The wedding hall had finally begun to empty. Only a few hours ago, the enormous venue had been drowning in music, laughter, camera flashes and hundreds of voices. Now, most of the chairs were empty. The flowers still decorated the mandap. The candles still flickered. The faint scent of roses and jasmine remained in the air. But the celebration was over. And for Anitha, the real beginning was just about to start. She stood near the entrance, surrounded by people saying their final goodbyes.

"Beta, khush rehna."

"Apna dhyaan rakhna."

"Ab tum hamare ghar ki bahu ho."

Anitha smiled politely after every blessing.

"Ji."

"Thank you."

"Ji, zaroor."

She had been smiling for so long that her cheeks hurt. But she continued. Because that was what brides did. They smiled. They thanked everyone. They pretended they weren't exhausted. They pretended they weren't terrified. They pretended everything was perfect. Anitha's fingers unconsciously touched the mangalsutra around her neck. It still felt unfamiliar. Everything did. Her wedding dress. The jewellery. The sindoor. The people calling her bahu. And most of all Her husband. She glanced across the hall.

Virat was standing with a few people from his cricket circle. He had changed nothing about his expression throughout the entire evening. He looked tired. Irritated. And completely uninterested in pretending otherwise. Anitha lowered her eyes immediately. She remembered what she had heard earlier.

"Aapne kaha tha shaadi kar lo. Maine kar li."

"Main aur pretend nahi kar sakta ki main khush hoon."

The words still hurt. Even though they weren't meant for her. Or perhaps they were. She didn't know.

"Virat!"

A loud voice suddenly came from behind him.Virat turned.Hardik Pandya the mischief maker in ICT walked toward him with a grin on his face. Behind him were Rohit Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and MS Dhoni. Hardik looked at Virat from head to toe. Then at Anitha. Then back at Virat. A mischievous smile appeared on his face.

"Finally!"

Virat narrowed his eyes.

"Hardik..."

Hardik immediately raised both hands.

"Arre, bhai, kuch nahi bola maine."

Rohit laughed.

"Abhi toh shuru bhi nahi hua."

Virat gave him a look.

"Rohit, please."

Rohit shook his head.

"Shaadi ke din bhi attitude kam nahi hua."

Bhuvneshwar smiled quietly.

"Uska attitude kab kam hota hai?"

Hardik burst out laughing.

"Bilkul!"

Virat rolled his eyes.

"Bahut ho gaya."

Dhoni, who had been silently watching the exchange, finally spoke.

"Virat, ab toh shaadi ho gayi."

Virat looked at him.

"Toh?"

Dhoni's expression remained completely calm.

"Ab thoda smile karna seekh lo."

Hardik immediately laughed again.

"Exactly! Bhai, aise face bana ke khade ho jaise kisi ne tumhari shaadi tumse poochhe bina karwa di."

Rohit looked at him.

"Waise..."

He paused deliberately.

"Karwa di na?"

The entire group burst into laughter.

Virat stared at them.

"Very funny."

Hardik walked closer.

"Arre, seriously, congratulations!"

He gave Virat a hug before Virat could escape.

"Tu gaya bhai."

Virat pushed him away.

"Bas kar."

Hardik looked toward Anitha.

"Bhabhi, aapko pehle hi warning de deta hoon."

Anitha looked confused.

"Ji?"

"Yeh aadmi bahut difficult hai."

Rohit nodded seriously.

"Bahut."

Bhuvneshwar added,

"Extremely."

Dhoni calmly said,

"Good luck."

Anitha couldn't stop the tiny laugh that escaped her.

Virat turned toward her. For the first time that evening, she saw something almost resembling amusement in his eyes. But it disappeared quickly. Hardik noticed the exchange. He grinned.

"Oho!"

Virat immediately knew where this was going.

"Don't."

Hardik pointed between them.

"Ek smile bhi aa gayi!"

Rohit laughed.

"Abhi toh bol raha tha shaadi se khush nahi hai."

Virat's expression hardened. The laughter slowly faded. He looked away.

"Guys, enough."

The change in his tone made them realize he was genuinely irritated. Dhoni who is the wisest in the group gave the others a subtle look.

"Chalo."

Hardik nodded.

"Okay, okay."

Before leaving, Rohit patted Virat's shoulder.

"Enjoy your new life, captain."

Virat sighed.

"Good night, Rohit."

Rohit laughed.

"Good night, married man."

The four men walked away. Anitha watched them disappear into the crowd. She hadn't expected Virat's friends to be like that. She had seen them countless times on television. But watching them joke with him like this made them feel strangely normal. Human. She almost smiled again. Then she noticed Virat looking at her. His expression was unreadable.

