It was her. The girl from the elevator. She looks different today, more beautiful, breathtaking. She is going to be my wife? But what was she doing there in my office that day?
"Beta," the pandit’s voice cut through the roar in my ears, sounding like it was coming from miles away. "Tie the mangalsutra. We are waiting.”
I blinked, forcing myself back to the present. My hands moved automatically. I leaned forward and tied the black and gold beaded chain around her neck. My fingers brushed against her skin, and I felt her flinch slightly.
Then I picked up the vermillion and applied it to the parting of her hair. The red powder stood out starkly against her dark hair.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the pandit declared.
It was done.
Uncle and Dadi came forward to bless us. Uncle placed his hand on Viya's head, his eyes filled with something that looked like guilt. Dadi blessed us both with a warm smile.
I noticed Sangeetha aunty had disappeared. She was nowhere to be seen.
"We need to do the vidai now and head home," Dadi said gently.
Viya stood and walked over to her friend Puneet. He hugged her tightly, and I could see him whispering something in her ear. She nodded against his shoulder.
Then she turned to Uncle Vinay. She wrapped her arms around him and began crying. Not quiet tears. Full, body shaking sobs.
"Forgive me, beta," Uncle whispered, his own voice breaking. "Please forgive me."
Viya shook her head against his chest.
"Do not say that, Uncle. Please do not say that."
Watching them felt like intruding on something deeply private. I looked away.
Finally, Dadi gently guided Viya toward the door. We all walked out to the car. Viya sat in the back seat next to me. The space between us felt like a canyon.
Nobody spoke during the drive home. The silence was suffocating.
When we reached the Khanna house, Dadi performed the traditional welcome ritual. She did the aarti, welcoming Viya into the family. Viya touched her feet respectfully.
Once all the rituals were completed, Dadi took Viya upstairs to my room. Our room now, I supposed.
I could not bring myself to follow them. Instead, I went to my study and found Aryan already there, two glasses of whiskey poured and waiting.
We sat in silence for hours. Drinking. Not talking. Just existing in the same space.
Around eleven o'clock, Dadi appeared in the doorway of the study. She looked between Aryan and me, her expression gentle but firm.
"Armaan, you need to go to your room."
I looked up at her.
"What do you expect from me, Dadi? That I will sleep with her?"
Dadi did not take offense. She just walked further into the room and sat down in one of the chairs.
"Viya is your wife now, Armaan. I know there is no love between you. But the relationship you have with her demands respect. And she deserves that much, at the very least."
"That is easy to say after ruining her life," I said bitterly.
Aryan spoke up before Dadi could respond.
"You should go to your room, Armaan. It is not good to keep your bride waiting. She is new here. She is in a strange house with people she does not know. At the very least, be present. Sheneeds her husband right now. Forget why you married her. Just show some human decency for a year—and let the future worry about itself."
