Arjun sat at his desk, his fingers tracing the edge of a gold-embossed wedding invitation. He had spent years staring at ledgers, contracts, and blueprints, but this piece of paper was the most daunting thing he had ever held. He hit the speed dial.

"Vivek," Arjun said, the moment the line connected. His voice was steady, but there was a tremor of genuine, human vulnerability in it that he no longer tried to hide. "I’m not asking. I’m telling you. You’re my best man. There is no one else who held me up when the walls were closing in, and there is no one else I want standing beside me when I finally step into the light."