Today was the day Uncle was coming back — and not just him. Grandpa was returning from Australia too, along with Lavanya. My heart was racing; I didn't know if I was nervous or excited. Because this time, I wasn't going to meet Grandpa as his granddaughter… but as Sarthak's girlfriend.
Would he accept me? Or would he hate me for it?
My thoughts were running wild when Anvi suddenly burst into my room, out of breath.
"Sammy! Bro is getting married!"
"What?" I stood up, stunned. "With whom?"
"With your sister — Lavanya!"
"What?" I almost shouted. "What about Aarne then?"
Anvi frowned. "What does she have to do with this? Isn't she Sarthak's ex-fiancée?"
"No, of course not!" I said quickly. "They were just pretending — it was all an act to protect me from enemies. Aarne and your brother Abhinav were actually dating! She even gave birth to his child five years ago… but they broke up."
Anvi's eyes widened. "What?! How did they break up?"
I took a deep breath and told her everything — every single thing that happened between Aarne and Abhinav. She was shocked, frozen, staring at me in disbelief.
"What… it really happened?" she whispered. Then her eyes softened. "That means I have a nephew…"
"Yes," I said quietly. "And your brother doesn't even know. We have to tell him. And Lavanya doesn't want this marriage either — she's in love with someone else, and she's happy with him."
"Then what do we do now?" Anvi asked, pacing the room.
"Okay, let me think…" I said, my mind racing. "Yes! Let's take Aarne and her child shopping — and call Abhinav there too."
Anvi's eyes lit up. "Perfect! You call Aarne, and I'll call bro."
We made the calls and planned to meet at City Plus Mall. Everything was going according to plan. Abhinav had just arrived when my phone rang — it was Aarne's number.
I answered. "Hey—"
But it wasn't Aarne. It was a child's trembling voice.
"Aunty… mommy got in accident… she's in danger…"
My stomach dropped. "What? Avi, where are you?"
"I don't know… nurse aunty, can you tell her where I am?" the little boy said, crying.
Then a woman's voice came on the line. "Hello, ma'am. The boy's mother is in City Center Hospital, in emergency care. Please hurry."
"We're coming!" I shouted and hung up.
"What happened?" Anvi asked, already panicking.
"Aarne met with an accident!" I said, and without wasting another second, we ran — Abhinav following us as fast as he could.
When we reached the hospital, my heart sank at the sight of Avi sitting in a corner, crying. A nurse was beside him, trying to comfort him. The moment he saw me, he ran straight into my arms.
"Aunty!" he sobbed. Then his eyes landed on Abhinav. "Papa! You came! Mommy is dying — please help her!"
Abhinav froze completely, the words hitting him like thunder. He looked at Avi, then at me, his face pale. I explained everything — about Aarne, about their past, about how she never told him.
Hours passed before the doctor finally came out and said Aarne was safe. Abhinav was crying beside her bed, holding her hand tightly. Sarthak had arrived by then too, and I watched as he gently explained to Abhinav everything — how Aarne had never cheated, how she had only loved him, and how she'd been pregnant before their engagement even began.
Anvi and I quietly stepped out to take a walk and clear our heads. But then I remembered — Grandpa and Lavanya had already arrived home, and we were supposed to meet them.
"Oh no," I said suddenly. "Grandpa's already home! Let's go!"
We hurried back with Sarthak to the house. As soon as we entered, I saw Grandpa sitting proudly beside Anirudh Uncle, crossing his legs comfortably.
The moment Anirudh saw us, he stood up and smiled, guiding Anvi forward.
"Dad," he said softly, "this is Anvi — the girl I told you about."
Grandpa's eyes lit up. "Ah, so this is Anvi! My goodness, you're even prettier than he described."
Anvi blushed as he shook her hand warmly. The room felt lighter — until Grandpa's eyes turned to Sarthak and me.
Then came the words that froze the air.
"Sarthak, how can you do this?" Grandpa said firmly. "A girl your sister's age — and your step-sister at that? Are you out of your mind?"
I froze. My throat went dry. But before I could speak, Sarthak stood tall.
"Grandpa, they never adopted me," he said steadily. "They only adopted Manya — not me. And I've loved Samira since she was sixteen. We were destined to be together — even before we were born."
I blinked. "What… what does that mean?"
Sarthak didn't answer. He just walked away to his room, clearly hurt. I looked at Grandpa, confused.
"What did he mean, Grandpa? That we were engaged before we were born?"
Grandpa sighed, smiling faintly. "Ah… that promise. You don't know, child. Your parents and Sarthak's parents were college friends — best friends, in fact. They used to joke that if one had a son and the other a daughter, they'd marry them someday. It started as a joke, but they took it seriously. When you were born, they said the engagement still stood."
I stared at him, speechless. "So… it's true?"
He nodded. "Yes, but after some years, your parents adopted Manya and Sarthak. The bond changed — but the promise never disappeared. If you love him, and he loves you… then you have my blessing."
Tears stung my eyes. "You mean that?"
He chuckled. "Of course I do, sweetie. I was just teasing him before. But," he added, wagging a finger playfully, "your uncle must marry first — he's older, after all. Though, between us, he's marrying a girl nearly the same age as his niece!"
"Stop it, Grandpa!" I said, laughing through my tears. "Or he'll never get married!"
We laughed together, the tension fading from the room. We talked for hours — about his life in Australia, about Lavanya's so-called engagement (which wasn't even real), about everything we'd missed.
Finally, I left to check on Sarthak. He was in our room, sitting quietly. I hugged him, whispering that everything was okay now — Grandpa had accepted us. After a long, exhausting day, we finally lay down together.
As I drifted to sleep, one thought stayed in my heart —
Where was Manya?