The grand living room of the Verma mansion was thick with tension. Devendra Verma stood furious, facing his elder son, Atharv. Meera stood near Devendra, visibly anxious, while Ayra and Aarna watched from the shadows near the hallway stairs.

Devendra pointed an angry finger at his son, his voice echoing across the hall as he shouted,

"Nuvvu aa ammayini pelli cheskovataniki veellu ledhu, Atharv! Neenu ee pelli ye paristhithullo nu jaganivvanu!" (You will not marry that girl, Atharv! I will not allow this marriage under any circumstances!)

Atharv stood his ground, adamant and refusing to back down as he shouted back,

"Nenu aameney pelli cheskuntanu, nana! Nenu aame thappa inkevarini pelli cheskonu!" (I will marry her only, Papa! I will not marry anyone else except her!)

Meera stepped forward, placing a gentle yet urgent hand on Atharv's arm to reason with him.

"atharv, oka sari mee nana cheppe maata vinu. Ayana em cheppina, nee manchi korake chepthunnaru. Naaku kuda aa ammayi correct anipinchadam ledhu... Naku thanu edho daasthondi ani anipistundi, aame neeku saripodhu. Ayina, aame matladadhu antundi kani i heard her voice atharv she is hiding something.! Neeku idhi vintha ga anipinchadam ledha?" (Son, listen to your father once. Whatever he is saying, he is saying for your own good. Even I don't feel that genuine connection with her... I feel like she is hiding something, she is not right for you. And besides, she can't even speak, Atharv! Don't you find that strange?)

Shaking his head in utter disbelief, Atharv retorted,

"Mom! Nenu mee nundi idhi oohinchaledhu! Meeru okari weakness meedha ela antaru? sariga matladadam Aarna ki kuda raadhu! Ayithe enti manam aarna ni preminchadam manesthama?" (Mom! I didn't expect this from you! How can you point out someone's weakness like that? Even Aarna doesn't speak properly! So does that mean we stop loving her?)

A sharp, thunderous crack echoed through the room as Devendra stepped in and slapped Atharv hard across the face. The room fell dead silent. Trembling with rage, Devendra snapped,

"Naa koothuri gurinchi matladadaaniki neeku entha dhairyam?!  naa princess ni aa ammayitho polchuthunnava?! Inkokkasari Aarna peru ni ee godavalloki lagithe baagodhu! Neeku aarna meedha prema lekapothe, maney... thanani istapadevaalu migatha andharu unnaru! Nee prematho aameki emi farak padadhu! Nuvvu ippude ikkada nundi vellipo!" (How dare you talk about my daughter?! You are comparing my princess to that girl?! Don't you dare drag Aarna's name into this argument again! If you don't love her, then don't... everyone else is there to love her! Your love doesn't matter to her! Get out of here right now!)

Atharv stood frozen, touching his burning cheek. The adrenaline faded, replaced instantly by a wave of crushing guilt. He looked toward the hallway and caught sight of his twin sisters standing there. Tears were streaming down Aarna's face—the harsh words about her stuttering speech had hurt her deeply.

Panicking, Atharv took a step toward her, calling out softly, "Aru... nana, naa maata vinu..." (Aru... sweetheart, listen to me...)

Aarna turned away, hiding her face, and ran upstairs to her room. The sound of her door slamming shut and the lock clicking echoed heavily throughout the house.

As Atharv took another step to follow her, Ayra stepped straight into his path. Though her eyes were soft, her face carried a deep, quiet hurt.

"annaya... ippudu thanaki koncham time ivvandi. thanu chala hurt ayindi.  Meeru siri ni premisthe, aame kosam poradalsindhi... kani Aarna problem ni madhyaloki thechi kadhu." (Bhai... give her some time right now. She is deeply hurt. You shouldn't have said that, Bhai. If you love Siya, you should have fought for her... but not by bringing up Aarna's weakness.)

Running a hand through his hair, Atharv's voice cracked with raw regret.

"I'm sorry, Ayra... Naaku theliyedu naakem ayindho. Nenu kopam lo anesanu... Naa uddhesham adhi kaane kaadhu. aarna is my little princess, Ayra... Nenu aameni eppatiki badha pettalenu. Nenu ala ela anta?" (I'm sorry, Ayra... I don't know what came over me. I just said it in anger... I didn't mean it at all. She is my little baby, Ayra... I could never hurt her. How could I say something like that?)

Atharv pulled Ayra into a tight, desperate hug. She wrapped her arms around him to offer comfort, though a small piece of her own heart remained heavy from hearing her twin sister's pain laid bare like that.

.

.

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Aarna stood nervously near the edge of the terrace, playing with the hem of her dupatta. She gathered every ounce of courage in her heart, taking a slow step toward Sidharth. Trembling, she looked up at him with hope shining in her soft eyes. She began to speak, her stutter making her words break,

"S-Sidharth... meeru v-vintunnara..." (S-Sidharth... Are you listening?..)

Sidharth, already suffocating under the weight of his broken heart and forced engagement, snapped completely. The agonizing sight of the girl he didn't love trying to express her feelings threw him over the edge.

He swung around, his eyes blazing with fury as he shouted directly into her face,

"Naaku nuvvu cheppe ae maata vinalani ledhu! Neeku okka maata sarigga matladatame raadhu! Naaku nee ee moham kuda choodalani ledhu!" (I don't want to hear anything you have to say! You can't even speak a single sentence properly! I don't even want to see your face!)

Aarna flinched violently, stepping back as if hit by a physical blow. Her big, tear-filled eyes widened in sheer shock.

Sidharth stepped closer, his voice laced with bitter rage and heartbreak as he gestured wildly toward the main house.

"Nenu Ayra ni premistunnanu! Ninnu kadhu! Naa adrushtame atla edchindi, Ayra ki badhulu nuvvu naaku thagilavu!" (I love Ayra! Not you! My luck is just terrible that I got you instead of Ayra!)

The harsh words cut through Aarna like a sharp blade. Tears spilled over her lashes, streaming down her pale cheeks in silence. Her throat constricted, making it impossible for her to produce even a whisper to defend herself.

Without another word, Aarna turned around, holding back her sobs as she ran away from him as fast as her feet could carry her.

As her retreating figure disappeared down the corridor, the blinding fog of anger in Sidharth's mind began to clear. The sound of her quiet sobs echoed in the empty space between them. He looked down at his trembling hands, a heavy wave of guilt washing over him. He knew she was innocent in all of this, and taking out his anger on her fragile heart was the worst thing he could have done.