To Vihaan,

I don’t know what you are expecting from me, but let me be clear: you and I can never be together. You're nothing more than a pastime for me. I don't even consider you a friend, let alone a boyfriend. You are no friend of mine, not my crush, not even a part of my life. You are nothing to me, so get over your pathetic little love.

You are an idiot for thinking that someone like me can ever like you. I can never like someone as filthy as you. I don't know how you can expect me to like someone like you. Your so-called love is nothing but a moment of lust. I suggest you fucking get lost and never show your stupid face to me anymore.

Samaira

Her hands shook, her vision blurring as she read the words again and again. No... this wasn't right. She could never think about Vihaan in such a way. He was always different for her. He was always more than a friend for her. The things in the letter!

Tears fell down her eyes as Samaira whispered in a shaky voice, "I... I never wrote this letter. I didn't... I couldn't. I like him. No, I don't like him. I love him."

Tears streamed down her face as she crumpled the letter in her hands angrily. "I never said any of this. I never could," she said, now sobbing, unable to control herself anymore.

Nalini and Vandana rushed to her side, their eyes wide with shock and concern. "Samaira, beta, what's wrong? Stop crying, okay? Shh," Nalini asked softly, pulling Samaira into her arms.

"I never wrote this, aunty," Samaira cried, looking directly into Nalini's eyes as if asking her to trust her. "I could never. I have always liked Vihaan. Why would someone do this? For ten years, Vihaan was in pain because of me. He suffered all these years because of me, and I… I never tried to know about him."

Vikram looked at Samaira with an unreadable expression as he said, "Samaira beta, we believe you. Vihaan believes you. I know my son; he would have never kept this letter if he did not love you. But the question is... who could have done this?"

"I... I don't know, Uncle. I really don't," Samaira said with guilt, still sobbing.

Suddenly, the door of the room opened once again, and as the girls entered the living room, they were met with a scene that left them speechless. Samaira, usually vibrant and full of life, sat near the fireplace, her eyes red and puffy from sobbing as Nalini hugged her.

Amyra, Ruhi, and Jeevika exchanged worried glances, their faces etched with concern.

"What happened, Samaira?" Amyra asked, making her look toward her as Samaira pointed at the letters.

They didn't open the one written by Vihaan, as it was a confession letter only for Samaira. They picked up the crumpled letter, and as Amyra read it, her expression changed from concern to disgust.

Ruhi took the letter from Amyra as she and Jeevika read the letter. Jeevika gasped, reading the humiliating words. Ruhi's eyes turned bloodshot from anger.

"Samaira could never write something like this," Ruhi said, her voice firm. "We know her, Nalini aunty. She loves Vihaan."

Nalini nodded, her eyes filled with understanding. "We believe her, beta. Vihaan believes her too."

Just then, the door of the room was barged open, making everyone startled. They saw Vihaan entering in a completely disheveled state. His hair was in a frenzy, and his shirt was no longer neat.

Vihaan's eyes locked onto Samaira; his breath hitched as he saw his confession letter in her hands. He took a step forward, but she didn't look up. Before he could speak a word, she just whispered, "I am sorry," and ran to her room, locking the door.

Everyone was not able to grasp it, but they came to their senses as they saw Vihaan going behind her. No one expected her to walk away like this, especially Amyra and Ruhi.

This was not their best friend, not their Samaira. Their Samaira was strong, confident, and full of life, and she never cried even at the hardest time. She never ran away; instead, she always faced problems and emotions with a smile on her face.

Vihaan tried to talk to her, banging on the door to open up and not to do anything stupid, but no answer came. Finally, Amyra intervened, placing a hand on Vihaan's arm. "Vihaan, give her some time. She needs to process everything. You know her, right? She would never run away, not from you nor from her feelings for you."

Vihaan nodded reluctantly, his eyes fixed on the door. After a few moments, he turned and followed the others downstairs.

Ruhi turned towards Vihaan, and with an unreadable expression, she said, "She never knew about the confession, Vihaan; she didn't know about your feelings. She never rejected you. The reply you got was also not written by her…"

Vihaan fell down trembling, looking at the crumpled letter. "And all this time... I thought she rejected me. I thought she didn't want me."

