The evening had begun to set, the once golden light now turning soft and warm amidst the haze of half-empty champagne flutes and buzzed laughter.
Kavi's head was spinning. Abhishek's words lingered in his chest like a slow poison not violent, but consuming. Around him, the laughter felt distant. Hollow. He stood alone near a quiet corner of the venue, whiskey in hand, his eyes glassy, his breath uneven. He was sobbing, quietly, without drama but clearly broken.
Alina had left earlier for a family emergencyher grandmother was rushed to the hospital. Pinky and Roy were near the DJ booth, dancing like maniacs, screaming lyrics with strangers and completely wasted.
Kiaan, meanwhile, had been standing on the fringes for hours not fully present, not entirely absent either. Every cheer, every handshake, every guest he thanked, every relative he hugged it all felt mechanical. A performance. Something he did because it was expected, not because his heart was in it.
Kavi dropped his half-drunk whiskey glass and quietly walked away, disappearing into the darker stretch behind the floral arch and catering tents.
Kiaan didn't think. He just followed.
He glanced around quickly to make sure no one saw. But someone had.
Pinky.
She had been leaning on the DJ booth, a glass of rosé in hand, mid-laugh until she saw Kiaan trailing Kavi into the dark. Her laughter died on her lips. Her brows furrowed. She was drunk, yes, but not too drunk to notice the shift in the air.
She set her glass down slowly and followed at a distance, her heels clicking faintly against the marble floor.
Behind the venue, where the lights barely reached, Kavi was bent over by a garden wall. He pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket one he'd picked up earlier and lit one with trembling hands. He took a drag, only to cough violently after. He wasn't a smoker, but tonight nothing made sense.
Kiaan stepped forward, snatched the cigarette from his lips, and crushed it beneath his shoe.
"Are you trying to kill yourself?" Kiaan snapped, bending beside him.
Kavi scoffed in disbelief, voice shaky. "You know what breaks me the most? The fact that the person you should be loving and caring for is inside that hall not here. It breaks me that you can't even love my sister."
"She's your sister," Kiaan said, trying to steady his voice. "I care about her."
Kavi stood up slowly, his eyes bloodshot. "Care?" He moved closer, his voice rising. "That's not the same thing. You're marrying her. You're supposed to love her and stop loving me!" His voice cracked as he sobbed. "Don't care love her. I would rather die than watch my sister build her future on a lie. If my death is what it takes for her to enjoy her marriage, then…"
Kiaan's face hardened.
He stepped forward and shoved Kavi against the wall not roughly, but enough to make him stop.
"You think this is easy for me?" Kiaan's voice was a low growl. "Do you think I'm not dying inside too? That I haven't gone mad every single night pretending like I'm okay? I hate seeing myself with anyone who's not you." His voice cracked now, the rage melting into something helpless. "I've become numb. You're not the only one losing your sanity, Kavi."
The words hit like thunder, leaving Kavi stunned, breathless.
From the shadows, Pinky gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth. She had seen and heard enough.
She stepped out from the darkness. "Don't you dare talk to Kavi like that," she snapped, her voice trembling as she stormed toward them.
Kiaan froze.
Kavi turned to her, eyes wide with guilt. "Pinky, I wanted to…"
But she cut him off. "You're in love with him?"
Silence.
Kavi's gaze dropped to the ground. That was all the answer she needed.
"Oh my God," she breathed, stepping back. "All this time… I thought you were heartbroken over something else. But it was him? You were in love with your sister's fiancé?"
"Pinky, please—"
"I'm your best friend, Kavi," she whispered, her voice breaking. "And you couldn't tell me?"
Tears welled up in her eyes. Not from betrayal. From hurt.
Kiaan took a step forward. "It's not Kavi's fault. If you're going to be angry—"
"Don't," she snapped. "Don't defend him. Don't defend any of this. Do either of you realise what kind of damage this could do to Riya?"
Kavi flinched at her name.
"I didn't mean for this to happen," he whispered. "I swear, I didn't."
"Then why didn't you stop it?" Pinky asked, her voice barely holding together. "Why didn't either of you stop?"
No one answered.
She looked between them Kavi, tear-stained and broken. Kiaan, overwhelmed and unraveling and something inside her just gave out.
"I don't know what this is between you two," she said, stepping away slowly. "But whatever it is… it's cruel."
And with that, she turned around and walked off, each step echoing like gunshots against the silence.