani.

But I didn’t ask her. I didn’t want to probe or make her feel like she was answerable to me. When I went to pick her up, she was ready and waiting for me. That was enough for me.

Marriage.

The word had once held anticipation, excitement, and happiness. Today… I felt nothing. It was just another transaction I had to complete.

“Abhoy… I want a destination wedding. In Kolkata only, but I want us to go somewhere, both our families, and have this wedding together.”

“Anything you want, baby. I only want you. The rest is your decision.”

“I want us to wear matching outfits for every occasion. And… I’ll choose what you wear.”

“Absolutely.”

A horn blared behind us, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I blinked, and a tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it.

I shouldn’t have fought with her that evening. I shouldn’t have. It was my mistake that she was dead.

My love. My Yagini.

All because of one stupid, reckless evening. And now I was on my way to marry someone else. Someone I could never love. Someone who would never understand me.

Someone who could never give me what I needed in a relationship.

Mehek and Yagini were poles apart. Mehek was childish, impulsive, and always found reasons to fight with me.

Yagini… she had been mature. She understood me. She never blamed me for everything the way Mehek did.

“Abhoy… why are you…”

“Don’t.” I didn’t let Maa finish. “Just don’t.”

“Are you okay?” she asked softly. “At least tell me if you’re okay.”

“I’m.”

She looked at me for a long moment, her fingers tightening around the edge of her saree.

“I know you…”

“Don’t, Ma. Please… just let me be.” I kept my gaze fixed on the rain outside. “My life is going to change forever today. After today, even remembering Yagini will feel like cheating. I just want to lose myself in the memories until I have to push them away.”

She sighed but let the matter drop.

“Dada… Mehek Boudi…” Ishika spoke hesitantly. “She’s sensitive. She’ll never accept being just a part of your life. She’ll want your love.”

“Ishika, stop. Let this go. No one is discussing any of this today. We have a wedding to complete,” Dad said from the front seat.

Of course. He didn’t want the wedding to be called off.

An hour later, I was seated at the altar.

Then Mehek arrived.

She sat cross-legged on a low wooden stool, her face hidden behind two betel leaves. The men of her family lifted the stool onto their shoulders and carried her towards me. As they reached the altar, they circled me seven times, completing the Saat Paak ceremony.

The women of the house, except my mother, began the Ulu Dhwani, their voices rising above the steady rhythm of the rain to ward off evil.

My mother was sitting inside somewhere, refusing to witness the ceremony.

Not because she didn’t want to.

Because she was afraid of bringing bad luck to our marriage of convenience.

As if it could get any worse.

She had wanted to stay home and prepare for the Bodhu Boron, but I had put my foot down. I wanted her there, or I wasn’t coming. She had agreed, but only on the condition that she would remain inside and join us after the wedding.

The seven rounds ended, and Mehek was brought to stand before me.

Her mother gently asked her to lower the betel leaves for the Subho Drishti ceremony.

Mehek obeyed.

I stared. Stunned. She looked… Stunning.

Her features were delicate, making her look like a Bengali Barbie doll brought to life. Her eyes remained lowered, stubbornly fixed on her lap instead of meeting mine, but I had expected nothing less.

If I was stubborn, Mehek could easily give me a run for my money.

My gaze wandered over the intricate white designs painted above her eyebrows, each stroke perfectly placed. The large red bindi at the center of her forehead drew my attention next.

I had never seen her dressed like this before.

I had seen Maa in traditional bridal finery countless times during family weddings.

But Mehek… this was the first time.

The red Banarasi draped around her, the gold jewellery, the alta staining her hands, everything suited her effortlessly.

She looked beautiful.

Even though there wasn’t a trace of excitement on her face for this wedding.

Pishima handed me the garland for the Mala Bodol ceremony.

Mehek and I exchanged garlands three times, as tradition demanded.

Not once did she look at me.

God… what kind of life was I stepping into?

The remaining rituals passed without a hitch. Sacred chants echoed through the room, flowers rained over our heads, and one ceremony quietly blended into the next.

An hour later, we were married.

It was done.

My past was truly in the past now.

