Days passed by, and every day Shraddha had new wounds on her hands as she was learning to cook for herself. Many times, she saw her family going out to dine, but no one ever included her. She began focusing more on her studies to become independent. She also started giving tuition to manage her finances, as the money given by her father was not enough to cover all her needs.

She watched her family shower love on her sister during her birthday, where Arjun and Divya were also present. But nobody bothered to ask about her. Her family warmly welcomed Divya as well, but never once inquired about Shraddha's well-being. Even her mother had now stopped showing much concern for her. It wasn't that Asha stopped loving Shraddha, but because of Pramod's controlling behavior, she had to maintain distance so that he wouldn't send Shraddha to a hostel.

Shraddha's POV

It's been so long since I felt any love from my mother, but I can't complain. She has other children to take care of too. Standing by my window, I saw Divya and Arjun by their window, sipping on something. It made my heart ache, but Arjun really deserves someone who matches his standards-not someone ugly and a bad omen like me.

Suddenly, Arjun noticed me. He looked angry and then kissed Divya. Seeing this, Divya kissed him back passionately. I immediately turned away, went to my bed, and cried. Maybe I don't deserve love.

After 5 years

A girl lay asleep with books beside her. Suddenly, her alarm rang, and she opened her eyes. It was Shraddha. She looked like a ghost, but she had to get up and make her breakfast. She lazily dragged herself out of bed, freshened up, took a bath, prayed to her beloved Mahadev, and went down to cook. She was craving chole bhature, so she started preparing them. While cooking, she was also revising for her exam.

After finishing breakfast, she returned to her room to get ready and ate her meal there. Some time later, her mother entered her room to bless her for her last exam. Seeing Asha, Shraddha smiled faintly, hugged her, kissed her on the forehead, and left for the exam center.

As she stepped out, she saw Arjun, who had become more handsome, leaving for office along with Vivaan and Ayaan. She wasn't interested in them anymore, but she knew that their families were now business partners.

On the way to the exam center, she met Neha Mishra, her best friend now. Neha knew everything about Shraddha's life. She was also a chubby and dusky girl from a middle-class background, but unlike Shraddha, her parents loved her dearly. Neha had a younger brother, Gaurav, a mischievous six-year-old who was always getting into trouble.

Though Neha never spoke badly about Shraddha's family, she carried a secret-she had a crush on Vivaan. She had seen him once at Shraddha's house and instantly liked him. But she couldn't tell Shraddha about it.

They reached the exam center and wished each other luck. After three hours, the exam was over, and they headed to a pani puri stall.

Arjun, stuck in traffic nearby, happened to see Shraddha eating at the stall. Unknowingly, a smile appeared on his face, but he quickly snapped out of it, grew angry with himself, and left.

After one week

Shraddha's exam results were out, and she had passed. Soon, she would become a physiotherapist. Neha had also cleared her exam and was equally thrilled to be closer to her dream.

Shraddha went to share the good news with her mother. As she entered the house, she saw Arjun along with his family, Divya, and the Malhotra family sitting in the hall.

As soon as Arjun saw Shraddha, he held Divya's hand. Divya smirked at Shraddha. Radha gave her a look of disgust, while Vinoth greeted her kindly, "Hi Shraddha, how are you, my child?"

"I'm good, uncle. What about you?" Shraddha replied.

"I'm doing well too. You look quite happy today," he said.

Shraddha smiled and replied, "Yes, I cleared my exam. Soon I'll be a physiotherapist."

To this, Radha remarked coldly, "It's good that you'll be independent. The sooner you become one, please leave this house so we can live in peace."

Her words hurt Shraddha deeply, while Divya looked delighted. Arjun showed no reaction.

Asha, hearing this, spoke up, "Radha ji, I will make sure my daughter never leaves her home. No matter how much she earns, I can't live without my daughter."

That brought a small smile to Shraddha's face.

Divya, unable to stand Shraddha's happiness, chimed in, "Hi Shraddha, I also have some good news. Tomorrow, Arjun and I are getting engaged. That's why we're here to invite everyone. I know the past has been rough, and I believe you've moved on from Arjun. So please come to our engagement. Let's start fresh."

Shraddha, pale from the news but trying to hold herself together, replied, "Sure, I'll come tomorrow to congratulate you on your new beginning."

Divya added with a sly grin, "And one more thing-please don't eat anything tonight. At least you'll look slim for once."

Everyone laughed except Vinoth, Asha, and Arjun. Shraddha felt humiliated but still managed to say, "Sure."

Afterward, she went to her room and cried for hours. That night, she made a decision: from tomorrow, she would bury all her feelings for Arjun and focus solely on finding her own happiness.