As I reached Varun's room, my steps slowed.
The same room I had once entered uninvited…
Now, I walked in like it was mine.
Strange… how one ceremony could change everything.
I glanced at the bed, my mind drifting—imagining us together.
I almost wished I was shameless enough to take pictures… and send them to my mother.
That would be too much.
Then again—
Maybe just telling her my knees hurt would be enough.
A sudden knock on the door brought me back to reality.
It wasn't Varun.
It was Karan.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi," I replied.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, confused.
"You forgot this book downstairs," he said, holding it up.
Then he hesitated, before adding,
"I thought you'd be in your room tonight. So I came to give this to Varun."
"Oh," I said slowly. "I actually decided that too. But then he called me, so I thought... why not."
Karan nodded, but his eyes lingered on me a second longer than necessary.
"Okay," he said quietly. "I thought you were the closest to me."
That sentence hit me wrong.
Closeness? It's barely been two days.
Why was he questioning me like this?
I felt uncomfortable.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Nothing serious," he said with a smile-but I felt the judgment beneath it. "I just thought it would take you two some time to get friendly. But you're already here." He continued.
I recognised that tone.
Too familiar.
Too much like my mother's.
But why…
Was he jealous?
"He's my husband now," I said, holding my ground.
Karan's words were making Varun look even more attractive.
It's simple, really—
If one man is jealous of another, doesn't that automatically make the other one more sexier?
And in this case…
Varun definitely was.
"So it's good if we get friendly as soon as possible, right?" I said with a smile.
"Yeah," he replied, but the word sounded forced.
"I should leave," he said after a pause.
I smiled bigger.
Just then-
"I got the black one! I got the black one!"
Varun's voice echoed from down the corridor, almost singing with excitement.
Karan frowned. "What black one?"
"Nothing," I said quickly, pressing my lips together.
I remembered the last thing he had been checking in my wardrobe.
If Karan saw that…
The two of them might actually end up fighting over me.
And the thought alone—
was making me wet.
In my mind, it felt intoxicating.
In reality…
It could ruin everything.
I stepped toward the door, about to tell Varun that Karan was here.
Before I could say anything -
Varun appeared.
He swung my black satin lace panty in one hand, and my bag full of clothes in the other.
I knew this wouldn't end well.
I closed my eyes waiting for Karan's reaction.
"Seriously—just after winning the ceremony?" Karan said.
I opened my eyes, startled. How could he say something like that?
The moment froze Varun.
Awkward.
Painfully awkward.
I saw Varun's excitement fade the second his eyes met Karan's.
And I felt it too-
The first flicker of possession from Karan.
Then jealousy.
Then anger.
"I should leave," Karan said, his voice tighter this time.
No one stopped him.
Varun didn't move.
Neither did I.
For a long second, the room stayed frozen-like time itself had decided to pause.
Then Varun quietly walked to the chair. He picked up my black panty, folded it neatly, placed it back in the bag, and went straight to the bed.
He lay down.
Without a word.
And within thirty minutes, destiny had shown me its harshest side.
My heart broke-for Varun.
He hadn't touched me on the first day to honour some rules. Even when I wore that red dress, even when the wine sat between us, even when I gave him clear signals-he hadn't flinched.
But today... today it was his right.
He had earned it.
He must have planned everything.
The paused movie on his laptop.
Bringing my clothes himself.
Convincing me gently.
He wanted to embrace me.
And it got ruined.
It wasn't new for me.
Since childhood, I had seen this happen again and again—
I would come home, excited, holding my gold medal…
and my mother would celebrate Divya's bronze instead.
I would place my gold medal in the cupboard and crawl into bed, pulling the blanket over my head as I cried into my pillow.
I used to think I was a bad person.
That I had done something wrong by winning.
I would question myself—why wasn't I happy for Divya?
She was my friend.
And she was adopted… so maybe she deserved more attention.
Today, I saw that same pain again—the kind that kills excitement.
But this time, it wasn't happening to me.
It was happening to Varun.
How was I supposed to deal with this?
I stepped out for some fresh air, my chest tight.
"Aayna ma'am?"
Kaveri's voice came from behind me.
"What are you doing here?"
"Nothing," I said, shaking my head, forcing a smile.
"Why aren't you with Varun sir?" she asked, worry flashing across her face.