Because I had a present to take care of.

It was early morning by the time the Basar Ghar ceremony finally ended. Mehek had changed into another saree, this time without the elaborate bridal makeup.

She hadn’t looked at me even once.

Throughout the night, she spoke only when absolutely necessary, answering questions with the fewest words possible.

At one point, my mother’s eyes met mine from across the room. The faint frown on her face said enough.

She hadn’t expected Mehek to be so detached from all the laughter and celebrations.

Mom and Dad left early to prepare for the Swagat, while I said my goodbyes to the relatives. Pishima stayed behind and accompanied us in the car as well.

Rainwater still clung to the roads, reflecting the pale morning sky.

I didn’t know what life was supposed to look like now, but one thing was clear.

Mehek didn’t want me.

Just like I didn’t want her.

“Mehek…”

I called her name, but she didn’t turn. Her forehead rested lightly against the window as she watched the streets pass by.

I forced myself to stay calm before calling again.

She finally turned, but her eyes stopped somewhere near my shoulder instead of meeting mine.

God… what was her problem?

“Are you okay?”

I genuinely wanted to know.

Ever since last night, that one thought had refused to leave my mind.

“Who cares?”

The words came out flat.

She finally looked at me, and I shot her a warning glance before flicking my eyes towards the front seat.

She understood immediately.

Without another word, she turned back to the window.

I didn’t speak again.

Pishima glanced over her shoulder, a small frown creasing her forehead, but I simply shook my head. She turned back with the hint of a smile. She probably thought this was a lovers’ quarrel.

It wasn’t. This was simply how two strangers, forced into each other’s lives and annoyed with one another, reacted.

Mehek

Shiv… Shiv… Shiv…

I kept chanting. I had started the moment I sat on the pidi and Dada and Kaka carried me around Abhoy for the Saat Paak ceremony.

Shiv… Shiv… Shiv…

“Mehek.”

Shiv… Shiv… Shiv…

“Mehek… I think you need to stop sulking now. We’re alone.”

Shiv… Shiv… Shiv…

Please give me strength, Mahadev.

“Are you okay?”

Shiv… Shiv… Shiv…

I kept going, my fingers curled in fists to control the tears that threatened to spill like a dam that was on its last screw.

“You are scaring me. Fine. I’ll call Maa and Baba.”

Shiv… Shiv… Shiv…

Abhoy turned and started walking towards the door.

I couldn’t let him call his parents.

That would become a fiasco I didn’t need in my life right now.

“Stop.”

My voice came out hoarse.

“I’m okay.”

He turned back, glaring at me.

“Are you? What is going on? Do you know how quiet you’ve been since last night?”

Shiv… Shiv… Shiv…

“What do you want me to say?”

“Nothing.” He let out a slow breath. “But don’t act so strange. Please…”

Shiv… Shiv… Shiv…

“I want to sleep. Is that okay?”

He nodded. “I’ll take the couch from now on.”

Shiv… Shiv… Shiv…

I nodded absently, not even bothering to change before lying down on the bed. The mattress dipped beneath my weight, but it offered no comfort.

Shiv… Shiv… Shiv…

I kept chanting the mantra, hoping I would wake up from this nightmare.

Wedding. Marriage. I had been so excited for this day. Instead, it had become the worst day of my life.

Why was Mahadev so angry with me? Why did he want me to suffer so much?

A scream tore through my throat, and I shot upright, my hand clutching my chest as Abhoy loomed over me. His jaw was tight, his face hard with anger. He pulled his hand away while I struggled to catch my breath.

“What the fuck is your problem?” he snarled.

“What do you mean?”

“I just woke you up for dinner, and you screamed like I was trying to do something to you. What has happened since we returned for you to change so much?”

“My life has changed, so I have to change too. What’s the problem with that?”

“Mehek… nothing changes for you. Your life will mostly remain the same.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Even my fucking address isn’t the same, so how can my life remain the same?”

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as though I had exhausted every ounce of his patience.

Maybe I had.

Maybe I didn’t care.

I got off the bed and headed to the washroom. After washing my face and freshening up, I stepped in front of the mirror.

