“She forgives too easily.”
“I know.”
“And if you hurt her—”
“I won’t.”
The interruption is gentle. Firm. Final. Devraj steps closer still, invading my space deliberately. He may be my best friend but I know he loves his family and is very protective of Sitara. And I get it, I have a sister too.
“Hurt her,” he says, voice low, lethal, “and you’ll lose more than just friendship.”
The words aren’t loud. They don’t need to be. They settle in my chest with weight.
I don’t step back. I don’t look away. I meet his gaze and smile softly—not cocky, not dismissive. Certain.
“I won’t.”
The room breathes again.
Veeraj exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair. “You’re insane.”
“Probably,” I agree.
Vihaan pushes off the wall and comes closer, studying me with that calculating calm he hides behind humor. “You do realize,” he says, “that she didn’t choose you today.”
I nod. “I know.”
“And that she may never love you.”
“I know.”
“And that you’ve tied your life to someone who might always see you as… convenient.”
My chest tightens—but my voice doesn’t waver. “Then I’ll spend my life proving I can be more than that.”
Devraj watches me for a long moment.
Then, finally, his shoulders relax—just a fraction.
“You don’t regret this,” he says. It’s not a question anymore.
“No,” I answer immediately. “I regret every moment before it.”
That does it.
Vihaan snorts. “God, he’s worse than I thought.”
Veeraj shakes his head, smiling despite himself. “She’s going to destroy you.”
I smile back. “I’m counting on it.” I don’t tell them she already has.
Devraj turns toward the window, silent again, looking out at the venue where his sister waits—probably joking, probably holding herself together with threads she pretends are unbreakable.
When he speaks again, his voice is quieter.
“She’s not fragile,” he says. “But she is tired.”
“I know.”
