Destined Paths – Kalpana B

he asked, his concern clear. “You looked pale in the morning.” “I’m fine, Rahul,” I said, trying to push down the flutter of emotions in my chest. “Good night, and take care.” Before he could say anything else, I ended the call. Maybe I was overreacting, but the truth was hard to ignore—he had left just a day after our wedding. His work had taken priority over me. Didn’t that say everything? Would he have done the same if it were his ex-girlfriend?

Left her alone among practically strangers? Would he not have at least asked her to accompany him? Taken her along? Would he have even considered leaving her like this? There was no end to these questions, and no real answers that could satisfy me. The more I thought about it, the more restless I became.

I needed to stop overanalyzing everything. The next day, I went with the broker to finalize the apartment deal. Luck was on my side—one of the places was in a ready-to-move state. Without hesitation, I paid the advance and asked the broker to prepare the agreement. Now, I had two major things to do: 1.

Transfer my painting supplies from my uncle’s house to my new place. 2. Resign from my job. I didn’t need that job anymore. I had decided—I would give my 100% to painting. This way, I could start earning on my own terms, build my savings faster, and secure my independence. I contacted a movers and packers company to transport all my belongings from my uncle’s house to my new studio apartment. The next three days passed in a blur—organizing my supplies, unpacking, and making the space livable.

I bought the essentials: a stove, some utensils, groceries, and minimal furniture.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 9781234567890 ISBN-10: 1477123456 Cover design by: Art Painter Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309 Printed in the United States of America OceanofPDF.com KOMAL This is the fifth—or maybe the sixth—time I’m meeting a stranger for an arranged marriage meeting.

Honestly, I’ve lost count already. My mind is already racing with strategies to make this boy say no. It’s not that I’m cruel or enjoy playing games, but the whole process feels so… unnatural. How do people even do this? Sit across from someone they’ve never met, exchange pleasantries, and then decide if they want to spend the rest of their lives together.

It’s absurd. And yet, here I am, trapped in this cycle. You might ask, why don’t you just say no? Why go through this charade? The truth is, I don’t have the power to say no. Not really. I’m an orphan. My parents passed away when I was 13, just as I was starting 8th grade. I had chosen the commerce stream after 10th, but my heart was set on fine arts.

I dreamed of painting, of creating something beautiful, of losing myself in colors and canvases. But when my parents died, my dreams died with them. My uncle and his sons took over everything—my life, my decisions, my future. They didn’t allow me to pursue fine arts, saying it was impractical, and a waste of time. All the savings my parents left behind were taken by my uncle, who said it was for my marriage.

It’s not like they’re outright cruel or abusive—no dramatic Bollywood-style villainy here. But the restrictions are suffocating. I’m 26, and they’re in a hurry to get me married. “It’s for your own good,” they say. “You need stability, security.” But what about my dreams? My independence? My voice? Every time I sit across from one of these strangers, I feel like a puppet, going through the motions. I smile politely, answer their questions, and try to gauge if they’re the kind of person who’d understand me—or at least let me breathe.

But deep down, I know it’s futile. I’m not here to find love or companionship. I’m here because it’s expected of me. Because I have no other choice. So, I’ve started planning. If I can’t say no outright, I’ll make them say it.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: d262df1b6d41187b
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 2,610,787 bytes (2.49 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 238
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 381.22 minutes
• Total Words: 76,244
• Total Characters: 422,857
• Average Words per Page: 320.35
• Average Characters per Page: 1776.71

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