THE ACCIDENTAL ALTAR

02. Wedding Day

Kiara's POV

The smell of jasmine flowers filled the air, a strange contrast to the bright colors and happy music around me. I was dressed in a fancy red wedding outfit, but inside, I felt awful. Yash, the boy I was supposed to marry, wasn't there. He left a note saying we weren't right for each other, and he left. Three years of secret meetings, sweet talks, and dreams of forever—all gone because of a note.

Memories flooded back—our first meeting, our first date, all the promises we made. It all felt like a lie now. Tears streamed down my face, blurring everything around me. The last thing I remembered was someone catching me before I fainted.

When I woke up, I was in my room. Sunlight peeked through the curtains. I cried again, a deep, raw sob. My dad came in, looking older and sad.

"Kiara," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "He's not coming."

I already knew that. All my dreams of a perfect wedding were shattered. I wanted to scream to fight against this unfair situation. But I couldn't.

"There's another option," Dad said. "Aarav..."

"No!" I shouted. I couldn't marry someone else, not like this. It felt like I was just a replacement for Yash.

Dad's voice became firm. "Kiara, I know this isn't what we wanted. But think about your life." He stopped, choking back a sob. "Don't let this ruin everything."

His words hit me hard. It wasn't just about me. My parents and brother would be heartbroken too. We sat in silence for a long time, the only sound being my ragged breaths.

Finally, Dad sighed and left the room. He said the decision was mine, but reminded me that my family needed me.

A few minutes later, my brother Kabir came in. Unlike Dad, he didn't try to make me feel better with empty words. He sat next to me, a silent comfort.

"Kiara," he said gently, "I never liked Yash."

I wasn't surprised. Kabir had always been protective of me.

"Love can be tricky," he continued. "But there are other things that matter, like trust and respect. And Aarav..." He paused, looking at me seriously. "He'll never break your trust."

Aarav. Yash's cousin. We never really talked much—just polite smiles at family gatherings. He was the opposite of Yash—quiet, serious, and interested in photography.

photography, which I always thought was cool.

"Did he really agree to this?" I whispered. Marrying a stranger—someone who wasn't Yash—scared me so much that my chest felt tight.

Kabir squeezed my hand gently. "Yeah, he did. He cares about you, Kiara, in his own way, and he knows how important this is to Dad and to all of us."

I felt even worse. Dad always put everyone else first, even if it meant sacrificing his own happiness. The guilt of disappointing him was a heavy weight on my shoulders.

"Isn't there another way?" I pleaded, clinging to any hope. "We could call off the wedding and explain everything."

Kabir shook his head. "No way. The invitations are out, the food's ordered, the place is booked—everything's ready. Canceling now would be a huge scandal. People would gossip."

The word "scandal" hung in the air, a dark cloud threatening to crush me. I imagined whispering to relatives and making judgmental stares. Could I handle the embarrassment and the pity?