CHAPTER16 [PREPARATION]
Only 5 days were left.
---
Aarohi sat in her room, lost in thoughts.
She didn’t even know who she was about to marry.
Everything felt forced.
Like she was being trapped in something she never chose.
---
“What if mom is lying…?”
“What if she never tells me the truth even after marriage…?”
---
Her thoughts kept spiraling.
---
Suddenly—
Her phone rang.
---
Unknown Number.
---
She ignored it.
---
It rang again.
---
This time—
She picked up.
---
“Hello?”
---
A familiar voice came from the other side.
---
“Hello… kaise ho, Miss Aarohi? (Hello… how are you, Miss Aarohi?)”
---
Aarohi immediately recognized him.
---
“Tumhe isse kya matlab? (What does it matter to you?)”
---
She was about to cut the call—
---
“Suna hai shaadi kar rahi ho… (I heard you’re getting married…)”
---
She stopped.
---
“Haan kar rahi hoon. (Yes, I am.)”
“Tumhe kya karna hai? (What do you have to do with it?)”
“Dobara call mat karna mujhe. (Don’t call me again.)”
---
There was a brief silence.
---
“Thik hai… (Alright…)”
“Par mujhe shaadi ka invitation nahi diya. (But you didn’t invite me to your wedding.)”
---
Aarohi’s tone turned sharp.
---
“Invitation apno ko diya jaata hai. (Invitations are given to loved ones.)”
“Gairo ko nahi. (Not to strangers.)”
---
A pause.
---
“Thik hai… (Alright…)”
“Ab tumhe aisa hi lagta hai toh theek hai. (If that’s what you think, fine.)”
“Bye.”
---
The call ended.
---
Aarohi stared at her phone.
---
Confused.
---
“That was too easy…”
---
Something didn’t feel right.
---
“Daal me kuch kaala hai… (Something is definitely wrong…)”
“Kahin isne kuch kiya toh nahi…? (What if he has done something…?)”
---
Her thoughts raced faster.
---
The room was silent—
But inside her mind—
A storm had already begun.
---
And somewhere—
This calm before the chaos felt… dangerous.
The call disconnects—
And instantly—
A smirk appears on Vihaan’s face.
---
“Game itni aasani se khatam nahi hota, Aarohi… (The game doesn’t end this easily, Aarohi…)”
---
He puts his phone aside.
And gets back to his work.
---
As if nothing happened.
---
The whole day passes like that.
---
Evening—
---
Aarohi is sitting quietly when her phone rings again.
---
Sana Calling.
---
She picks up.
---
“Hello?”
---
Sana sounds excited.
---
“kal haldi hai! (Tommorow is haldi!)”
“Aur tu abhi tak ayi nahi."
---
Aarohi stays silent for a moment.
---
Then softly—
---
“Mujhe tujhse kuch batana hai… (I need to tell you something…)”
---
Sana pauses.
---
“Kya hua? (What happened?)”
---
Aarohi takes a deep breath.
---
“Main bhi shaadi kar rahi hoon… (I’m also getting married…)”
---
Silence.
---
“WHAT?!”
---
Sana is completely shocked.
---
“Matlab… dono ki shaadi ek saath hai? (You mean both weddings are together?)”
“Ek hi din? (Same day?)”
---
Aarohi replies calmly—
---
“Saath nahi… (Not together…)”
“Par haan… ek hi din hai. (But yes, same day.)”
---
Sana is still processing.
---
“Tu ladke se mili? (Did you meet the guy?)”
---
Aarohi looks away.
---
“Nahi… (No…)”
“Wo bahar rehta hai. (He lives abroad.)”
“Shaadi ke din hi aayega. (He’ll come on the wedding day.)”
---
Sana frowns.
---
“Yeh thoda weird nahi hai? (Isn’t this a bit weird?)”
---
Aarohi gives a dry smile.
---
“Meri life me sab kuch hi weird hai. (Everything in my life is weird.)”
---
Sana softens.
---
“Tu theek hai na? (Are you okay?)”
---
Aarohi lies—
---
“Haan. (Yes.)”
---
A small pause.
---
Then Sana speaks again.
---
They talk for a while.
---
Small things.
Random talk.
---
Then—
The call ends.
---
Aarohi sits there.
Holding her phone.
---
Two weddings.
Same day.
---
But completely different stories.
---
And somewhere—
She knows—
---
Something is about to go very wrong.
Let's see what the next part.