Fateful Contract

Emotional Showdown

Tejasswi was aware that Karan intended to convince her to visit her family, which is why she promptly declined the proposal before he could even broach the subject.

With a loving touch, Karan held Tejasswi's cheeks and spoke softly, "Teju, my dear, I can feel your pain, but hiding forever won't solve anything. You'll have to face it sooner or later. And remember, you've done nothing wrong, so there's nothing to fear. They can't harm you anymore."

"Sunny, it's not their presence that scares me. It's about the emotions I've kept bottled up inside. They could unleash a storm once I face them," Tejasswi admitted, her eyes welling up.

"So be it. You have every right to speak about the suffering their negligence caused you, and they must listen."

After delivering his motivational talk, Karan leaned in to gently kiss Tejasswi's forehead, then affectionately patted the back of her head while holding her in a comforting hug.

Even in the embrace, Tejasswi shook her head from side to side and softly murmured, "No, Sunny. I don't want to. Just ask them to leave. I'll be okay without them."

"Oh, come on, you're incredibly brave, Teju. Rediscover that strength and face this head-on. Release those emotions and put them behind you once and for all. I'll be here with you every step of the way," Karan encouraged, embracing her tightly and leading her towards the door.

Tejasswi cleared the moisture from her eyes, swallowed her nerves, and mustered the strength to face a situation she never anticipated.

As Karan and Tejasswi walked into the private diner, they were met with palpable awkwardness as both families sat in silence after the meal.

Tejasswi and Karan's presence drew the attention of everyone in the room, who promptly stood up.

With a soft voice, Tejasswi's mother called out, "Teju, my child..." She took a step towards her, but Tejasswi brushed past her and went towards Anjana.

"Grandma, these individuals happen to be my family—the ones you were eager to meet as soon as you found out about me and Karan. I regret having to turn down your request earlier, but I would have been more than willing to make it happen if they had expressed similar sentiments. It would have been nice if they had taken the initiative to reach out to their daughter's in-laws upon learning of my marriage to Karan."

"Teju......"

"Tejasswi....."

The room was filled with a gentle stir as Tejasswi's ironic introduction resonated with everyone, delivering a pointed message.

Tejasswi pointed towards the elderly couple. "Allow me to introduce my biological grandparents, Shashank Sharma and Pravati Sharma." She then directed her hand towards her parents. "And here we have my biological mother and father, Shekhar and Janki Sharma."

"As everyone is aware, the proud, victorious bidder is my biological brother, Ishan Sharma, and..." Tejasswi's sentence trailed off, a puzzled expression crossing her face as she observed the young woman by his side. "She's most probably his wife, though I'm a tad unsure about this recent development."

Tejasswi's words struck like an unseen slap, prompting a visible reaction from the entire Sharma family as she voiced her doubts about her brother Ishan's marriage.

"You're correct, Tejasswi. I'm Mayesha, Ishan's wife," she acknowledged, stepping towards Tejasswi and sharing a brief hug.

"Thanks for the self-introduction. So grandma, as I mention......" 

Tejasswi's demeanor turned sour again, her words sharp and ready to cut through the tension. However, her grandmother intervened, gripping her hand and murmuring, "Tejasswi, what's this nonsense you're saying in front of everyone?"