Life stopped for Arohi seven years ago when her childhood lover Abhimanyu left her life. It was a mutual break up but little did they know that life had other plans for her.
Seven years later, Arohi is a successful writer with dozens of bestselling...
Bella was sleeping on the bed while Arohi was sitting in front of the mirror. The makeup artists were working their magic on her. Abhimanyu had not lied. He came with Bella this morning. She didn't know if he spent all night looking for her dog or found her last night and taken it with him.
But she heard from Ayushman that the doctor of their family had fallen sick this time. She felt guilty for letting him look for Bella all night in heavy pouring. Still, the thought of him looking for Bella all night for him was like a balm on her charring heart.
"You look beautiful, "Dev said with tears in his eyes. He hugged his daughter and broke into tears. His baby girl was the most beautiful bride in the world. He was very excited about the marriage of his only child but now seeing her all dolled up in a bridal dress brought tears to his eyes.
For a father, it was very hard to send his daughter away. Thankfully, Ayushmann was a good man. He had promised to take care of his daughter all his life.
"Papa, you wanted to get me married so bad. Why are you crying now? Shouldn't you be happy that you are finally getting rid of me?" Arohi asked with tears in her eyes. She looked at friends and family in the room and found that they were crying too. She hugged them and couldn't control the tears as they wrapped their arms around her.
"If you cry, you will ruin your makeup. We don't want to give Ayushman a crying bride, do we?" Dev tried to joke to lighten up the environment but it only brought more tears to her eyes. "Come, child. I will take you to the Mandap (altar)."
"What about Bride's brothers?" A relative asked. It was a ritual in northern India where the brothers and cousins of the bride would bring her to the mandap holding a chunri over her head.
Someone said, "The ritual is usually done by the bride's brothers and cousins."
"I want my papa to walk me to Mandap, "Arohi whispered, hugging her father.
Dev held his daughter's hand and walked out of the room to head towards the Mandap. The bride's cousin and friends held the flower-woven chunri. The music began playing when they entered the venue hall. Ayushman was sitting on the mandap waiting for his bride. Everything happening was surreal. Too surreal that Arohi believed for a moment that it was a dream and that she might wake up anytime soon.
Abhimanyu was once again standing in the corner away from the hustle and bustle of the wedding. When the bride arrived dressed in a maroon wedding lehenga, he smiled. He always knew that one day she would make a beautiful bride. Not just beautiful, she was the most ethereal woman he had the fortune of knowing.
He saw Ayushman standing up and taking her hand in his hand bringing her to the mandap. She took a seat beside his groom but her eyes were roaming across the room as if looking for someone. When those green eyes stopped on him, he saw her heaving a sigh. It was as if they could not hear or see anything else. Her hand was held by Ayushman but her eyes were fixed on Abhimanyu. She could see the reel of their past playing in his eyes and she knew that it was time to say goodbye to their past. Today, she finally got closure.
When Arohi turned her head to Ayushman, he instantly left it and his friend came running inside the venue holding a phone. She furrowed her brows, not understanding what was going on but she kept her cool, not showing any kind of confusion on her face.
"Ayush! Ayush! Take the call, "Ayushman's friend said, gasping for breath.
Ayushman furrowed his brows. He took the call with his eyes fixed on Arohi's face. A tear slipped down his cheek when the call disconnected.
With a blank face, Arohi stared at Ayushman.
Ayushman whispered, "Pia. She is dying. Cancer."
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A/N: I am very happy. I got the first comment on the book. So, I guess this extra chapter is to celebrate that first of many comments. 💗💗💗
I will try to post one chapter daily.
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