Chapter 6
1005 Words
Preeta's POV
The room was silent.
Painfully silent.
Preeta stood rooted to the spot, her eyes moving from her father's pale, trembling face to Sunita, who still clutched the crumpled letter in her shaking hands.
Only moments ago, the mansion had been filled with laughter, music, and the cheerful voices of relatives celebrating a wedding.
Now...
It felt as though every bit of life had been drained from the room.
"Papa..." she called softly.
No response.
Her father simply stared blankly at the polished marble floor, as though he had forgotten how to speak.
Preeta's heart tightened.
In all her twenty-four years, she had never seen Rajesh Malhotra like this.
Not when his company suffered heavy losses.
Not when a business deal collapsed.
Not even on the anniversary of her mother's death.
He had always stood tall.
Proud.
Strong.
But today...
The man before her looked completely broken.
Sunita quickly bent down, picked up the letter from the floor, and hid it behind her back.
"It's nothing."
Preeta frowned.
"It doesn't look like nothing, Ma."
Before Sunita could answer, another knock sounded at the bedroom door.
"Sir?"
One of the senior servants stood outside, looking nervous.
"The priest wishes to know if the bride is ready."
"The auspicious time begins in less than forty-five minutes."
"And..."
He hesitated.
"The Kapoor family is asking if they should begin the welcoming rituals."
Rajesh slowly closed his eyes.
His lips parted, but no words came out.
Finally, he managed to whisper,
"Tell them..."
His voice cracked.
"...tell them the bride is getting ready."
"Yes, sir."
The servant bowed respectfully before hurrying away.
The moment the door closed, Rajesh sank heavily onto the edge of the bed.
He buried his face in his hands.
"What have I done?" he whispered.
"What am I going to do?"
His shoulders shook.
Preeta froze.
Was...
Was her father crying?
Without thinking, she hurried over and knelt beside him.
"Papa..."
She gently placed a hand on his arm.
"Please tell me what's wrong."
"Maybe I can help."
Rajesh slowly lifted his head.
His eyes were red.
Not with anger.
Not with disappointment.
But with shame.
As he looked at Preeta, memories came rushing back one after another.
A little girl waiting excitedly every year for her birthday...
Only to be forgotten.
A frightened child standing in the rain after being locked outside because she had accidentally broken a flower vase.
The countless times he had compared her to Ishita.
The harsh words he had spoken.
"You brought misfortune into this house."
"If only your mother had survived instead of you."
"You are nothing but a reminder of my greatest loss."
He had said all those things.
And yet...
The daughter he had wounded the most was now kneeling before him, asking if she could help.
The guilt became almost unbearable.
Sunita, however, couldn't allow emotions to take over.
There wasn't enough time.
She walked toward Preeta and slowly handed her the folded letter.
"Read it."
Preeta looked at the paper in confusion.
"What is this?"
"Just read."
With trembling fingers, she unfolded it.
Her eyes moved slowly across the first few lines.
«Mum...»
«Dad...»
«I'm sorry...»
Her breathing became uneven.
She continued reading.
«By the time you read this, Baru and I will already be gone.»
Preeta's eyes widened.
"No..."
She kept reading.
«I have taken a loan in Dad's name.»
«One day I'll repay everything.»
«Please don't look for me.»
The letter slipped from her trembling hands.
"Ishita..."
She looked up in disbelief.
"She ran away?"
Sunita gave a bitter nod.
"She chose that useless boy over her family."
"No..."
Preeta whispered.
"I can't believe this."
"I can."
Sunita's voice carried more anger than sadness.
"I warned her."
"I begged her."
"But she cared more about that boy than her own parents."
Preeta's mind struggled to process everything.
Her sister...
The one everyone loved.
The one who was supposed to be getting married today.
Had disappeared.
Suddenly another thought crossed her mind.
"The wedding..."
Sunita laughed bitterly.
"What wedding?"
"The bride has vanished."
"And downstairs..."
She pointed toward the window.
"...hundreds of guests are waiting."
Almost on cue, the distant sounds of wedding drums drifted into the room.
Music.
Laughter.
Cheers.
None of the people outside knew the truth.
They were celebrating a wedding that no longer had a bride.
Just then, Rajesh's phone rang.
He stared at the screen.
The bank manager.
His hands shook as he answered.
"Hello..."
The manager's polite voice echoed through the room.
"Good morning, Mr. Malhotra. We just wanted to confirm the loan that was approved yesterday under your name."
Rajesh closed his eyes.
"It's real..."
The manager continued.
"The repayment schedule has already been activated. We trust there won't be any issues."
Rajesh couldn't even find the strength to reply.
He ended the call and slowly lowered the phone.
His face had turned completely pale.
"It's true."
"The loan..."
"It's real."
Preeta felt her knees weaken.
How could Ishita do something like this?
Her father looked years older in just a few minutes.
"I don't know how I'll repay it," Rajesh murmured.
"If today's wedding is cancelled..."
"My business partners will lose faith in me."
"The newspapers will destroy my reputation."
"The Kapoor family will never forgive us."
"I'll lose everything."
His voice broke completely.
"I've spent thirty years building my company..."
"And today..."
"I may lose it all."
Preeta looked at the father who had never truly looked at her with affection.
Despite every painful memory...
Her heart still ached for him.
Because beneath everything else...
He was still her father.
And no matter what she still cared for him.
No matter what he was till her father.
And seeing him so helpless hurt more than she wanted to admit.
Outside, the sound of drums grew louder.
The groom's procession had arrived.
Time...
She had to make a decision but this one decision is enough to change her own life yet she couldn't take time to think about it as time was running out
- Writer
