Chapter 1 1

Tears streamed down Pia's cheeks as she sat in the wedding mandap in place of her sister Muskaan. Hidden beneath the veil, no one could see her face. Her hands trembled with fear, her mind in turmoil.

"No, I can't do that. This is wrong. I can't betray him. What will he do when he finds out that the girl he wanted to marry has been replaced by her sister?"

The man Pia was thinking of was Aarav Kapoor.

[Aarav Kapoor: The eldest son of the owner of AK Industries, India's leading company, and its CEO. Aarav's marriage to Muskaan Agarwal, the only daughter of businessman Manish Agarwal, was arranged. Although it was an arranged marriage, Aarav had fallen deeply in love with Muskaan and was genuinely looking forward to the wedding.]

Aarav sat in the mandap, looking so stunning in his groom's suit that all the girls at the wedding couldn't take their eyes off him. Many even lost their hearts to him. But Aarav, lost in thought and beaming with happiness, didn't notice that the girl next to him wasn't his fiancée, but a stranger-or so it seemed.

Pia wasn't a complete stranger. She was the daughter of Sanjay Agarwal, Manish Agarwal's older brother and Muskaan's father. However, when Pia was 15, Sanjay and his wife tragically died in a car accident, leaving Pia alone. From then on, she mostly lived in hostels and rarely visited her hometown, as she never felt she belonged there. Muskaan and her mother, Kavita, never particularly liked her and seemed eager to distance themselves from her after her parents' deaths.

Manish Agarwal, on the other hand, loved Pia deeply. After Sanjay's death, he cared for her as if she were his own daughter, but he couldn't compensate for her loneliness.

When Muskaan's wedding to Aarav was agreed upon, Pia wasn't present. Consequently, Aarav and Pia had never met, except for a few brief encounters with Aarav's family during visits to the Agarwals. Everyone was looking forward to the wedding, except for Muskaan, who had other plans.

On the wedding day

Manish and Kavita Agarwal sat in Muskaan's room, their faces pale with worry. Muskaan was nowhere to be found. All she had left was her wedding outfit and a letter. It read:

"Mom, Dad,

I told you earlier that I'm not interested in this wedding, but you didn't listen. Now I have no choice. I'm leaving. I can't go through with this wedding. I'm tired of all the drama. If only you had understood me before, none of this would have happened. Please forgive me, if you can."

When Manish read the letter, it felt as if the ground beneath his feet had given way. He clutched his head in despair. Kavita was equally distraught when she heard the news. How could she have been otherwise? Her reputation and her social honor were at stake.

The groom had already arrived, and Manish didn't know how to tell everyone the truth. The first step, he decided, was to talk to Aarav's parents.

[Aarav's parents: Avinash Kapoor (father), Radha Kapoor (mother)]

Manish gathered his courage and called Avinash Kapoor. He asked him to come into the room. When Avinash and Radha entered, they noticed the Agarwals' distress.

"What's wrong, Mr. Agarwal? Today is such a beautiful day for our children, and yet you look so worried. What happened?" Avinash asked, confused.

"Yes, Kavita Ji, why are you both so upset?" Radha added, sitting next to Kavita.

Kavita then burst into tears. When Avinash and Radha saw her crying, they became worried, sensing that something serious had happened. Manish then folded his hands in front of Avinash and told him everything about Muskaan's disappearance and her letter.

The news shocked Avinash and Radha.

"How could she leave like that? Was this marriage against her will? But Muskaan seemed so happy with Aarav-what's wrong, Mr. Agarwal?" Radha asked with a frustrated note in her voice. After all, she was a mother who worried about how her son Aarav would react to such a revelation. Avinash expressed the same concerns.

Manish explained, "When the marriage was arranged, we asked her, and initially she was against it, claiming she loved someone else. We asked who it was, but she refused to say anything. Later, when we talked to her about Aarav, she agreed of her own accord. We never forced her. I don't know why she did this now."