A tear slipped down my cheek.
Before I could stop myself, she ran toward me and hugged me tightly.
She took me to my room, handed me a glass of water, and made me sit.
"If you tell me what happened," she said softly, "maybe I can help."
I just sat there shaking my head and wiping my tears.
"Varun sir is the nicest among all the brothers. He sacrifices his happiness every time-for others. This is the first time God rewarded him... by letting him be the first one to form a genuine connection with his wife."
Her voice softened.
"If he said something wrong, I apologize on his behalf. I know he meant well."
"It's not him, Kaveri," I said quietly.
"Karan came to Varun's room. It made everything awkward."
I didn't want to share this with her but it was too late when I realised this.
Kaveri sighed, almost knowingly.
"Ma'am... Karan sir never had to share a girl between two men. He doesn't understand boundaries yet. Arun sir and Varun sir always had only one partner, so they know how to handle things."
She hesitated, then added gently,
"They fought a lot initially too. But they learned." She giggled when she said this.
Then she looked at me seriously.
"Don't spoil your mood. Don't waste your time with us... when you should be with him."
And then, a familiar voice called my name.
"Aayna."
It was Arun standing there at the doorway.
"What happened?" he asked immediately.
"Why are you here?"
"It's my room," I replied softly.
He frowned.
"But shouldn't you be with Varun... right now?"
"Yes," I whispered. "I should be."
My eyes burned, and before I could stop myself, they filled with tears.
I wasn't just crying for what happened today with Varun.
I was crying for my younger self too—
for the way she was treated as a child.
Arun's expression changed instantly.
"Why are you crying?" he asked, rushing toward me.
Kaveri quietly stepped out, closing the door behind her, leaving us alone.
I hadn't been able to explain everything to her.
But Arun...
He was my husband.
If I couldn't speak here, then where could I?
I told him everything.
How Karan had come to Varun's room.
How he had asked those questions.
How the air had changed.
How everything had turned awkward after that.
"Oh," Arun said simply.
Then he took a breath-calm, steady, like someone who knew how to handle storms.
"First of all," he said, "we're not allowed to enter each other's rooms without a call. So Karan was wrong."
I looked up at him.
"And second," he continued, "he has no right to ask you those questions. It's none of his business. If he felt jealous, possessive, angry-whatever-then he is the one in the wrong place."
His voice was firm, not angry.
"Why did he agree to this marriage? Why did he agree to this arrangement-if he can't handle his emotions maturely?"
I stayed quiet.
"And lastly," he said gently, "why are you crying?"
I didn't have an answer for that one.
"You have three husbands," he added softly. "If you feel everything this deeply, you'll drain yourself emotionally. Learn not to feel everything. Sometimes people do things just to hurt you-intentionally."
That was when I understood why Arun had looked the most excited among them all.
It was his mindset.
Then he smiled faintly.
"I've known Varun for a very long time," he said. "When he's with a girl, he doesn't like anyone entering his territory. He might be hurt."
He paused, then added casually,
"I know this because... I've been punched before."
I laughed despite myself.
"But I'm not just some girl," I said. "I'm his wife. And this wasn't fair."
Arun nodded.
"And as for Karan," he said calmly, "this is his last chance. From experience, I know-he shouldn't repeat this again."
I nodded too.
Then his voice softened.
"You're my wife as well."
That single sentence hit me harder than everything else.
"And I don't like tears in my wife's eyes."
His words were pure warmth.
He pulled me toward him and hugged me tightly.
"Now," he said lightly, "if you cry one more time-no matter whose turn it is-I'll take you with me."
That did it.
My mood lifted.
A smile finally reached my lips.
He turned me around gently and nudged me toward the door.
"Now go," he said. "Or I really will take you with me."
It was enough to make me giggle.
"By the way," I asked, "what were you doing in my room anyway?"
"Oh," he said casually, "I stole a few beer bottles from
Varun's room and hid them here. I came to take them back."
He opened the wardrobe and frowned.
"But they aren't here. Did you-"
"No!" I stopped him quickly. "Varun was packing my stuff. He must've seen them."
Arun whistled.
"Eh... he's really smart," he grinned.
"You can take mine," I said. "I have a bottle of red wine."
His face lit up instantly.
He happily took the bottle-and just like that, my heart felt lighter.
All thanks to Arun.