AndI actually love how I look.I can now understand why girls dream about moments like this. About dressing up as a bride and seeing themselves transformed like this for someone they love.
But this isn’t real.
If this had been a real wedding, today would have felt beautiful instead of terrifying. If only the groom waiting downstairs had been of my choice. Someone I had chosen for myself.
The moment that thought crosses my mind, only one face appears before me. One with dark eyes, a black shirt, and a gaze intense enough to steal the rhythm from my pulse…Raghav! The manIchose that night at Shivtara Mata temple by placing a lily garland around his neck.
God. What is wrong with me? Even on the day of my supposed wedding to another man… I’m still thinking about Raghav. I should be focusing on what’s going to happen in an hour from now. Because this bridal outfit, this wedding… it’s all just temporary theatre. A distraction. A performance long enough for Trisha to get Mom and me safely out of this mansion forever.
My fingers curl lightly around the edge of the dressing table as I continue staring at my reflection. My life is about to change completely after today. Not just change, but transform. This mafia world, this suffocating life, these walls around me… all of it is finally supposed to end today. And somewhere beyond this madness liesQueenstown.Freedom. A new beginning.
The thought makes my heart pound harder. I glance at the time again. By now, according to the plan, Trisha should have already escorted Mom out through the hidden service corridor near the east wing storage area. And now, any moment she will come back for me.
Last night, I finally told Mom the truth about Trisha. That she wasn’t sent by Parag, she was sent by Raghav. Even now, I remember the stunned expression on Mom’s face when she heard that. I had seen the questions rise in her eyes too.Why would someone like him do this for you? Just like that.
And honestly, I didn’t know how to answer that either. Because that would mean telling her everything that happened back at RK Estate. And I wasn’t ready for it. Mom already had enough stress in her life. She didn’t need the added burden of decoding whatever existed between Raghav and me. So I handled the conversation carefully last night. Told her only what mattered. That help had finally arrived. That everything was going to be okay now, and that Trisha would get us out safely.
Now, I’m simply waiting for confirmation that Mom has safely crossed the mansion perimeter. My nerves grow worse with every passing minute. Suddenly, the bedroom door opens. I instantly turn, relief easing my features when I see Trisha hurrying inside.
Finally.
But as soon as she reaches me, something feels wrong. Because instead of signalling success, Trisha looks tense.
“Where’s your mother?” she asks immediately.
My heartbeat stops.
“What?”
“I went to her room, but she wasn’t there.”
The colour drains from my face.
“What do you mean she wasn’t there?” My voice rises sharply. “You were supposed to take her out by now.”
“I know.” Trisha sounds equally serious. “But I’ve been looking for her for the last thirty minutes. She’s nowhere in the mansion.”
For a moment, I forget how to breathe.
Mom is missing?No. That’s impossible. She would never disappear without informing me first. Especially not today.
“Where can she go?” I whisper, already shaking my head. “No… no, she wouldn’t just leave like that. Something’s wrong.”
A terrifying thought suddenly strikes me.Samarjeet?
What if he suspected something? Maybe he moved her somewhere else deliberately. Maybe he isolated her because he feared I would try escaping with her. The possibility nearly makes me sick. Trisha immediately steps closer, trying to steady the situation before I completely spiral.
“Siya, listen to me carefully,” she says firmly. “My men inside the mansion are already searching for her. We’ll find her. But right now, you need to stay calm.”
How the hell am I supposed to stay calm when my mother is nowhere to be found?
“Don’t leave this bedroom under any circumstances. I’ll come back for you myself,” she adds. Before I can stop her again, she disappears outside.
The second the door shuts behind her, panic consumes me completely. I start pacing back and forth.
Where could Mom possibly go?
Just an hour ago, she was right here with me in this very room. She helped me get dressed in this bridal outfit. Adjusted my dupatta carefully. Fixed my jewellery when my hands were shaking too much to do it properly. And then she’d looked at me with those emotional eyes that mothers seem to have on wedding days.
