RV threw her phone onto the bed in frustration, her mind in chaos. She muttered to herself,
"Antiya has already gone ahead. What should I do now? I have no idea. I'm not ready to marry. It's better I go and say it clearly—tell them straight that I don't like either of the boys and I don't want to marry."
The thought made her even more anxious.
"Oh no! First, I should go and see if everything's alright. I hope nothing big has happened."
Muttering to herself, she began packing her things.
Meanwhile, in the drawing room, Vihaan, Aashka, and Swara were seated facing each other when suddenly Mukesh appeared.
Mukesh: Vihaan!
Vihaan's face lit up.
Vihaan: Dad!
He moved forward and hugged him warmly.
Swara, surprised, asked,
Swara: Son, who is this girl?
With confidence, Aashka said,
Aashka: I'm Aashka Bajpayee, your future daughter-in-law.
Mukesh and Swara exchanged glances, then looked at Vihaan. An awkward silence fell over the room. Vihaan subtly signaled with his eyes, silently asking them to let him handle the situation. Swara, gathering courage, stepped forward to ease the tension.
Swara (smiling): Come, you both.
Everyone settled, but the atmosphere remained tense.
At the Khanna house, a similar scene unfolded.
Parv (softly): Mom, Dad…
Sorabh (surprised): Son, when did all this happen?
Parv: Mom, it happened during our meeting, and then…
Sorabh: But your mother had someone in mind for you. What about her?
Parv bowed his head.
Parv: Sorry, I should have told you everything earlier.
Somia, gathering courage, asked,
Somia: Uncle, Aunty… you don't like me?
Deepti: No, son, that's not true. It was just a bit of a shock at first.
Sorabh (serious): Parv, go make us some coffee. We want to talk a little with our future daughter-in-law.
Parv, surprised, asked,
Parv: Me?
Deepti: Yes, you go.
Parv quietly left and handed the phone to Vihaan.
Vihaan: Hello.
Parv: What's happening there?
Vihaan (softly): Don't know… they're talking about a kiss.
Parv: What do you mean?
Vihaan: They even sent me to make coffee.
Parv chuckled lightly.
Parv: Same here, Vihaan.
Vihaan: Alright, I'll talk later.
Parv ended the call.
A short while later, Vihaan returned with coffee. Everyone sat together, sipping quietly. Aashka took a sip and said,
Aashka: Vihaan, drop me home.
Swara: So soon?
Aashka: It's been a long day; I should go now.
Vihaan nodded, and they left together.
Parv and Somia reached her home. Parv looked around and said,
Parv: Your home is beautiful. How many people live here?
Somia (smiling): Just two—me and my sister.
Parv: Where's your sister? She should know about our wedding.
Somia: She's not here yet.
Parv: Where did she go?
Somia: She went to her future in-laws; she'll be back shortly.
Suddenly, Parv's phone rang. He picked it up, then hung up after a few seconds.
Somia (concerned): Parv, what happened?
Parv: Some urgent work… I have to go. Bye.
Somia: Bye.
As soon as he left, Aashka and Vihaan arrived.
Vihaan (smiling): Bye.
Aashka: Aren't you coming inside?
Vihaan (softly): Sorry, next time.
Aashka tried to say something, but Vihaan interrupted,
Vihaan: Don't worry, soon we'll be together.
He left.
Aashka entered and called out,
Aashka: Somia!
Though Somia and Aashka were biological sisters, their personalities were completely different. It was impossible to tell they were related at first glance.
Somia (smiling): You're here?
Aashka: Yes, where were you?
Somia: Sorry, I got late.
Aashka: It's okay. Come, sit. I want to tell you something.
They sat and began talking, laughing together.
Somia: My in-laws' house had a similar scene.
Aashka (surprised): What?
Somia (laughing): Yes, Parv's mom's expression was priceless. Dad was happy… but not too much.
Both laughed loudly.
Meanwhile, Swara, Deepti, and Nidhi sat in a restaurant, the atmosphere slightly heavy.
Deepti: I had imagined so many dreams… I thought I'd get Parv married to RV.
Swara (sadly): And I thought she'd be my daughter-in-law.
Nidhi: Don't you trust your sons' choices?
Deepti and Swara: No.
Nidhi (calmly): From what I know, their choices will be good—better than RV.
Just then, RV arrived.
RV: Mom.
Nidhi: You're here?
RV: Sorry, I didn't tell you. I went home and then realized you were all here together.
Deepti: Sorry, son.
RV: Why?
Swara: I don't know… you might have thought many things about us.
RV (confused): About what?
Nidhi: In Parv and Vihaan's lives, there's someone else.
RV was shocked—and then a wave of relief spread across her face.
RV: So… I don't have to marry them?
Nidhi (teasing): RV.
RV (honestly): Aunt, to be honest, I didn't want to marry yet.
Deepti: Then why didn't you say so earlier?
RV (softly): I didn't want to hurt your feelings.
Nidhi: But why come here suddenly?
RV (smiling): I came to settle things, but it looks like it's already sorted.
Swara (lovingly): Come on, son. Live your life well.
RV (happily): Absolutely. I'll go meet Mahi now.
Nidhi: Alright.
And with that, RV walked away, finally feeling free from the tangled webs of expectation and ready to face her own truth.