𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 | 𝟏𝟖+

𝟎𝟑| 𝐀 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

Thakur Badi, the ever so opulent Manor, a home to the Royal Family of Gujarat, The Thakurs. Today the place was filled with air thick with tension, an unsettling trepidation and a spark of something brewing beneath the eerie silence.

It had been a couple of days since Meera had discovered her father's condition for her marriage. Things were chaotic at core yet calm on the surface. Her silence did not escape the attention of those around her but her lack of response was a staunch answer in itself. The breakfast table, usually a hub of unending smiles and chats, was silent today.

Dev, Meera's father, cleared his throat, gaining the attention of those around him. Meera sucked in a deep breath, bracing herself for the upcoming moment and plastered a nonchalant look on her face. "I think it's time we talk about Meera's marriage." He suggests Meera watches as her grandparents' eyes lit up with joy while her mother had a calm, knowing look on her face.

Her eyes went to her siblings, only to find them intently staring back at her. "Do you have someone on your mind, Dev?" Her grandmother quips up, making her father nod in agreement before announcing the name out loud. "Yes Maa, Rana Viraj Singh Rathore's eldest son, Yashraj Singh Rathore." He answers, his tone sharp.

Meera's mother was quiet, observing her daughter's face only to find it devoid of any palpable emotion. Finally before she could say anything, her grandfather asked her, "are you okay with us sending the proposal to Yashraj, Laado?" Meera gazes at her father, his eyes downcast not meeting hers. A chuckle threatens to escape her before she nods and mutters a shaky yes at her Dadu. [Grandpa] [Laado, a term of endearment for girls.]

With the breakfast coming to an end, Meera begins to drive to work with her mother in the passenger seat. "I want to have a talk with you once we reach Meeru." She passed a stiff nod to her mother. Meanwhile, Vineeta Thakur was deep in thought. The morning ordeal and her daughter's silence over the past few days were indeed adding to her suspicions.

Amidst a million thoughts racing in her mind, the one that stood out was the realisation that her little one was not so little anymore. The thought hit her like a sledgehammer, it felt like just days ago she had stepped into the Thakur Manor with her daughter, a newborn in her arms and here she is today, a gracious twenty-eight year old woman.

Her chest swelled with pride looking at the woman her daughter had bloomed into. The bittersweet ache that came with her marriage was laced in an underlying feeling of an emptiness, a void that could never be filled once her firstborn leaves. Meera had always been her family's pride, be it as a mere child or an adult, her contribution to the respect given to their family was undeniably remarkable.

Meera swiftly slid the car into the basement parking of their office. She was calm on the surface but her nerves were raging, helpless, furious and sad, she felt all of it at once. There even was a delusional side, a little part of her that hoped for all of what was happening to be a nightmare and disappeared as soon as she opened her eyes. But alas, that wasn't the case and the very situation was her reality.