There are truths a man is not prepared to hear.
Some are cosmic.
Some are tragic.
And some—
Some are far worse.
For Aarav, that truth was this:
His mother might secretly support Mira.
Not Aelina, the sweet, responsible one.
Not Selene, the terrifying bodyguard-wife candidate.
Not Nysera, the divine silver-haired future queen who had somehow conquered his grandmother.
No.
Mira.
The woman who treated affection like a tax audit.
The woman who weaponised sarcasm.
The woman is currently standing in his kitchen arguing with his mother about parathas.
This was not romance.
This was geopolitical instability.
Aarav stood outside the kitchen door like a soldier observing enemy strategy.
Beside him, Rohan was holding a glass of water and the expression of a man attending live theatre.
"This," he whispered, "is peak entertainment."
Traitor.
Professional traitor.
Inside—
His mother placed another paratha on Mira's plate.
Mira looked personally offended.
"I said I'm full."
His mother sat across from her, calm.
"Incorrect."
Mira narrowed her eyes.
"I have eaten four."
His mother nodded.
"Exactly. Weak numbers."
Rohan covered his mouth to stop laughing.
Aarav stared at the ceiling.
He had survived time collapse for this.
Across the dining table, Aelina was smiling into her tea like a peaceful witness.
Selene sat with the terrifying stillness of someone treating lunch like tactical observation.
Nysera looked like she had already written the future outcome in elegant handwriting.
His sister had abandoned subtlety entirely and was openly taking notes.
His father?
Gone.
Vanished.
Probably hiding at work.
Coward.
Wise coward.
His mother pointed at Mira again.
"You are too thin."
Mira crossed her arms.
"I fight machines from the future."
"Then you need six parathas."
Perfect logic.
Impossible to defeat.
Mira, for the first time since arriving in this timeline, looked genuinely helpless.
A historic event.
Aarav stepped inside.
"Mom—"
She raised one hand.
He stopped.
Because survival.
Because instinct.
Because mothers outranked free will.
Then she turned to him.
Calm.
Deadly.
"Why are you standing there?"
He made the mistake of honesty.
"I was checking if Mira needed rescue."
Silence.
Everyone turned.
Especially Mira.
Her violet eyes locked onto his with enough danger to create weather.
Rohan whispered,
"Oh no."
Yes.
Oh no.
Mira slowly put down her fork.
"Rescue?"
Aarav considered lying.
Unfortunately, he valued life.
"Yes."
She stood.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"From food?"
His sister physically left the room laughing.
Aelina nearly choked on tea.
Selene looked mildly impressed.
Nysera smiled like a prophecy, enjoying itself.
Aarav, brave and stupid, answered—
"You look like you're in distress."
Mira took one step closer.
"You think I cannot defeat your mother?"
Rohan whispered from behind,
"No one can."
Truth.
Ancient truth.
Mira leaned closer.
"And you chose to say that publicly?"
Aarav made eye contact with destiny and lost.
"…Possibly."
She nodded once.
"Excellent. I will remember this."
That was not comfort.
That was a future crime notice.
His mother, meanwhile, looked pleased.
Dangerously pleased.
She turned to everyone and announced—
"I like this one."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even the ceiling fan slowed down for drama.
Mira froze.
"…Excuse me?"
His mother pointed directly at her.
"You."
A pause.
"You fight properly."
Rohan sat down immediately.
He needed stability.
His mother continued like a judge delivering divine law.
"You argue. Good."
She counted on her fingers.
"You are honest. Better."
Another finger.
"And you look at my son like you are deciding whether to protect him or throw him off a building."
She nodded.
"Excellent balance."
No one could argue.
Because she was correct.
Painfully correct.
Mira stared as someone had just rewritten mathematics.
For maybe the first time in her life—
She had no response.
His mother smiled softly.
Rare.
Real.
"When I married his father, I also spent six months wanting to throw him into traffic."
His father, entering at the worst possible time, froze in the doorway.
"…I see I have arrived at danger."
Perfect timing.
Legendary timing.
His mother didn't even look at him.
"You survived."
He nodded respectfully.
"Yes. Through silence."
Wisdom.
Ancient wisdom.
The room exploded into laughter.
Even Mira—
very slightly—
smiled.
Rare.
Powerful.
Aarav noticed.
And unfortunately, so did everyone else.
Especially his sister.
She pointed dramatically.
"HE LOOKED."
No.
No, he did not.
He absolutely did.
But legally—
no.
Aarav sat down immediately.
"I reject all witnesses."
Denied.
His younger cousin ran in like a messenger from chaos.
"Breaking news!"
Never good.
Never.
He held up his phone.
"Family poll updated!"
Rohan stood like a sports commentator.
"Live results!"
The cousin read dramatically.
"Mira is now first."
Silence.
Then chaos.
His sister screamed.
Aelina clapped politely like a supportive queen.
Selene nodded like rank had been reassigned.
Nysera looked like she had predicted this in 5026.
His mother looked satisfied.
And Mira—
Mira looked at Aarav.
Long.
Quiet.
Dangerously unreadable.
Then she said—
"This is your fault."
He blinked.
"How?"
"You exist."
Fair.
Deeply fair.
He accepted that.
As lunch ended and chaos settled into its usual dangerous peace, Aarav stepped outside to breathe.
Fresh air.
Silence.
Temporary survival.
Footsteps followed.
Not soft like Aelina.
Not calm like Nysera.
Not terrifyingly silent like Selene.
Mira.
Of course.
She stood beside him on the balcony.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then she sighed.
"Your family is insane."
He nodded.
"Yes."
A pause.
She looked at the evening sky.
"In my world, people didn't stay long enough to become this annoying."
That line hurt more than expected.
Because annoyance meant closeness.
Messy love.
Unwanted care.
Humanity.
She folded her arms.
"They are loud. Invasive. Emotionally aggressive."
Another pause.
"…I think I like it."
Aarav smiled.
"That's how it starts."
She looked at him sideways.
Suspicious.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"
He answered carefully.
"That maybe home isn't always where you came from."
Silence.
Mira looked away first.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Then she said quietly—
"Your mother is terrifying."
He laughed.
"Yes."
Mira nodded.
"…I respect her."
Honestly?
That might have been more serious than a confession.
And somewhere inside the house—
His mother probably smiled without knowing why.
Because some women didn't need future prediction.
They simply knew.