A cycle of falling in love, marrying, and falling out again leads to love.
Because love is the endgame.
__________
The Chauhan's are one of the most influential families in India. Having spread their ties to Healthcare, manufacturing, social service...
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It was no dream.
Standing facing the mirror in this enormous room of Chauhan's personal suite in the business center, Shreya counted in her mind to calm her nerves. Her nails scraped her red lace fabric each time her mind wandered towards the impending doom.
Instead of admiring her thin strapped mermaid-style gown, she worried her bottom lips eating the third coat of cherry lipstick as the nerves hit her like a breakless truck. Crushing her confidence, ignoring her motivating self-talk, and killing the urge to walk out of the room. The piece was beautiful. Meant to be cherished by a bride who wasn't coerced into an engagement staged through an agreement.
She had shuffled the stylist hired by her mother, to run back screaming for hills with her glare and crude remarks, so much that the woman did not bother to turn up to the venue, leaving Shreya as the in-charge for hair and make-up. She was glad that Nainika peeped into the room after an hour and helped her straighten her locks. She had gone with the regular make-up process – primer, foundation, concealer, contour, blush, and some kajal for her eyes.
Begrudgingly she had let Nainika use eyeliner and mascara on her in the name of bold eyes.
The final touch-up was her matte cherry red lipstick that made her enticing – like a hooker.
Shut up.
Shaking her thoughts away, she glanced at her bare ring finger which would no longer remain empty, all in the next 27 minutes.
"Shreya." Her mother knocked on her room door for the fifth time in a span of 15 minutes that the party had come to life. Rashi and Gayatri Devi Chauhan had dropped by her and made her wear a diamond necklace and a bracelet as per the dress code.
Some family rituals where the Mother-in-law passes her jewelry to the new bride.
She had seen the ladies gift the same way to Dhwani some 32 months back but never to Uttara because the couple got married on a whim: no engagement, no pre-marriage rituals, but a wedding ceremony in the temple with the Chauhan family.
Uttara's family was not there.
Shreya did not bother then, and neither she was interested to know now.
All she cared about the fact was that she was being tied to a man she had dreamed of a relationship with some 10 years back.
Unaware of the level of her feelings for him, but yes, they were there.
She was ruling her actions until she had seen him express his like towards some girl who was not her.
The knock now had turned into a bang and she hurried towards the door to open before it was broken down, tripping on her way.
"Mom, have some patience!" She chided the woman, scowling at the glare shot her way.
"They are asking for you." Devika seethed. "Will you step out or not?"
