Uncle's eyes were filled with an emotion I could not name. Desperation, maybe. Or sorrow.
"Please, Viya. Take this as my last wish."
My last wish.
The words felt like a weight pressing down on my chest, crushing the air from my lungs.
I closed my eyes. Tears continued to slide down my cheeks.
"Yes," I whispered. "Okay. Yes."
Uncle's shoulders sagged with relief. He pulled me into a tight hug, and I felt him shaking slightly.
"Thank you, beta. Thank you."
I pulled back after a moment, wiping at my face with the back of my hand.
"Can I at least know who I am getting married to?"
Uncle hesitated.
"Armaan Khanna. The CEO of New Gen Corp."
My heart stopped.
Armaan. My boss. The man from the elevator.
I stared at Uncle, unable to process this new information.
"Can I meet him before the wedding?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Uncle shook his head.
"No. The wedding is this Sunday."
"Sunday?" My voice cracked. "That is in two days."
"It will be a small affair," Uncle continued quickly. "We need to keep it a secret for now. Armaan's father is in the United States. They want to announce the marriage publicly after a year, once his father returns. Until then, no one can know."
None of this made sense. Nothing about this made sense.
"Uncle, why so much hurry?" I asked, fresh tears welling in my eyes. "If we have to keep it secret anyway, why can we not wait a year? Why does it have to be this Sunday?"
Uncle looked away, his jaw tight.
"Because I do not have that much time, Viya."
His words were like a knife to my heart.
"I requested Armaan's grandmother for the wedding to happen this Sunday. She agreed. You need to be ready."
He did not wait for my response. He turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing on the stairs as he descended back into the house.
I stood there alone on the terrace, the cool evening air wrapping around me like a shroud.
Tears flowed down my face unchecked.
What kind of cruel joke was life playing with me? I did not understand. I could not understand.
