welcome to Singhaniya

Rudra: (shocked and speechless) Ravi, how can you say that? How can you be so sure? How can you be so confident?

Ravi: (smiles and winks) Rudra, I can say that, because I'm your secretary. I can say that, because I'm your friend. I can say that, because I'm a man.

Rudra: (rolls his eyes) Ravi, you are not helping. You are not helping at all. You are a man, but you are not a woman. You don't know how women think. You don't know how women act. You don't know how women feel.

Ravi: (shrugs) Maybe you are right. Maybe I don't know how women think. Maybe I don't know how women act. Maybe I don't know how women feel.

Rudra: (nods) Exactly. You don't know. You don't know anything.

Ravi: (smiles and winks again) But I do know one thing.

Ravi: (smiles and winks for the last time) But I do know one thing. I do know one thing that you should know.

Rudra: (confused and curious) What? What do you know?

Ravi: (leans in and whispers) I know that Anaya is waiting for you. I know that Anaya is ready for you. I know that Anaya is yours.

Rudra: (shocked and speechless) What? What did you say?

Ravi: (repeats) I know that Anaya is waiting for you. I know that Anaya is ready for you. I know that Anaya is yours.

Rudra: (stares at him in disbelief) How? How do you know that?

Ravi: (shows him his phone) I know that, because she has texted me. She has texted me that she is ready. She has texted me that she is waiting. She has texted me that she is yours.

Rudra: (looks at his phone and reads the text) Anaya: Ravi, I'm ready. I'm ready to marry Rudra. I'm ready to be his wife. I'm ready to be his love. Please tell him that I'm waiting for him. Please tell him that I'm his.

Rudra: (shocked and speechless) Ravi, is this true? Is this really from Anaya?

Ravi: (nods and smiles) Yes, Rudra. This is true. This is really from Anaya.

Rudra: (shocked and speechless) Ravi, what does this mean? What does this mean for me?

Ravi: (smiles and hugs him) Rudra, this means everything. This means everything for you.

Rudra: (hugs him back and smiles) Ravi, thank you. Thank you for telling me this. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being my brother.

Rudra: (gets out of the car and runs towards the hall) Come on, Ravi. Come on. We have to hurry. We have to hurry. We have to get there before it's too late.

Ravi: (gets out of the car and follows him) Okay, Rudra. Okay. We will hurry. We will hurry. We will get there before it's too late.

Rudra: (reaches the hall and looks for Anaya) Where is she? Where is she? Where is Anaya?

Ravi: (points at the stage) There she is. There she is. There is Anaya.

Rudra: (sees her and smiles) There she is. There she is. There is Anaya.

******

Chapter X: The New Life

Anaya and Rudra had just finished their wedding ceremony, surrounded by their family and some business partners. They had exchanged garlands, vows, and rings, and had taken seven rounds around the sacred fire. They had also applied sindoor and mangalsutra to each other, symbolizing their eternal bond. They were now officially husband and wife, but they felt nothing but confusion and disbelief. They couldn't believe that they had married each other, without knowing each other, without loving each other, without wanting each other.

Anaya: (looks at Rudra with fear and uncertainty) What have we done? What have we done?

Rudra: (looks at Anaya with anger and regret) We have done what we had to do. We have done what we had no choice but to do.

Anaya: (shakes her head) No, Rudra. We had a choice. We always had a choice. We could have said no. We could have refused. We could have walked away.

Rudra: (grits his teeth) No, Anaya. We couldn't. We couldn't say no. We couldn't refuse. We couldn't walk away. We had to do this. We had to do this for my father. We had to do this for my business. We had to do this for our reputation.

Anaya: (tears up) But Rudra, what about us? What about our feelings? What about our happiness? What about our dreams?

Rudra: (snaps) Forget about us, Anaya. Forget about our feelings. Forget about our happiness. Forget about our dreams. We have none of those. We have only this. This contract. This marriage. This lie.

Anaya: (sobs) Rudra, how can you say that? How can you be so cold? How can you be so cruel?

Rudra: (softens) Anaya, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry for forcing you. I'm sorry for marrying you.

Anaya: (looks at him with hope and curiosity) Rudra, do you mean that? Do you really mean that?

Rudra: (looks away) Yes, Anaya. I mean that. I mean every word.

Anaya: (smiles and touches his hand) Rudra, thank you. Thank you for saying that. Thank you for being honest. Thank you for being sorry.

Rudra: (pulls his hand away) Don't thank me, Anaya. Don't thank me for anything. I don't deserve your thanks. I don't deserve your kindness. I don't deserve you.

Anaya: (frowns and sighs) Rudra, please. Please don't say that. Please don't push me away. Please don't hate me.

Rudra: (shakes his head) I don't hate you, Anaya. I don't hate you at all. I just...I just don't know what to do with you.

Anaya: (tilts her head) What do you mean, Rudra? What do you mean you don't know what to do with me?

Rudra: (shrugs) I mean, I don't know how to treat you. I don't know how to act around you. I don't know how to be with you.

Anaya: (nods and smiles) I understand, Rudra. I understand how you feel. I feel the same way. I feel lost and confused. I feel scared and nervous. I feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Rudra: (raises his eyebrows and smiles) You do? You do feel the same way?

Anaya: (nods and giggles) Yes, Rudra. I do. I do feel the same way.

Rudra: (laughs and relaxes) Well, that's a relief. That's a relief to know that we are on the same page. That we are in the same boat.

Anaya: (laughs and agrees) Yes, Rudra. It is. It is a relief to know that we are not alone. That we have each other.

Rudra: (looks at her and smiles) Yes, Anaya. We do. We do have each other.

Anaya: (looks at him and smiles) Yes, Rudra. We do. We do have each other.

They looked at each other and smiled, feeling a strange warmth and comfort in their eyes. They realized that they were not enemies, but allies. They realized that they were not strangers, but partners. They realized that they were not alone, but together.

They were interrupted by Ria, who came to congratulate them and take them to the reception. She was followed by Ravi, Misha, and the rest of the family. They all showered them with blessings and compliments, and welcomed Anaya as a new member of the Singhania family. The grandmother of Singhania also accepted her as a granddaughter-in-law, but she made some conditions for now. She said that Anaya was not allowed to go outside without guards, and that she had to stay away from the media. She said that Mr. Singhania knew that she was just 18 years old, and that they had to wait until she turned 21 to make their marriage public. She said that they had to be careful and discreet, and that they had to act like a happy and loving couple.

Anaya and Rudra nodded and agreed, feeling a mix of emotions. They felt grateful and relieved that their family was supportive and understanding. They felt anxious and nervous about their new life and responsibilities. They felt curious and hopeful about their new relationship and possibilities.

They followed their family to the reception, where they had to smile and dance and pretend. They had to smile and dance and pretend that they were happy and in love. They had to smile and dance and pretend that they were not married by contract, but by choice.

They had to smile and dance and pretend that they were not living a lie, but a truth.```

**To be continue**