‎“Now go and take blessings from the elders” Panditji instructed softly.

‎We walked over to his dadu first. Just as we bent down to touch their feet, he stopped us with a firm yet loving hand.

‎“Daughters are the goddess Lakshmi of our house” he said, his voice low but affectionate “They don’t belong at our feet, they live in our hearts.”

‎He placed his hands gently on our heads.

‎“My blessings will always be with both of you, stay with each other in every ups and downs of life.”

‎I smiled, but my heart felt like it was trembling inside.

‎Next, we moved towards his parents and his chote papa and choti maa. They, too, didn’t let me touch their feet. Instead, they smiled and hugged me warmly, blessing me as if I had always been one of their own.

‎It felt real.

‎But somewhere deep inside, there was still a question, a quiet fear.

‎What if this warmth changes one day?

‎If my own parents couldn’t give me love, why would strangers?

‎We reached my own parents next. I bent to touch their feet.

‎Suddenly, Maa pulled me into a hug.

‎For a moment, I stood frozen, but then I understood the reason behind that unexpected affection.

‎“If you mess things up there” she whispered in my ear, her tone razor-sharp behind the sweet smile “we’ll ruin you so badly, even these people showing you love today will throw you out themselves.”

‎I slowly pulled back from her arms and looked into her eyes, quiet but firm, wounded but defiant.

‎I didn’t say a word.

‎Nikhil stepped forward and bent to touch Arsh’s feet, but he pulled him into a hug. It was all just an act. They were trying to impress him, for the sake of his name, his power and money. It wasn’t love or respect. It was performance.

‎Then came the trio. Parth, Aarushi, and Darsh, walking towards me with the warmest smiles.

‎They bent down, but I quickly stopped them.

‎“There’s no need for that” I said, startled. “There is” Parth grinned. “A bhabhi is like a mother. And from today, you’re our bhabhi-maa.” Before I could say more, they touched my feet and I blessed them quietly, with heavy heart. I pulled them each into a hug.

‎Tears welled up in my eyes.

‎Was this really happening?

‎A part of me still felt like I was dreaming.

‎Then came the part I had dreaded most, vidaai. I didn’t want to face them again.

‎But I couldn’t create a scene in front of his family.

‎I went to hug Papa. Just as I was pulling away, I heard him whisper through a smile- “Die if you want to. But don’t ever show us your face again.”

‎His hand was still resting on my head like a blessing. But his words shattered me.

‎From childhood until now, my father has never spoken to me with love. Yet I always carried that hope within me. I kept trying, believing that maybe one day he would speak to me gently, that maybe one day he would place his hand on my head and tell me he was proud of me. But he never did. Even today, his words still hurt, but perhaps the hopes I once had from him have long since broken.

‎I didn’t hug my mother or my brother. I simply turned and walked toward the car.

‎Just once, I turned back to look at them, my parents, my brother. They had given me nothing but pain all my life.

‎And yet…

‎I didn’t hate them.

‎No matter how much they hated me, I couldn’t bring myself to hate them in return. They are still my parents, but i don't expect anything from them now, because expectations only bring disappointments and heartbreaks.

‎With a heavy heart and tear-filled eyes, I stepped into the car. Arsh quietly closed the door behind me and got in from the other side.

‎If only…

‎If only my family had been like other families,

‎Maybe today, I’d be hugging them tight, smiling through tears instead of holding them back.

‎I stared out of the window, forcing the tears not to fall. ‎I didn’t look at Arsh even once, but I could feel his gaze on me, steady, unreadable.

‎

‎

From the moment she sat beside me in the car, I couldn’t look away from her. When she stepped into the mandap, my breath caught in my throat, my heart skipped a beat. She looked ethereal, almost unreal, like something not meant for this world. I had to remind myself, again and again, that this was nothing more than a marriage of convenience, that feelings had no place here. And yet, my eyes refused to leave her.

Even the kohl lining her eyes couldn’t hide the shimmer of tears within them. Even that practiced smile of hers failed to conceal the sorrow she carried deep inside.

‎She didn’t cry.

‎Not once during the vidaai.

‎But I could tell, she was breaking inside and holding herself together with every breath.

‎She didn’t even glance at me.

‎After a moment, I looked away and tried to distract myself by checking emails on my phone.

‎Then suddenly…

‎I felt something heavy on my shoulder.

‎I froze.

‎I looked at her, her head resting on my shoulder while she was in a deep slumber, and then, a single tear slid down her cheek and landed on my hand.

‎My chest tightened.

My hand ached to brush away the tears trailing down her cheeks, but I stopped myself. I couldn’t touch her, not unless she allowed me to.

The driver suddenly hit the brakes and her head jolted slightly. Before she could stir awake, I instinctively placed my hand over her head, gently steadying it back into stillness.

‎My eyes flicked up towards the driver.

‎“Drive carefully” I said, my voice low, but firm.

‎Half an hour later, we reached Malhotra Mansion.

‎As the car approached, the guards opened the grand gates and the car rolled into the beautifully lit driveway. All family members were standing at the entrance , waiting for us with eyes brimming with joy.

