The sacred fire roared as the four couples began their synchronized *pheras*, the ritual flames casting long, flickering shadows across the pavilion. The air hummed with the drone of Vedic chants, the scent of burning ghee and jasmine thick in the humid dawn.
Mihir's fingers tightened around Maira's as they took their first steps around the fire. His eyes, sharp beneath the groom's *shehra*, tracked the Don's goons prowling the perimeter. Rifles gleamed under their shawls.
*If they don't back off... am I really going to marry her?* The thought should have chilled him. Instead, an unexpected warmth settled in his chest.
Maira's whisper was barely audible over the priests' drone: **"Even if we scream for help now, it'll just turn this place into a bloodbath."** Her thumb brushed his knuckles-a silent acknowledgment of their trapped state.
**Kakkar Residence - Wedding Mandap - 7:45 AM**
The sacred fire crackled as Sahir and Teju knelt for the final vows. The priest's voice boomed over the gathered crowd:
**"With this seventh phera, you are bound for seven lifetimes."**
Sahir's fingers trembled as he lifted the mangalsutra-his hands still bruised from the ropes, his head throbbing where Raj had struck him. Through the shehra's floral curtain, he met Teju's eyes.
*This wasn't how I imagined proposing.*
But when he spoke, his voice was steady.
**"I take you as my wife. In happiness and sorrow, in wealth and struggle."**
Teju's breath hitched. The star-mark on her palm burned, but her reply was clear.
**"I accept you as my husband. Now and always."**
The priest tied the knot. The wedding drums reached a crescendo.
The sacred fire roared as Mihir lifted the mangalsutra, the gold pendant glinting in the dawn light. His fingers, usually so steady, trembled slightly as he fastened it around Maira's neck. The weight of the moment settled between them-unplanned, irreversible, yet undeniable.
**"With this sacred thread, I bind myself to you,"** he murmured, the words tasting strangely right.
Mihir's hands** hovered over the sindoor tray, the crimson powder catching firelight like crushed rubies. At the exact same moment, miles away, **Sahir's fingers** dipped into an identical tray, his movements mirrored through time and fate.
Maira's breath hitched as Mihir parted her hair with uncharacteristic gentleness. **"Look at me,"** he murmured. When their eyes locked, something unspoken passed between them-then the vermilion streaked her parting in one decisive stroke.
**Simultaneously,** Sahir's thumb brushed Teju's forehead before applying the sindoor, his touch lingering just a second too long. Her star-mark flared beneath her bangles, unseen.
The priests' voices boomed as one:
**"It is done!"**
The moment the words left their lips:
- The wedding drums **splintered apart**
- The sacred fires **leaped ten feet high**
- Every mangalsutra in the village **glowed white-hot**
And in her cave, Mohana **screamed** as her reflection cracked in two.
The moment the sacred fire roared unnaturally high, panic erupted. Wedding guests screamed, knocking over tables laden with sweets. The Don's men, momentarily distracted by the supernatural flare, lost sight of their targets.
**Mihir didn't hesitate.**
He grabbed Maira's wrist, yanking her toward the nearest cluster of fleeing guests. **"Move!"**
She didn't argue. The mangalsutra around her neck still pulsed-warm, but not burning like the others. A question for later. Right now, the pandemonium was their best cover.
They ducked behind a collapsed tent, Mihir's stolen groom's sherwani snagging on the fabric. Maira ripped it free with a sharp tug.
The chaos of the wedding grounds faded behind them as Mihir and Maira sprinted toward the village outskirts. The mangalsutra around Maira's neck still pulsed-warm, insistent, a reminder of vows neither had truly meant to take.
Then, a rumble.
A moving truck, packed with wedding supplies, rattled past them, heading toward the Kakkar residence.
**"There's our ride,"** Mihir muttered.
Maira didn't argue. They lunged for the back of the truck, scrambling over stacked chairs and garlands. The moment they tumbled inside-
**"OOF-"**
Mihir landed first, Maira crashing on top of him. Their faces were suddenly inches apart. The mangalsutra dangled between them, swinging like a pendulum.
A beat of silence.
He recovered first. **"Careful,"** he drawled, releasing her like she'd burned him. **"Wouldn't want the *wife* to bruise."**
Maira's cheeks heated. **"Don't call me that."**
**"What? Wife?"** He smirked, stretching the word like it was a joke. (It wasn't.) **"Technically, it's-"**
The truck hit another pothole.
