Two months had passed since Ira and Reyansh had worked together. Their project had wrapped up successfully, winning them both accolades from their respective teams and clients. But along with its success came an inevitable distance. No more meetings. No more casual arguments. No more stolen glances.

---

Reyansh tossed and turned in his room. The clock blinked at 2:47 AM.

"Kya dikkat hai tujhe Reyansh? So kyun nahi raha tu?" (What’s wrong with you Reyansh? Why can’t you sleep?) he mumbled to himself, frustrated.

He missed her. There, he said it to himself — silently. He missed her presence, her sarcasm, even her angry glares.

In that moment of weakness, he grabbed his phone and opened Instagram. Not the real one — not his blue-ticked, millions-of-followers public account — but his rarely-used second account. A private one. Anonymous. Safe.

He typed "Ira Verma" into the search bar and instantly recognized her profile — a mirror selfie as the display picture. The account was private. Only about 6k followers. He tilted his head.

"A successful CEO… but not even a public profile? Hmm… what could be the reason for it?”

Still, he hit the follow. Not from his main account — he wasn’t ready to let her know he was this curious. He lay back again, staring at the phone.

After a few hours of imagining her laugh, her eyes, her voice — a notification popped.

He jumped.

"Please let it be her," he whispered.

It wasn’t. Just a random update. But the disappointment hit hard.

He sighed and whispered into the silence, "Woh kuch toh chhupa rahi hai... in aankhon ke peeche kuch toh dard hai..." (She’s definitely hiding something… there’s some pain behind those eyes…)

He remembered her smiles — always a little incomplete. Even during Ishaan's wedding, she was present, but not really.

"Whatever it is, I need to find it out. Main usey aise nahi dekh sakta... usay woh khushi milni chahiye jo woh deserve karti hai… and I promise that world's all the happiness will kneel down in front of her ." (I can't keep seeing her like this... she deserves the happiness she’s been deserve…)

---

At Ira’s house, the dining table buzzed with laughter. Her family chatted while she quietly ate. Her instincts told her something was coming.

And it did.

Her grandmother cleared her throat and smiled.

"Ira, 10 din baad tumhari shaadi hai. Dates fix ho gayi hain. Tum kal office se leave le lena. Aur is baar koi 'but' nahi sunungi!" (Ira, you’re getting married in 10 days. Dates are fixed. Take leave from the office tomorrow. And this time, no 'buts'!)

Ira’s spoon froze mid-air. Her throat tightened.

She stood up, voice trembling, "Why do you even ask me when everything is already decided? Mera opinion kabhi matter karta hai yahaan?" (When has my opinion ever mattered here?)

Her eyes welled up. Her mother sat silently, tears brimming in her own eyes.

Unable to bear it, Ira ran upstairs. She locked her door and collapsed on her bed. Tears spilled freely. She reached for her diary.

> "Why is life like this? They say time heals... but does it really? Maybe it just teaches us how to live with pain. Do I really deserve all these? After all those silent sacrifices, the trauma... Now when I finally thought of living life on my own terms, even that's being taken away.

You know right , during my teenage years, I thought about ending my life so many times. But I didn’t. You know why? Because of maa. I’ve seen her suffer. She never got the respect she deserved, just because baba didn’t earn enough? How could people be so cruel . But she never deserved the way she was treated.

I’ve worked my whole life to give her what she deserved . But what about me? Isn’t this decision — marriage — supposed to be mine?"

Her phone rang. Vaani Roy.

A name we hadn’t heard before, but a soul that had been with Ira through her darkest storms. Her teenage best friend. A constant.

Ira picked up.

"Tu ro rahi hai na? Kya bola fir se unhone?" (You’re crying again, aren’t you? Did your aunt and grandma say something again?)

Ira’s voice broke, "Kya bacha hai Vaani? Everything is over. They’ve taken everything — even my peace. Is this even a life?"

Vaani's voice turned serious, "What happened exactly Ira?"

"Vaani… I’m getting married. And they didn’t even ask me once."

There was a pause. Vaani sighed, "Marriage isn’t a joke, Ira. You’re going to live with that person your whole life. At least ask them first. With whom?"

"Varun," Ira whispered.

"He’s a good man, his family is good too... but I never felt anything. During Ishaan’s wedding, we spent time together. Still, nothing. And he never tried to get to know me inside. Just flirted a bit. That’s it."

She continued, "Sometimes even love isn’t enough. Marriage needs more. And I’ve seen enough broken marriages around me to know that. I fear... what if Varun turns out like baba? You know how emotionally unavailable he was for maa, he is a good human being but was that able to bring my mother Happy? The answer is NO. What if he turns out to be the same as my ex you remember right how he was. And for Varun... I have too many ‘what ifs’. How can I marry with all that doubt?"

“But Ira sometimes love can happen after marriage too right?”, Vaani said.

“Yeah I know Vaani it's not about love or arrange marriage every time it's about with whom you are but…”, she paused as she saw a notification in her laptop.

Her laptop screen pinged.

A message from her team: Khanna Industries is offering a project collaboration.

She groaned, wiping tears, "Oh God, again I have to deal with that angry young man."

Vaani perked up, "Who?"

Ira sighed, "Khanna Industries. That means — Reyansh Khanna."

Vaani gasped, "THE Reyansh Khanna?! CEO, hot, intense — that guy?! Ira, you’re kidding me!"

"It’s not my first time working with him. Handsome, ohh com’n! Vaani. He is way too rude. Always acting like the world’s against him. I just hate him."

Vaani giggled, "Ira, who cares! He has millions of fans — including me! He’s a Wattpad-coded man straight out of our books. Even you love those book guys — what happened to your taste?"

Ira sighed, then smiled faintly.

"You and I both know it’s not just about looks. It’s about how they treat you. How they see you. Maybe that’s what we all crave. Anyway... forget him. I just hate him."

They ended the call.

Ira stared at her laptop again, then her phone. She realised her mood had shifted. Why? Was it the message from Khanna Industries… or Vaani’s voice?

"Let it be," she whispered.

She opened Instagram. She barely used it — her account was private for a reason. (We’ll learn why in a future chapter.)

She opened the follow requests and absentmindedly accepted a few — including one from an unknown name.

Reyansh's fake account had been accepted.

---

And like that, the night passed.

But a storm was brewing quietly in the hearts of both.

What will happen when Reyansh finds out that Ira is getting married… in just ten days?