Page 45 of Mrs. Pandey
When I reached the Banquet Hall, it looked like a dream. No, a mockery of a dream, like something out of a big-budget wedding movie.
There were lights and flowers everywhere. People were smiling and laughing, dressed to impress. I could smell the fresh roses. It was too perfect and too clean. And it made me feel even more out of place.
My cab driver dropped me at the gate, and I just stood there for a second. My heart was beating like crazy. My palms were sweaty. It was like walking into a battlefield without a plan, without armor, just raw emotion and a stupid hope that I could change something.
I stepped in anyway. Because sometimes, even when you know you're about to ruin everything, you still walk forward.
I walked into the wedding like I didn't belong there. Because I didn't.
Everyone turned to look at me. Their faces I didn't recognize, voices I didn't care to hear. Their eyes scanned me like I was some drama about to unfold, and maybe I was.
Still, I walked through the crowd like I had every right to be there. Truth is, I didn't. But there was no time for truth, only desperation. And then I saw him.
Prashant.
He was sitting in the mandap, in the middle of all the lights, music, flowers, and all this fake celebration.
He looked different, not the man I remembered. His face was the same-sharp jaw, quiet expression. But his eyes? They were empty, lacking any emotions. He wasn't happy. I knew he was not happy.
And somehow, seeing that broke me in ways I hadn't expected. Something inside just snapped. I didn't plan it. I didn't even think. I just said it.
"I'm pregnant." It came out of my mouth before my brain caught up. Suddenly everything stopped. The music. The priest. The whispers. Gone. It was just me, standing in front of a hundred people, and saying the one thing no one expected.
"I'm pregnant with Prashant's child."
That was it. People gasped, stared, and whispered. I heard a metal plate clatter to the ground. I didn't look around because I didn't need to.
I repeated it, louder this time. "This wedding can't happen."
The silence was thick as people looked at me like I was the villain in a family soap. Maybe I was, but I didn't care. I wasn't doing this to look good. I wasn't here to save my reputation. I came because I couldn't stay away. I came here to save myself.
I came because some part of me still believed that Prashant was mine. And that belief, no matter how stupid or broken, was stronger than any shame or fear.
Prashant stood up slowly. His face was unreadable, but his eyes were burning.
"What are you talking about, Ira? And how the hell did you come here?" His voice was low, but I could feel a dangerous tone beneath it. He was not the Prashant I remembered.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "You can't marry her. Not after everything we had. Not after I'm carrying your child in my womb."
It sounded weak and cringey even to me. His mother and sisters rushed in, gasping in horror. The bride, the poor girl, started to cry like a five-year-old. The hall buzzed with whispers.
"Drama queen."
"Shameless."
"Who does she think she is?"
"She's pregnant?"
"They had sex before marriage."
"What a shameless woman she is."
I heard everything but still, I stood my ground, alone and fearless. Because this wasn't about them. This was about me and Prashant. About the stupid hope I hadn't let go of. I thought I would marry Kabir, but he turned out to be a monster. I couldn't marry him, but I was going to teach him a lesson with the help of my future husband, Prashant Pandey.
"We were together," I said, my voice softer as tears gathered in my eyes. "Maybe I was wrong to leave you. Maybe I don't even know if I still love you. But you can't marry someone else just because I messed up with your feelings. I know you'll never be able to love her the way you loved me."
He looked at me like he was trying to decide if I was insane or serious. Then he said, "You think this is funny?" he sneered.
