CHAPTER LXIII
"The Shadow at Our Celebration"
To avoid unnecessary complications, Mahi and I had decided to hold our engagements at the same venue. It was easier that way — one event, two unions, and no conflict. The day had finally arrived. I wore a simple yet elegant white kurta-pajama, and Hannah — beautiful as ever — walked in wearing a soft pink lehenga that shimmered under the golden lights.
I was happy. Truly, I was.
Or at least… I told myself I was.
But happiness has its own way of being fragile, doesn't it?
Because the night before, I had a dream — a strange, cruel twist of memory and emotion — where I wasn't getting engaged to Hannah.
I was standing on the stage, slipping a ring onto Mon's finger.
Even in sleep, the confusion struck deep.
And when I woke, my heart was a battlefield of emotions I didn't want to face.
I had moved on. I had chosen Hannah.
She was kind, pure, loving — everything anyone could ever ask for.
And yet, something inside me refused to forget.
I tried to silence it — that echo of Mon's name.
I told myself, "This is real. This is now. And Hannah doesn't deserve a shadow of love — she deserves the whole sky."
I wouldn't let my past bleed into the present.
Not today.
So, I stood tall and smiled as I arrived at the venue. My family was already there. Hannah's mother greeted me with warmth only a mother-in-law could give. The stage for Mahi and Aarvi's engagement had been set next to ours, decorated with marigolds and fairy lights.
Mahi arrived first, radiant in her pink lehenga.
Soon after, Hannah and Aarvi walked in, lighting up the place with laughter and presence.
The ceremony began.
Mahi and Aarvi exchanged rings, laughter, and promises in front of cheering friends and teary-eyed family. It was beautiful — watching two people I loved step into forever together.
Then… it was my turn.
The music changed. All eyes turned to me and Hannah.
She looked at me with so much trust — so much quiet joy — it made my chest tighten.
And when she slipped the ring on my finger, I felt the tremble in her hands… and in mine.
It was my turn now.
But as I reached into the tiny satin box for her ring… it slipped.
The silver band flew from my fingers and clattered to the floor. It rolled across the stage and disappeared beneath the crowd.
Without thinking, I rushed down, heart pounding, eyes scanning the floor.
The ring had landed near a guest's feet — a woman in a lavender saree, her face hidden at first by her long, dark hair.
But then… she bent down.
She picked up the ring before I could.
And when our eyes met —
My world stopped breathing.
It was Mon.
No illusion. No dream. No memory.
Mon.
Standing there, as real as the tears suddenly stinging my eyes.
She looked different, older… but still achingly familiar.
And in that moment, everything I had buried came flooding back.
My mind screamed "No — not now, not here,"
but my heart…
my heart whispered in its broken voice —
(She appeared again, just like that…
And the conversations we'd never finished began again silently.
The smoke of yesterday stung my eyes once more…)
Everything blurred.
The lights. The music. The voices around me.
(You don't look like me anymore —
Why does this joy feel like pain?
Why is that old world starting to return again…?)
My fingers trembled as I took the ring from her hand.
She didn't smile.
She didn't speak.
And I —
I didn't breathe.
(Time kept moving,
My heart kept beating,
Foolishly, I kept weaving dreams without reason…)
It felt like I had been yanked out of one world and thrown into another.
Just moments ago, I was getting engaged.
Just moments ago, I was choosing my future.
And now… my past was standing in front of me, wearing a silence more powerful than any scream.
My hands were cold as I climbed back onto the stage.
I placed the ring on Hannah's finger.
She smiled.
But my soul didn't.
Because somewhere deep within me… something had cracked.
(The pain is deeper than before,
Yet I made another promise to myself —
To let my eyes stay silent, and my lips speak no truth…)
I had promised not to let my past disturb my present.
But the past had found me anyway.
And now…
I didn't know how to breathe.
"Eyes That Wander, Hearts That Stay"
I turned to look at Mon again.
She was standing across the hall, surrounded by soft golden lights and soft laughter. For a moment, time stilled — the way it always used to when she was around.
And then I looked back at Hannah.
She was still smiling, still glowing in that beautiful way only she could. But my eyes… they were full now. Brimming with tears that refused to fall.
> I blinked them away.
Because I couldn't cry — not today.
Not in front of her.
Not when she had just promised her heart to me.
Not when I had just promised mine to her.
We both stepped off the stage after the ceremony, moving toward our families. We touched the feet of our parents, and I bowed respectfully before Hannah's mother, who placed her hand gently over my head in blessing.
> Her smile was kind — proud even.
And in her eyes, I saw hope. A future. A wish that her daughter would be happy.
And I wanted to give that to her.
I would give that to her.
But before I could lose myself in that moment, my gaze flickered back toward Mon… just one more time.
She was walking now — headed toward Mahi and Aarvi's stage.
To congratulate them.
And that's when I saw it.
> The engagement ring on her hand.
It shimmered faintly in the light, but its presence was louder than anything else in the room.
And beside her…
A man.
Not someone I knew — but someone she held hands with as if she had already written new pages of her life.
> She had moved on.
Not just in words… but in truth.
In heart.
In commitment.
A strange ache settled in my chest — not jealousy, not regret — just a quiet, empty space where once there was a storm.
It was over.
Truly over.
> Mon was no longer mine.
She belonged to someone else now.
And somehow… that made everything feel real for the very first time.
She smiled politely at Mahi and Aarvi, offering them heartfelt wishes.
And then… she turned.
> Toward us.
Toward Hannah.
I stiffened slightly, unsure what to expect.
But when she reached us, Hannah lit up.
She rushed forward, pulled Mon into a gentle hug and said,
> "I was waiting for you!"
My breath caught.
> They know each other?
I hadn't known — not until that very second — that Mon and Hannah were… friends.
Old friends, by the way they greeted each other.
The realization struck me like quiet thunder.
> The past and present… were already tied together.
They'd always known each other.
And I… I was the only one who didn't know.
Mon turned toward me then, her smile soft — unreadable.
There was no bitterness in her eyes. No questions. No regret.
Just calm acceptance.
> As if she had already made peace with everything I was still learning to let go.
She didn't say anything to me — just gave me a polite nod.
And I mirrored it back, my lips tightening into the smallest smile.
That's all we were now — a nod across time.
Hannah turned to me, her hand slipping into mine, completely unaware of the whirlwind inside my chest.
> And in that moment, I realized something: Whatever story had existed between Mon and me…
It had ended long before this day.
What remained now — was this present.
This girl.
This woman beside me who had offered me her trust, her laughter, her whole heart.
And it was time I gave her mine — fully.
Even if there were shadows still lingering in the corners of my heart…
> Today, I chose the light.
To be continued…