"Chalein?"

The smile disappeared from her face.

"Ji."

The car ride was silent. Completely silent. Anitha sat near the window, her hands folded in her lap. Virat sat on the opposite side. He looked at his phone occasionally but didn't actually seem interested in it. The silence became uncomfortable. Anitha finally gathered enough courage to speak.

"Aap..."

She stopped. Virat looked up.

"Kya?"

She swallowed.

"Aap thak gaye hain?"

"Haan."

The answer was short. She nodded.

"Shaadi kaafi long thi."

"I know."

Silence again. She looked out the window. After a few minutes, she tried again.

"Kal mujhe—"

"Anitha."

His voice stopped her.

"Hmm?"

"Please."

She looked at him.

"Abhi baat karne ka mood nahi hai."

The words weren't shouted. They were calm. But somehow they hurt more. Anitha immediately looked down.

"Okay."

Virat looked back toward the window. He wasn't trying to hurt her. He simply didn't have the patience to pretend. He hadn't wanted this marriage. He had made that clear. He had agreed because of his family. Because of his mother's insistence. Because eventually he'd become tired of saying no. And now he had a wife. A woman he barely knew. A woman who seemed so quiet that he couldn't even figure out what she was thinking. He glanced at her again. She was staring outside. Her expression was blank. He looked away.

When they reached home, the family was waiting. The usual rituals began. Aarti. Rice. Blessings. A few jokes. Anitha followed every instruction quietly. Virat stood beside her, looking increasingly impatient. Hardik's words suddenly came back to him.

Tu gaya bhai.

He almost smiled. Almost. But then he remembered that this was exactly what he had been trying to avoid. A marriage. Expectations. Responsibility. Someone waiting for him when he returned home. Someone asking where he was. Someone expecting him to explain himself. He didn't want that. He had built his life around cricket. Training. Matches. Travel. Discipline. Freedom. And now everything had changed. His eyes moved toward Anitha.

She was standing beside his mother, listening carefully to something she was saying.She looked uncomfortable. But she was trying. That was obvious. For some reason, that irritated him even more. Maybe because he didn't understand why she wasn't angry. Why wasn't she questioning this?

Why wasn't she demanding anything?

Why was she simply accepting everything?

He didn't know. And he didn't like not knowing. Finally, his mother smiled.

"Bas, ab tum dono upar jao. Bahut raat ho gayi hai."

Virat nodded.

Anitha followed him.

They walked upstairs.

Neither spoke.

The bedroom door opened. The room was decorated with flowers. Rose petals covered the bed. Candles flickered along the windows. It was supposed to look romantic. Instead, Virat stared at it with irritation.

"Seriously?"

Anitha looked at him.

"Kya hua?"

He gestured toward the room.

"Yeh sab kisne kiya?"

She hesitated.

"Pata nahi."

He rubbed his forehead.

"Obviously."

He walked toward the window and opened it. Anitha remained near the door. After a few seconds, Virat turned.

"Tum khadi kyun ho?"

She didn't know what to say.

"Main..."

"Baith jao."

She slowly sat on the edge of the bed. Virat removed his watch and placed it on the table. He looked at her. Then at the bed. Then back at her.

"Listen."

Anitha straightened.

"Haan?"

"Main seedha bolunga."

She nodded.

"Ji."

"Yeh shaadi maine apni marzi se nahi ki."

Her heart sank.

"I know."

"Good."

His tone was cold.

"Toh phir unnecessary expectations mat rakhna."

Anitha stared at him.

"I don't have any."

Virat's eyebrows lifted.

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Haan."

"Achha."

He walked toward the couch.

"Main tumhe koi false hope nahi dena chahta."

Anitha's fingers tightened together.

"Main aapse kuch expect nahi kar rahi."

"Good."

Again.

That word.

Good.

As though he were discussing some business arrangement. Anitha looked down.

Virat continued.

"Main apni life mein already bahut busy hoon. Cricket meri priority hai."

"I understand."

"Main har waqt available nahi rahunga."

"I understand."

"I don't like unnecessary questions."

She nodded.

"Okay."

"And I don't want anyone interfering with my personal space."

She remained silent.

Virat watched her.

"Samajh aaya?"

Anitha finally looked up.

"Haan."

"Good."

He turned away. Something inside her finally snapped. Not anger. Just hurt. She quietly said,

"Main bhi aapse kuch maang nahi rahi hoon, Virat."

