Chapter 20: Operation Court Marriage

The next evening, Zara's phone buzzed continuously.

She looked at the screen and immediately smiled.

A video call.

Ajay Thakur.

The moment she answered, she found not one but three familiar faces staring at her.

Ajay.

Rhea.

Ritesh.

All sitting together in the Rajgarh haveli.

Zara laughed.

"Why does this look like a secret meeting?"

"It is a secret meeting," Ritesh announced dramatically.

"Operation Mumma-Papa continues."

Rhea rolled her eyes.

"Please ignore him."

Ajay leaned forward.

"I have important information."

Zara immediately became serious.

"What happened?"

Ajay pointed toward the screen.

"My dad."

"What about him?"

"He agreed to meet your mom."

"I know."

"But I know my father."

Zara narrowed her eyes.

"That's not sounding good."

"It isn't."

Ajay sighed.

"My father is the type of person who will meet your mother and then spend two hours explaining why she deserves a better life without him."

Zara blinked.

Then laughed.

"That actually sounds possible."

"Exactly!"

Ajay exclaimed.

"He'll start talking about responsibility."

"Village."

"Age."

"Children."

"Adjustment."

"And somehow convince himself that marriage is a bad idea."

Rhea nodded immediately.

"One hundred percent."

Ritesh raised his hand.

"I support this statement."

The three siblings looked frighteningly united.

Zara folded her arms.

"So what's your solution?"

Ajay looked completely serious.

"We arrange a court marriage."

There was silence.

Then Zara nearly dropped her phone.

"What?"

Rhea burst out laughing.

Ritesh almost fell off his chair.

"Ajay bhai!"

"I'm serious."

"You've lost your mind."

"Possibly."

"Definitely," Rhea corrected.

Zara shook her head.

"What if they don't like each other?"

The room grew quieter.

Because beneath all the jokes, that was a real concern.

For the first time, they considered it seriously.

Rhea spoke first.

"I don't think that's the problem."

Zara looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

Rhea smiled softly.

"They'll probably find the whole situation awkward."

Everyone nodded.

That seemed very likely.

Ritesh laughed.

"Imagine them."

He straightened his posture and imitated Veeresh.

"Namaste."

Then he switched to a softer voice.

"Namaste."

The others laughed.

"They'll spend thirty minutes discussing weather and tea."

"Exactly," Rhea agreed.

Then her smile softened.

"But I genuinely think they'll understand each other."

The laughter faded.

Because this part mattered.

"They've both spent years taking care of everyone else."

"They've both lived through heartbreak."

"They've both raised children."

"They've both forgotten how to put themselves first."

Zara listened carefully.

Ajay nodded.

"I don't know whether they'll fall in love."

Nobody could guarantee that.

"But I think they'll become important to each other."

Ritesh smiled.

"They'll become each other's happiness."

The words settled warmly among them.

Because deep down, that was what all four of them wanted.

Not a grand romance.

Not a fairy tale.

Just companionship.

Peace.

Someone to share life's remaining chapters with.

Zara thought about her mother sitting alone with books every evening.

She thought about Veeresh working endlessly in Rajgarh.

Two good people.

Two lonely lives.

Perhaps the Thakur siblings weren't entirely wrong.

A small smile appeared on her face.

"Okay."

Immediately all three siblings straightened.

"Okay?"

"Okay."

Ajay grinned.

"So you're with us?"

Zara laughed.

"I'm with the meeting."

"Not the court marriage."

"Yet," Ritesh whispered.

"Ritesh!" three voices shouted at once.

The call ended with laughter.

But after Zara put her phone down, she found herself staring out the window.

For the first time, she wasn't thinking about whether her mother would say yes.

She was thinking about something else.

Maybe Ajay was right.

Maybe their parents wouldn't immediately become husband and wife.

Maybe they would be awkward.

Maybe they would argue.

Maybe they would be cautious.

But perhaps, somewhere along the way, they would discover something they had both been missing for years.

A companion.

Someone who understood the weight of old wounds.

Someone who understood sacrifice.

Someone who understood loneliness.

And perhaps that was enough to begin with.

To be continued...