The next morning did not arrive quietly. It arrived wrapped in news, excitement, and the kind of happiness that spreads faster than sunlight.

Jagir’s phone rang early and his hands trembled as he answered. “Sat Shri Akal Maaji,” he said softly.

On the other end, Kaushalya’s voice was steady, warm, as she greeted him back, “Sat Shri Akal Jagir. So what decision have you made?”

Jagir closed his eyes for a moment. His chest felt tight, but his voice did not waver. “Yes, Maaji. I agree.”

The moment she heard those words, Kaushalya’s happiness knew no bounds. She said joyfully, “Alright, I’ll call you in a little while and tell you when we are coming for Meher’s shagun. We’ll decide the wedding date then.”

“Ji Maa ji, whatever you feel is right,” Jagir replied politely.

By the time he ended the call, the decision had already begun its journey.

At the Gill haveli, the news arrived like a wave of joy.

“Call the sweet shop,” Kaushalya ordered, already rising from her chair. “Send laddoos, barfis, everything. Let the house taste happiness today.”

Servants moved quickly. Trays were arranged. Laughter echoed through the corridors.

Amrita hugged Mehek, eyes shining. Harjit smiled with quiet pride and in the middle of all of it, Kabir sat on the edge of his bed in his room, staring blankly at the floor, his expression completely blank.

He looked like a man who had just been told he won a lottery he never entered. The celebrations outside felt like they belonged to someone else’s life.

He did not understand how the world had moved so fast without asking him.

Balraj pushed the door open without knocking, a wide grin already plastered on his face. He took one look at Kabir’s drooping posture and burst out laughing.

“Why are you sitting like that?” Balraj teased. “Your wedding is fixed. At least try to look like a future married man. Smile. Practice. It is free.”

Kabir didn’t even lift his head. He just raised one hand, showed Balraj his middle finger, and went back to staring at the carpet.

Balraj sighed dramatically, walked over, “Wow. Such respect. Such love for you Jeeja aka the only best friend. I leave my wife to check on you and this is how you welcome me.” and flopped down on the bed beside him, lying flat on his back and staring up at the ceiling fan.

“I told you, didn’t I? What happened back then was never Meher’s fault. Not even a little. You were just giving yourself false comfort by blaming her.”

Kabir snapped, joining his hands in front of him, “I get it, Guru ji. Stop giving sermons. Dadi has already wrapped a noose around my neck. First that old mess, then I broke the second engagement myself. Now I’m stuck. I have no way left to say no to anything anymore.”

Balraj rolled onto his side, propping his head on one arm, looking at Kabir with a teasing but gentle expression.

“Why do you even want to say no?” he asked calmly. “Get married. Take your wife with you. Live your London life. Enjoy. And keep sending us your photos, so we can all stay happy here, comforted by the thought that you won’t die alone anymore.”

Kabir glared at him. “It is very easy for you to say.”

Balraj shrugged. “It was not easy for you either when Prachi was involved. But you were positive then. You were ready to adjust. So why not now?”

He nudged Kabir’s shoulder. “She is a genuinely good girl. One day you will thank me for not letting you run away.”

Kabir scoffed but did not reply. 

Balraj reached over and patted Kabir’s back a few times, firm and brotherly. “Enough brooding. Get up. We have somewhere to go.”

Kabir frowned. “Where?”

“My wife has issued a royal command,” Balraj said proudly. “Her best friend aka my saali aka my soon-to-be bhabhi aka your future wife wants to meet you. And I am a very obedient husband.”

Kabir groaned. “I am surrounded by traitors.”

Before Kabir could protest further, Balraj grabbed his arm, yanked him to his feet, and half-dragged him out of the room. “Come on, Romeo. You can glare at me while walking.”

Kabir grumbled the whole way but let himself be pulled along.

They left in separate cars. Balraj and Mehek took one, while Kabir drove the other, still looking like he was heading to his own execution.

A short while later, Balraj’s car pulled up near Meher’s house. Mehek and Balraj stepped out, chatting casually as they walked to the gate. Meher appeared at the door, wiping her hands on her dupatta, curious.

“Meher!” Mehek called brightly but then turned to Jagir with a worried expression that deserved an award. “Uncle ji, Balraj’s dadi isn’t well since last night. The doctor said she needs morning and evening injections. We came to pick Meher. We thought she could come and help. She gives injections very gently.”

Jagir did not question it even once. “Of course, beta,” he said quickly. “Take her.” and waved Meher off with a small smile. “Be careful, beta. Come back soon.”

“Please don’t worry at all, Uncle ji. The two of us will personally drop her home,” Balraj said reassuringly.

Meher grabbed her small medical bag and hurried out and they drove toward the fields.

The car slowed near a cluster of tall trees. Kabir was already standing there with his back to them, hands in his pockets, staring at the open land.

