(This is the first chapter where our female lead is introduce.  Excited guys)

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On the other hand...

Author’s POV

In a cozy corner of a bustling café, a girl sat, utterly absorbed in her book. The world around her faded until a sudden tap on her shoulder jolted her back to reality. She turned to see who it was.

“How are you, Pree? Or should I say bride-to-be?” the person teased with a mischievous grin.

“Preesha or Pree will do just fine, Samy,” Preesha replied, her eyes lighting up with recognition and warmth.

Preesha’s POV

“How’s the wedding prep going? Are you excited?” asked Samy, also known as Soumya, my best friend since childhood. She is my bestie but acts like my mother. We both are grow adults but she treats me like her baby. And if I complain dhe would be like ' Aye younger one listen to your elders'  yay like we have a decade age difference, she is just 5 months older. She always use her elder card against me.

“Oh, the preparations are in full swing! It’s a bit overwhelming, you know its just too sudden for me” I said, my voice tinged with a mix of anxiety and joy.

Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. Hi! I’m Preesha Reddy, daughter of Navin and Preeti Reddy. My father raised me alone after my mother passed away when I was just three. I don’t remember her face, only the photos.

I’m the only girl in my family, surrounded by male cousins, which makes everyone super protective of me. My family is a unique blend of crazy and loving. My aunts never let me feel the absence of my mom, always there for me. And my grandma, she would hide me in her pallu to shield me from my teasing brothers.

Lost in these memories, I was snapped back to the present by Samya’s fingers clicking in front of my eyes. “Hey, are you there?Already lost in your future husband's dream?”

“Yeah, what were you saying?” I asked, shaking off the nostalgia.

“Nothing special, just wondering how your fiancé is. Is he as dreamy as your fictional heroes?” she asked, winking.

I playfully slapped her hand. “He’s good. It’s an arranged marriage.”

"Well what my girl who would say ' I will not get married until I find my Mr.Right' getting married all of a sudden" said Samy.

I sighed, taking a deep breath I replied "Grandma's health is not good these days. 2 month ago her health condition became worse.  She wants me to get married infront of her eyes . She says it's her last wish"  the tears finally unleashed my eyes.

" Heh , it's ok Grandmaeill be fine . Nothing will happen to her" Sammy said comforting me.

I composed myself and continued

"so here I am getting married for Grandma's wish . You how much I love her and value her decision , can do anything for her happiness.  And if seeing me married is her wish I will fulfill it. Aur pyaar ka kya hai shaadi ke baad ho jaye ga."

"Like the arranged marriage romance books" I said trying to listen the mood.

“Haan, so you found your so-called Mr. Right? Is he really your Mr. Right?” Samy teased, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“Not yet, but he will be. He just needs some practice to handle me,” I laughed, feeling a bit more at ease.

Samy missed my engagement because she was abroad. It was a small, private ceremony with just family and a few friends, so no one has seen my groom yet.

I can't believe I am engaged. My fiancé is a nice guy. His parents saw me in my cousin's wedding and brought the marriage proposal of their son -Sridhar. Sridhar and I met few times , he seems to be a gentleman . He doesn't talk much but we are quite like friends as we often meet before at family functions.  He seems to be distant after our engagement and that makes me wonder if he is really wants this marriage or not. My bhabhi says it's normal for boys to talk less and Sridhar is a shy type too. So I hope everything gets right and like romance novel plot after our marriage. 

I came out of my thoughts as the waiter brought our order and paid my attention to what Samy was saying  .

We chatted and caught up on important things before heading home.

Karthik’s POV (In Mumbai)

I woke up with a pounding headache, disoriented in my Mumbai apartment. As I closed my eyes, yesterday’s events replayed in my mind.

“I am…” I screamed, my voice echoing in the empty room. I frantically searched for my phone. Once I found it, I saw 80 missed calls from Arjun and a flood of messages.

Just as I was about to call him back, Arjun called, sobbing on the other end. “Arjun, what happened? Why are you crying?” I asked, my heart racing.

“Bhai, Mom and Dad…” he began, but before he could continue my phone died.

"Aah ...zero battery " I shouted in frustration.

Panic surged through me as I grabbed the landline to call him back.

“Arjun, what happened to Mom and Dad?” I asked, dreading the answer.

" Bhai .. mom.. Dad....accident " Arjun spoke in his crying voice unable to form sentence.

Mom , Dad accident ..I was struggling to think anything straight .

And praying that what I am thinking is not the actual case. But what I heard next made my intrusive thoughts to be proved true.

“They met with an accident,” he said, and the receiver slipped from my hand.

I could hear Arjun shouting my name on the other side of the call, but I was too shocked to respond. I felt completely numb.

I started to punch myself hoping this to be a nightmare and wake up.

But nothing happened  it was real ,it was not a nightmare but my reality.

"Aahhhh..." I screamed....

To be continued......