The Soul's Unfinished Story
Chapter 5 QUAINT CAFE – LATE MORNING
White-washed walls. Soft jazz hums in the background. INARA (early 20s), poised but quietly restless, sits with MIRA and AVNI, her sisters-in-law. Coffee cups clink, laughter hums — everything is calm.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
The day had started off simple enough.
Brunch, shopping, and maybe some harmless people-watching.
A distraction.
Because no matter how warm everyone is, I still feel like a stranger in my own life.
INARA sips her coffee, trying to smile at Mira’s story.
Mira (FL eldest sister in law)
—And then the salesgirl told him it was a scarf, not a dog leash—
Suddenly, Mira stops mid-sentence. Her smile drops. Eyes frozen behind Inara.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
And then it shattered.
Not the day. Not the cup.
Me.
INARA turns her head. Her eyes find him.
Nirvaan Gupta (finance)
(laughing)
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Sits two tables away. Not alone.
With her.
His girlfriend. Stunning. Effortless. The kind of beautiful that belonged in a perfume ad—not in my shattered fairytale.
Avni (2 FL sister in law)
(softly, under her breath)
Awkward.
Mira (FL eldest sister in law)
(low, wary)
Well, this is either going to be a mature, dignified conversation or—
Avni (2 FL sister in law)
—or an absolute disaster.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
I could’ve looked away. Pretended. Smiled.
But dignity’s overrated when your heart’s still bleeding
INARA rolls her shoulders back, stands.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Let’s find out.
She walks toward him. Every step steady, though her stomach knots. NIVAAN sees her. Eyes widen slightly. He wasn’t expecting her. Of course he wasn’t.
The GIRLFRIEND eyes her like a threat. Or a bug.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(stopping at their table)
Nivaan, can we talk? Alone.
Nivaan 's Girlfriend
(syrupy)
No.
INARA tilts her head, amused.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
I wasn’t talking to you.
Nivaan 's Girlfriend
If it’s about your almost-marriage, then I am involved.
INARA gestures subtly behind her to a woman nearby—her discreet bodyguard.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Good. I have backup too. So no one’s outnumbered.
Nirvaan Gupta (finance)
(sighing)
Let’s just talk—
Nivaan 's Girlfriend
(cutting in again)
Anything you have to say, you can say in front of me.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(tilting her head)
Didn’t realize our engagement required your approval.
Nivaan shoots the girlfriend a warning glance.
Nivaan 's Girlfriend
I’m just saying—
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
You are saying a lot for someone who wasn’t invited to this conversation.
Nivaan 's Girlfriend
(wry smile)
Well, I am now.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(My patience was a thin thread.
And she? She kept tugging.)
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Great. Since we’re all so involved in each other’s relationships, should I also approve your boyfriend choices?
Mira (FL eldest sister in law)
(coughs to hide a laugh)
Avni (2 FL sister in law)
(openly amused)
Oof.
Nirvaan Gupta (finance)
(exasperated)
Inara, just say what you want to say.
INARA turns to him. Calm. Measured.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
I’m breaking this marriage.
Silence. The words settle like dust after a storm.
Nirvaan Gupta (finance)
Stunned
Nivaan 's Girlfriend
Laughs
Nivaan 's Girlfriend
You think you can?
INARA finally looks at her directly. Cold eyes
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Think? No, sweetheart. I know I can.
Nivaan 's Girlfriend
You don’t get to—
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
—to what?
Decide for myself? Walk away from a man who couldn’t even visit his half-dead fiancée?
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(to Nivaan)
Oh, right. My mistake. You were busy.
Nirvaan Gupta (finance)
(guilt in his voice)
Inara—
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Busy enough not to check if I was even breathing.
Nivaan 's Girlfriend
(opening her mouth)
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
And you—what exactly are you still doing here?
Nivaan 's Girlfriend
Excuse me?
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
This was a conversation between two adults.
But you keep interrupting like an unpaid intern desperate for attention.
AVNI nearly chokes on her drink. Mira hides a grin.
Avni (2 FL sister in law)
(whispering)
She’s on fire.
Nivaan 's Girlfriend
You’re just bitter—
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(Bitter? No.
Confused, maybe.
Confused why you are so invested in a relationship that doesn’t concern you.)
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(beat)
Are you his girlfriend or his lawyer? Because if it’s the latter—your defense is terrible.
Nivaan 's Girlfriend
Silent
Nirvaan Gupta (finance)
Groans
Nirvaan Gupta (finance)
Enough
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Finally, some sense.
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
I was going to talk to you.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Of course. After six months.
How generous of you.
Nirvaan Gupta (husband)
Inara—
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
It doesn’t matter.
This marriage?
It’s dead. Just like the version of me who waited for you
She turns slightly. Composed. Cold.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
I don’t care what you do now, who you love, or how important your meetings were.
We’re nothing.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(beat)
And if you ever thought I’d wait for you?
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(A soft laugh escapes.)
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
That was your mistake.
Nivaan 's Girlfriend
(finally)
Finally.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
(smiling without warmth)
Don’t flatter yourself.
I’m not walking away because of you.
I’m walking away because he isn’t worth my time.
INARA turns, grabs Mira’s arm, and walks out. Avni theatrically sips her coffee before following.
Avni (2 FL sister in law)
That was delicious.
Mira (FL eldest sister in law)
(grinning)
Best brunch ever.
The cold breeze hits INARA’s face. She breathes deeply. Calm. Free.
Inara Shekhawat (FL)
Nivaan was just a chapter.
And I had just turned the page.
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