Meher leaned forward nervously, clutching her dupatta. “No one will see us here, right?” she whispered.

Mehek squeezed her arm reassuringly. “No one will see. We’re careful.”

Balraj grinned confidently. “Relax. This land belongs to us. Even the wind asks permission before passing through.”

Balraj nodded seriously. “Absolutely. You are safe. If anyone comes, I will chase them away like a hero.”

Meher took a deep breath, nodded as she stepped out of the car and walked slowly toward the tree where Kabir stood.

The moment she started moving, Mehek let out a long, dramatic exhale and turned to Balraj. “What do you think she will say to bhai?” she whispered.

Balraj turned to her with an utterly incredulous stare. “She’s your best friend. How would I know what she’s going to say? You should be the one telling me.”

Mehek groaned in frustration and smacked his shoulders with her both palms, hard enough that Balraj, who was leaning casually against his seat, lurched forward and almost face-planted into the steering wheel.

“Mehek!” he yelped, catching himself just in time.

She crossed her arms, glaring at him. “Can you ever say something comforting? He is standing there like a statue and she is walking toward him like she is about to give an exam.”

Balraj straightened up, rubbing his shoulders with an exaggerated pout, looking at her like an injured puppy, pretending to be deeply offended. “What’s my fault in this? Your brother and your best friend are unromantic. I’m romantic, baby, for you.”

Mehek huffed, but the corner of her mouth twitched. “Useless husband.”

Balraj gasped theatrically, clutching his chest. “Useless husband? After I drove all the way here to set up your secret matchmaking mission? I’m wounded.”

Mehek rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the small smile. “Fine. You’re slightly useful.

“This is emotional damage. My wife bullies me now.”

Mehek laughed despite herself. “Now shut up and let’s watch from here. If they kill each other, we run.”

 “Deal. But if this turns into a love story, remember I was the mastermind.” Balraj chuckled, pulling her closer by her arm.

Mehek shook her head, smiling, eyes fixed on the two figures standing under the open sky while they both peeked through the car window, whispering and giggling like two mischievous teenagers while the real conversation unfolded under the peepal tree.

In the quiet of the fields, Meher took her last step forward.

And for the first time, Kabir turned around to face the future that had just walked toward him.

He didn’t turn when he heard her footsteps behind him. The fields stretched endlessly before him, green and gold under the open sky, the wind carrying the quiet rustle of crops like a distant whisper.

“Why did you call me here?” he asked, his voice steady, almost too controlled.

Meher stopped a few steps away from him. She clutched the edge of her dupatta between her fingers like it might give her courage. “Please refuse the marriage,” she said, blurting out just as straightforwardly, the words that had been spinning in her head since last night.

“Why don’t you refuse it yourself?” Kabir asked her back.

“I can't, ” Meher replied.

“Neither can I,” Kabir said.

“Why can’t you? You’re the boy. Boys get listened to in every house…”

“Not in my case,” Kabir interrupted her. “I hope Mehek has already told you the real reason why my engagement with Prachi broke.”

The moment he said this while glancing toward the distant car, Balraj and Mehek, who had been shamelessly peeking from the windows, immediately ducked back inside like schoolkids caught cheating on an exam, sitting ramrod straight as if nothing had happened.

“I know,” Meher said softly.

“So I already refused once and broke the engagement myself. Now Dadi won’t let me say no under any circumstances.” Kabir looked out toward the fields. “So now you refuse. Maybe something will happen.”

“I can’t,” Meher let out a slow breath and stepped closer, coming to stand beside him. Both of them faced the open land, neither quite ready to look at the other. “I’m a girl. In our houses, a girl’s word is never really heard on this matter. Papa has clearly said his choice is you, so I have to marry you. That’s exactly why I came here with hope that this time you would refuse again. You helped Prachi. Help me too.”

Kabir turned sharply. “Prachi loved someone else.”

Meher groaned dramatically, dragging a hand down her face almost like she was about to cry but not quite.. “I should have done that too. I could have at least had an affair. At least I would have had an excuse today. I stayed a good girl all my life for nothing.”

Kabir stared at her, caught somewhere between disbelief and confusion. “Why do you not want to marry me?” he finally asked, unable to hold back his curiosity any longer.

Meher took a deep breath, like she was about to dive into deep water and began speaking in one long rush. “Look, please don’t take this the wrong way. I understand everyone has a past, even if I don’t have one I really respect your feelings too and I don’t want to dig into your wounds at all, but I feel like you still love Simran. I can adjust in any marriage, but not in one where my husband’s heart belongs to someone else. Marriage is a very important part of life for everyone, and a girl leaves everything behind and steps into a new life only on the trust of her husband. I don’t have any fairytale expectations from my life partner. I don’t want promises of bringing down the moon and stars. I just want this much that he understands me and that it feels nice to have someone in life who cares about you. Yes, okay, in arranged marriages love doesn’t come instantly. It’s a two-way effort. But even then, if the other person’s heart already has someone else, I would spend my whole life suffocating. I won’t be able to leave him because my parents would die, and if I stay, I would die. So please tell me clearly now so I can do something.”

