If hell existed—
Aarav was standing in it.
And it smelt like expensive perfume, gold jewellery, and aggressive matchmaking.
The saree shopping had been bad.
Very bad.
But now—
They had entered the jewellery section.
Which meant the aunties had evolved.
No longer curious.
Now they were invested.
Emotionally.
Spiritually.
Economically.
Rohan sat in the corner of the jewellery showroom with a cold drink and the expression of a man watching a national sporting event.
"This," he whispered to Aarav, "is better than cricket."
Traitor.
Unforgivable traitor.
The showroom glittered under golden lights.
Diamond necklaces.
Gold bangles.
Wedding sets that probably cost more than small countries.
His mother walked through it all with terrifying calm.
She belonged here.
This was her battlefield.
The sales staff treated her with the respect usually reserved for politicians and dangerous school principals.
Fair.
Very fair.
Behind her walked the future girls.
Aelina is still trying to understand why one necklace required three separate family discussions.
Mira looks like she could overthrow capitalism on principle.
Selene examined diamond sets like they were ceremonial weapons.
And Nysera—
Somehow making luxury jewellery look underdressed.
Unfair.
Cosmically unfair.
His sister had joined full-time chaos mode.
She leaned toward Aarav and whispered,
"By tonight, one of them is definitely becoming the favourite daughter-in-law."
Aarav whispered back,
"I'm applying for witness protection."
Denied.
Obviously.
His mother called from across the room.
"Aarav!"
No peace.
Never peace.
He walked over.
She pointed at a necklace set placed before Aelina.
Elegant.
Silver and blue stones.
Soft.
Refined.
Perfect.
His mother smiled.
"This suits her."
Aelina looked genuinely flustered.
Rare.
Dangerous.
She touched the necklace lightly.
"In my century, ornaments are mostly symbolic energy interfaces."
His mother nodded.
"Good. This one is symbolic emotional damage."
Perfect translation.
Then Mira.
His mother held up a deep violet diamond set.
Sharp lines.
Bold.
Expensive enough to cause generational trauma.
Mira frowned.
"This looks like it belongs to someone dangerous."
His mother smiled.
"Exactly."
Mira, against all logic, looked pleased.
Concerning.
Very concerning.
Then Selene.
The jeweller carefully presented a royal-style gold bridal set.
Heavy.
Powerful.
Capable of causing neck pain and political influence.
Selene lifted it like she was testing a sword.
"How much does it weigh?"
The jeweller blinked.
"Madam?"
"Can I run while wearing this?"
The poor man looked at Aarav for help.
There was no help.
Only suffering.
Finally—
Nysera.
The entire showroom became suspiciously respectful.
Even strangers slowed down.
The jeweller himself brought out a white diamond set, usually hidden for rich people and plot twists.
It shimmered like starlight.
Even Aarav stared.
Nysera smiled softly.
"This seems excessive."
His mother replied instantly,
"So are you."
Reasonable.
Deeply reasonable.
Then—
The aunties attacked.
Three of them.
Returning from earlier, like recurring villains.
One sat beside his mother like they had signed an alliance treaty.
Another stared directly at Aarav.
Then at the girls.
Then asked the question humanity feared:
"So beta…"
A pause.
"Engagement kab hai?"
Silence.
Absolute.
Universal.
Even time itself backed away.
Rohan dropped his drink.
His sister physically vibrated with joy.
His father, who had foolishly come to "help", immediately pretended to receive an urgent work call.
Coward.
Ancient coward.
Aarav opened his mouth.
Nothing.
Because no human language could save him now.
Before he could die—
His mother answered.
Calmly.
"Soon."
WHAT.
Aarav turned so fast he nearly achieved time travel.
"What?"
His mother did not blink.
"What? What?"
"Soon?!"
She folded her arms.
"You think I will let four good girls from the future fight wars and then leave empty-handed?"
Rohan whispered,
"She has a point."
No.
No, she did not.
Mira crossed her arms.
"She is terrifying."
Aelina nodded softly.
"I am beginning to understand."
Selene looked impressed.
"She would survive my timeline."
Highest possible compliment.
Nysera simply smiled like she had expected this since 5026.
Traitor.
Supreme traitor.
The aunties were now spiritually ascending.
One of them grabbed Aarav's cheek.
"Very lucky boy."
No.
Unlucky.
Catastrophically unlucky.
His sister joined the violence.
"Tell us honestly."
She pointed dramatically.
"Who would you propose to first?"
The showroom went silent.
Again.
This city had no hobbies except destroying him.
The girls all looked at him.
Again.
This had become a pattern.
A dangerous one.
Aelina was calm but quietly hopeful.
Mira is pretending not to care with Olympic-level effort.
Selene stood as if he had answered wrong; history would be rewritten.
Nysera looked like she already knew.
Aarav considered faking his own death.
Again.
Reasonable option.
He took a breath.
Then—
unexpectedly—
He answered honestly.
"I don't know."
Silence.
But softer this time.
He looked at them.
At all of them.
"This isn't a game for me."
His voice stayed steady.
"I care about all of you differently."
Aelina lowered her eyes.
Mira's expression shifted.
Selene listened like it was a war strategy.
Nysera smiled faintly.
Aarav continued.
"And I'm not choosing based on pressure."
He looked at his mother.
Then the aunties.
Then destiny itself.
"When I choose…"
A pause.
"It'll be because I mean it."
No jokes.
No sarcasm.
Just truth.
And strangely—
The room respected it.
His mother nodded once.
Approval.
Rare.
Powerful.
Even the aunties accepted it like elders blessing a dramatic television serial.
His father lowered the fake work call.
Cowardly support.
Still support.
Then his mother sighed and stood.
"Fine."
Relief.
Beautiful relief.
Then—
"Until then, we are still buying the jewellery."
Pain.
Immediate pain.
Rohan raised both hands.
"Balance restored."
Exactly.
Perfectly.
And somewhere—
The future itself was probably taking notes.
Because saving timelines was easy.
Surviving aunties?
That required true power.