"You are not beautiful… you should say yes. No one better will come."
The words were not loud.
They didn't need to be.
They landed softly…
but stayed far longer than they should have.
Aarvika didn't reply.
She just stood there, still, as if nothing had happened.
As if she hadn't heard anything at all.
It was her aunt who said it.
Casually. Normally.
Like it was just another practical suggestion.
Not something that could stay in someone's mind.
Not something that could hurt.
But it did.
Aarvika had only said no.
A simple no.
She wasn't ready to get married.
Not now.
Not like this.
Not to someone she didn't even know.
But somehow…
her answer had turned into a judgment.
She walked back to her room quietly.
No arguments.
No explanations.
Because she already knew—
no one was really asking what she wanted.
The door closed behind her.
Softly.
Almost silently.
But inside her…
everything was getting louder.
She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the floor.
Her fingers felt cold.
Her chest felt heavy.
"You are not beautiful…"
The sentence repeated in her mind.
Again.
And again.
And again.
She pressed her lips together.
Trying not to react.
Trying to ignore it.
But it had already settled somewhere deep.
She wasn't crying.
Not yet.
There was just a strange emptiness.
Because somewhere, quietly…
a part of her had already believed it.
Not because someone said it.
But because she had felt it before.
Many times.
In small moments.
In silent comparisons.
In the way attention always chose someone else.
And she was just…
there.
Not invisible.
But never the one people noticed.
Her eyes slowly lifted toward the mirror.
For a few seconds, she just looked.
At her face.
At her expression.
At the version of herself no one else saw.
Nothing looked wrong.
But nothing felt right either.
She tilted her head slightly.
As if something would change.
As if she would suddenly understand.
But nothing did.
A small sigh escaped her.
"Am I really… not enough?" she whispered.
The room stayed silent.
It always did.
Maybe it was never about beauty.
Maybe it was something deeper.
Something she couldn't explain.
A feeling of being… less.
She pulled her knees close and sat there quietly.
The room felt smaller.
Or maybe…
she was the one shrinking inside it.
She had everything she was supposed to have.
A family.
A home.
A normal life.
Then why did it feel like something was missing?
Why did it feel like she didn't belong completely… anywhere?
She closed her eyes.
Trying to stop the thoughts.
Trying to breathe normally again.
But thoughts don't stop that easily.
They stay.
They repeat.
They grow louder.
"You are not beautiful…"
Her fingers tightened around her arm.
"No…" she murmured softly.
But deep down…
she knew this feeling wasn't new.
It had been there for a long time.
Long before this moment.
Long before this conversation.
And suddenly…
a memory surfaced.
Not clear.
Not complete.
Just a feeling.
Fear.
Her breathing slowed.
Her body went still.
She wasn't in her room anymore.
At least… not in her mind.
She was smaller.
Much younger.
Sitting on a chair.
Alone.
Her tiny hands gripping the edge.
Her eyes searching around…
looking for someone.
Waiting.
And for the first time in her life…
she truly believed—
no one was coming back.