I smoothed the pleats of my saree. They hadn’t even wrinkled.

Could anyone imagine my suhagrat was tonight?

Taking a slow breath, I let it out. Then I let everything go.

Nothing in my life had turned out normal, but I wanted to focus on the things that still worked for me and stop thinking about the ones that didn’t. I brushed my hair and tied it into a loose bun before reapplying my sindoor.

What a joke that was.

“Let’s go.”

“There are guests in the house, so I want you to behave.”

“Don’t worry. My mother has trained me for this.”

“It doesn’t look like it.”

I turned sharply.

“How dare you?”

“Don’t throw your attitude downstairs. Talk to everyone. Mehek, I know what we have inside this bedroom is different, but outside, you’re my wife now. Do you even know the color of the dhoti I wore for the wedding? Or the kurta later? You didn’t glance at me even once during the entire ceremony. And while I don’t care, my mother does. Pishima does. So if you don’t act like my wife in front of the world, I’ll take away your thread business.”

My breath caught.

“Don’t you dare. How can you even say that? If you didn’t like what you were offered, you should have rejected me and moved on.”

“Last warning.”

His voice was calm now, which somehow made it worse.

“Behave.”

With that, he turned and walked out.

My business… that was the only thing that kept me going. If Abhoy… if he took that away… what would I do?

I hurried after him, even as tears burned behind my eyes. I blinked rapidly, forcing them back before they could spill over.

Shiv… Shiv… Shiv…

I had to behave.

I had to be careful.

I didn’t have my mother beside me anymore to handle things.

Shiv… Shiv… Shiv…

Everything was on me now.

My actions would have consequences, and I didn’t really know who Abhoy Chatterjee was.

I had thought he was a good man. But if he could threaten to take away the only thing that gave me purpose… he was nothing more than a disgusting man who didn’t care how anyone else felt.

Shiv… Shiv… Shiv…

“Priyo… come…” Abhoy’s mother hurried towards me while I stopped in my tracks.

I missed my mother.

I really did.

Without thinking, I bent to touch her feet.

“No, no… don’t do that.” She gently caught my shoulders, pulling me back up with a smile.

“Sorry if my nervousness worried you, Aunty,” I said softly.

“Don’t worry about it. Did you get some rest?”

I nodded.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

“Can you call me Maa now? I don’t mind ‘Aunty.’ I just…” Her eyes softened. “I’ve waited for this day for so long, Mehek. The day I saw you at the Maa Durga temple, I knew you were the one.”

I nodded.

I could understand her seeing me as her daughter-in-law.

But what about as her son’s wife?

Could she see me in that role?

Because her son couldn’t.

“Come.” She linked her arm through mine. “Tomorrow is a big day. We have the pooja in the morning, then guests will come for the Shubho Drishti ceremony. After that, we’ll perform the Prothom Ranna ceremony.”

She smiled.

“You can make whatever you want, but every daughter-in-law in this house has always made payesh. Of course, you can make something else too. And don’t worry, I’ll be with you. You just start, and then I’ll help.”

I nodded.

“I know how to make payesh. I usually boil the milk first and add dry fruit flour to thicken it. Then I add the rice. Is that okay?”

“It is. Come.”

We walked together.

As we reached the dining table, my eyes landed on my husband.

He was already looking at me.

I stared back, narrowing my eyes ever so slightly.

“Did you get Prathmesh’s call?” my father-in-law asked him, breaking our silent staring contest.

“Yeah. It’s handled.”

What was handled?

But my father-in-law simply nodded and let the matter drop.

My mother-in-law fussed over me, pulling out a chair.

Before sitting, I stepped away and walked towards my father-in-law instead. I bent and touched his feet.

He smiled warmly, resting his hand on my head for a brief moment before helping me up.

“Nomoshkar, Baba.”

“Nomoshkar, beta. Did you rest?”

I nodded.

Then I bent to touch Pishima’s and Pishomoshai’s feet as well.

By the time all the formalities were over, I finally sat down.

Just then, Abhoy’s sisters walked into the room.

