The moment the girl lifted her veil, her breathtaking face was revealed.
She was undeniably beautiful—delicate features, soft eyes, and an innocence so pure that even the darkest soul might melt at the sight of it. There was a quiet gentleness about her, a fragile calm that made her look almost unreal.
But the man sitting before her was no devil.
He was a man whose heart had just been betrayed.
A man whose love had been crushed.
Breaking the heavy silence, the girl looked straight into Arvik's eyes and said in a trembling voice,
"My name is Anisha… I am Aditi's younger sister."
The moment those words left her lips, Arvik's fury exploded.
"You're lying!" he snarled. "Aditi has no younger sister. If she did, she would have told me.
Tell me the truth—who are you? Where is my Aditi?"
His voice dropped into a dangerous whisper.
"Tell me the truth… or I'll kill you."
Anisha froze in terror.
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, her phone rang.
The sudden sound shattered the silence. Both Arvik and Anisha looked at the phone.
The screen flashed: Mrs. Arora.
Anisha had saved Sheetal Arora's name that way—she always addressed her formally.
Arvik looked at Anisha coldly.
"Pick it up."
With shaking hands, Anisha answered the call and put it on speaker.
On the other end, Sheetal's voice rang out mockingly,
"How are you, Anisha? Oh, how foolish of me… how could you possibly be okay there?"
Then Sheetal laughed—loudly, cruelly.
Suddenly, her tone turned venomous.
"Listen to me very carefully. Don't you dare try to replace my daughter, Aditi. You are nothing more than her substitute."
Her words cut deep.
"I know very well that Arvik will never love you. He loves only my daughter—Aditi. And don't forget—she is your elder sister. This family has done so much for you."
"Don't even think of getting close to Arvik."
"You are just a substitute bride. Nothing more. The day my daughter returns, you will have to leave her place."
"If Aditi hadn't run away from the wedding, I would never have seated you in her place."
Flashback
"Sheetal ji, please bring the bride to the mandap," the priest announced.
Sheetal nodded and went upstairs to fetch Aditi.
Elsewhere…
Aditi sat in her room, fully dressed in her bridal attire, when her phone buzzed.
A WhatsApp message.
As soon as she opened it, her blood ran cold.
Her eyes widened in horror.
Attached to the message were photos and a video—explicit images of herself. Naked. Exposed.
And a video of her being intimate with another man.
Her mind flashed back to the truth she had buried—
Her secret affair with Arvik's best friend… Jay.
The photos and video had been sent by Jay himself. Along with a message:
*"Hi darling. You remember these photos and videos, don't you?
And even if you don't—I'm here to remind you.
Now you understand why I sent these.
Come back to me.
If you don't… I'll show all of this to my dearest friend—Arvik.
And you know very well what he'll do if he finds out you betrayed him.
I'm sitting in a car outside your house.
You have 15 minutes.
Your time starts now."*
Aditi was shaking uncontrollably.
Her phone rang.
She saw the caller ID and cut the call immediately.
It rang again.
This time, she answered.
"Hello, my love," Jay's voice purred. "How's the wedding going?"
Aditi snapped, panic turning into rage.
"Why are you doing this, Jay? You know very well whatever happened between us was just attraction—nothing more. I don't love you."
Then, brutally honest, she added,
"I don't even love Arvik. I'm marrying him only for his wealth. And you? You were just timepass—nothing else."
Jay burst into laughter.
"Baby, I know exactly how cheap you are," he mocked.
"But this time, you messed with the wrong man."
"I'm not like your ex-boyfriends who get scared easily."
"My name is Jay Mehta. When I want something, no one can take it away from me."
"Stay with me for just one month. I'll give you 100 crore."
"You can marry Arvik for his money—but I'll make you rich without marriage."
"Think about it, Aditi."
A long silence.
Then Aditi whispered,
"Fine. I'm coming. Wait for me."
Jay smiled wickedly.
Back to the present—Flashback continues
Sheetal reached Aditi's room and knocked urgently.
"Aditi, open the door. The wedding muhurat has begun."
No response.
Panic set in.
Using a spare key, Sheetal opened the door—
The room was empty.
Her phone buzzed.
A WhatsApp message from Aditi:
"I'm sorry, Mom. I can't do this wedding. Please tell Arvik."
Sheetal's face turned pale with rage.
Sunanda arrived just then.
"Didi, why haven't you brought Aditi downstairs—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
"Aditi… where is she?"
Mahesh Arora entered the room.
Sheetal showed him the message.
He was stunned.
Sunanda broke the silence,
"The fear we always had has come true. She ran away. Do you even realize what the Jindal family will do to us?"
Then she paused.
"Jiju… I have a solution."
Mahesh looked up.
"Tell me."
"We'll seat another girl in Aditi's place. We'll keep her face hidden under the veil. Once the truth comes out, we'll pretend we knew nothing."
"But where will we find such a girl?" Sheetal asked desperately.
Sunanda's eyes gleamed.
"We don't need to look outside."
"Who?" Mahesh and Sheetal asked together.
"Your illegitimate daughter," Sunanda said coldly.
"Anisha."
Flashback ends
Tears burned in Anisha's eyes as Sheetal's words echoed in her ears.
Arvik stared at her—emotionless. Empty.
Suddenly, he grabbed Anisha's phone and threw it out of the car window in rage.
Then he turned to the driver.
"Stop the car."
The car screeched to a halt.
Arvik stepped out, walked around, opened Anisha's door, and said coldly,
"Get out. Right now."
Anisha didn't say a word.
She stepped out silently.
Arvik got back into the car. The driver wanted to speak—but thought better of it.
The car drove away.
Leaving Anisha alone… on a dark, deserted road.
Where will Anisha go now?
What will Arvik discover about Aditi and the Arora family?
Will the truth finally destroy everything?
Find out in the next episode.