Chapter 1 She Ran Away

Everyone was feeling happy as it was a prosperous occasion for the wedding of the eldest daughter of the Kapoor family. All the family members were enjoying themselves.

Mamta asked her younger daughter, Samaira, to call her sister to come downstairs. "Go and bring her downstairs. It's her wedding they all are here for. She should be present here."

Samaira went upstairs and knocked on the door of her elder sister's room. "Mahika Didi(Sister), everyone is calling you downstairs. Let's go."

She knocked again when she didn't hear any response, but again no one opened the door. She tried to open the door, but it was locked from the inside.

Her elder brother, Vishal, was coming in her direction. She stopped him. "Bhai(Brother), Mahika Didi is not opening the door, and she isn't even saying something. Mom asked me to call her to come downstairs."

Vishal sighed and tried to open the door. "It's locked from the inside."

"Is she fine inside?" Samaira looked worried for her sister.

"We have to open this door. Bring its key."

Samaira brought its key, and Vishal opened the door. Mahika's room was all messy with her dresses, lying on the bed, but Mahika wasn't there. Samaira checked the bathroom too, but she wasn't inside.

They both started getting worried about Mahika when a thought came into Samaira's mind. She quickly looked at Vishal. "She wasn't ready for this wedding. Is it possible that she...?"

"Ran away?" Vishal finished her question being totally sure that Mahika really ran away. Samaira wasn't able to believe that Mahika could do something like this.

Vishal's wife, Rishika entered the room. "Samaira, mom asked you to call Mahika, and you are both busy with your talks here. Where is Mahika?"

"Bhabhi(Brother's Wife/Sister-in-law), Mahika Didi ran away." Samaira said.

Rishika widened her eyes in shock. "What? How can she run away? It's her wedding. All the guests are here." She looked at Vishal. "Wha...What are we going to do now?"

***

A girl was running towards the airport in a hurry after stepping out of the cab with her luggage. Her racing heart only calmed down once the plane she was inside was in the air. "Relax Mahika, your new life is going to start from here. The one which you're going to live on your own. Full of freedom and without any burden."

She was feeling like a free bird, who was finally able to free herself by breaking her cage.

***

"We have to inform everyone about this." Vishal left the room. Rishika and Samaira followed him.

Vishal looked at his parents and grandfather. He asked Samaira to tell their parents and grandfather to come inside the room as he wanted to inform them about Mahika running away.

Vishal locked the room when they all came. Mamta and his father, Ranvijay could sense the worriedness on his face. His grandfather, Vikram was looking at him with his narrowed eyes.

"Dad, Mahika..." He tried to speak. Ranvijay furrowed his eyebrows. "What happened to Mahika? Where is she?"

"She...She ran a...away." Vishal closed his eyes.

Mamta, Ranvijay and Vikram widened their eyes in surprise. Ranvijay held his forehead, sitting down on the bed. "What will we tell the groom's family now?"

"We will tell them the truth that your stupid daughter ran away from her own wedding." Vikram retrieved his phone from his pocket to call Mahika's fiance, but Ranvijay stopped him. "Dad, we can search for Mahika. She can't go away too far."

"No one will find her and no one will take her name in front of me. This wedding is canceled." Vikram dialed the number, and informed Mahika's fiance about her running away while everyone looked at his face in worry except for Mamta. She was thinking something else.

Vikram talked for a few minutes, and cut the call in anger. "He is coming here with his family. Give the answer to him why your daughter ran away?"

They all went outside when Mamta's sister came to call her. They informed all the relatives that the wedding was canceled because of Mahika. All the relatives started consoling Mamta, but she was proud of Mahika because she never wanted Mahika to be like herself, who was always agreeing to all the requests of her parents, and wasn't able to live a moment for herself or to make any decision for herself with freedom.

Mahika's fiance, Neil came with his parents. He was looking very angry. "You all can't even keep an eye on my fiancée."

"Neil relax. We didn't know Mahika would do something like this." Ranvijay tried to calm him down, but Neil freaked out. "You're telling me to relax. My fiancée has ran away. I don't understand why did you get us engaged or forced her for marriage when she wasn't ready?"

Ranvijay looked at him surprised. "How do you know she wasn't ready?"

Neil took a deep breath. "Why would she take such a step if she was ready to marry me happily? You shouldn't have forced her to get married. I would've wait for her to be ready."

"We are sorry, Neil."

He came near Samaira, and caressed her hair. "What's done is done, but you all should understand that these girls deserve the freedom to choose what they want to do in their life before taking any decision for them. She is like my sister. Don't do the same mistake with her in the future."

Neil was a sensible boy and he respected Mahika's decision of running away from the marriage instead of getting married where she would feel suffocated and unhappy.

***

Mahika stepped out of the Los Angeles International Airport. She smiled, seeing her friend Anna who was there to receive her. Anna hugged her. "I am so happy to finally meet you."

"Same here." She hugged her back. Anna loaded her luggage in the car, and took her to her mini apartment. She asked Mahika to take some rest, before dinner.

Mahika freshened up, and came back to the living room, having some rest. Anna served her mac and cheese.

"Anna, I need a job." She said while eating.

"I have already arranged it. You're gonna join me in the restaurant I work in." Anna smiled. Mahika immediately agreed, but little did she know that this job was going to become the turning point of her life.