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Kittu's POV

Watching Mannu take her pheras, I felt like a part of my own soul was being woven into those sacred knots. My little sister-the one I had shielded, scolded, and loved through every storm-was no longer just mine. She was becoming a bride. I was on cloud nine, a mixture of immense pride and a sharp, aching loneliness already beginning to settle in. The bond we shared wasn't just blood; it was decades of shared secrets and whispered hopes.

As the ceremony concluded, I stepped forward, my heart full, wanting to shower the newly married couple with my blessings. I reached for the flower petals, but a cold, firm hand caught my wrist.

"Wait," a middle-aged relative hissed, her eyes filled with a narrow, traditional judgment. "Kittu, dear... you are the elder sister, and still unmarried. It's not considered auspicious for a 'single' woman to give the first ashirwad. It might bring bad luck to the new couple's beginning. Step back."

The words felt like a slap. I felt the familiar heat of a retort rising in my throat, ready to snap back at the sheer cruelty of it. But before I could speak, a presence moved behind me. A tall, steady shadow that smelled of sandalwood and power.

Anant's POV

I had been watching Krithika all night. I saw the way her eyes glistened with love for her sister, and I saw the exact moment that light was extinguished by a bitter, small-minded comment. I didn't even think. I just stepped forward, my voice cutting through the festive noise like a cold wind.

"Luck?" I asked, my voice low but carrying to every corner of the mandap. I looked the lady straight in the eye. "You speak of luck while standing in front of a woman who is the very definition of it. My brother is lucky to enter a family that was held together by her strength. This 'tradition' you are quoting isn't about sanctity; it's about fear. You are afraid of a woman who doesn't need a man to define her worth."

I stepped closer, my shoulder brushing Krithika's. "A woman's blessing doesn't come from her marital status; it comes from her character, her sacrifices, and the love she has poured into this family for thirty years. If you think her being self-reliant and successful makes her 'unlucky,' then perhaps your definition of a 'blessing' is far too small. In my eyes, and in the eyes of this family, her hand is the only one that truly matters tonight. Because a woman who stands on her own feet carries the dignity of a thousand ancestors."

I looked at the couple. "Dhruv, Mannu... take her blessings. There is no heart in this room purer than hers."

Kittu's POV

I stood frozen, my breath hitched in my chest. He stood for me. He didn't just defend me; he understood the very core of my struggle. For years, we were rivals-two kids fighting for the top rank, two professionals competing for the best patents. I always saw him as a wall I had to climb over.

But today, that wall became my fortress. He wasn't the boy who wanted to beat me in exams anymore; he was a man who understood the weight I carried. You are the architect of your own light, his eyes seemed to say. I felt a surge of respect and something far deeper, far more dangerous, blooming in my heart. He was the silent guard I never knew I needed-the one who fought the world so I could finally breathe.

Dhruv's POV

As I looked at Manvi, draped in gold and red, the last twelve years felt like a blurred dream. Every surgery I performed, every night I spent in a lonely hostel room, every 'Protocol' I followed-it was all leading to this.

She was my bride. The girl who used to jump school walls was now the woman stepping into my life forever. When our eyes met during the rituals, I saw the reflection of every letter we never sent and every word we finally spoke. My heart was a rollercoaster, plummeting with the weight of the past and soaring with the promise of the future. I finally had her. I finally at my peace..

Manvi's POV

The smoke from the havan rose around us, but all I could see was Dhruv. I was overwhelmed. My mind flashed back to the school,medical camp,-the juice spillover, the way he twisted that man's arm to protect me, the way he whispered "Mannu Sahiba."

I used to think I had to do all the chasing, that I had to be the one to bridge the gap. But as he took my hand to walk the seven rounds, I realized he had been walking toward me the entire time. He didn't just marry the girl from his past; he married the woman I worked so hard to become. "I've got you," he whispered as we sat down. And for the first time in my life, I didn't feel like a 'mistake.' I felt like a masterpiece.

The union is complete, but the sparks between Anant and Kittu are just starting to catch fire. What do you think of Anant's stand?

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