"But did you hate her for it, Vihaan? Even if you thought the reply was by Samaira, did it ever affect your feelings?" Amyra asked gently.

Vihaan looked up, and in that single second, every wall around his heart crumbled as he said, "No, I never hated her. I couldn't bring myself to hate her even after reading that letter again and again. Because somewhere, I knew the letter was not the truth, or maybe because I trust her, I knew she would never hurt me like this, even if she didn't like me."

The room fell silent.

Reyansh sat beside him, his voice softer now. "You kept your silence all these years."

"Because I thought she was clear," Vihaan said in a hoarse voice. "I thought she didn't want anything to do with me. And I... I respected that."

Jeevika looked at Vihaan, concerned, and said, "She wasn't rejecting you, Vihaan. She was waiting for you. She always thought maybe you didn't like her, maybe you didn't see her the same way she did."

Vihaan looked startled. "She... likes me?"

Nitya looked at her brother as she hugged him and said, "Bhai, I know it's not our place to speak, but I want you to know. She loves you more than you think. It's time you confess once again. Right now, she left, not because she was angry with you but because—"

Ruhi added quietly, "Because she was angry with herself. She hates herself for not knowing about your feelings, for not confessing her feelings earlier."

Vihaan closed his eyes. "I've waited ten years for her to look at me the way she used to. And now... also, she is hurting because of me."

"No, beta," Nalini said firmly. "She's not hurting because of you or because of herself. It's the condition and circumstances that made you both like this. But it's time you take things into your hands. Fate separated you ten years ago, but it also made you meet each other once again, right? What happened may not have been in your control, but what is going to happen is in your control."

"Thank you, Maa," Vihaan said, wiping his tears as he stood up.

Everyone smiled as Vandana said, "First, you all go and change and take some rest. Also, I am going to make soup for Samaira. She was already weak because of the accident; it's better if she doesn't catch a cold."

Everyone nodded, and except for the elders, left for their rooms.

After 20 minutes

Amyra sat beside Ahaan on the couch, looking disturbed.

Ahaan looked at his sunshine’s dull face, held her hand, making her look towards him, and said, "If you are so worried, then why don't you talk to her? She will definitely listen to you. She doesn't want to meet Vihaan because she is feeling guilty, even if it's not her mistake. Maybe if you try to explain to her, she will share her opinions."

Amyra nodded and stood up. "I'll go talk to her. But can you also come with me?"

Ahaan looked at her and said with adoring eyes, "Have I ever refused you, sunshine?"

This made Amyra smile slightly as they headed towards Samaira's room and knocked on the door.

After a few minutes, when Samaira didn't open the door, Amyra said softly, "Samaira, it's me. Open the door. I will not ask you to come out. Just let me in."

After some time, Samaira opened the door of the room slightly and let Amyra and Ahaan in. Ahaan smiled, seeing she didn't mind his presence. He thought he might be interrupting, but he knew he couldn’t refuse his sunshine; that is why he didn’t say anything.

Ahaan closed the door, and they looked at Samaira as she stood before them, avoiding eye contact. She was still in her party clothes, shivering. Vihaan's letter was clutched tightly in her hand.

Amyra's heart broke looking at her soul sister like this. "Samaira, come here," she said softly, opening her arms for a hug.

Samaira hesitated for a moment before stepping into Amyra's embrace and hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Amyra and Ahaan jiju, for spoiling such a precious day," she said, her voice cracking. "From the time I have come here, I have never been anything but a nuisance. First, you all had to take care of me because of the accident, and now I even spoiled your bachelor's party and made everyone worried."

Amyra and Ahaan were baffled hearing Samaira's words. They couldn’t believe that Samaira was thinking of herself as a burden to them.

Amyra looked like she was about to cry; she never even thought about it. For her, Samaira's accident and injury were way more important than any function, any ritual. Even Ahaan was shocked that all this time Samaira was thinking all this.

Amyra backed away from the hug, wiped Samaira's tears, and made her sit. She said, "Was our friendship that weak that now each other's problems will become burdens? Just because I am getting married, does it mean I am no longer your best friend? Samaira, you are not only my best friend; you are my sister, my partner in crime, and my protector. How can you call yourself a burden? If Ruhi hears this, she will slap you."

