CHAPTER 21
SIYA
Marriage Day - Cape Town
I stand in front of the mirror and stare at myself, barely able to recognise the woman looking back at me.
The bridal lehenga I’m wearing is breathtaking.
A deep crimson silk with heavy embroidery at the border.
Diamonds rest against my throat, and bangles cover both my wrists.
My makeup is flawless. Hair perfectly styled beneath the bridal dupatta draped over my head.
I look exactly the way a bride should.
And I 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 man I chose 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 lies Queenstown. 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.
“Now that I finally got to see you dressed like a bride,” she had whispered softly, “I wish I could’ve seen you truly married too. You look so beautiful today.”
The memory nearly breaks something inside my chest now.
“Mom…” I whisper helplessly into the empty room. “Where are you?”
With every passing minute, the fear only increases. What if something happened to her? What if Samarjeet found out? What if he already knows about our escape plan? No. Trisha would have warned me if that happened. Wouldn’t she?
I don’t even realise how much time passes while spiralling through these thoughts until I hear another knock on the door. Relief rushes through me so fast that I almost run towards it. But the second I pull it open, my entire body stiffens.
Samarjeet stands outside, his eyes moving slowly over me from head to toe as he inspects my bridal look almost mockingly. A smirk tugs at his mouth.
“Well,” he drawls lazily, “this is surprising.”
I say nothing.
“I honestly expected another drama from you today. Crying, fighting, refusing to marry like some tragic heroine. But seeing you standing here dressed like Parag’s obedient bride without creating a scene… it looks like reality has finally broken my sister’s ego.”
Anger flashes through me instantly. My first instinct is to demand where Mom is. Because I still can’t shake off the suspicion that he might be behind her disappearance. But I stop myself just in time.
If Samarjeet doesn’t know anything yet, I can’t risk exposing my panic over Mom being missing. One wrong reaction from me could ruin the entire extraction plan.
So, I force my expression to remain blank.
“Why are you here?” I ask coldly.
Samarjeet looks almost amused by the question.
“To take you downstairs, obviously.” He shrugs. “Isn’t that the brother’s job? To escort the bride to the mandap?”
I frown immediately.
“It’s not even time yet. The muhurat isn’t for another hour.”
He scoffs. “Since when do mafias care about auspicious timings? We don’t wait for the right muhurat before pulling a trigger into someone’s skull, do we?
So why would I wait for one to start a wedding?
” He sighs before adding. “Parag’s already downstairs.
The priest is ready. The guests are waiting.
Nobody wants to sit around for another hour listening to wedding chants. ”
Then his eyes darken. “So stop filling your head with some dreamy princess wedding fantasy, Siya. This is an alliance, not a fairytale that we have to wait for some auspicious time to begin.”
Before I can respond, his hand suddenly closes around my wrist. “Let’s go.”
I tense immediately.
No. Trisha specifically told me to stay inside this room until she returned.
But Samarjeet doesn’t give me the chance to refuse.
He drags me out of the bedroom before I can think of an excuse.
I want to resist. But I can’t create a scene right now.
Not when I still don’t know what happened to Mom.
Not when our chance of escape may depend on me acting normal for a little while longer.
So I force myself to walk beside him, even as every instinct inside me warns that something is terribly wrong.
The wedding is set up inside Vardhaan Mansion, more specifically in the vast open lawn stretching across the front of the mansion.
The moment Samarjeet walks me outside, the sheer scale of this mafia wedding hits me all over again.
The entire lawn has been transformed into a heavily guarded luxury fortress.
A massive mandap stands at the centre beneath layers of cascading flowers and golden lights. Armed guards are stationed around every corner, even while servers move between guests carrying trays of champagne and expensive liquor.
Everywhere I look, there are mafia families.
Powerful men.
Their wives.
Mistresses.
Political allies.
Syndicate leaders.
Private security teams.
There are no children in sight. Just dangerous people dressed elegantly enough to hide the violence beneath their polished exteriors. And standing near the mandap is Parag… dressed as a groom.
I can see the satisfaction written all over his face from here.
The relief. The triumph. As if he already believes this marriage is a done deal.
As if he has finally secured me as a permanent part of his life.
The sight alone makes nausea crawl up my throat.
I need Trisha to come back. Now. Because if she delays even a little longer…
this entire situation is going to turn into a disaster.