“We are your parents, Aditya. You can’t stand there and fight with us over a girl you hardly know,” my dad yells.
I shake my head. “If you were truly acting like my parents, you wouldn’t feel the need to remind me of that. Instead, you would accept my happiness. But right now, all I see are two stubborn people refusing to acknowledge what I want.”
My parents exchange glances again, their expressions unreadable. Then, after what feels like an eternity, my mom speaks, her voice carefully measured. “Fine. If you want to marry her, then yes. But we have a condition.”
I already know it’s not going to be good. But I wait to hear it anyway.
“She will have to sign a prenuptial agreement stating that in the event of a divorce, she gets nothing,” Dad says in a clipped tone.
My hands curl into fists, anger simmering beneath the surface. “There will be no divorce,” I state flatly, my voice like steel. “And there will be no prenup.”
My mom crosses her arms, her expression icy. “Take it or leave it, Aditya. This is non-negotiable.”
I open my mouth to protest, but before I can, Sana’s voice cuts through the tension.
“I agree.”
My head snaps toward her, my chest tightening. “Sana, no. You don’t have to—”
She turns to me, her eyes filled with love. “Aditya, this isn’t about money. It never was. And if signing that paper is what it takes to prove that to them, then so be it.”
My heart twists painfully. “You shouldn’t have to prove anything. Not to them. Not to anyone.”
She smiles softly. “I know. But if this is what will give them even the slightest reason to accept us, then I’ll do it.”
I can’t speak. My chest constricts with emotions too overwhelming to name. She’s choosing love over pride, over ego—over self. And it only makes me love her more fiercely.
I turn back to my parents, my eyes blazing. “Now, do you get it, Mom, Dad? This is the woman I want to marry—the woman who cares more about my happiness than anything else.”
Ignoring my statement, my dad gives a curt nod. “Tomorrow, then.”
Mom doesn’t say anything; instead, she nods, though the stiffness in her posture tells me she isn’t entirely pleased.
I should feel victorious. I should feel relieved. But deep down, something doesn’t sit right. Their sudden acceptance feels... forced. As if they’re only conceding because they have no other choice.
But I push the thought aside. For now, all that matters is that tomorrow, I will be engaged to the woman I love. And no one—nothing—will change that.
Chapter 33
Sana
“I still don’t believe today is your engagement,” Mom says, standing beside me in front of the mirror, her eyes brimming with emotions I can’t quite name.
I turn to her, my heart tightening as I admit, “Me neither. It feels... surreal.”
Mom smiles, though her eyes glisten with unshed tears. “I remember the day you were born. You were so tiny, so fragile, and now… now you’re about to start a new journey.” Her fingers gently graze the edge of my dupatta. “Your dad would have been so proud of you.”
The mention of Dad makes my chest constrict. The evening, the joy—it all suddenly feels incomplete. “I wish he were here,” I say softly, my heart aching. “I wish he could see this.”
Mom sighs, blinking quickly, as if trying to hold back her tears. “So do I.” She takes my hand in hers and squeezes it with a quiet strength.
“Come with me, beta,” she says, leading me to the bed and making me sit down. Then she turns to the bedside drawer, pulls it open, and reaches inside before taking something out.
When she turns back to me, she’s holding a small velvet box, one I recognise immediately. It’s the box Dad always kept locked away in his cupboard, the one he never let anyone touch. My breath catches in my throat.
“Mom…” My voice quivers.
She opens the box with a soft click, revealing a delicate ring nestled inside. A beautiful solitaire, simple yet elegant, gleaming under the soft light.