He stopped.

She continued.

"Na aapka time."

"Na aapki attention."

"Na aapki sympathy."

Virat slowly turned around.

Anitha's voice trembled, but she didn't stop.

"Bas... mujhe baar-baar yaad dilane ki zarurat nahi hai ki aap yeh shaadi nahi chahte the."

Silence.

Virat stared at her. For the first time that night, he didn't have an immediate answer.

Anitha looked away.

"Main already samajh chuki hoon."

She stood up.

"I won't bother you."

She walked toward the dressing table.

Virat remained still.

Something about her words had unsettled him. He hadn't expected her to answer back. She was quiet. Soft-spoken. Almost painfully polite. But there was something underneath it. Something he hadn't noticed before. He watched as she carefully removed her earrings. Her hands were trembling. She struggled with one of the clasps. Virat looked away. He told himself it wasn't his problem. But after a few seconds, he heard her sigh in frustration. He glanced back. Still struggling. He almost walked over. Almost. Instead, he said,

"Leave it."

She looked at him through the mirror.

"Kya?"

"Earrings."

"I can do it."

"Obviously."

His tone was sharp.

Anitha went quiet.

Virat immediately regretted the way it sounded. But he didn't apologize. He picked up a pillow from the couch.

"I'm sleeping here."

She nodded.

"Okay."

He switched off the main light. The room fell into darkness. Anitha lay on one side of the bed. Virat lay on the couch. Neither spoke. But both remained awake. Anitha stared at the ceiling. She had married the man she had admired for years. The man she had once considered perfect. And within a few hours, she had discovered something she had never seen through a television screen. Virat Kohli could be cold. He could be harsh.And right now...

He didn't want her. She closed her eyes. A single tear escaped. She quickly wiped it away. She wouldn't cry because of him. Not tonight.

Across the room, Virat stared into the darkness. He could still hear her voice.

"Mujhe baar-baar yaad dilane ki zarurat nahi hai ki aap yeh shaadi nahi chahte the."

His jaw tightened. He hadn't meant to hurt her. But perhaps that was the problem. He wasn't good at being gentle when he didn't feel something. And right now He didn't. At least, that's what he told himself.

The next morning arrived far too quickly.

Virat woke up before sunrise. Years of training had made his body accustomed to early mornings. He sat up on the couch. For a moment, he forgot where he was. Then he remembered. The wedding. Anitha. Marriage. He looked toward the bed. She was still sleeping. Her face was partially hidden beneath the blanket. For a few seconds, he simply watched her. She looked completely different when she wasn't nervous.

Peaceful.

Young.

Almost fragile.

He immediately looked away.

Stop.

He stood up. He grabbed his phone and headed toward the bathroom. A few minutes later, his phone began ringing.

Rohit.

Virat answered.

"Kya hai?"

Rohit's sleepy voice came through.

"Good morning, dulhe raja."

Virat closed his eyes.

"Rohit..."

Rohit laughed.

"Bas pooch raha tha. Zinda ho?"

"Unfortunately, haan."

"Biwi ne maar diya kya?"

Virat rolled his eyes.

"Shut up."

Another voice suddenly came through the phone.

Hardik.

"Bhai!"

Virat immediately frowned.

"Hardik, phone Rohit ko de."

"Good morning, bhabhi ke pati!"

"You're impossible."

"Arre, kal toh bade serious the. Aaj kya scene hai?"

Virat lowered his voice.

"Main baad mein baat karta hoon."

Hardik laughed.

"Arre ruk! Dhoni bhai bhi hain."

Virat heard Dhoni's calm voice in the background.

"Virat."

"Haan, Mahi bhai."

"Congratulations."

Virat smiled faintly.

"Thank you."

Dhoni paused.

"Khush ho?"

Virat went silent.

Rohit and Hardik also stopped talking.

It was a simple question.

But Virat didn't have a simple answer. Finally, he said,

"Pata nahi."

Dhoni didn't push.

"Time do."

Virat looked toward the bedroom. His eyes landed on Anitha.

"Maybe."

Dhoni simply replied,

"Bas."

The call ended. He remained standing there. For the first time since the wedding he wondered whether perhaps he had been too quick to decide what this marriage would become. He looked at Anitha again. She shifted slightly in her sleep. Virat's gaze lingered. Then he shook his head. No. He wasn't going to think about it. Not yet. He had a career. A life. A schedule. And a marriage he never wanted. He walked out of the room.

Completely unaware that the quiet girl sleeping behind him was about to become the one person capable of disrupting every carefully controlled part of his life.