Chapter 2

The Verma house stood tall and elegant, glowing under the evening lights.

Inside—

Comfort met authority.

And chaos was just… waiting to happen.

----------------

“Finally ghar aa hi gaye…”

Isha dropped herself onto the couch like she owned the place, kicking her shoes off carelessly.

Aarushi followed, looking around with a small smile.

“Har baar yahan aake lagta hai… tu sach mein ameer hai.”

“Lagta hai?” Isha scoffed. “Main hoon.”

Nancy wasn’t there.

And for some reason—

That absence felt… noticeable.

Before the moment could stretch—

Footsteps echoed from the hallway.

Ishaan walked in.

Calm as ever.

Composed as ever.

Like nothing in the world could shake him.

But today—

That was about to change.

He glanced at Isha and Aarushi lounging like they paid the bills, then shifted his gaze toward the dining area where his parents sat unusually quiet.

Something felt off.

“Mom, Dad… kya hua? Aap logon ko kuch kehna hai kya?”

His voice was steady—but observant.

His mother glanced at his father, then leaned slightly toward him, whispering—

“Aji, boliye… main nahi bataungi usse. Aap hi batayenge. Theek hai?”

She gave him a look.

The kind that wasn’t really a request.

His father sighed, adjusting his glasses.

“Veer beta… hume tumse kuch baat karni thi.”

Ishaan frowned slightly.

“Haan, wahi toh puch raha hoon. Kya batana hai aapko?”

Meanwhile—

On the couch—

Isha and Aarushi had already grabbed a packet of Kurkure.

Because clearly—

This was about to be interesting.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Both watching like it was live entertainment.

His father hesitated for a second.

Then finally—

“Beta… humne tumhari shaadi ka socha hai…”

Silence.

One second.

Two.

And then—

“Mujhe nahi karni.”

Ishaan’s reply was instant.

Sharp.

Final.

But—

His mother didn’t even let the silence settle.

“Beta, tere papa ne galat kaha.”

She leaned forward slightly.

“Humne socha nahi… pakki kar di hai shaadi.”

Everyone froze.

“Next month ki 4 ko hai.”

Another pause.

But this time—

Heavier.

“Ab tujhe karni padegi.”

Her voice changed as she spoke.

At first—

Soft.

Almost polite.

Then—

Firm.

And finally—

A command.

“Am I clear?”

Ishaan stared at her.

Actually stared.

For the first time—

Completely caught off guard.

And on the couch—

The Kurkure packet slipped from Isha’s hand.

Aarushi’s mouth fell open.

And both of them shouted at the same time—

“WHAT?! HE’S GETTING MARRIED?!”

The room echoed.

Ishaan closed his eyes for a second, irritation flashing across his face.

“Tum dono mujhse zyada shock ho rahi ho.”

He looked at them sharply.

“Shaadi meri ho rahi hai, tumhari nahi.”

Isha pointed at him dramatically.

“Haan toh problem bhi hamari hi hai!”

Aaru nodded instantly.

“Bilkul! Hume mentally prepare hone ka time toh do!”

His father coughed awkwardly.

“Woh… ladki bahut acchi hai—”

“Mujhe interest nahi hai.” Ishaan cut him off again, his tone colder now.

The room tensed slightly.

But his mother—

Didn’t budge.

“Interest ho ya na ho… shaadi hogi.”

A beat.

Her gaze locked with his.

“Aur time bahut kam hai.”

For the first time in a long time—

Ishaan Verma had no immediate response.

And that alone—

Was enough to shake the room.

On the couch—

Isha slowly leaned toward Aarushi and whispered—

“Yeh toh gaya…”

Aaru nodded seriously.

“Pura gaya.”

Ishaan stood still for a few seconds.

The silence in the room pressed against him.

Then—

He exhaled slowly.

“Theek hai.”

Everyone looked at him.

“Main shaadi ke liye ready hoon.”

The words felt… forced.

But firm enough.

Relief flickered across his father’s face.

His mother, however, didn’t soften.

She looked at him seriously.

“Yaad rakhna, Veer.”

Her voice was calm—but heavy.

“Yeh arranged marriage hai. Tumhe uska dil jeetna padega.”

A pause.

Her eyes sharpened slightly.

“Aur aisa kuch mat karna… jisse hume lage ki tumse shaadi karake humne galti ki hai.”

The weight of her words lingered.

“Is rishte ko nibhane ki koshish karna.”

Ishaan met her gaze.

For once—

No argument.

“Mom, I know. I will try.”

She nodded.

She nodded.

“Theek hai. Main tumhe uska number aur photo bhej dungi. Kuch din mein usse milne chale jaana.”

“Okay.”

And without another word—

He turned and walked upstairs.

----------------

The moment he disappeared—

Silence lasted exactly two seconds.

Then—

“Mummyyyy!”

Isha and Aarushi practically flew toward his mother, clinging to her from both sides.

“Mummy, woh ladki kaun hai?!” Isha asked dramatically.