They crashed together, Maira's palm flattening against Mihir's chest, his arm hooking around her waist to keep them both upright. The mangalsutra swung between them, its gold pendant **lodged against Mihir's sternum**, warm as a second heartbeat.
Silence.
Maira jerked back first. **"Sorry,"** she muttered, staring at the truck's wooden slats like they were *fascinating*.
Mihir cleared his throat, adjusting his shehra with exaggerated nonchalance. **"You're lighter than you look."**
**"That's not a compliment."**
**"Wasn't meant to be."**
A pause. Then, simultaneously:
**"We should-"**
**"I'll sit over-"**
They broke off. Awkwardness thickened the air. Maira retreated to the far corner, tucking her lehenga around her legs. Mihir leaned against a crate, arms crossed, **suddenly very interested in the scenery outside**.
Neither mentioned the way the mangalsutra had **burned between them** during the fall.
*Kakkar Mansion - Mandap - Chaos Unleashed**
The wedding guests erupted in cheers as the final vows were completed, the sacred fire crackling in triumph. Sarkar's grin was venomous as he raised his hands, basking in the illusion of victory.
**"My daughter is wed! Let the celebrations-"**
**"STOP!"**
A bloodied, disheveled figure staggered into the mandap-**Raj**, his temple crusted with dried blood, his sherwani torn from where Sahir had stripped it off him. The crowd gasped.
Sarkar's smile froze. **"What is this?"**
Raj's shaking hand shot out, gripping the groom's *shehra*. With one vicious yank, he tore it away-
Revealing **Sahir's face**.
Silence.
Then-pandemonium.
Sarkar's roar shook the mandap. **"WHO ARE YOU?!"**
Sahir didn't flinch. He interlaced his fingers with Teju's, lifting their joined hands high.
**"Tejaswini's husband."**
The words rang like a death knell.
The guests recoiled as Sarkar's face purpled. **"IMPOSSIBLE!"** He lunged forward, but Ojas threw herself in his path.
**"It's done!"** she screamed. **"The vows are sealed!"**
Raj's face twisted in fury as he pointed a shaking finger at Sahir. **"That bastard knocked me out and took my place!"** His voice was raw with rage, his temple still smeared with dried blood from Sahir's earlier strike. **"This wedding is a fraud!"**
The crowd erupted in gasps and murmurs. Sarkar's expression darkened like a storm cloud, his fists clenching at his sides.
Raj lunged forward, arm raised to strike Sahir-
**"Don't you *dare* lay a hand on my husband."**
Teju's voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
She stepped between them, gripping Raj's wrist with surprising strength. Her star-mark pulsed beneath her bridal bangles, unseen but *felt*-a warning.
Raj froze. The guests fell silent. Even Sarkar looked stunned.
Sahir, still standing at the mandap, couldn't suppress the slow, triumphant smile that spread across his face.
**"That's right,"** he said, voice dripping with satisfaction. **"She said *husband*."**
Sarkar's face contorted with rage. **"This farce ends NOW!"** he bellowed, spittle flying. **"That mangalsutra means NOTHING! I'll have this marriage annulled before sunset!"**
Teju stepped forward, her chin lifted. The star-mark on her palm burned beneath her bangles as she spoke, her voice clear and unshaken:
**"No annulment. No threats. I chose him."** She reached back, gripping Sahir's hand. **"Seven vows, seven lifetimes-that's our promise. Not yours to break."**
The crowd murmured-some shocked, some awed. Even the priest clutched his prayer beads tighter.
Sarkar's arm reared back, his palm aimed at Teju's face-
**"Father-in-law."**
Sahir caught Sarkar's wrist mid-swing, his grip iron-strong. The honorific dripped with razor-edged courtesy. **"You hit her, you hit *me* first."**
Raj's bloodshot eyes bulged as he grabbed a rifle from one of Sarkar's stunned guards. "I'll put a bullet through this impostor's heart!" he screamed, leveling the weapon at Sahir's chest.
The crowd screamed as the rifle's hammer cocked back.
**BANG!**
But the shot never came.
Mihir's voice cut through the chaos like a saber: **"Point that rifle at my brother again and I'll carve out your spine before you pull the trigger."**
All heads whipped toward the entrance. There stood Mihir and Maira - he in a torn groom's sherwani, she in a borrowed lehenga, their mangalsutras gleaming in identical gold.
Sahir's breath caught. "Mihir...?"