~11~

March 2015

Ava's POV

"You stay right here. Don't pull any more stunts; I'll be back in ten minutes," my mom instructed sternly before leaving me with Kyra and Priti in the hospital room. I nodded, keeping my head down, doing my best impression of an obedient daughter until she left.

The moment the door clicked shut, I exhaled and sprawled out on the couch at the end of the room. "Oh my God, that's it! I'm eloping with Darsh. Final decision!" I declared dramatically, leaning back with faux exasperation.

Kyra snorted, while Priti shot me an incredulous look. "What? I'm serious. Start preparing to be an aunt, Priti!"

"Stop it," Priti hissed. "If your mom hears you, she'll throw you out the window."

"It wouldn't be any worse than her endless lectures," I retorted, rolling my eyes. "It's been a week since I last saw him. She even confiscated my phone when she caught me sneaking back after meeting Darsh that night." I sighed, feeling the weight of my mom's iron-fisted control pressing down on me.

"Okay, not to downplay your struggles, but it's definitely better than being stabbed by a psycho," Kyra quipped, her dry humor masking her lingering trauma.

My heart ached for her. I still couldn't believe what had happened. That maniac had been caught, thanks to the investigation into the wiped CCTV footage from our apartment's parking lot. Turns out, the security guard had erased the footage to cover for his son—the real culprit.

And his motive? The monster claimed it was Kyra's "mistake" for rejecting him repeatedly. As if that justified his actions. I shivered just thinking about it. He had drugged and stabbed her, dragging her to the woods to bury her alive. Somehow, she had managed to escape, running onto the road despite the drugs and her injuries.

"Kyra, I'm so sorry," I said, my voice thick with guilt.

"Hey, it's okay," Kyra replied softly. "Honestly, I don't remember much. Just the cloth over my nose and... nothing after that. I was only trying to lighten the mood with my weird sense of humor." She offered me a small, pained smile.

Priti frowned. "It's still strange that you don't remember anything. You ran onto the road—how can that just disappear from your memory?"

"The police said it's normal under the influence of drugs," Kyra explained, though her furrowed brow betrayed her doubts.

We debated the story for a while before agreeing to drop it. There was no point playing detective anymore; the case seemed closed.

"Ava, help me sit up," Kyra asked. I went to assist her, only for her to grab my ear and twist it mercilessly.

"Ow! Ow! What the hell?!" I yelped, struggling to break free.

"Why am I the last to know about your relationship with Darsh?" she demanded, her grip unrelenting.

"Kyra! Let me explain! Priti found out on her own—she caught us!" I protested. "I'll tell you everything, just let me go!"

Finally, she released me. I rubbed my sore ear, glaring at her. "Do you know how painful that was?"

"You haven't even started explaining yet," she said, unimpressed.

I groaned, backing away slightly. Priti, of course, looked entirely too amused by the whole ordeal. "Fine, it started last summer..."

I recounted everything, from the awkward beginnings of my relationship with Darsh to the disastrous night my mom caught us. By the time I finished, Kyra was staring at me in disbelief.

"Wow. A whole year, and you didn't tell me? Some best friend you are," she said, feigning offense.

"You're lucky I found out. She would've taken this to her grave," Priti chimed in, smirking.

"Alright, I'm sorry! But can we focus on the bigger issue here?" I asked, desperate to change the subject.

"And what's that?" Kyra asked.

"My mom. She's hiding something," I said. I recapped the bizarre conversation between our moms at the hospital and my suspicion that there was more to her reaction than just disapproval of my relationship.

Kyra leaned back thoughtfully. "I might have an idea, but I'm not sure if it'll work."

"Anything's better than nothing," I said eagerly.

"Okay, they're still at the canteen, right? I'll play the 'sick' card and get my mom to talk to yours while we're on the phone," Kyra suggested.

"Brilliant!" I exclaimed, scooting closer to her.

Kyra called her mom, and we all huddled around the phone. "Ma, can you do me a favor?" she asked, her voice laced with artificial weakness.

"What is it?" Swathi Aunty asked, clearly worried.

"Can you talk to Savi Aunty for me? I need to know why she's so upset. Please, Ma?" Kyra pleaded.

Swathi Aunty hesitated but eventually agreed. We held our breaths as the conversation began.

"What's wrong, Savi? You look more stressed than usual," Swathi aunty prodded.

After some coaxing, my mom finally confessed. "We were planning a big celebration for Ava's 18th birthday... and an engagement with Abhi."

I gasped, my mind reeling.

"What?! Savi, are you out of your mind? She's just a kid!" Swathi Aunty exclaimed.

"Don't judge me! It seemed perfect—my husband wanted to strengthen ties with a wealthy family, and Abhi's mom and I have been best friends our whole lives, it seemed like a good match. I thought Ava liked him!"

Kyra and Priti stared at me as I burst into uncontrollable laughter. "This has to be a joke," I choked out between giggles.

"This is not funny," Kyra hissed, though even she looked amused.

"It's like we've been thrown into a 19th-century drama," I muttered.

But then my mom said something that wiped the smiles off all our faces. "Tara knew about this plan, and yet she let Ava and Darsh carry on behind our backs!"

I grabbed the phone and ended the call, throwing it onto the bed.

"Child marriage? Are they serious?" Priti exclaimed.

"Engagement, not marriage," Kyra corrected, though she didn't look any less disturbed.

"Whatever it is, I'm going to raise hell the moment we leave this hospital," I declared, anger bubbling over.

~~***~~