The rounds began quickly.
First round: Arun vs Varun.
Their hands moved.
Every gaze locked onto Arun and Varun's hands,
like the outcome of this match would be remembered for generations.
Arun won.
He jumped as if it were a national-level match.
He was born to spread happiness. When I looked around, there wasn't a single person who wasn't smiling at him.
An old woman in the crowd mouthed, "God bless his soul."
She was right. Only children could match that kind of energy. Only people with pure, innocent hearts could feel happiness like that.
Second round: Varun vs Karan — Varun won.
He smiled, but it was controlled.
Typical of him.
There was nothing more I would expect from him.
Third round: Varun vs Arun — Varun won.
Again.
And there was no change in his body language except a small smile.
Fourth round: Arun vs Karan — Arun won.
"Yeeee!" he screamed, doing a small, wiggly dance.
Could any other adult behave like that?
No. We hide too much. Our darkness wouldn't allow it.
Fifth round: Karan vs Varun .
This was the last match of Second game.
The atmosphere was a little tense.
Now, even my eyes glued to their hands.
Time seemed to slow as their hands moved.
I swallowed hard, my breath caught in my throat.
Then—Karan's hand opened into paper, while Varun's snapped into scissors.
Varun won.
This time, the smile was bigger.
He even clapped.
Does he have a controlled way of expressing himself?
Maybe.
Only time will tell.
"So, the winner of the second game is Varun," my mother-in-law announced.
Everyone clapped.
Varun was… complex. There was no doubt about that.
Sometimes, it felt like he hadn't wanted me at all. And now, watching him smile shyly, I found myself doubting my own assumptions.
"Now," my mother-in-law said, clapping loudly to draw attention, "it's time for the last game."
Everybody turned toward her.
"This time, all of you will write down where you want to go for your honeymoon. The chits will be given to Aayna. The place she also likes will decide the winner."
They wrote their destinations.
I wasn't allowed to look—to avoid cheating.
Later, the chits were handed to me.
Every guest watched with anticipation. It was strange, watching them wait like this. Why were they so interested in my fucking schedule?
I wanted to play too.
So, I joked.
"I don't want to read them today,"
Silence.
My husbands. My mother-in-law. The guests.
I watched their expressions change—relaxed smiles turning into widened eyes and dropped jaws.
It scared me a little.
For some occasions, my sense of humour really should be banned.
Some of them looked excited. Maybe they had been waiting for drama.
Well, I wouldn't do that to myself.
I still wanted my parents' inheritance.
"I'm kidding," I said quickly.
Only Arun laughed.
And the moment Karan looked at him, he stopped.
I began reading the chits.
First — Swanland, a country famous for its vast wetlands filled with swans.
Second — Chirgiri, a land of mountains.
Third — Sarovara, a quiet island.
I paused.
They were all beautiful. But what I truly wanted was Kodan—a place with both mountains and the sea. Chirgiri felt closest to that.
"I choose Chirgiri," I announced, looking at the crowd.
"Can you flip the chit for us?" my mother-in-law asked.
I turned it over.
"Varun."
A murmur spread through the roo
"So, the winner of the night is Varun," she declared.
"That means wherever Aayna chooses to go for the honeymoon, the first person she will go with is Varun. Second will be Karan. Third will be Arun."
The guests cheered.
It was followed by a cake-cutting ceremony. The four of us stood around a four-tier cake. At first, it had looked grand—beautiful. But when all four of us surrounded it, it suddenly felt smaller. If it could speak, it would probably complain about being cut by four people at once.
The games had been enjoyable. There was laughter, teasing, and genuine excitement.
Divya was leaving too.
"Take care of yourself," she said softly. "You can call me anytime. I'll always be there for you." I nodded.
And a tear slipped from my eye.
"Why are you crying?" Divya asked. "I can't take you back now." She joked.
That only made it worse.
My husbands noticed. They looked unsure—like they didn't know what they were supposed to do in a moment like this.
Karan stepped forward and gave me a gentle side hug.
"You're married to three husbands now," he said softly.
"We'll always be here for you. In a few days, this won't even feel like a strange house anymore."
Something snapped inside me.
"It's easy for you to say," I replied, my eyes burning.
"You haven't spent a single night in my place."
He laughed lightly.
"Do you want to take all three of us there, then?"
I didn't answer.
I just pouted and looked away.
I couldn't say it out loud—
that I didn't want to go back there either.
It was a toxic home.
My other husbands stepped forward and patted my back.
Three different hands.
Three different touches.
It felt strange.
But I endured it.
What could I say?
Don't touch me, I only married you for money?
I took a deep breath.
Realising …
The real struggle hadn't even begun.