Chapter 1

It was a breezy night, with the soft rustle of leaves whispering secrets outside. Khushi perched herself on the parapet of her window, lost in a labyrinth of thoughts that danced between the echoes of her past and the shapes of her present. She could hardly fathom the twists of her destiny. The man she had always tried to avoid—the man whom she fled from in a desperate attempt to escape emotional turmoil—was now standing right inside her house. For over fifteen days, he had unwittingly invaded her space, and now he stood on the precipice of marrying her best friend.

As a solitary tear slipped from her doe-like eyes and traced a path down her cheeks, she felt a surge of emotions battling for supremacy within her. No, she couldn’t allow herself to crumble now. For the past fifteen days, she had skillfully concealed her love for him, masking her true feelings from everyone, including Arnav himself. Yet, as the prospect of their union loomed closer, she was afraid of losing the fragile grip she had on her emotions.

To her horror, Khushi realized that her feelings for Arnav were unchanged, still pulsing with the intensity of their college days. It was painfully evident now that the root of her singleness lay buried in her enduring love for him. Deep down, she had always known that she could never truly love anyone else besides Arnav.

But the reality was harsh—Arnav harbored deep resentment toward her. She could perceive the bitterness in his eyes, and she couldn’t blame him; he had every reason to be angry. She had ghosted him, leaving him without an explanation and shutting down every attempt he made to reach her. For seven long days, he had called her countless times, a lifeline extended into her chaos, but she had deliberately severed that connection by destroying her SIM card and changing her number. Fear had gripped her—a fear that was paralyzing for an eighteen-year-old girl facing feelings more profound than she could understand.

She was already drowning in guilt over her abrupt departure, compounded by the tragic loss of her parents in a devastating car accident that shattered her world. It was Lavanya—her childhood friend—whose family had taken her in, offering her solace after the storm. By revealing her feelings for Arnav and unearthing their shared past, she risked tarnishing her friend’s happiness. Khushi knew Lavanya harbored feelings for Arnav and would eagerly accept him if he proposed. Just the day before, Lavanya had admitted as much.

It was entirely natural for Khushi's heart to ache at the sight of them together, yet she was truly happy for their love. Still, the weight of Arnav's hatred felt unbearable. He never missed an opportunity to remind her of her betrayal, pulling her into a torrent of guilt. But her hands were tied. She was bound by a commitment phobia, a fear rooted in witnessing her parents' faltering relationship. The very idea of pursuing love both excited and terrified her.

A sudden knock on the door startled her from her reverie. Composing herself, Khushi stepped away from the safety of the parapet. Wiping her tears hastily, she approached the door, her mind racing with questions about who might be there. Everyone else in the house had retired early for the night, leaving her in solitude. Perhaps it was Lavanya, anxious and seeking comfort.

As she opened the door, her breath caught in her throat upon seeing an irate Arnav standing before her, his expression stormy.

“What are you doing here?” she stammered, instinctively stepping back as if trying to create emotional distance.

Without uttering a single word, he walked into the room, his presence heavy and charged.

“You can’t just barge in like this,” she blurted, struggling to steady her voice amidst her gathering dread.

“Really?” he replied with a mocking tone, his gaze piercing. “Why? Why can’t I enter your room?” he spat, his dark eyes locked onto hers like a challenge.

“It’s inappropriate for a man to enter a woman’s room without her permission or against her wishes. Besides, you’re involved with my friend now, so it doesn’t seem right,” she insisted, her heart pounding.

“Then why didn’t you stop me when I used to walk right into your room during our college days? Maybe you wanted me to touch you back then and savor those moments, but once I became 'stale' in your eyes, you tossed me out of your life without an explanation. So, lecturing me on what’s appropriate doesn’t suit you. You’d do better to keep quiet.”

“Don’t talk to me like that!” she half-requested, half-pleaded, her voice almost breaking.

He moved dangerously close, their proximity igniting a mix of fear and familiarity. “I wish I had never met you, Khushi. I never expected to see you again.”

His words cut deep, wounds reopening in her heart. He didn’t even want to be in her presence, the thought alone causing her to unravel.

Gripping her shoulders firmly, he leaned in, his voice low and seething, “I wish you weren't Lavanya's best friend.”

Memories flooded her mind, the affection he once showed her in his playful nickname—“Smily”—a name she cherished. She had called him “Motu” in jest for his chubby, adorable self during their college days. Now, he had transformed into a strikingly handsome man, surely capable of attracting a horde of admirers.

Overwhelmed, she could no longer hold back her tears.

“I wonder how you and Lavanya even became friends. She’s a sweetheart—pure-hearted—while you are nothing but a betrayer and a liar. You play with people’s emotions like it’s a game. Isn’t that right, Khushi Kumari Gupta?”

“Stop it, Arnav! Just stop it!” she sobbed uncontrollably, the dam of her pent-up emotions breaking wide open. She couldn’t bear the pain anymore.

“Why stop, Miss Gupta? Do you have any idea how much I endured because of you? Do you know how desperately I tried to find you? How long I waited for you, Khushi? No, you don't, because you lack a heart and didn’t care about me at all. Now that I’ve managed to forget everything about you and our past, you waltz back into my life, reminding me of your betrayal. I hate you, Khushi. I hate you to the core.”

The weight of his words crashed down on her like a physical blow, each syllable striking deep into the very core of her being. Overwhelmed by a torrent of raw emotion, she sank slowly to the floor, her heart shattering in front of the man she had loved more than life itself. Arnav, for the first time, recognized her vulnerability; it was a side of her he had never allowed himself to acknowledge. He reached down, grasped her arms, and pulled her back to her feet, his grip firm as he pinned her against the cool, unforgiving wall.

“Tomorrow, I’m going to say yes to Lavanya in front of the entire family, and you better be there,” he commanded, his eyes blazing with fierce determination. “Don’t you dare try to spoil it, or I’ll make you wish you hadn’t.”

A bittersweet smile formed on her lips, masking the heartache within. “I wish you and Lavanya a very happy married life, Arnav. I would never ruin my best friend's happiness. She is truly fortunate to have you.”

“No,” he shot back, anger and bitterness lacing his tone. “I’m the one who will be lucky to have her. Thank goodness you chose to leave when you did; otherwise, I might have been trapped with someone as ungrateful and disgusting as you.”

With those harsh words, he flung the door open and slammed it shut behind him, the echoes of his departure ringing painfully in her ears.

Khushi slid down against the wall, her body wracked with sobs as the weight of his disdain washed over her. She knew, deep down, that this was all her fault—his hatred felt palpable and, worse still, it was directed at a version of her he didn't even understand. He was oblivious to the most significant secret of their lives, and she couldn’t fathom how he would react if he ever uncovered the truth.

After a moment of collected breath, she stood up unsteadily and walked over to the cupboard. With trembling hands, she opened the drawer where her past lay hidden. As she pulled out the aged report, a flood of memories crashed over her—memories that she had thought were sealed away forever. She had never imagined that a day like today would come, forcing her to confront the demons of her past once more; the unresolved guilt that had haunted her like a specter.

Her eyes fell on the miscarriage papers—documents that bore the weight of loss, a painful testament to the child they had never had. Each paper whispered a tale of regrets and decisions, reminders of what she had chosen to keep from him, and the love that had slipped through their fingers.