The room felt suffocating.
Ayaan looked confused.
"Mama, who is she?"
Ananya hesitated.
Before she could answer—
Nisha spoke.
"I'm someone who knew your father very well."
Aarav's jaw tightened.
"That's enough."
Nisha ignored him.
"We were almost married once."
Silence.
Everything stopped.
Ananya's heart dropped.
"What?"
Aarav stepped forward.
"That's not how it was."
Nisha laughed softly.
"Isn't it?"
Ananya looked at him.
Waiting.
Needing the truth.
Aarav exhaled slowly.
"It was an arrangement. Nothing more."
Nisha tilted her head.
"Funny… that's not what your family told me."
The tension rose instantly.
Because this wasn't just a memory.
It was a weapon.