Fate hadn't been mistaken—it really was Shree. Fate looked toward the stage in astonishment. 😳
There she stood, with Vivek by her side.
So, that meant Shree was the bride. 😔
He had only met Shree twice before. Once, he had seen her outside a temple by chance, and the second time in a coffee shop.
He didn't even know her properly. Then why was he feeling such an odd restlessness seeing her engagement today?
The engagement rings were brought for Shree and Vivek. Shree went first and slid the ring onto Vivek's finger.
When Vivek took the engagement ring to put it on Shree, he hesitated.
His mother encouraged him, "Vivek, put the ring on Shree."
Vivek looked up and glanced at Juhi, standing behind Shree.
Juhi was staring at Vivek with crocodile tears in her eyes. 🥺
As he kept looking at Juhi, the ring slipped out of Vivek's hand.
The ring rolled across the floor and stopped at Fate's feet.
Everyone's attention turned toward him.
Shree, too, looked at Fate in slight surprise. 😳
In her mind, Shree thought, This is the same man from the coffee shop. But what is he doing here? Could he be one of Vivek's guests? 😳 If he tells anyone that I mistakenly spoke to him thinking he was Vivek that day, Vivek's family might misunderstand me.
Fate bent down and picked up the ring by his feet.
He walked toward the stage and handed the ring to Vivek while looking at Shree.
Everyone was looking at Fate; naturally, his personality demanded attention.
Juhi couldn't stop herself from drooling over him.
Her focus shifted from Vivek to Fate. In her mind, she thought, What a handsome man. If only he were in Vivek's place, I'd be trying to impress him.
Fate went back to his seat. The guests urged Vivek to put the ring on Shree.
Vivek's focus, however, was still on Juhi, who was no longer interested in him but in Fate. 😏
Vivek asked for Shree's hand. Shree glanced at Fate, who sat expressionless, coldly observing the scene. She hesitated but eventually extended her hand.
Vivek placed the ring on Shree's finger, and the hall erupted with applause.
After the function ended, everyone went home. Shree was staying with her parents until the wedding.
Rahul and Fate were in the car. Rahul was driving, while Fate stared blankly at a wedding card on the dashboard.
The card read:
Vivek
Weds
Shree
The card had been given to Fate by Vivek's family, with a special request to attend the wedding.
Rahul broke the silence, "The function was nice, wasn't it?"
Noticing no response from Fate, Rahul tapped his shoulder. "Hey, are you even listening?"
Fate snapped out of his daze. "What were you saying?"
Rahul sighed, "What's wrong with you? You're acting weird."
Fate replied, "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."
Rahul shook his head, "Fine, huh? Doesn't look like it. Anyway, where to now?"
Fate responded, "You go home. I'll head to the office."
Rahul frowned, "It's 2 AM! Let's go home and rest instead."
Fate retorted, "You know I can't sleep at home."
Rahul teased, "Should I call someone over for you?"
Fate snapped, "No."
Rahul sighed, "Fine, if you don't want to go home or the office, let's go somewhere else—someplace loud enough to drown out whatever's bothering you."
Rahul took Fate to a bar.
They sat at a table amidst the blaring music, drowning in the noise.
While Rahul sipped his drink, Fate downed glass after glass.
Fate rarely drank—only occasionally for socializing or to ease a headache. But tonight, he crossed every limit. Rahul was surprised to see him like this.
Scenes from the engagement replayed in Fate's mind—Vivek holding Shree's hand, slipping the ring onto her finger.
Fate couldn't understand what was happening to him. What was this feeling causing him pain? And why was he even hurting? He didn't know Shree well enough. 😔
Rahul, shocked by Fate's behavior, said nothing as his friend kept drinking.
Around 7 AM, Rahul finally brought Fate back to his villa. Fate was so intoxicated he barely knew where he was. Rahul struggled to support him as they entered.
At the entrance, Yashoda Aunty stood with her luggage.
Seeing Fate in this state, she grew concerned and asked Rahul, "What happened to Fate? Why is he like this?"
Rahul, helping Fate stay upright, replied, "I don't know what's wrong with him. He drank all night—so much that he can't even stand properly now."
Yashoda Aunty was shocked. "But he doesn't drink this much. What happened today?"
Rahul sighed, "I don't know, Aunty. He was fine at the engagement function. Then we went to a bar, and he wouldn't stop drinking. Look at him now."
Rahul noticed her luggage and asked, "Aunty, is that your stuff? Are you going somewhere?"
Yashoda Aunty replied, "Yes, I'm leaving for the village today. But seeing Fate like this, I feel uneasy leaving him alone."
Rahul assured her, "Don't worry, Aunty. I'll take care of him."
Together, they managed to get Fate into his room. A while later, Yashoda Aunty left for her village.
Rahul stayed back at Fate's villa to look after him.