I woke up and saw Anvi sleeping beside me. My heart was restless, like it already knew something was wrong. I quietly got out of bed and rushed toward Lavanya's room. The door was closed.
I knocked hard. Once. Twice. Again.
After a while, the door opened. The moment Lavanya saw me standing there in my night suit, she pulled me inside and shut the door.
"Why are you roaming around in these clothes?" she asked, panicked.
"I'm here to tell you something," I said, my voice serious.
"What is it?"
"Kartikey is getting married soon," I said. "You should tell him you like him."
"No need," she replied instantly.
My eyes widened. I couldn't believe what I just heard.
"What do you mean no need?" I said. "You should go and tell him about your feelings."
I tried pushing her out of the room.
She held the door tightly. "No need, I said," she repeated, her voice breaking.
"But why?" I asked.
She suddenly fell to her knees and started crying. Her tears were shredding heavily, her sobs loud and uncontrollable. Seeing her like that shattered something inside me. This was the same girl who once told me never to cry for a boy.
I hugged her tightly.
"Stop crying," I whispered. "What happened? Why are you losing hope? You should fight for him."
"I can't," she cried. "My marriage is arranged with your brother Aarav. We don't love each other. It was fixed by my father."
My chest felt heavy.
"We'll talk to uncle," I said. "He'll understand."
"He won't," she cried. "He'll never listen."
I knew I couldn't let this end here.
"Okay," I said firmly. "Let's go. We'll talk to my brother. He'll reject the marriage."
"No… he won't," she said, but I still pulled her toward Aarav's room.
He was sitting on his bed, working on his laptop. I walked straight in.
"Brother, reject the marriage. Now," I said.
He stared at me and then at Lavanya. Slowly, he shut his laptop.
"Oh," he said bitterly. "You think I have a choice? I don't love her. Do you think Papa will listen to me? This marriage is meant to happen, and I don't even know why. Why don't my choices matter?"
I turned to Lavanya, held her hand tightly, and said, "Stop crying."
Then I looked back at him. "Come on, Lavanya. Get ready. We're going to meet Kartikey's fiancée."
We walked out.
I woke up Anvi and Manya too.
Downstairs, we waited for Sarthak. He was supposed to drop us, and Jai would meet us there. But he was taking too long.
Finally, he came downstairs. Dark circles under his eyes, hair messy.
The moment we saw him, we burst out laughing.
"What happened to you?" I asked. "Did uncle give you some impossible work again?"
"No," he sighed. "He was asking how to convince Anvi and didn't let me sleep."
We laughed the entire way, even in the car.
At the restaurant, I walked to the receptionist.
"Which room did Kartikey Malhotra book?" I asked.
She looked at me and smiled. "Samira, right?"
"Yes."
"Please come with me."
She stopped near a room. "They're inside," she said and left.
We entered.
The room was normal. Quiet. And then—
My world flipped.
Kartikey was there. With Aarav's girlfriend. Kissing her.
"What are you doing?" I screamed.
I rushed forward and pulled her hair.
"You're cheating on my brother!" I shouted. "He loved you. Treated you like a princess. He waited for you, trusted you—and this is what you do?"
I slapped her hard.
When I raised my hand again, Kartikey grabbed my wrist.
That was it.
My eyes filled with tears.
"We're not friends anymore," I said coldly. "You both cheated him. It doesn't matter whether you knew or not. You kissed the girl he loved."
I looked at her. "Stop crying. You could've told him you were committed. But you chose to lie."
Then I turned to Kartikey.
"And you," I said, my voice shaking with rage, "you stopped me from slapping her. You're no better. I'll remember you as a part of my worst nightmare."
I walked out.
The happiness I carried earlier was gone. Completely crushed. We called the driver and left.
I called Jai and told him everything.
First, we dropped Anvi home. Then Manya at Jai's place. After that, we returned home.
As we entered, I saw Aarav heading out.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
He looked confused. "I'm not married to you, Lavanya. I'm going to meet Tina. She's back."
I snapped.
"You're not going anywhere to meet that girl."
He turned toward me, furious. "Don't ever speak against her again, or you'll regret it."
I laughed bitterly.
"Oh really?" I said. "She cheated on you with Kartikey. I saw them. I slapped her. I broke my friendship too. And after knowing all this, you still want to meet her?"
I grabbed Lavanya's hand and pulled her into my room. Aarav followed, but I locked the door.
He sat outside.
"I'm sorry," he said after a while, his voice breaking.
"I didn't know she cheated on me. I didn't know you were protecting me. I'm sorry you had to lose your friend because of me."
I opened the door and hugged him.
"Don't cry," I said softly. "She didn't deserve you. Your love is meant for someone better."
I wiped his tears and smiled. "Or I'll click your picture and upload it everywhere."
He smirked weakly. I laughed.
And that's how my day ended—
painful, emotional, broken…
but still holding a little warmth.