At the chawl, in her small, dimly lit home, Gauri sat on the floor, her face buried in her palms as tears streamed down. Her mind replayed the moment—Vihaan's hand, the sudden streak of vermillion in her hairline, the thunder above, and the shock that had rattled her soul.
The rain outside had washed away some of it, but faint traces still remained, like a cruel reminder she couldn't erase. Desperate, Gauri grabbed a mirror and rubbed at her hairline with trembling hands. "No… no… this can't happen… I don't accept this… I don't accept him…" she cried, her voice breaking as the vermillion stubbornly left behind a faint red glow.
Suddenly—knock, knock, knock.
Startled, Gauri quickly wiped her tears and went to the door. She opened it and froze.
"Charvi?" Gauri whispered, her voice shaking.
Without a word, Charvi flung her arms around her sister, hugging her tightly. Gauri's eyes widened, and as they held each other, Charvi's gaze fell on the faint vermillion at Gauri's hairline. Seeing it, her heart twisted with worry, and her grip tightened around her sister.
When they pulled apart, Gauri immediately scolded, though her voice was heavy with concern. "Charvi… you should be in the hostel. Why did you come here? It's not safe—"
Charvi cut her off softly, her eyes brimming with tears. "Because I felt like you needed me, sister. Just like you've always been there to wipe my tears and console me… today I came to be with you."
Gauri's lips trembled, and she couldn't hold back anymore. She hugged Charvi again, sobbing against her shoulder. "Charvi… my life… my dignity… everything has been ruined. That ACP Vihaan Kothari… he applied vermillion on me. Without my consent, without asking me… he forced it upon me…"
Her voice cracked as she clutched Charvi tightly, crying like a broken child. Charvi's eyes widened in shock, her heart pounding as she held her sister, silently vowing to stand by her side in whatever storm was about to come.
---
Do you want me to continue with Charvi's emotional reaction to hearing Vihaan's name, maybe with her recalling the drawing she made of Gauri's marriage?
Charvi's arms stiffened as she processed Gauri's words. ACP Vihaan Kothari… The name echoed in her ears like thunder. She slowly pulled back from the hug, her trembling fingers clutching her sketchbook that she had carried along.
Her wide eyes filled with dread as she whispered, "Sister… ACP Vihaan Kothari? That's the same man… the same man from my drawing."
Gauri blinked through her tears, confused. "What do you mean?"
Charvi opened the sketchbook she took out from the backpack she brought with shaking hands and showed her sister the drawing—the one she had made unknowingly, where a tall man applied vermillion on Gauri's hairline. Her voice cracked with fear. "This man… the one who put vermillion on you in my drawing… Sister, it was him. It was always him. I didn't understand why I drew it… but now… it's true."
Gauri looked at the drawing, her tears falling onto the page, blurring the colors. Her heart clenched. "So even fate… fate knew this humiliation would come to me," she said, her voice breaking into sobs.
"No, Sister!" Charvi held her hand tightly, desperate. "Don't say that. Maybe… maybe this means something else. Maybe it's not just humiliation. Maybe destiny is trying to tell us something. Please… don't lose hope."
But Gauri shook her head, her voice bitter. "Destiny? No, Charvi. This is a curse. And now… I'm chained to him against my will."
Charvi hugged her again, crying silently, while outside the window, thunder rolled once more—as if even the heavens were watching the storm that had begun in the sisters' lives.
Gauri broke from Charvi's embrace, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. Her eyes, though swollen and red, burned with determination.
"No, Charvi," she said firmly, her voice hoarse but resolute. "I will never accept this marriage. That man—ACP Vihaan Kothari—forced this fate upon me. He may have put vermillion on my hairline, but he can never be my husband."
Charvi looked at her with pleading eyes. "But, Sister… what if destiny—"
"Destiny?" Gauri cut her off sharply, lifting her trembling fingers to wipe away the streak of vermillion that still faintly clung to her hairline. She stared at the red smudge on her fingertips, her voice shaking but unyielding. "Destiny doesn't humiliate you, Charvi. Destiny doesn't shatter your respect. This marriage was not love, not choice—it was an insult. And I swear, I will never bow to it."
Charvi's lips trembled, but she couldn't argue further. She simply hugged her sister again, whispering softly, "Then I'll stand by you, always."
Gauri closed her eyes, her vow echoing within her chest like thunder outside: I will never accept him as my husband.