Chapter 3: The Truth Unveiled

The air in the bridal chamber hung heavy, each second stretching longer than the last. Meera sat on the edge of the bed, her hands clutching the ornate embroidery of her lehenga as though it were the only thing anchoring her. The room, decorated with soft fairy lights and scattered rose petals, was supposed to feel romantic. Instead, it felt like a prison cell, and Arjun's presence at the door made it clear she couldn't escape the truth anymore.

The door clicked shut behind him. He took a few deliberate steps forward, his sharp features shadowed in the dim light. His silence was deafening. Meera could feel his gaze boring into her, dissecting her, as if he could see straight through the layers of silk and lies.

"Meera," he said finally, his voice low but steady. That single word carried the weight of everything he already knew.

She froze. He wasn't supposed to know her name—not this soon. Her heart raced as she struggled to calm her breathing. If he knew she wasn't Kavya, everything would unravel faster than she could handle.

Her heart hammered in her chest, but she refused to look up. Instead, she pressed her hands against her thighs, trying to steady the trembling that had taken hold of her. The world seemed to be closing in on her. She was caught between a lie she couldn't escape and a truth she couldn't bring herself to face.

"I... I don't understand," she stammered, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor.

"You're not Kavya," Arjun said, his tone leaving no room for doubt. He wasn't asking; he was stating a fact. He stepped closer, closing the distance between them. "You've been trying to avoid my gaze all evening, and I can see why now. You're not the woman I was supposed to marry. Who are you?"

The words hit her like a blow. Meera clenched her fists in her lap, her nails digging into her palms. For a fleeting moment, she considered lying, but what would be the point? He had already seen through the façade.

"How?" she whispered, barely above a breath.

Arjun took a few more steps into the room, his shadow falling across her. "You're not her. Your eyes—they're different. And the way you carry yourself, it's... not the same. Kavya would never be this still, this quiet. You don't belong here."

"I... I'm Meera," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. She finally looked up, her tear-filled eyes meeting his sharp, unrelenting gaze. "Kavya is my cousin. She... she ran away."

She slowly lifted her gaze, meeting his eyes for the first time since the ceremony. Arjun's face was unreadable, his features sharp and calculating. There was no anger in his expression, just quiet acknowledgment of the truth.

"Why?" he asked, his voice now edged with a quiet confusion. "Why didn't you stop this? Why did you let it happen? Arjun's jaw tightened, but he didnt say anything more. His silence was more unnerving than anger.

Meera's throat tightened as she struggled to find the words. "It wasn't my choice," she said quietly, her voice barely a whisper. "I didn't ask for this. My aunt, Sudha... she... she forced me to take Kavya's place."

Arjun's brow furrowed, but he didn't interrupt her. She took a deep breath and continued, the words pouring out like a dam breaking. "Kavya ran away, and I... I didn't know what else to do. My family would have been ruined. They were going to disown me if I didn't do this. I didn't have a choice."

"You didn't have a choice?" Arjun repeated, his voice soft but laced with disbelief. He stepped back slightly, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. "So you thought stepping into her shoes, lying to everyone, and marrying me under false pretenses was the only solution?"

Tears spilled down Meera's cheeks, but she didn't bother wiping them away. "I didn't want this," she said, her voice breaking. "I never wanted this. But my family... they said they'd disown me if I didn't do it. I wasn't trying to deceive you, Arjun. I just... I didn't know what else to do."

Arjun ran a hand through his hair, frustration flickering across his face. He turned away, pacing the length of the room. The ornate decorations, the faint scent of roses, the lingering warmth of the evening—all of it felt suffocating now.

"So," he said finally, stopping to face her again. "You were willing to sacrifice your entire life for a family that was ready to throw you away? For a cousin who abandoned her responsibilities and ran off?"

Meera flinched at the harshness of his words, but she knew they weren't untrue. She swallowed hard, struggling to find her voice. "It's not that simple," she said, her tone pleading. "I didn't want to ruin everything. I didn't want to be the reason this wedding fell apart."

"And now?" Arjun asked, his voice quieter but no less intense. "What happens now, Meera? Do we keep pretending? Do I introduce you to the world as my wife and pretend this isn't built on a lie? Or do we end this farce right here?"

Arjun stepped forward, closer now, his eyes never leaving hers. "And what about you, Meera? What about your happiness? What about your life? Are you willing to spend it hiding behind a lie? Are you willing to live a life where you're nothing more than a replacement?"

Meera couldn't answer. The truth was, she didn't know what she wanted. All she knew was that her world had already fallen apart, and now she was dragging his into the chaos with her.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words and unresolved tension. Finally, Arjun sighed, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

"Meera," he said, his tone softer now, "I don't know what to do with this situation. But I can't ignore the fact that you're here now, and Kavya isn't. What's done is done. But I need to know one thing."

She looked up at him, her breath catching in her throat.

"Are you willing to stop pretending?" he asked. "Because if we're going to move forward, I need honesty from you. No more lies. No more playing someone else's role."

Meera's heart clenched at his words. For the first time, someone was asking her to be herself, not to fit into the mold her family had created for her. She didn't know if she could trust him—not yet—but the sincerity in his voice gave her a sliver of hope.

"I'll try," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I'll try to be honest."

Arjun nodded, his expression unreadable. "Good," he said simply. "Because that's the only way this has even a chance of working."

He turned to leave, pausing at the door. "We'll figure this out tomorrow," he said, his tone final. "Get some rest."

And with that, he was gone, leaving Meera alone with her thoughts. The reality of her situation was clearer than ever now—there was no going back.

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