Chapter 1: The Ninth Confession

After Arjun rejected my confession for the ninth time, I finally decided to give up on him.

My chest felt tight, but I kept my chin up. Amma always said, after a point—bas, enough is enough. Dignity comes first. Yet just then, the imaginary comments poured in, louder than the temple loudspeaker during Navratri, tumbling into my mind as if the entire mohalla was whispering from behind lace curtains.

[Just one more time, the last time—the hero will agree to the tenth confession.]

[The hero is just a bit reserved and not good with words, but he actually loves her so much.]

[Arrey, his eyes are practically glued to the heroine!]

I remembered my previous life: after my confession finally succeeded, we fell in love, got married, had children, and he achieved fame and fortune.

I remembered the haldi stains on my wrists that wouldn’t wash off, the gold chain Maaji insisted I wear every day, the way Arjun would oil our daughter’s hair while pretending to watch the news. We’d gone from campus corridors to busy Mumbai offices, always hand-in-hand during family poojas, always a team at Diwali card parties. But even as success came, so did distance, until finally, he said—

Ananya, do you think everyone comes from the same background as you?

"I'm just helping her, don't be unreasonable."

That phrase stung worse than a mother’s slap—unreasonable, me? I bit back tears, pretending I was only adjusting my bangles. So forget it. There won’t be a tenth confession this time.