Samaira gave a weak smile hearing this.

Ahaan sat on the other side of Samaira and scolded her gently. "What if Ruhi or Amyra were in this condition? Would you consider them a burden?"

Samaira shook her head vigorously. "No, never."

Amyra smiled, her eyes shining with tears. "Then how can you think of yourself as a burden?"

Samaira's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Amyra and Ahaan and said, "I am sorry; I don't know what I was thinking. I promise I will never say such things again."

Amyra said, crushing Samaira in a hug, "That's my bestie. Now you don't look beautiful while crying. Get up and go change."

Samaira got up to leave, but then she turned around and looked at Amyra and said, "Will Vihaan forgive me?"

"He will. Right now, don't think about all this. Get changed and sleep. I am loving you until you are asleep. We can discuss everything tomorrow. Okay?" Amyra said gently.

Samaira nodded, and after 10 minutes, she came out in her sleepwear and lay comfortably, keeping her head in Amyra's lap. Amyra patted her head gently, and within a few minutes, Samaira was asleep. Once Amyra and Ahaan were sure that Samaira was asleep, they covered her with a blanket and walked towards the door silently.

As they opened the door to leave, they were met with a surprise. Vihaan was sitting outside Samaira's room, half asleep. He woke up startled as the door opened, falling straight at Ahaan's leg, who held him and asked him, "Vihaan, what are you doing here?"

Vihaan rubbed his eyes, which were red, as he said, "I couldn't sleep, bhaiya, bhabhi. I was waiting for her to come out."

Ahaan nodded understandingly. "But she's asleep now. You should also go and sleep. You both need rest right now."

Vihaan's eyes lit up with hope as he asked Amyra, "How is she? Did she say anything about the letter?"

Amyra smiled gently. "She's okay. She's still processing everything, but she will be fine. She is very strong. Right now, she is just guilty because of a lot of things. She is guilty of hurting you even though she didn't write that letter."

Vihaan's face softened, relief washing over him. "I knew she wouldn't write something like that. I knew she couldn't be so cruel to me."

Ahaan placed a hand on Vihaan's shoulder. "We'll figure out who did this, Vihaan. And believe me, we will show them what it is to mess with the Oberois."

Vihaan nodded. "Thank you, Bhaiya, but this time I want to handle it myself."

Ahaan nodded and said, "You should get some rest, Vihaan."

"But—" Amyra looked worried but stopped seeing Vihaan looking determined. "Okay fine, you can keep an eye on her but stay inside the room."

Vihaan looked at her in shock, and so did Ahaan. "Don't look at me like that. Stay 5 feet away from her. I will be monitoring you. It's because I know you will not sit silently in your room if I ask you to, and also because if Samaira found you were sitting here all night, she would feel worse. Also, leave the door open."

Vihaan nodded obediently and took his blanket and pillow and kept them on the couch, which was near the gate. Since there was a partition in the room, it was almost like two rooms.

"I will leave before she wakes up," Vihaan said to Amyra, who just nodded. Once Vihaan was gone, Ahaan asked Amyra, "You really trust him with Samaira? I know he is my brother, but I just want to know."

"I do. I think if there is anyone whom I trust to take care of her after me and Ruhi, it would be Vihaan. He loves her unconditionally, selflessly, without asking anything in return. I know he would never hurt her or take advantage of her," Amyra said, looking into the room as the door was wide open.

Ahaan nodded and went to his room as Amyra went to Ruhi's room. Amyra opened the door and saw Ruhi was doing something on her laptop.

Amyra asked, "What are you doing so late? You should sleep now."

Ruhi said without looking up, "I was trying to trace if there is any CCTV footage from our farewell. But it seems like it is impossible to find."

Amyra sat down near her and said, "Well, it is kind of impossible. I mean, it's been 10 years. Why would the school even keep CCTV footage for 10 years?"

"That's the problem. I am done; I can't do this anymore. Like, literally, hacking is not for me. I am happy in my field. I think maybe Samaira will be able to find something," Ruhi said, lying on her bed, looking half dead.

Amyra took up the laptop and said, "There is no data, it seems. Did you try hacking the school's server?"