‎The car came to a gentle halt before the entrance. I turned to Mira, who had dozed off against my shouldes. “Mira…Mira” I said, trying to wake her up.

‎She blinked her eyes open, a little dazed.

‎“Hmm?”

“We’ve reached” I said.

‎Stepping out of the car, I made my way to her side, opened the door and extended my hand towards her.

‎She paused for a second, staring at my hand, then placed hers in mine. The moment her feet touched the ground, the sound of fireworks and dhols filled the air. She looked around, eyes wide with surprise as she took in the grand preparations made for her welcome.

‎A small smile tugged at her lips. She looked at everyone waiting for her. We walked together to the threshold, stopping at the decorated entrance of the mansion.

‎

Maa performed the aarti and blessed us with a gentle smile. Then Aarushi placed a kalash filled with rice at my feet and in front of it, a thaal filled with kumkum.

‎“Beta, now gently kick the kalash and step inside” Maa said warmly.

‎I tapped the kalash softly with my right foot and then stepped into the kumkum thaal. I didn’t even realize when my fingers found Arsh’s hand, holding on tight, maybe for balance. ‎He held my hand a little tighter, steadying me.

‎Just as I was about to lift my right foot from the thaal, Darsh called out “Bhabhi, wait a minute!”

‎He and Parth rushed inside and returned with white t-shirts. Carefully, they laid them in front of me “Bhabhi, step on this first” they said in unison.

‎I couldn’t help but smile at them. With a full heart, I stepped forward, leaving bright red footprints on the fabric before walking on the white cloth that was spread out on the floor.

‎Inside, Maa led me to the temple and pressed my hands into kumkum, guiding me to leave my handprint on the wall, another tradition, another symbol that this was now my house too.

‎Then came a ritual I was actually excited for, the ring finding game. A large silver bowl filled with milk and rose petals was placed between me and Arsh as we sat across from each other.

‎“There will be three rounds,” Choti maa announced. “Whoever finds the ring twice will have upper hand in this marriage” she said.

‎Arsh gave me a challenging smirk and I raised an eyebrow in return.

‎The first round, I won. The second, he won. The final round began.

‎I was entirely focused on finding the ring. My hand brushed against his as we both searched through the milk. Our hands brushed with each other, we both looked at each other for a brief moment but without saying a word, we returned to our silent mission, pretending as if that fleeting glance hadn’t happened.

‎Then suddenly, I felt something solid beneath my fingers. My fingers brushed over it gently, it was the ring. Just as I was about to pull my hand out in victory, he grabbed my wrist. I looked up to see him smirking at me, mischief dancing in his eyes. I tried to wriggle free, but his hand didn't budge. I smirked and then gave him a quick, unexpected wink. For a second, he froze and that was all I needed. I slipped my hand out with ring in hand.

‎“Yeeeee! Bhabhi won! Now bhabhi’s going to rule this marriage!” Parth and Darsh shouted in unison. I burst into laughter, and so did everyone else around us.

‎“Aarushi, take her to the room. She must be tired,” Maa said warmly, and Aarushi stepped forward.

‎Aarushi take me to his room. “Bhabhi, this is your and bhai’s room. Enjoy your night. I hope bhai doesn't bother you much!” she teased. I widened my eyes but she laughed and darted out of the room before I could say a word. I chuckled.

‎I took a moment to take in the space. It was beautiful, elegant yet comforting. The room had two doors, one probably led to the bathroom, the second to a closet. There was a beautiful and huge balcony, beside that, a large window overlooked the garden.

‎I walked over and opened the window. The sky was bathed in moonlight, and the full moon looked especially radiant tonight. I stood there quietly, staring up at it, letting the peace of the moment settle into my bones.

‎After a while, I heard the sound of the door opening. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was because I already knew. Footsteps followed, soft but steady, growing closer with each step until they stopped a short distance behind me.

‎Arsh stood there, silently watching me. I turned to him and said “I need to talk to you.”

‎“Hmm” he replied, urging me to go on.

‎“Look, I haven’t made any official contract or anything but there are some few rules I want you to follow” I said, meeting his eyes directly. “First, you will not interfere in my life and I won’t interfere in yours.”

‎“Okay” he nodded calmly.

‎“Second, I don’t like being told what to do, where I can go, what I should wear, or what I should or shouldn’t do-”

‎“Why would I stop you? It's your life, you can do whatever you want” he interrupted. “And don’t worry, my family’s not conservative.”

‎“Last but not the least” I added “You will not touch me. Not without my permission.”

‎“What do you think of yourself?” he said, annoyed. “It’s not like I’m dying to touch you.”

‎“Can’t trust you on that” I muttered under my breath.

‎“Excuse me?” he snapped, shooting me a look.

‎“You’re excused,” I replied with a straight face and walked into the bathroom to change.

‎It took me almost half an hour to remove all the pins from my hair and wipe off the makeup. I quickly changed into a simple satin night suit and stepped back into the room. He had also changed and was sitting on the bed, focused on his laptop.