She took a long breath at the end.

Kabir was staring at her with such a stunned expression.

“And exactly what will you do?” he asked curiously.

“I’ll run away…”

“Alone?” Kabir asked in an amused tone, interrupting her, though he kept his face straight because she had just said no one had ever been in her life, so who exactly was she planning to run away with?

“Yes, alone. What’s wrong with that?” Meher countered so cutely that Kabir had to fight very hard to control his smile.

“I will not go abroad. I will take a smaller job. Papa will be very angry at first, maybe he won’t even look at my face, but one day he’ll forgive me. I know he loves me a lot.”

“You can’t say no to your father, but you’ll run away from home?” Kabir asked, arching his eyebrows.

“Then what else should I do? What option are you leaving me with?” Meher accused him right back in the cutest, most dramatic way.

“Excuse me? Me?” Kabir asked in disbelief.

“Yes, you!” Meher pointed at him. “I can’t marry you, I can’t refuse you, I can’t run away from your marriage proposal. Toh kya karu main? Main marr jaun? Meri koi feelings ni hai? (so what should I do? Should I just die? Don’t I have any feelings?) Only your feelings matter, right?”

“First thing, there are no feelings left in my heart for Simran,” Kabir said in a very clear and firm tone.

Meher froze for a moment, blinking rapidly like she was trying to process what he had just said.

“So you hate her now because she didn’t marry you and followed her family’s wishes instead?” Meher asked softly.

The innocence in her eyes as she asked this, the understanding that she was trying to see a girl’s helplessness and feeling the pain without going through it. No judgements, only understanding.

That hit Kabir hard in that one moment. Balraj’s words echoed in his mind again. For the first time after so many years, he truly understood that Meher had never been at fault in any of it. Whatever involvement she had in the whole misunderstanding had been completely unintentional, and she herself was still unaware of the details.

“No,” Kabir said, letting out a deep breath and she listened to him quietly. “Neither are there any feelings left, nor do I hate her. If there had been anything still in my heart for her, I would never have ruined another girl’s life.”

Meher tilted her head slightly, thoughtfully and asked in a cute, suspenseful tone, arching her brows playfully. “Then why were you refusing?”

Kabir let out a long breath and finally burst it all at once. “Because I have to go back to my work and Dadi is not letting me leave because of this marriage drama. I’m going crazy. On one side, I have my boss breathing down my neck, on the other side Dadi, and then my sister who is hell-bent on setting me up with her best friend. I’m trapped in so many women’s nagging right now….I’ll lose my mind!”

“Oye! Kabir, calm down!” Meher stepped closer and started rubbing his back gently like she was soothing a child. “Your blood pressure will go up. And when blood pressure goes up, you can get headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, and heart problems.”

Kabir gave her a stunned glare.

“What? Don’t look at me like that. Saving lives is my profession,” Meher said with a cute shoulder shrug and stepped back giving him space again.

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before Meher broke it.

“Look, people say arranged marriages are not that bad at all. Our parents have been living them successfully till today. Now if you have moved on from Simran, then I have no problem at all. I know it will take time for us to adjust and understand each other, but that is okay. Slow and steady wins the race.”

She said it so positively, yet Kabir was still staring at her in astonishment that all she had wanted to know was this, and for this she had been ready to run away from her own parents.

What she wanted was a stable marriage. And surprisingly, that was exactly what he wanted too…….a stable partner.

“Okay then, let’s do it,” Kabir finally said, extending his hand toward her. “Don’t expect sudden affection. It will take time, just like you said, we’ll need to adjust to each other.”

“Totally agree,” Meher said with a bright smile and shook his hand firmly.

From far away, Balraj and Mehek watched in utter confusion as the two of them shook hands like they were finalizing some business deal.

Both of them knew there was no escape from this marriage now. Their families wouldn’t let them back out. Both sides had already said yes that morning, and Kaushalya had even started distributing sweets.

So why not accept it with mutual understanding? They had to spend their lives together anyway.

Meher’s only fear had been the uncertainty. Now that Kabir had clarified everything, she had no issue marrying him.

“But umm… Kabir,” Meher started hesitantly. “Dadi has… well…”

“I know. Dadi already made those things clear to me. I have no problem with it, nor will I ever have any. Just like it’s my duty toward my parents, it’s yours too. You can do whatever you want for them.”

Kabir stepped forward himself, understanding her worry and clearing it before she could finish. He could see she was nervous, wanting to talk openly before committing, afraid he might have some typical male mindset. Surprisingly, he found this quality of hers quite endearing. For the first time, something about Meher actually felt good to him.

