Chapter 3 #2
"This is the only solution, Armaan. I do not want to lose your love. I do not want you to become like your father. I do not want you to leave me and go away."
I looked down at her, my frustration warring with the fear in her eyes.
"That is never going to happen, Dadi. I will never leave you."
But she was insistent.
"Please, beta. We will compensate the girl generously. We will find her another suitable groom after one year and help her settle down. We will take care of everything for her. She will not suffer."
I pulled my arm free.
"And what if something happens to her? What will you tell the world then?"
Dadi looked at Girish ji.
"Girish ji has confirmed that nothing will happen to her. She will be perfectly safe."
I shook my head.
"Our relatives know about me and Avija. Our business associates know. What will we tell them?"
Dadi's voice was calm but firm.
"We will keep this marriage a secret. Nobody needs to know. We will have a small, private ceremony. Just a formality. After one year, you can divorce her quietly and marry Avija properly."
Sangeetha aunty spoke up again.
"This is the best solution for everyone. Viya does not even need to know the real reason. We can tell her it is a arrange marriage. We will arrange everything. You can divorce her after one year. She will never know the truth."
Vinay uncle objected immediately.
"Sangeetha, this is wrong. We cannot do this to Viya."
But Sangeetha aunty turned on him with fury in her eyes.
"Do you want our daughter dead, Vinay? Is that what you want? Because if Armaan marries Avija now, she will die. Do you understand that?"
Vinay uncle fell silent, his face conflicted.
Sangeetha aunty turned to Avija and began talking to her in low, urgent tones. I could not hear everything, but I could see Avija slowly nodding, tears streaming down her face.
I had heard enough.
"I am not part of this," I said coldly. "I am leaving."
I turned toward the door, but Avija suddenly grabbed my hand.
"Armaan, wait. Please."
I looked down at her tear stained face.
"It kills me to see you marry someone else," she whispered. "It destroys me. But if this is the only solution, if this is the only way we can be together, then I am ready for this. I will wait for you."
I pulled my hand back.
"I am not ready for this, Avija. I cannot betray someone like this. I cannot use an innocent person as a pawn."
She grabbed my hand again, holding it tightly.
"Girish ji said there is no harm to her. She will be completely safe. And we will compensate her. We will make her life better than it ever was. Please, Armaan. For us."
I stared at her.
"Then tell her the truth. Tell her why she is being used in this drama. Why keep it a secret?"
Avija's eyes widened.
"We cannot risk that. What if she says no? Where will we find another girl with the right nakshatra? Please, Armaan. Just trust me."
I could not believe what I was hearing. This was insane. All of it.
I pulled my hand free and turned toward the door.
"I am leaving."
But then I heard a sound behind me. A soft gasp.
I turned around and saw Dadi clutching her chest. Her face had gone gray. Her breathing was labored and shallow.
"Dadi!"
I rushed to her side. She was trying to speak, but no words were coming out. Panic shot through me like ice water.
"Ramesh!" I shouted. "Get the car now!"
I lifted Dadi into my arms. She was so light. Too light. I carried her out of the house and into the car. Ramesh drove faster than I had ever seen him drive before. Avija's family followed in their own car.
We reached the hospital within minutes. The staff rushed Dadi into the emergency room immediately. I paced the hallway outside, my heart pounding, my mind racing.
The doctor came out after what felt like hours but was probably only twenty minutes.
"Mr. Khanna?"
I stepped forward.
"How is she?"
The doctor's expression was serious.
"Her blood pressure spiked dangerously high. She was very close to having a stroke. We have stabilized her for now, but you need to make sure she does not experience any stress. No arguments. No emotional upheaval. Her heart cannot take it."
I nodded, my throat tight.
"Can I see her?"
"Yes. But keep it brief. She needs rest."
I walked into her room. Dadi was lying in the hospital bed, an IV in her arm, monitors beeping softly around her. She looked so small. So fragile.
She opened her eyes when she heard me enter.
"Armaan."
I pulled a chair close to her bed and sat down, taking her hand gently.
"How are you feeling, Dadi?"
She smiled weakly.
"I will be fine, beta. But I need you to do something for me."
I already knew what she was going to say.
"Please agree to this marriage. It is my last wish. I need to see you safe and settled before I go."
I closed my eyes.
"Do not talk like that, Dadi. You are not going anywhere."
Her grip on my hand tightened.
"Please, Armaan. Please do this for me."
The fear of losing her was overwhelming. It crushed everything else. Every objection. Every principle. Every shred of resistance.
I looked at her face, at the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, and I felt something inside me break.
"Okay," I whispered. "Okay, Dadi. I will do it."
Her face flooded with relief. She closed her eyes and let out a long, shaky breath.
And just like that, I had agreed to the most insane thing anyone had ever asked me to do.