Chapter 2: The Moment She Chose Herself

January 6, 2029 – Morning – Kovilpalayam, Coimbatore

The wedding hall buzzed with confusion. The nadaswaram faltered as whispers replaced music.

Priya was missing—just minutes before the thaali tying.

Inside the mandapam, the groom, Arjun Varadhan, fidgeted beside the priest. Behind the curtain, relatives whispered about omens. Then suddenly—Meghana, Priya’s cousin, stepped out in full bridal saree. The same one Priya had chosen months ago.

Devika’s eyes widened. “What’s going on?”

“They replaced Priya?” Dharshana whispered, stunned.

No one had answers.

Until a voice rang out from the entrance.

“Stop everything.”

Every head turned.

Priya stood at the threshold—her hair undone, her saree slightly damp from the Coimbatore morning mist. Her steps echoed on the marble floor as she walked toward the stage, a brown envelope clutched in her hand.

“I won’t let this happen in silence,” she said, voice calm.

She walked past shocked relatives and stopped directly in front of Arjun.

“Before you tie that thaali, the groom should explain this.”

She tossed the envelope at his feet.

“Proof of Arjun’s affair. With Meghana. In Korea. For seven months.”

Gasps filled the room.

She continued, “While I was attending my internship, they were having their own honeymoon behind my back.”

She lifted her phone and played a video. On screen—Arjun and Meghana kissing outside a Seoul café. Around Meghana’s neck was the exact scarf Priya had gifted Arjun last Diwali.

Arjun’s jaw tightened.

“And in case you think this is just family drama,” Priya added, “your company has already received these. I’ve been appointed as a QA Engineer in the same branch. I start this month.”

There was silence.

And then—

“YES! I CHEATED!” Arjun roared.

Everyone froze.

“I couldn’t take it anymore! You never let me in. Always distant, always hiding behind your so-called values. Crying over that Korean guy like he was your husband. You gave your heart to a dead idol, Priya!”

Devika stepped forward, furious. But Priya held up a hand.

“You think you deserve sympathy?” she asked.

Arjun spat out, “I planned that Korea trip just to be close to you, but you shut me out! Your cousin—she let me in. She let me be a man!”

The crowd murmured in disgust.

“I arranged this wedding because I thought you’d come around. But you were too proud. Your body was here, but your heart stayed in Seoul!”

Priya’s voice turned cold. “You never wanted love, Arjun. You wanted control.”

Suddenly, Arjun’s mother stood and yelled, “You owe us the jewels we gave! And the fridge your appa promised!”

Priya looked at her flatly. “I owe you nothing. Not your son. Not your dowry. Not even your borrowed shame.”

Arjun’s fists clenched. In one sudden motion, he grabbed a plastic chair and lunged at her.

“YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!”

Before it could hit, a strong arm pulled Priya back.

The chair crashed down, shattering into pieces.

Gasps filled the air.

A tall man in a beige suit stood in front of her, blocking Arjun. A white mask covered the lower half of his face. His blazer fluttered slightly as he turned.

He looked down at Priya, voice low and calm.

“Are you okay?”

Priya blinked. Her heart was thudding in her chest.

His voice, his accent—he wasn’t Indian.

He was Korean.

She nodded slowly, unable to speak.

He didn’t step away immediately. He stood firmly, shielding her from Arjun’s glare.

The hall was in chaos. Arjun groaned on the floor, held back by two men in white shirts. Gasps and murmurs rippled like crashing waves around the mandapam pillars.

But Priya?

She stood steady now.

Her hands no longer shook.

Because she knew who he was.

Her breath caught, but her eyes didn’t waver.

Because the man who had saved her…

was the best friend of the star she had loved and lost.

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