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” Meher said happily, her eyes shining.

Kabir looked at her in confusion. “Thank you for what?”

“For clarifying that without making it an issue. Because I was scared…”

“What is there to be scared of? You can do anything for your parents,” Kabir interrupted gently.

“Yes, that too. And the other thing as well.” Meher smiled softly. “And Kabir, today is the first and last time you have heard Simran’s name from me. I promise I will never bring up your past.”

She turned and walked back toward the car and Kabir just stood there, watching her go.

As soon as she sat inside, Balraj and Mehek asked together, “So?”

“So nothing,” Meher said proudly. “I am going to become your bhabhi and I am going to boss you around a lot.”

Mehek let out a delighted squeal and started jumping in her seat. “Oh my God! Oh my God!” Balraj stared at his wife like she had been possessed. “My brother and my best friend! Yes!” Then she turned to Meher excitedly. “Now give me the details. What all did you two talk about?”

“Aren’t you ashamed asking for such details about your own elder brother?” Meher scolded her playfully and cutely.

“So what? I tell you every detail about myself too,” Mehek pouted adorably.

“Baby what?” Balraj yelled, looking traumatized, clutching his chest.

Mehek smacked him playfully and pushed him out of the car. “You go outside and talk to your friend. Let me talk to mine.”

Balraj blinked at his wife like she had just betrayed him. Then he ran toward Kabir and jumped on him, wrapping him in a tight hug while singing loudly, “Mere Yaar ki shadi hai. Oh mere yaar ki shaadi hai! (My friend is getting married. My friend is getting married.)”

Kabir almost lost his balance and muttered irritably, “It is not your fault. You must have fallen on your head as a child.”

Balraj laughed even harder, holding on tighter.

And somewhere between laughter, teasing, and a handshake that felt more like a promise, two lives quietly stepped into a future neither of them had planned, but both of them were now ready to face.

Kabir had barely stepped into the haveli when he realised he was being waited for.

Kaushalya sat in her usual chair in the sitting room, hands folded in her lap, eyes fixed on the doorway as if she had been counting his steps long before he arrived.

“You’re back,” she said calmly. “Good. I just finalized the wedding date.”

Kabir stopped mid-step and blurted out in shock. “The date? Already?”

“Two weeks from now,” Kaushalya replied.

Kabir frowned. “That fast?”

She lifted an eyebrow, studying him. “I thought you were the one in a hurry to go back to London. That’s why I made it quick.”

He looked away for a moment, exhaling slowly. Two more weeks here. His Dadi really had no intention of letting him leave easily where he was planning to go within a few days by giving the best excuse.

“Dadi,” he said carefully, “what if we do a court marriage and I go back for now? I’ll file Meher’s papers from there. Once everything is done, I’ll come back and we can have the proper wedding.”

Kaushalya didn’t even blink. “Don’t worry about her paperwork,” she said. “I have already thought of everything.”

Kabir narrowed his eyes. “Thought of what, exactly?”

She leaned forward slightly, her voice calm but confident. “Meher has already cleared her IELTS. She has completed many formalities and her file is already in process. What remains now is only one thing. A phone call from you pulling your connections, that will make this process fast forward.”

Kabir stiffened. “A phone call for what?”

Kaushalya smiled, slow and knowing. “You need to use your connections and get her a job offer from a hospital in London. The moment the appointment letter comes, everything else will move on fast track. The visa, the paperwork, all of it and the process of months will be completed in a few days.”

Kabir stared at her. “A hospital? Dadi, I work in corporate. What do I have to do with hospitals?”

Her smile widened. “You don’t. Your boss does.”

He blinked, already nervous about the next bomb his dadi might throw on him.

“Your boss’s best friend runs one of the top hospitals in London, doesn’t she?” Kaushalya continued lightly. “You give your reference for her. Get Meher placed there. It is better that your wife works in a hospital where your people are around. Safe. Familiar. Reliable.”

Kabir stood there, completely still. He looked at his grandmother as if seeing her for the first time.

All this. Already planned. Down to the last detail and that to so perfectly that, with his boss’s connections, it was actually a matter of moments. He had no idea that his grandmother had planned things on this level.

Kaushalya rose from her chair and walked toward him, her eyes twinkling with quiet pride.

“What did you think, beta?” she said softly. “That only you are a businessman?” She tapped his chest gently with her finger. “Your Dadi is a businesswoman too. And those tactics you use so confidently in boardrooms,” she added with a small smile, “you learned them from me.”

She turned back toward her chair, waving her hand casually. “Now go. Call your boss. Or should I do it for you?”

Kabir remained rooted to the spot, a slow, stunned breath leaving his lips.

For the first time in his life, Kabir Gill realised something very clearly.

He was not the sharpest strategist in this house.

Not even close.