Chapter five:Terms and conditions
291 Words
Chapter Five: Terms and Conditions
The next day was spent discussing details as if they were negotiating a business deal.
Because, Mira realized bitterly, that was exactly what it was.
“There will be no expectations beyond what is necessary,” Arjun said quietly when they finally had a moment alone. “We will live separately, if you wish. The marriage will exist on paper.”
Mira studied him. “And after?”
“After a year, we can dissolve it. Legally. Quietly.”
She considered his words. A year. Twelve months of pretending.
“And if I say no?” she asked.
Arjun didn’t flinch. “Then my family will pursue the matter in court. And they will win.”
Silence stretched between them.
Mira thought of her quiet life, her small apartment, her safe routines.
And then she thought of the Sen house, standing alone at the edge of the village, stubbornly refusing to fall.
“I’ll do it,” she said finally.
Arjun inclined his head. “Thank you.”
She didn’t know why those words stung.
The wedding was planned in three days.
Mira barely had time to breathe before she was swept into fittings, rituals, and endless instructions. Women she barely knew clucked around her, adjusting fabric and offering advice.
“This is how accidents happen,” she muttered to herself as she stared at her reflection, draped in red and gold.
“You look… composed,” Kamala said, standing behind her.
“That’s one word for it.”
Kamala rested a hand on Mira’s shoulder. “You are stronger than you think.”
Mira met her gaze in the mirror. “I shouldn’t have to be.”
Kamala said nothing, and somehow that was worse.
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