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Mannu's POV

The screen of my phone glowed in the dark of the camp office. I had been staring at Kittu's name for twenty minutes. I knew the storm she was sitting in-I could almost feel her suffocating from miles away. When she finally picked up, her voice sounded thin, like a wire stretched too tight.

We talked about the weather, the bad hospital food, and the mindless paperwork for a while. We were both pretending the elephant wasn't in the room until I couldn't take it anymore.

"Mamma called me, Kittu," I said softly, cutting through the fluff. "She told me about the fallout."

There was a long, jagged silence on the other end. Then, the floodgates opened. She told me everything-the toast, the 'selfish' tag, the way Mamma threw her education back in her face. She sounded so exhausted that it broke my heart.

"I have a question, Mannu," she asked suddenly, her voice trembling. "Are you open to the idea of marriage? After everything?"

I leaned back against the canvas wall of the tent, looking up at the stars. "Yes," I said, and I meant it. "I am. Just because I was infatuated with someone ten years ago, and just because I made a mistake by society's standards, doesn't mean I've lost faith in the institution. People judged me for being me, but that was their burden, not mine. Why should I close the door on something beautiful just because one chapter was messy? I'm open to a relationship. I'm open to a life with someone. Why not?"

"But aren't you scared?" Kittu whispered. "Scared of failing? Scared of the world judging you again?"

I let out a small, dry laugh. "Kittu, I don't take myself that seriously anymore. That's the secret. We commit mistakes, we learn, and we evolve. The world's judgment is a noise you can choose to mute. You've been the 'perfect daughter' for so long-the ideal, the shield, the one who never broke a rule. Because you never fought for yourself before, this version of you is terrifying to Mamma and Papa. You're finally defying them, and they are perplexed."

I took a deep breath, wishing I could reach through the phone and pull the tension out of her shoulders.

"I've already talked to them, so don't worry about the pressure for now. But Kittu? My only suggestion is... don't dwell on things too much. You're trying to control the ocean, but sometimes you just have to let it flow. Take a breath. Relax. Your worth isn't tied to a wedding date."

I heard a soft sniffle, and then a tiny, genuine laugh. "When did my mischievous little sister become this mature?"

I smiled, a sad but hopeful smile. "Hona padta hai, Kittu. It's life. In this journey, we never truly lose. Hum ya toh jeet te hain, ya phir seekhte hain-We either win, or we learn. And I've done a lot of learning."

As I hung up, I realized that for ten years, Kittu had been protecting me from the world. But tonight, I realized I had to protect her from herself. We were both finally growing up-not by following the rules, but by learning how to survive them.

Author's POV

The contrast between the two sisters wasn't just about their personalities; it was about the different weights they carried on their shoulders.

For ten years, the sisters had lived in two different prisons. Mannu's prison was made of external judgment-she was the "rebel," the girl who didn't listen, the one who made "mistakes." But that very friction had forged her into someone fearless. Because she had already been the culprit in the eyes of the world, she no longer feared their verdict. She had learned the hard way that taking her own decisions meant owning the consequences, and she was at peace with that. She didn't need to be perfect to be worthy.

Krithika, however, lived in a prison of her own making-one built with the bricks of "duty" and "reputation." As the elder daughter, she had absorbed every sigh of her parents, every judgmental whisper of a relative, and every struggle her family faced. She didn't just see a marriage proposal; she saw a debt that needed to be paid to save her parents' face in a society that never stops talking. While Mannu had the freedom of being the "lost cause," Krithika was suffocated by the burden of being the "last hope." Her fear of marriage wasn't a fear of a partner; it was a fear that once she stepped into that role, the "Krithika" who had fought so hard to be a successful professional would finally be swallowed whole by the expectations of everyone else.

The "perfect" sister finally breaks, and the "messy" sister finally leads. How does this emotional growth feel for the next phase of their journey?

Stay tuned. Please leave a vote if you like the chapter.