‎I walked over, picked up a pillow and a blanket, and placed them on the couch.

‎“Why are you sleeping there?” he asked, looking up.

‎“Why would I sleep there? You’re the one who’s going to sleep on the couch. I even set it up for you. See.” I said matter-of-factly. “Now please get up from the bed.”

‎“This is my bed. Why should I be the one sleeping on the couch?” he said, placing the laptop aside.

‎“Well, now it’s mine too” I replied, folding my arms. “And since I can’t sleep next to you, the couch is all yours.”

‎“She’s seriously weird” he muttered under his breath, but i heard it “Kicking me off my own bed…”

‎“Look, I’m not being cruel or unfair to you,” I said calmly. “The couch is big enough, you can sleep there comfortably. And it’s not like I’ll make you sleep there every night. One day I’ll take the bed and you’ll sleep on the couch and the next day we’ll switch. That way, it’ll be fair, but tonight I want to sleep on the bed as I am hella tired because of that heavy lehenga.”

‎“Fine,” he muttered under his breath.

‎With that, he walked over to the couch and settled down.

‎I climbed into the bed and lay down. Within a few moments, I drifted into a deep slumber.

‎

‎

The next morning, Mira woke up early. After finishing her morning routine, she stepped out of the bathroom wearing a soft red satin suit. The fabric hugged her lightly, giving her a graceful look. She glanced around and noticed Arsh wasn't in the room. Quietly, she walked towards the mirror, sat down, applied a touch of makeup and gently filled  her hairline with sindoor. That single streak, paired with the mangalsutra resting just above her heart, gave her a new kind of glow.

‎As she walked downstairs, she found the entire family already gathered in the hall. Except him.

‎She greeted everyone with a polite “Good morning” remembering how she’d been told not to touch their feet. The family returned her greeting with warm smiles and wishes. She made her way to Aarushi’s side and sat down beside her, slipping comfortably into a group chat with Aarushi, Darsh, and Parth.

‎Just then, Arsh walked in, dressed sharply in his office attire, radiating calm confidence. “Arsh, come here” Dadu called out to him. He walked over, greeted everyone and took the seat beside Mira.

‎“Ji, kahiye Dadu, kya baat hai?” he asked casually.

(Yes, Dadu… what’s the matter?)

‎Radha’s voice came in, a little more serious, “Mira, we want to tell you some rules of this house.”

‎For a moment, Mira stiffened. Her heart skipped. Was yesterday's affection just a surface-level gesture? Were things about to change already?

‎But then Radha continued with a gentle smile, “Rule number one… you’re free to do whatever you want. No one here will ever stop you. Just live your life on your own terms”

‎Mira blinked, surprised.

‎“Rule two” Shaurya said firmly, “If he ever bothers you or says anything wrong, come straight to me. We will kick him out of this house.”

‎Mira turned to look at him, unsure if she was dreaming or if people like this really existed.

‎“Rule number three!” Aarushi chimed in, unable to hold her excitement. “You’re now officially part of our ‘youngsters’ gang, that’s me, Parth bhai and Darsh. Arsh bhai has long been assigned to the ‘boring elders’ group. So, from now on, we’ll be going to the movies together, shopping, and having the best time!”

‎As if on cue, Pratham and Samarth entered through the front door, grinning wide.

‎“And we’re part of this gang too” Pratham declared, throwing a wink Mira’s way, sitting beside Arsh.

‎“Rule four” Priya said warmly, “You’re not expected to do any household chores. We have plenty of staff for that. Your job is simple that is focus on your career, enjoy your life and don’t let any relatives or outsiders get into your head. We don’t listen to them either.”

‎Mira looked around at all of them, wide-eyed and speechless. Her lips parted slightly as if to say something, but the words just wouldn’t come. She wasn’t used to this.

‎Meanwhile, Arah was stunned. His eyes slowly scanned each face in the room, disbelief flickering across his features. He muttered to himself “This is my family? How did they change so much in just one day?”

‎Radha stepped forward and stood in front of Mira. Mira instinctively rose to her feet. With a gentle smile, Radha cupped Mira’s cheek in her palm and said lovingly “I don’t know what you were expecting from us, beta. Every girl has fears before marriage, wondering how her in-laws will treat her. But to us, you’re our daughter, just like Aarushi. This is your home now. You can call me whatever you want Mom, Maa, Mumma... anything that feels right to you.”

‎“Thank you so much” Mira said with a soft smile and hugged Radha tightly. Radha smiled and patted her head affectionately.

‎“And you” Radha turned to Arsh, pointing a firm finger at him. “I know you’re a workaholic, but now you’re married. You’re not going to the office today. It’s your first day after the wedding!”

‎“But Maa” he tried to protest, only for Radha to cut him off.

‎“No ifs and buts. You’re staying home today. And it’s your first rasoi too. You’re married now and in our family, it’s a tradition that the husband and wife do this ritual together.”

‎Arsh sighed, raising his hands in surrender. “Alright, as you wish.”