「 desi romance novella x second chance lovers 」 ▬▬▬ Kritika and Aditya were inseparable childhood sweethearts. Until they did separate. Now, they meet again in a reunion dinner. ▬▬▬ wordcount : 12k words © adelaide 2024.

This story is about a girl who was never loved by her parents just because she is not as beautiful as her siblings and her cousins, at least that is what she thinks. Due to such troubled childhood, she has trust issues. Meet Dev, a successful man with a good career, family and friends. He always observed the love between his parents and wished for that for himself. He is waiting for that one person who will love him for who he is. This story depicts the journey of a shy girl , who has trust issues due to the incidents she faced in her life. One incident has created a scar on her heart forcing her to build walls around her heart., afraid of getting hurt again. But unknown to her, all she wants is unconditional love and acceptance for who she is. NOTE: In this story, I have described Indian marriage customs in detail. Read it, if you are interested.

𝐈𝐬𝐡𝐚, 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐯 , 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐀 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐆𝐮𝐣𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐀𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬

The hospital cafeteria smelled of filter coffee and formalin-a strange blend of comfort and sterility. Arjun Mehta sat across from Dr. Rajiv Kapoor, a quiet plate of idli untouched between them. "You're not eating," Rajiv observed mildly, lifting his steaming cup of coffee. "I'm not hungry," Arjun murmured, eyes fixed on the glow of his phone. His inbox was a blur of surgery requests, follow-up reports, and urgent messages. Rajiv set his cup down and leaned back, studying the young man who had once been his brightest student. "Arjun," he said quietly, "you've always wanted to pay me back for my guidance and support, haven't you?" Arjun looked up at him, surprised, but his answer was immediate. "Of course, sir. If not for you, I wouldn't even be a doctor today." Rajiv's smile deepened, touched with both warmth and mischief. "Then marry my daughter, Anahita." The surgeon's fingers stilled mid-scroll. Silence stretched between them. "Excuse me?" Rajiv chuckled softly. "I'm not dying, don't worry. No melodrama. No pressure. Just... a wish. I believe you'd take care of her the way you take care of your patients-quietly, but completely." Arjun opened his mouth, closed it again. He had never been in love, never even tried. His life was held together by long shifts and steel discipline. But Rajiv Kapoor was not just a mentor-he was the man who had shaped his very being. Two weeks later, in a simple ceremony attended only by close family, Arjun Mehta married Anahita Kapoor. He did not promise her love. He promised presence. He promised respect. And in the quiet days that followed, under one roof, their story began-not with fireworks, but with the slow, steady bloom of trust.

The sky that evening was heavy with clouds, the kind that made the air taste of iron and memory. Kavya sat by her window in Bhopal, chai growing cold beside her lesson plans, when the phone rang. "Mrs. Kavya Mehta?" a voice asked. It had been twelve years since anyone had called her that. "This is Dr. Sen from Indore General. Your husband, Mr. Raghav Mehta, was admitted this morning. Cardiac failure. He's asking for you." The rain outside blurred into silence. Her husband - the man she hadn't seen since the day she walked out, carrying the truth that shattered everything. There'd been no divorce, no closure - only years of quiet forgetting. By midnight, she was on a bus to Indore. The passing lights flickered across her face - memories of love, betrayal, and unanswered questions. She didn't know if she was going to forgive him or just to make sure he lived long enough to speak the words left unsaid. Outside, the rain followed her. Inside, something long frozen began to thaw. It wasn't love. It was reckoning.

"Are you sure about this, Kabir?" Ayaan asked. "Yes." "Dad won't be happy if he gets a hint of what you are doing," he said again. "He won't be happy with me anyway," Kabir said, taking a long drag of his cigarette before crushing it under his shoes. His emerald orbs burning with a rage that could destroy the world. "And it was supposed to be him instead of me doing what was correct," he said looking out of the window. "What if you are wrong?" Ayaan asked. The moment Kabir turned around and looked directly into him, Ayaan straightened his back and said, "Her details are there in the file." "What about other arrangements?" Kabir asked while glancing at the file. "Ready." "Good," Kabir said, opening the file and looking at a girl's picture, "we will meet soon, Ziniya."

Aadya's decision for an arranged marriage seemed perfect. Her husband fulfills her every wish but hides under a veil. Every interaction with him is under shadows She talked to him, she liked him. Everything is going fine until she realizes that she has never looked into his eyes. She has never seen his face for real. As the thoughts sink in Aadya is horrified by the possibilities. Why does her husband never show his face to her? Why does the identity of her own husband is so mysterious to her? Is her husband avoiding her delibrately?

This book is a short story about an arranged Indian couple: Tanay and Aadya. Tanay and Aadya come from a small town and conservative families. Their marriage was just like any typical Indian marriage until one day when Aadya loses her first child and decides she has had enough of this life and wants a divorce. Will they truly get divorced? Can Tanay make her stay? Will she stay? To find out, read 'The Life She Wants' (This book is inspired by true events and may contain some triggering content: domestic violence, miscarriage)

**"They married with a contract, not a promise. She was eighteen, with dreams too big for her hands. He was older, with walls too high for his heart. Love was never part of the deal. But life had other plans- Plans that came with tiny heartbeats, midnight cravings, and a bond neither of them saw coming. Through whispers in hospital corridors, through sleepless nights and gentle touches, through fear, pain, and a thousand unspoken words... they found love. Not once, but twice- first for each other, and then for the two little souls who made them a family. This is not just a story of falling in love. It's a story of staying in love... against all odds."**