"I did. I don't think I can trace it. You know how I hate hacking. I will ask Samaira to check it once all the functions are over," Ruhi said, as Amyra nodded.

"You should go now and sleep. It's your haldi tomorrow. You will feel tired if you do not get proper sleep. Also, is Samaira okay?" Ruhi said, finally asking the question she wanted to.

"I can't say she is okay, but she is processing. I mean, it is a very big shock for everyone. I never had an idea that Vihaan confessed to Samaira," Amyra said, laying down too.

Ruhi said in a nervous voice, "Sometimes I feel fate has been really cruel in this matter to Samaira and Vihaan. They liked each other; Vihaan even confessed, but someone else found that letter and replied pretending to be Samaira, leaving him heartbroken for 10 years. And on the other side, for 10 years, Samaira was in confusion about whether her feelings even mattered to Vihaan or not. Now, even though they have met after 10 years, things are not going the way they should. I don't know when everything will be better. I hope they clear everything before we go back."

"They will once again be separated, though. Life is so hard sometimes," Amyra said to herself.

Finally, after a few minutes, Amyra also left the room.

Next Morning

The morning sun painted golden streaks across the sky, casting a warm glow over the Oberoi mansion.

The house was buzzing with excitement, music playing in the background. The scent of turmeric, sandalwood, and fresh marigolds filled the air of the garden.

Ahaan and Amyra sat on the cushioned traditional stools inside the large circular thaals.

Ahaan was dressed in a cream kurta with a mustard jacket, his hair slightly tousled, and a brightness in his eyes could be seen.

Agastya came in, fixing his own kurta’s sleeves. “Ready to get painted yellow, Devil?"

Ahaan chuckled. “You sound more excited than I am, and stop calling me that here.”

“I am! Any excuse to smear you with haldi is a good one. And no, I want to—I mean, it's so fun to see the great mighty mafia king who hates to even sit in puja do all the rituals because his girlfriend... oops… wife likes it,” Agastya said, teasing him more.

"Anything for her," Ahaan said, looking at his side where Amyra sat smiling and laughing with everyone.

Agastya gave a brotherly hug to him and said, "I am glad that you are finally accepting the light and happiness in your life. You really need her."

"I do. She is the reason that I am able to survive, even when I am at the brink of death. Her smile is what keeps me hanging on. What about you? When are you going to find someone?" Ahaan asked teasingly.

"Me…" And Agastya's eyes drifted towards a certain someone. "I don't think so."

Finally, the haldi ceremony began with music and dhols as guests gathered. Ahaan and Amyra looked at each other with a loving gaze.

Ahaan sat looking at Amyra until Vihaan and Reyansh smeared haldi across his face with far too much enthusiasm.

"You're supposed to apply gently!" Ahaan said, startled, almost falling.

Meanwhile, Amyra was already laughing as Ruhi and Samaira teamed up to apply haldi on her cheeks, forehead, arms - even sneakily on her feet.

"Hey!" Amyra squealed. "Not my toes!"

"Everything must glow, bride-to-be," Jeevika said teasingly.

On the other side, Vihaan couldn't keep his eyes off Samaira. She looked so soft in the golden sunlight; he could notice her trying hard to keep smiling. He knew she was still unsure, but she was trying - and that was enough for him.

Their eyes met briefly. She looked away quickly, cheeks flushed - but not before Vihaan caught a glimpse of that familiar softness.

The moment didn't go unnoticed by Reyansh, who smeared a lot of haldi on him and whispered, "Eyes on the groom, not the bride's best friend."

"Shut up," Vihaan mumbled, trying to wipe off the haldi as Ahaan and Agastya laughed along with Reyansh.

Soon, the ceremony turned chaotic as Vihaan, Agastya, Reyansh, and Nitya began targeting Ahaan with excess haldi. Buckets were being filled, and plans were being made.

"Operation Haldi Bomb is ready!" shouted Nitya.

Ahaan tried to escape, but Reyansh held him back while Nitya poured turmeric water over him.

"You traitor!" Ahaan yelled at Reyansh, who was running away and said, "Love you too, bhaiya!" as Ahaan chased him.