"Sometimes the heart doesn't break when someone leaves. Sometimes it breaks when they stay close enough to belong to someone else."

The morning of the engagement arrived with an unusual kind of excitement at Malhotra Mansion. The entire house had been decorated with ivory flowers, golden fairy lights, and traditional marigold arrangements, while the staff moved around carrying trays and decorations. Kavya had been awake since sunrise, personally checking every arrangement, while Samar kept pretending everything was under control. Ariv and Sofia were supposed to be helping, but they had spent most of the morning arguing about whether the flower arrangements were "romantic" or "too dramatic." Clara had taken complete responsibility for Amaira, refusing to let anyone disturb her while she got ready. Devansh, meanwhile, had been awake for hours, though he couldn't explain why. He stood in front of his wardrobe for nearly twenty minutes before finally choosing a simple black sherwani, telling himself that he was dressing appropriately for a family function. He refused to admit that he had thought about what Amaira might wear.