My ma immediately opened the door and hugged me, tears streaming down her face. My attention shifted entirely to my family, and I didn't even notice when he left.
Breaking the hug, she cupped my cheeks and asked, "Are you okay, baccha? Where were you? We tried calling you so many times, but your phone was switched off. You nearly gave us a heart attack!"
I stared at Maa, debating whether to tell her the truth or not. "Yes, Maa, I'm fine," I replied.
"But where have you been? It's 3:30 AM," she said, her voice still filled with worry.
"Um... Actually, Maa, I was at the library, and by the time I left, it was really late. While booking a cab, someone snatched my phone, and I ran after him. But I realized I'd gone in the wrong direction and ended up in an unfamiliar area. I tried finding help, but there was no one around, so I waited at a temple for a while. Then I saw a taxi, and the driver dropped me here." I lied, avoiding the real truth.
Papa looked at me closely and pointed to the bloodstains on my clothes. "Divu, your clothes are stained with blood. Are you sure you're okay? Tell me if something happened."
"No, Papa, I'm fine. Please don't worry about me," I reassured him, trying to sound calm.
He sighed, clearly unconvinced. "Alright. But I know you're hiding something. I won't push you, but just remember, you don't need to hide anything from us. We're always here for you."
I nodded, my guilt growing.
Maa then asked, "But how did you get these bloodstains? Are you hurt?"
"No, Maa, actually, while I was at the temple, I saw a man who had a small accident. I helped him until the ambulance arrived, so maybe I got these stains while helping him," I explained, still feeling guilty for not telling her the full story.
Maa nodded, her worry fading a little. "Alright, go freshen up. I'll serve you some food."
"No, Maa. I'm not hungry right now. I'm exhausted. I just want to sleep, and you should get some rest too. Please don't worry about me," I said, feeling too tired to eat.
They nodded and went to their rooms. That's when I noticed Akriti Di hadn't asked a single question and had quietly gone upstairs. That wasn't like her.
Now I was sure she hadn't believed my story. I braced myself for the interrogation that awaited me in our room. Both of us shared the same room, and I knew she wouldn't let it slide.
I went upstairs, opened the door, and saw Di lying on the bed, scrolling through her phone. Without waiting, I rushed into the washroom and stood in front of the mirror. Parting my hair, I saw my maang still filled with the sindoor bearing his name. I removed my dupatta and took out my mangalsutra, hidden under my kurti. The realization hit me hard-I now belonged to someone, I was someone's wife, and he was my husband. I was no longer single.
Touching my hairline, I whispered, "Shiv Ji, hame nahi pata shiv ji ki hamne sahi kiya ya galat, bas itna jaante hai ki aap hamare liye koi bhi galat nirnaye nahi lenge, hame aap par pura bharosa hai ..
agar aapne unhe(Aarav) hamari nasib me likha hai to ham unhe apna pati swikaratey hai....
But I'm scared... What will Maa and Papa say when they find out? Will they trust me? And most importantly, will he give me a place in his life? How long will I have to keep this marriage a secret?"
Tears welled up, but I controlled my emotions and quickly took a shower. Wrapped in a bathrobe, I returned to the room, noticing Di was no longer there. Locking the door, I dressed in a simple pink kurti with a closed neck and casual pajamas.
Sitting in front of the mirror, I applied moisturizer and lip balm. My eyes landed on my hairline again, which still had traces of red. I realized I didn't have sindoor to apply. Glancing toward the mandir in our room, I remembered I had some there. Walking over, I opened a small drawer and found the small box of vermilion. I took a pinch and applied it to my hairline, then returned to the mirror, carefully covering the sindoor with my hair.
Just as I finished tying half of my hair into a bun, I heard Di's voice. I quickly opened the door to find her standing there with two cups of coffee. She walked in and asked me to lock the door. Sitting on the bed, she gestured for me to join her.
I knew the interrogation was about to begin.
Handing me a cup of coffee, she looked straight at me and said, "Now tell me the truth, Divu. I know whatever you said downstairs wasn't the whole story."
"No, Di, there's nothing more to it," I tried to insist, but she wasn't buying it.
"Divya, I've known you since you were a child. I know when you're lying. If you were telling the truth, why couldn't you look us in the eye? Why were you looking down the entire time? Do you really think you can just make up a story, and we'll believe it? Even Maa and Papa weren't convinced, but they didn't press you because they could see you needed time. But I'm not going to let it go."
Her voice was firm but not unkind. I stayed silent.
"Are you going to tell me what happened or not? Please, Divu. I'm here for you. If there's a problem, don't be afraid. I'll help you through it," she said softly, cupping my cheeks as a tear I didn't know I was holding back slipped down.
"Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you?" she asked, fear creeping into her voice.
I shook my head and hugged her tightly. She patted my back before breaking the hug and brushing my hair away from my face.
"Now, tell me everything from the beginning," she said gently.
I nodded and began telling her everything-from the start to the very end. By the time I finished, she was in shock.
"You... you got married?" she asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
I nodded.
"But to whom? What's his name? Do you know anything about him?" she asked, more serious now.
I shook my head and replied, "I only know his name is Aarav Singh Rajput, and he's 24 years old. He lives in Lucknow."
"Wait... you only know his name?" She stared at me in shock.
I nodded, tears threatening to fall again.
"Okay, calm down. Let's take this one step at a time. First, do you accept him as your husband?" she asked.
I nodded again. "Di, he married me, and we followed all the rituals."
"But earlier you said that when he accidentally filled your hairline with his blood, you accepted him as your husband."
"At that moment, I didn't understand what was happening. When I saw the sindoor in my maang, I remembered Maa's words-that when a man fills a woman's hairline, she becomes his wife. I was ready to accept his decision, and I told him everything. But then he dragged me to the temple and married me with all the rituals," I explained.
She thought for a moment, then asked, "Why didn't you tell Maa and Papa?"
"He asked me to keep the marriage a secret for a while. He said he would come and talk to Maa and Papa soon," I said.
She sighed, taking it all in. "Do you know anything else about him?"
"No, but he told me he has a business, and he gave me his card to contact him."
"Alright, drink your coffee and try to get some sleep. You know you have your JEE Advanced exam the day after tomorrow, right? Have you prepared for it?"
I widened my eyes, realizing I had completely forgotten about the exam amidst all the chaos. "Yes, Di, I've prepared, but I'm really scared. You know this is one of the toughest exams."
"Don't worry. You've prepared well. Now sleep-it's already 4:30 in the morning. Get some rest, and don't go to the library today. Study here," she said, reassuring me.
I nodded, covered myself with the duvet, and drifted into sleep, my mind still reeling from everything that had happened.
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