Chapter 4: The Choice

I didn’t know what Yashi was thinking at that moment, but I really planned to do just that.

All I wanted was a quiet night, away from drama and accusations. If Yashi stayed with me, nothing could go wrong. Or so I hoped.

Only if Yashi stayed with me tonight could I prevent the chaos from happening.

Every detail from my past life haunted me: the accusations, the heartbreak, the endless cycle of blame. I was determined to break the pattern, no matter what.

And, having lived ten years longer than Yashi now,

I saw her not as a rival, but as a confused girl, lost in the whirlwind of college drama. Her flaws were obvious, but so were her fears.

To me, she was just a little sister who’d gone astray.

It was hard to hate her, even after everything. Maybe, in another life, we could have been true friends.

Maybe something had happened to her in college, making her desperate to cling to a rich boyfriend now.

Everyone has their reasons. Maybe she was scared of what waited outside campus—scared enough to do anything for a sense of security.

But the little girl still wanted to save face, so she set me up.

It was easier to blame someone else than admit her own mistakes. I understood that now, with a clarity that came from too many sleepless nights.

She wanted everyone to think I was jealous that Arjun liked her,

So I deliberately sent the drunken her to the campus bad boy’s room.

Her plan had worked perfectly in my previous life.

The day after the party, I became synonymous with malice.

My name became a warning, a lesson parents told their daughters. "Don’t trust anyone, not even your best friend," they’d say, shaking their heads.

Everyone said I’d harmed her, cursing my name whenever I was mentioned.

The looks, the whispers, the cold shoulders—they all piled up, crushing me slowly over the years.

Gradually, I started to believe it was my fault for getting drunk and sending her to the wrong room.

When enough people tell you you’re a villain, you start to believe it. I carried the guilt like a heavy shawl, unable to shake it off.

I was the one who made her disappear for ten years.

Her absence was a constant ache, a mystery that gnawed at me every day. Where had she gone? Was she safe?

And made Arjun lose the one he loved.

His pain was sharper than mine, and I did everything I could to fill the void. But I was never enough.

So I tried everything to atone. When I couldn’t find Yashi, I poured all my remorse into Arjun.

I became the perfect wife: quiet, obedient, always putting his needs first. But it was never enough to erase the past.

I tried to love him, hoping my sincerity would warm him, just wishing he wouldn’t hate me anymore.

Each day, I prayed he would see me for who I truly was, not the villain everyone else believed me to be.

After all, I’d been adopted by the Sharma family since childhood, raised for over ten years. I couldn’t repay them.

They had given me a home, a family, a place in the world. The least I could do was try to be worthy of their love.

But in the end, I was the one most deceived.

The truth was always just out of reach, like the last piece of mithai at a wedding feast. No matter how hard I tried, happiness slipped through my fingers.

Arjun could give up his life for Yashi, and was willing to use marriage to shackle me.

His love was never mine, just a duty he performed out of guilt or habit. I was a prisoner in a golden cage.

He wouldn’t give me the slightest chance to ruin Yashi’s happiness.

Her well-being was his top priority, no matter what it cost me.

Actually, on the day of the car accident, I’d gone to find Arjun to tell him where Yashi was.

I wanted to set things right, to give him the closure he needed. But fate had other plans.

That day, I also learned from Kabir what had happened to Yashi in those ten years.

The story he told me was one of heartbreak, betrayal, and survival. My heart ached for her, even as I struggled to forgive her.

I wanted him to see Yashi’s true face.

To understand that no one is entirely good or bad, that we all have our reasons for the things we do.

To stop him from feeling guilty for getting drunk and failing to protect Yashi at the farewell party.

He had carried that burden for years, letting it poison every moment of happiness. I wanted to free him, if only for a moment.

But before I could say anything, we were killed in the crash.

The universe had other plans, cutting our story short in a single, violent moment.

I am grateful that fate gave me a chance to be reborn.

Not everyone gets a second chance. I resolved to make the most of mine, no matter what it cost.

Just now at the dinner table, I kept thinking—

How should I repay this gift from above?

Should I take revenge, or seek forgiveness? Should I change the past, or accept it?

I considered taking ruthless revenge on Yashi, making her taste ruin and disgrace.

For a moment, I imagined tearing her world apart, making her suffer as I had. But the thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.

But looking at the flower-like girl before me, I couldn’t harden my heart.

She was just a girl, scared and alone, making mistakes in a world that never forgives.

So when Yashi asked me to take her to rest,

I asked her in front of everyone if she wanted to sleep with me.

It was a simple question, but it carried the weight of a lifetime of pain.

If she chose to stay with me tonight and made no mistakes,

Then I would let go of what happened in the previous life.

Everyone deserves a fresh start. If she wanted one, I would give it to her.

After all, these are two different timelines.

What she did to me in the other timeline, I have no reason to take revenge for in this one.

But if she insisted on making the same mistake, I would respect her choice.

Fate is a strange thing—sometimes, all you can do is step back and let people make their own decisions.

Everyone must be responsible for their own decisions.

No one can escape the consequences of their actions, no matter how hard they try.

So, when Yashi dragged me to the space between two room doors,

I asked her a second time:

"You decide for yourself.

Sleep here tonight, or go to another room with me."

My voice was steady, even as my heart raced. I wanted her to know that the choice was truly hers.

At that moment, Yashi was drunk, her eyes hazy as she looked at me.

She swayed on her feet, her hands gripping the doorframes for support. The world spun around her, but she tried to focus on my face.

But when she heard my question, she still shook her head hard, trying to stay clear-headed.

She blinked a few times, as if trying to chase away the fog in her mind.

"Let me think."

"Arrey, I can’t remember."

Yashi said, knocking her head a few times.

Her words were slurred, but her frustration was real. I could see the confusion in her eyes.

Seeing this, I decided to be direct and asked her to choose.

"Left is..."

I wanted to tell her: left is Kabir, right is Arjun, and I’m right here with you.

But before I could finish, Yashi interrupted me.

"I forgot who I drugged..."

That sentence exploded in my ears like thunder, leaving me stunned.

My heart stopped, the world tilting beneath my feet. The implications of her words hit me like a slap.

In that instant—

When I looked at Yashi again, all I could see was rot.

The beautiful flower had rotted at the root.

To get what she wanted, she’d use such dirty tricks.

I started to wonder if I’d been drugged too.

The thought made my skin crawl, a cold sweat breaking out along my spine.

Instinctively, I stepped back, pulling away from her.

I couldn’t trust her, not anymore. I needed to protect myself.

I asked her again.

But got the same answer.

She said:

"Anyone is fine, just pick one."

Her indifference was chilling. I realised then that she was willing to sacrifice anyone, as long as she got what she wanted.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

I decided to let go of my saviour complex and respect her fate.

So I watched coldly as she went into Arjun’s room on her own.

This time, I would not intervene. Whatever happened next was on her.

Then I turned and opened the door to the next room.

Yashi couldn’t remember who she’d drugged.

But I had memories from my previous life.

As soon as she spoke, I knew who was drugged.

Tonight, I would save the poor campus bad boy.