I instinctively stood again and moved to touch their feet, but Maa stopped me.

“They’re younger than you. And even otherwise, they’re younger according to the relationship.”

I nodded.

Before I could react, one of my sisters-in-law threw her arms around me in a tight hug.

The other joined in a second later.

Everyone laughed, and despite everything, a shy smile escaped me.

“Boudi, welcome home.”

“Thank you.”

“We got something for you.”

I frowned. A gift? I hadn’t bought anything for anyone.

My eyes drifted towards Abhoy, but he was busy looking at his phone.

“Um… sorry… I didn’t get any gifts for anyone.”

“You don’t need to,” Maa said. “This is from them. You’ll get our welcome-home gift tomorrow, but Ishwari and Ishika wanted to buy you something with their pocket money.”

Oh.

I stared at them, speechless.

Ishwari… or was it Ishika? I still couldn’t tell them apart. Being identical twins made that nearly impossible.

One of them handed me a large rectangular box. They both watched me expectantly.

I smiled before carefully pulling the ribbon that had been tied into a perfect bow.

As I lifted the lid, my breath caught.

This wasn’t a gift. It was a treasure chest.

Inside were neatly arranged packets of colorful stones, pearls, glitter patches, tiny stars, different kinds of threads, decorative beads, charms, and countless other supplies I used to make my thread jewelry.

There was so much. Far more than I could have imagined. I was utterly speechless.

A gift was a formality. This… this was something else. This was the beginning of a beautiful, thoughtful bond.

My vision blurred. “Thank you…”

“Why are you crying, Boudi?”

I quickly shook my head.

“Sorry… I just…” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “This isn’t a gift.”

I looked back into the box.

“It’s so much more.”

Both of them smiled. I gently placed the box on the table before pulling them both into a hug.

Lunch went well. Conversations flowed easily, and unlike at my home where my mother mostly remained quiet, my mother-in-law was quite talkative. She went on and on about how good the food at the wedding had been and how perfectly everything had turned out.

Even if it was just a formality, my chest swelled with pride.

Baba had broken his fixed deposit and used his retirement money for my wedding. Then it had rained, ruining everything we had arranged on the terrace. After that, everyone had rushed to set everything up inside the house instead.

Hearing someone praise it, hearing that it had still been good enough, felt nice.

I kept moving my spoon through the fish curry without taking a bite.

“What happened? You don’t like it?” my mother-in-law asked.

“Um… it’s good…”

“But?”

“I normally have this in yellow gravy, so…” I said before quickly adding, “Sorry. I’ll get used to the taste.”

“Don’t worry. We have two cooks, Mehek. You can ask them to prepare it however you like. This house is your house now.” She smiled at me fondly. “You have no idea how lucky I feel to have a daughter-in-law like you.”

Why?

Why would she feel lucky?

It wasn’t as though I had done her some great favor by marrying her son. And this wasn’t the first time she had told me that.

“Maa, stop. No need to get so excited about this.”

Abhoy Chatterjee finally spoke from beside me.

Maa let the conversation drop.

Ten minutes later, everyone stood up from the table. And I didn’t know what I was supposed to do now.

My luggage was still at my parents’ house. I had brought only one bag with me, so none of my thread jewellery supplies were here.

But… I had this box now. I turned and walked back to where I had left it. Holding it carefully against my chest, I made my way towards my room.

No. It wasn’t my room. It was his room. But whatever it was… that was my life now.

“Wait, Priyo.”

I turned, frowning. Only my mother called me Priyo. Then I reminded myself it wasn’t a unique endearment. It was simply a Bengali way of calling someone dear.

“Ishika and Ishwari,” Maa called.

They came running and stopped in front of us.

“Show her the house. All of it.”

“Sure.”

I really wanted to be alone, but I nodded anyway.

Holding the box close, I followed them through the house, listening quietly as they spoke. It was enormous. Every room seemed to open into another, each one larger than the last.

Ishika handed me a can of soda, and I took a small sip.

She told me about the house, how it had belonged to their family for generations.

“Seven bedrooms.”

“Seven?”

Ishwari grinned.