Avinash sighed deeply and said, " What's done is done. But we need a solution now. The train can't return empty-handed. Our reputation is at stake, and the scandal would be unbearable. This wedding cannot remain unfinished."

Everyone fell silent and was lost in thought as they searched for a solution to the crisis.

Everyone was confused about what to do next. The wedding procession couldn't return without the bride, but Muskaan had run away, leaving the family in a dilemma.

"If not Muskaan, then someone else will have to take her place in the mandap. The wedding must take place, otherwise our family's reputation will be ruined," Avinash Kapoor declared firmly.

"But how can we just marry our son to any girl? His life is at stake. And what will happen if he finds out that he didn't marry Muskaan?" Radhaji expressed her concern for Aarav.

" No one will say anything to him now," Avinash said firmly. His words caught everyone's attention. He continued, "Aarav is deeply in love with Muskaan. Learning of her betrayal will devastate him. We have to handle this wisely. And we won't marry him off to just anyone; we need a suitable girl, fast."

" But where are we supposed to find a good girl at such short notice? Oh God, what a terrible situation! " Radhaji cried in genuine despair.

She was right. The auspicious moment for the wedding passed, the guests waited, and Aarav, sitting in the mandap, performed all the rituals oblivious to the chaos. Finding a bride and convincing her seemed nearly impossible.

Manish Agarwal, who had remained silent until now, thought of Piya. Knowing the Kapoor family well, he believed Piya would be a good match for Aarav, especially under the circumstances. It wasn't just about saving face-Manish genuinely respected the Kapoor family and was convinced they would treat Piya well.

With this in mind, Manish suggested Piya's name to Avinash and Radhaji. Upon hearing this, both of them recalled their brief encounters with Piya. Although they didn't know her well, they had met her a few times and found her to be a sweet and well-mannered girl.

After some thought, Avinash said:

" We've met Piya before. She's a lovely girl who cares about everyone. I don't think we could find a better partner for Aarav. What do you think, Radha?"

"I like Piya too," Radhaji agreed hesitantly, "but will she marry Aarav? And what about Aarav? You know how angry he gets. What will he do when he finds out the truth?"

" Don't worry about Aarav. We'll explain everything to him later. He won't oppose our decision. Right now, we have no other choice. Let's talk to Piya," Avinash said firmly.

When Manish heard this, he was relieved, but Kavita's expression remained unreadable. She had remained silent, knowing that her daughter was responsible for the whole mess.

At that moment, Piya entered the room. When she saw everyone gathered and visibly worried, she froze.

"What's wrong, Uncle? Why are you all so tense? Everyone downstairs is waiting for you," asked Piya, sensing that something serious had happened.

Manish took a deep breath and explained everything-how Muskaan had run away and left a letter. When Piya heard this, she was shocked and didn't know how to react.

Manish approached her, gently held her hand and said, "Piya, I want to ask you something."

"Uncle, what are you saying? You raised me like your own daughter. Please don't use words like 'ask.' Just tell me what you need," Piya replied.

"Will you take Muskaan's place in the mandap and marry Aarav today?" Manish asked, almost pleadingly.

Piya was stunned. She pulled her hand away and took two steps back. Her heart immediately wanted to refuse and leave, but the love and respect she felt for her uncle wouldn't let her go. She couldn't bring herself to speak.

Manish noticed her hesitation and reassured her: "Piya, if you don't want to do this, it's okay. Do you... Do you love someone else? If so, please tell us. You're not going anywhere."

" No, Uncle. It's not like that. There's no one there," Piya answered quietly, " but..."

" But what, dear? Feel free to speak your mind. We won't force you to do anything," said Radhaji, trying to ease her discomfort.

"But how can I say yes? I don't even know him. And he... he loves Muskaan. Why should he marry me?" Piya asked in a trembling voice.

" We won't tell him the truth now," Avinash replied. " If he finds out now, it will break him. We'll explain everything to him later."

" What? So he doesn't even know what's happening? That's wrong. It will break his heart. I can't do this to him," said Piya, deeply worried about Aarav.