Her mother smiled slightly, amused.

“Woh bohot acchi ladki hai…”

She adjusted her dupatta.

“Delhi ki hai. Kisi university mein professor hai shayad.”

Aaru’s eyes widened.

She slowly turned to look at Isha.

“Yeh toh thoda kisi se match hua…”

Isha narrowed her eyes, staring back.

“Haan… thoda zyada hi match ho raha hai.”

Mom continued, unaware of the chaos building.

“Veer se do saal chhoti hai. 26 ki hai.”

Both girls froze.

Then—

Very slowly—

They turned to look at each other again.

“Yeh bhi match hua.” Isha whispered.

Aaru nodded seriously.

“Dangerously match ho raha hai.”

“Aur bataiye aunty…” Aaru asked, now fully invested.

Mom smiled.

“Uski income bhi acchi hai. Bohot hardworking ladki hai.”

Dead silence.

Then—

Both girls spoke at the same time—

“Nahi.”

Mom blinked.

“Kya?”

Aaru shook her head firmly.

“Nahi aunty, yeh toh ho hi nahi sakta.”

Isha crossed her arms.

“Hardworking aur income acchi? Impossible.”

Aaru added instantly—

“Sach mein… Nancy aur hardworking?”

Isha gasped dramatically.

“Bhagwan dharti pe aa jaayenge agar aisa ho gaya toh.”

Both burst out laughing.

Their mother frowned slightly.

“Tum logon ko uska naam kaise pata? Kya tum jaanti ho usse?”

Silence.

Complete.

Utter.

Silence.

Isha and Aarushi froze.

Their brains took a second to process.

Then—

Together—

“KYA?! Uska bhi naam Nancy hai?!”

Their mother nodded casually.

“Haan… Nancy Chauhan.”

It felt like—

A thousand needles pierced at once.

Both of them went completely still.

Eyes wide.

Mouth slightly open.

Processing.

Failing to process.

Aaru swallowed nervously.

“Aunty… photo dikhaaiye na…”

Her voice was hesitant now.

Almost scared.

Mom picked up her phone, unlocking it casually.

“Haan, abhi dikhaati hoon.”

She opened the picture.

Turned the screen toward them.

And then—

“NANCY?!”

Both screamed together.

...----------------------------------------------------------------...

Meanwhile… Ishaan’s Room

The door shut behind him with a soft click.

Silence.

For the first time that evening—

No chaos. No voices.

Just him.

Ishaan loosened his tie slightly, walking toward the window. The city lights flickered below, but his mind wasn’t there.

It was still stuck in the living room.

“Shaadi toh mujhe karni hi padegi…”

The words felt heavy.

Unwanted.

But inevitable.

He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair, trying to steady his thoughts.

Marriage.

Commitment.

A stranger.

None of it fit into his perfectly controlled life.

---

*Ping.*

His phone lit up.

A message from his mother.

“Her details.”

For a moment—

He just stared at the screen.

Debating.

Whether to open it…

Or ignore it a little longer.

Then—

A faint smirk touched his lips.

“Dekh hi leta hoon… pata toh chale kaun banegi meri biwi.”

He tapped the notification.

The screen opened.

A photo loaded.

And—

Everything stilled.

His expression didn’t change instantly.

But his eyes did.

Sharp.

Focused.

Because the girl staring back from the screen—

Wasn’t a stranger.

She was—

Isha’s friend.

Nancy.

“…Nancy.” he murmured under his breath, almost as if confirming it to himself.

A strange pause followed.

Not confusion.

Not disbelief.

Something else.

Something darker.

---

He scrolled down.

Her number.

Her details.

Without wasting time, he dialed someone.

“Mujhe is ladki ki poori information chahiye. Abhi.”

No questions asked from the other side.

The call ended.

Within minutes—

Another notification.

A file.

Ishaan opened it, walking toward his desk, his entire focus locked in.

His eyes scanned every line.

“Nancy Chauhan…”

A small pause.

Then—

A faint, almost dangerous smile appeared.

“…No.”

He leaned back slightly.

“Soon… Nancy Verma. Mrs. Verma.”

His gaze darkened.

“26. Do saal chhoti mujhse."

Flip.

“Physics Professor… Isha ki university mein."

Flip.

More details.

Education.

Work.

Habits.

Everything.

He read it all.

Carefully.

Like he was studying a case.

Not a person.

---

And yet—

Her face lingered in his mind.

That moment in the police station.

The way she had grabbed his collar without hesitation.

The fire in her eyes.

The attitude.

He closed the file slowly.

“Interesting…”

A low murmur escaped his lips.

His fingers tapped lightly against the table.

Controlled.

Measured.

But his thoughts—

Were anything but.

“Nancy…”

A pause.

Then—

A quiet, dangerous certainty settled in his voice.

“Tum meri hone wali ho… lagta hai.”

---

Outside—

The city continued like nothing had changed.

But inside that room—

Something had already begun.

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