“Let’s be honest. Your groom already left you once. Consider this a second chance.”

Those words echoed in Arnika’s mind long after Ruaan walked away.

She stood frozen, unable to move, her fingers trembling slightly as she replayed his tone—cold, cutting, dismissive.

He had no idea what those words meant to her.

What kind of wound he had just sliced open again.

Because that night… she died once.

And the world had no idea.

Flashback — 8 Months Ago

The scent of jasmine and rose petals filled the dressing room.

Arnika sat in front of the mirror, wrapped in the soft blush tones of her bridal lehenga. Her hands, decorated with intricate mehendi, trembled slightly as she adjusted the dupatta.

Her reflection smiled back nervously — a woman in love, hopeful, glowing.

Her cousin, Kriti, peeked in through the door with a grin.

“Arnika! Just a few more minutes! You look like a dream.”

Arnika smiled faintly, cheeks warm.

“Don’t exaggerate,” she murmured, shyly.

“He’s lucky, you know,” Kriti teased. “He waited all these years. High school to now—this is literally a movie!”

Arnika chuckled softly. “Yeah… I guess it is.”

Her heart fluttered as she remembered the first day she met him —the charming senior who had always known how to make her laugh.

They had survived college, distance, arguments… everything.

He was her constant. Her forever.

At least, that’s what she believed.

The room buzzed with excitement — laughter, wedding songs, the rhythmic thump of dhol.

And then, suddenly—

Kriti burst back in. But this time, her face was pale.

“Arnika…” she whispered.

Something in her tone made Arnika’s stomach twist.

“What happened?”

Kriti hesitated. “He’s… gone.”

Arnika blinked, confused. “Gone? What do you mean gone?”

Kriti’s voice trembled. “Vedh… he left. He....he ran away.”

For a moment, everything stilled. The laughter outside became muffled.

Her vision blurred, her heartbeat turned uneven.

“That’s not funny,” she whispered. “Don’t joke like that.”

“I’m not joking,” Kriti said, voice cracking. “He left a letter in his room.”

Arnika’s breath caught in her throat.

She didn’t wait for another word.

She ran.

The Letter

The groom’s room was empty.

The suit was gone. The ring box lay open on the table.

Her heart thudded in her ears as she spotted the envelope — her name written in Vedh’s familiar handwriting.

She tore it open with trembling hands.

“Arnika,

I’m sorry. I tried to tell you earlier, but I couldn’t bring myself to hurt you.I thought love could be forced to stay if we tried hard enough, but it can’t.I fell out of love long ago… and I can’t marry you pretending I didn’t.There’s someone else. You deserve better than a man who can’t love you the way you do.Please, don’t hate me.

– Vedh.”

Her eyes blurred as the ink bled into her tears.

The letter slipped from her hands and fell to the floor.

Humiliation.

Betrayal.

Pitying stares.

The whispers that followed for months.

The groom who ran away.

The girl who was left at the altar.

And now, Ruaan Sharma — her cold, arrogant boss — had dared to touch that scar again.

A scar that had barely stopped bleeding.

Present

Arnika stood in her cabin, clutching her trembling fingers together as she looked out through the glass wall.

Through the reflection, she saw Vedh standing with Ruaan near the hallway — confident, composed, pretending as though nothing had ever happened.

Her jaw tightened.

She remembered the letter.

The laughter.

The way he had once promised, “No matter what, I’ll never leave you.”

Lies.

Every single word.

She whispered under her breath, low and bitter,

“You were never the right person, Vedh. I shouldn’t have loved you that much.”

She turned away, blinking back the sting in her eyes, forcing herself to focus on her files.

But her chest felt hollow — like the ghost of that wedding still followed her.

Ruaan’s POV

From across the hall, Ruaan watched her quietly through the glass.

She looked… different. Distant.

Her eyes weren’t angry anymore — they were haunted.

What’s she thinking about? he wondered. Why does she look like that every time she sees Vedh?

He frowned slightly.

Not that he cared.

She was the one who dragged his company into chaos.

She was the reason he had to fake an engagement.

She was the one who couldn’t keep her private life from exploding into his.

Still…

For some reason, her silence bothered him.

He shook the thought off and turned to Vedh, who stood beside him with a slick smile.

“So, Ruaan,” Vedh began smoothly, “that was quite the surprise announcement. Didn’t expect you of all people to make your relationship public like that.”

Ruaan’s jaw flexed slightly, but his voice remained calm.

“What relationship?” he said coolly. “We’re in love. There’s nothing scandalous about that, Mr. Vedh.”

Vedh’s lips twitched, like he knew something Ruaan didn’t.

“Well, then, congratulations,” he said, extending a hand.

“Wish you and… Miss Arnika… a long, beautiful journey ahead.”

Ruaan took the handshake, eyes unreadable.

“Thank you.”

Vedh walked away, but not before casting one final glance over his shoulder — one filled with satisfaction, darkness, and something else entirely.

Vedh’s POV

As soon as he stepped into the elevator, Vedh smirked.

“Well,” he whispered to himself, pulling out his phone to rewatch the news clip,

“That’s exactly what I wanted.”

He leaned back, watching Ruaan’s face freeze on screen — hand around Arnika’s waist, eyes fierce, claiming her as his fiancée.

“So, you’re going to pretend, huh?” Vedh muttered under his breath.

“Good. Let’s see how long that act lasts when the truth comes out.”

His reflection smiled in the elevator glass.

This wasn’t over.

It had only just begun.

Late That Night

Back in his office, Ruaan loosened his tie and sank into the chair.

Everyone had left.

The building was quiet — except his mind.

He looked at the engagement headline again.

His name next to hers.

Their picture together.

He scoffed softly.

“Fiancée,” he muttered.

What a joke.

And yet, for some reason…

he couldn’t stop seeing the look in her eyes when he said those words.

Not fear.

Not anger.

But pain.

Deep, buried pain that no one else could see.

He leaned back, closing his eyes.

“Don’t get involved,” he told himself.

“She’s just an employee.”

But the thought that followed was quieter… almost like a whisper he didn’t want to hear.

Then why does it feel like you’ve hurt her in a way you shouldn’t have?