Gayatri's lips twisted into a mocking smile. "Self-respect…" she sneered. "Big words, Gauri. Let's see how long that so-called self-respect of yours lasts when life crushes you beneath its weight." With that, she turned sharply and stormed into her room, slamming the door behind her.
The air hung heavy with her venom. Charvi, still trembling, turned to her sister. "Didi… you know she won't rest until she forces you to marry Vihaan. She'll do anything to make it happen."
Gauri, her eyes still wet with tears but blazing with determination, cupped Charvi's cheek. "Don't worry, Charvi. Let her try. I won't marry that man. Not now, not ever."
Charvi hugged her tightly, while Gauri's resolve only hardened—her self-respect was the one thing she refused to sacrifice.
Morning sunlight spilled over the chawl as Gauri tied her dupatta, grabbed her cab keys, and called to Charvi, "Come on, you'll be late for college."
Charvi adjusted her bag and joined her. Together, they opened the door—only to stop dead in their tracks.
Vihaan's sleek car was parked right outside their home. He leaned casually against it, arms folded, his piercing gaze fixed on Gauri.
Charvi whispered nervously, "Didi… he's here again."
Gauri's jaw tightened. "Wait inside, Charvi. I'll handle him."
She marched toward Vihaan, her voice sharp. "ACP Vihaan Kothari, you've got a lot of audacity to show your face here after the stunt you pulled last night."
Vihaan stood straighter, his tone steady. "I'm sorry, Gauri. Last night was… urgent. I had no choice. But today I'm here to ask you properly."
His eyes locked onto hers with fierce determination. "Ms. Gauri Sharma… will you marry me?"
Charvi gasped from the doorway, covering her mouth in shock.
For a moment, Gauri just stared at him. Then, to everyone's surprise, she burst out laughing. Her laughter was sharp, mocking, echoing through the chawl.
Vihaan's brows knitted together. "What's so funny?"
Gauri wiped the corner of her eye, still laughing. She mimicked his serious tone, pacing around him. "'Ms. Gauri Sharma… will you marry me?'"
She scoffed and folded her arms. "Do you even hear yourself? You think you can barge into my life, slap vermillion on me one night without consent, and then the next morning stand outside my house asking me to marry you like some… hero?"
Her expression hardened, eyes burning with fury. "Vihaan Kothari, you don't know me at all."
Gauri's laughter faded, her face tightening into irritation. She shook her head at him. "You might have all the time in the world to stand here and joke around, Vihaan Kothari, but I don't. I have to drop my sister at college and then get to work. So, do us both a favor and leave."
She turned on her heel to walk away.
But Vihaan's voice rang out, firm, unyielding. "I'm not joking, Gauri. I'm serious. Will you marry me?"
Gauri froze, her hand tightening around her cab keys. Slowly, she turned back, her eyes flashing with disbelief. "Is marriage a joke to you?" she demanded, her voice sharp enough to cut through the morning air.
"You were going to marry Adrija yesterday. And now today, you're standing here asking me. What next? Tomorrow you'll ask Charvi? Or maybe some other girl?" Her sarcasm dripped like venom.
She took a step closer, her finger pointing at his chest. "But listen very carefully, Mr. VK… I, Gauri Sharma, will never—and I mean never ever—agree to marry you."
Her words rang out like a verdict, final and fierce, leaving even Charvi wide-eyed in the doorway.
Vihaan's jaw clenched at her refusal, but then his lips curved into a cold, determined smirk. "It seems I'll have to apply plan B."
Gauri narrowed her eyes. "Plan B?"
"Yes," he said flatly. "Name your price. Whatever amount you want—I'll pay it. Just marry me."
For a moment, Gauri simply stared at him, utterly stunned. Then her lips curved into a bitter, mocking smile.
"Strange, isn't it, Mr. VK? A few days ago, you called me names—characterless, cheap, disgusting… a dancer. You even told me if I was the last girl on earth, you wouldn't look at me, let alone touch me." Her voice trembled with fury as she stepped closer, eyes blazing.
"But now? Suddenly you're offering me money to marry you? What happened, huh? Did you discover that I'm actually some long-lost princess?"
"No," Vihaan muttered, his tone clipped.
"Oh, then maybe I'm the estranged daughter of the president?" she mocked again, her laughter sharp and biting.
"No," Vihaan repeated, his jaw tightening further.
"Then why do you want to marry me?!" Gauri shouted, her voice ringing through the chawl, her pain and rage bursting free.
Vihaan met her gaze, his silence heavy. He clenched his fists at his sides, recalling every reason, every truth that bound him to this desperate step. But he kept it locked inside, his lips pressed shut.
Gauri's chest heaved as she glared at him, demanding an answer he refused to give.
The silence between them was louder than any words.