“Yes. Though we both use just one. As twins, we have to stay together. At least until we get married.”

I nodded.

“It must be nice to have a sister who’s always beside you. I was all alone.”

“Yeah, I know. Being a single child sucks.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “You and Dada should plan for more than one kid.”

She grinned.

I coughed as the soda went down the wrong pipe.

Kids… wow. If only they happened magically while my husband slept on the couch and I slept on the bed.

That future wasn’t even a possibility.

A few moments later, my eyes widened as we reached the swimming pool.

I had seen it before, but only in passing. This was different. The blue water shimmered under the afternoon sun, tiny ripples dancing across its surface.

There were loungers beside it. Both of them flopped onto two and patted the empty one beside them.

I sat down, unable to stop staring at the water.

“Do you know how to swim?”

I shook my head. “I… I’ve never been in a pool before.”

“You’ve never been to a resort?”

I shook my head again. Money had always been tight. And whenever we visited the beach, swimming had never even been a question.

“Oh.” Ishika smiled. “I’ll teach you. If Dada lets me. Promise.”

I smiled, a flicker of excitement warming my chest.

It wasn’t just Abhoy. I had other people here too. My sisters-in-law were only three years younger than me. If they were really this nice… maybe we could actually become good friends.

After thirty minutes of nonstop laughter, we finally stood.

Then they took me to the library, which also served as Abhoy’s workspace. He was inside, talking on the phone.

“Hi, Dada. Look who we brought with us.”

I avoided looking at him and turned instead, letting my eyes wander over the shelves lined with books.

“You can take any book you want, Boudi. And if you want to order more books, please do. What do you normally read?”

Romance. But that belonged to the lifetime when I still believed in love.

Now it all felt like one big illusion.

“I don’t read,” I said instead.

“Oh. You should start. Dada loves autobiographies, but I think they’re too boring. Why should we read about someone else’s life?”

“Because they inspire us to do better.”

My husband spoke.

He walked over and tugged lightly at Ishika’s pigtail. She groaned dramatically before bursting into laughter. A small smile tugged at his lips.

Then he turned towards the bookshelf, scanned the titles, and pulled one out. He placed it gently on top of the box I was carrying.

How to Be Successful.

I made a face. I hated nonfiction books. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly at my reaction. For a fleeting second, it felt like he had smiled at me for the first time.

Then he simply turned around and went back to his desk.

“Dada, you got married only last night, and you’re already working.”

“I had something to finish. I haven’t been to the office in the last four days.”

“Hmm…” Ishika grinned mischievously. “So tell us, where are you taking Boudi for your honeymoon?”

I froze.

My fingers tightened around the box. I didn’t know how much longer we could keep this charade alive.

“You both should leave,” Abhoy said without looking up from his laptop. “I have work.”

They groaned but gave up.

Each of them grabbed one of my hands, and together we walked out of the library.

“Do you want to rest, or should we do something together?” Ishwari asked.

“Um… can I rest? Actually, before the wedding I was in Panchgani, so I haven’t really rested at all.”

“Oh, of course.” She smiled. “And thank you for the purse. It’s beautiful.”

“I’m so glad you both liked it.”

They walked me to the bedroom before waving goodbye. I waved back. Once the door clicked shut, I leaned against it and closed my eyes.

Finally, I was alone.

My phone… where was it? With everything that had happened, I hadn’t checked it even once. My eyes found it on the bedside table.

Putting the box and the book on the bed, I grabbed my phone. It had grown warm from the endless notifications. I unlocked the screen and sighed. It was Meesha. She had called countless times and left just as many messages.

I climbed onto the bed and opened our chat, replying to each message one after another. Then I noticed Maa’s messages. I replied to her as well. Finally, I pressed the call button, wanting to talk to her.

The phone rang against my ear.

I hadn’t realized how desperately I had been longing to hear her voice. But she didn’t answer. Sighing, I locked the phone and closed my eyes. I just had to find my rhythm here. Then it would be okay. But right now my shoulders felt so stiff.

I just had to get used to this new life, I mumbled to myself as sleep took over.