Atharv’s POV
This night refused to end.
I stood near the glass window of my room, staring at the city lights spread across the darkness while the same thoughts kept circling endlessly inside my head.
Dadu’s words.
That promise.
Marriage.
And somehow… her.
The girl from the mall.
I still hadn’t seen her face properly, yet she had managed to disturb a balance I had spent years building for myself. My life had always been controlled, calculated, emotionless when needed.
So why was one random encounter affecting me this much?
I exhaled tiredly and ran a hand through my hair.
For years, I had convinced myself that memories could be buried deep enough to stop hurting.
But now it felt like fate was dragging those same memories back toward me piece by piece.
And I hated it.
By the time morning arrived, sleep still hadn’t touched me.
The exhaustion sat heavily behind my eyes as I walked downstairs toward the dining area. Everyone was already there, breakfast somehow louder than usual.
Yuvraj was busy stealing food from Myra’s plate while she complained dramatically.
“Mumma! Bhai literally ate half my sandwich!”
“I took one bite,” Yuvraj defended himself shamelessly.
“That was not one bite!”
Normally, I would’ve ignored the chaos.
Today, my mind felt too occupied even for that.
The moment Chachi noticed me, she frowned.
“Arre, Arvi?” Her eyes moved over my formal clothes. “Tum office ja rahe ho?”
[Arvi? You're going to the office?]
“Aaj haldi hai, beta.”
[Today is the haldi function.]
I pulled out a chair calmly. “I know.”
“Then why are you dressed like you’re attending a board meeting?” Yuvraj asked immediately.
“Because I am,” I replied flatly.
Maa sighed softly. “Beta, at least take half the day off.”
“I can’t,” I answered while checking a message on my phone. “There are important meetings.”
Papa finally folded his newspaper and looked at me.
“And Yash?”
There was no anger in his voice.
Which somehow made it worse.
“I already spoke to him,” I replied calmly. “He knows I’ll be busy.”
Dadu, who had been silent till now, looked at me carefully.
“At least try to come for some time.”
His voice carried quiet hope.
And that alone made saying no difficult.
I looked away briefly before nodding once.
“I’ll see.”
Not a promise.
Just enough to stop the conversation.
Dadu smiled faintly anyway.
And for some reason…
that small smile felt heavier than pressure ever could.
Without wasting more time, I picked up my car keys and left before anyone could continue the topic further.
But even while driving toward Rathore Industries—
my mind wasn’t focused on work.
It kept drifting back toward the same questions.
The same memories.
And the same unknown girl.
Author’s POV
While Atharv buried himself inside meetings and unfinished thoughts—
the rest of the world looked completely different.
At Chandralok Haveli, (this is the ancestral haveli of Yashvardhan's family) the haldi function had transformed the entire place into a golden dream.
Fresh marigold strings hung across the garden while yellow drapes moved softly with the wind. The air smelled of jasmine, sandalwood, sweets, and haldi.
Music echoed through the haveli.
Children ran around throwing flower petals at each other.
Cousins screamed dramatically every few minutes after becoming victims of surprise haldi attacks.
And right in the center of all that chaos sat Meera and Yash.
Or more accurately—
sat two people who had completely lost control over their own haldi ceremony.
“YASH!”
Meera burst into laughter while trying to protect herself from another attack. “Tumne mere baalon mein haldi laga di!”
[You put haldi in my hair!]
Yash looked unapologetically proud of himself. “By accident.”
“That did not look accidental at all.”
“It was emotionally accidental.”
The cousins around them started cheering shamelessly.
“Jiju is losing!”
“Meera di don’t spare him!”
Yash pointed dramatically toward the crowd. “Nobody supports the groom in this family.”
“Because the groom deserves suffering,” Rhea replied while recording everything on her phone.
“Wow,” Yash placed a hand over his heart. “Betrayal everywhere.”
Meera laughed so hard she nearly ruined her own outfit.
“You deserve it,” she said before smearing another streak of haldi across his cheek.
The entire crowd burst into laughter again.
Yash stared at her for two seconds before suddenly grabbing her wrist gently and rubbing haldi across the tip of her nose.
Meera gasped in disbelief.
“YASHVARDHAN!”
“That’s revenge.”
“You’re dead.”
“I’m the groom,” he replied proudly. “You legally cannot kill me today.”
Even the elders sitting nearby couldn’t stop laughing watching their endless argument.
Not far away, Vivaan stood holding a plate of sweets while observing the chaos safely from a distance.
A smart decision.
Because the second Rhea noticed him—
she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“You.”
Vivaan blinked once. “Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“What did I do?”
“Your face looks annoying.”
Vivaan stared at her in disbelief before laughing sarcastically. “And your personality feels violent.”
“Maybe because some people deserve violence.”
“See? Exactly my point.”
Before their argument could continue, Meera immediately interrupted.
“Can both of you please survive one function without fighting?”
“He started it,” Rhea complained instantly.
“I literally said one sentence!” Vivaan said dramatically
“And it irritated me already.” Rhea said in sarcasam
Yash laughed loudly while Vivaan looked personally offended by life itself.
“Congratulations,” Yash patted his shoulder. “You survived three whole minutes with Rhea.”
“I deserve compensation.” Vivaan said while making faces.
Meanwhile, Aarohi sat beside Meera smiling softly at the chaos around her.
For the first time in days…
her mind actually felt lighter.
No strange whispers.
No fear.
No restless thoughts.
Just warmth.
Laughter.
And people she loved.
But fate rarely lets peace last too long.
Near the far corner of the garden, Kausalya Mehra stood silently watching everyone with emotional eyes.
Weddings always brought memories back.
Some beautiful.
Some painful.
And some promises that time had failed to erase.
Then suddenly—
a familiar voice spoke behind her.
“Kausalya ji?”
Her breath caught instantly.
Slowly, she turned around.
And froze.
Standing a few steps away was Amrit Singh Rathore.
Older now.
Greyer.
But still carrying the same calmness in his eyes.
“Amrit ji…” her voice trembled slightly. “Aap?”
[You?]
A faint emotional smile appeared on his face.
“Main bhi yahi puchhne wala tha.”
[I was about to ask the same.]
For a moment, the noise around them faded completely.
Twenty years collapsed into silence between two people who understood too much without speaking.
“Lagta hai waqt sach mein wapas aa gaya,” Amrit said quietly.
[Looks like time has truly returned.]
Kausalya lowered her eyes briefly.
“Ya shayad… purane vaade.”
[Or maybe… old promises.]
Pain flickered through Amrit’s expression at that.
Because some promises never really disappear.
They simply wait for the right time to return.
“Agar Amar hote toh…” Kausalya started softly.
[If Amar were here then…]
But her voice broke midway.
Amrit nodded silently.
“I know.”
A tear slipped down her cheek before she quickly wiped it away.
Around them, laughter still echoed through the haveli.
Nobody noticed the heaviness standing quietly between two old souls.
“Shayad waqt aa gaya hai,” Kausalya whispered slowly, “adhure hisaab poore karne ka.”
[Maybe it’s finally time to complete unfinished promises.]
Amrit’s gaze unconsciously shifted toward the crowd.
Toward two destinies still unaware of each other.
And somewhere deep inside him—
an old promise finally began breathing again.
Golden chaos. Sleepless memories.
And a promise buried for thirty years finally finding its way back. 💛
But the real question is…
What happens when fate starts connecting two people before they even realize it? 👀✨
Also… Team Meera or Team Yash in the haldi war? 😭🌼
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