“From Judgment to Joy: How Letting Go of Competition Made Me a Better Woman”

Anaira’s POV:

Zayaan leaving was both a relief and a loss, but it was a loss I was ready to face. The years I had spent competing, fighting for his attention, and trying to mold myself into someone I wasn’t—those years felt like they had been wasted. But now, with Zayaan gone and Mahir moving in as our new tenant, I had room to breathe, to heal, and to finally let go of the toxic patterns we had been stuck in.

Mahir, unlike his brother Zayaan, wasn’t here to judge us. He wasn’t here to drag us down or bring up the past to hurt us. He knew about everything—how I had slept with Zayaan and the ripple effect it caused. He knew about Alvira’s heartache and how it fractured our bond. But Mahir was different. He wasn’t here to make us relive that pain. Instead, he was offering us a chance to move forward.

I could see it in his eyes when he spoke, his calmness, his understanding. He had his own family—a wife and child—and had long since moved on from the drama of our lives. One day, while we were talking, Mahir said something that stuck with me: “I’m actually glad none of you married me. I think Alvira was always the right sister for Zayaan. You two were never meant to be caught in this cycle. That’s in the past.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his honesty. It was a strange form of closure, hearing that. It made me realize how much I had been stuck in that past, fighting for a love that was never mine to begin with.

I had to ask, though. “What about Kiran?” I couldn’t help but ask about Zayaan’s first girlfriend, the one who had always been a part of the picture before me.

Mahir chuckled softly. “Kiran? She’s married now, living her life. She’s happy.”

Then, Alvira, who had been quiet for a while, chimed in. “And Aneeka? What happened to her?”

Mahir smiled, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Aneeka? She’s my nand now. She met and married a ‘gora pakora’,” he said, laughing at his own joke.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or feel pity for the situation, but I appreciated how Mahir didn’t bring us down with his words. He wasn’t here to make us feel small or inferior to the past versions of ourselves. Instead, he was showing us that life goes on, that it was time to let go of the past.

Alvira’s POV:

Zayaan’s departure was a turning point for me. I had spent so much of my life trying to fight for a place in his heart, but I never truly belonged there. I had let myself get caught up in the idea of competition, of proving I was worthy of his affection. But when he left, I realized something important—my worth was never tied to his love. My worth was my own.

When Mahir moved in, I wasn’t sure how I felt. The history was still there, hanging between us all like a dark cloud. But Mahir was different. He didn’t try to drag us into the past; he wanted to help us heal and move on. He had his own life, his own family, and he wasn’t here to remind us of our mistakes or our heartaches.

We had a long conversation one evening, and Mahir looked at me and Anaira, saying something that struck me deeply. “I’m actually glad none of you married me. I think Anaira and you, Alvira, you were never meant to fight over Zayaan. He always had a better connection with you, Alvira. You’ve both grown, and I’m proud of you.”

It felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. For years, I had lived in the shadow of wanting something that wasn’t meant to be. Mahir’s words reminded me that my worth wasn’t defined by who I was with, but by who I was as a person.

Later, I asked him about Zayaan’s ex, Aneeka, and what had happened to her. I needed to know.

Mahir grinned. “Aneeka? She’s married now. She’s my nand now, living her life with a ‘gora pakora’,” he said, laughing at the term. The image of Zayaan’s ex with someone else wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. It felt almost comical, and I found myself laughing too.

It was in that moment I realized that I didn’t need to compete with anyone—not Kiran, not Aneeka, not even Zayaan. I was enough just as I was. The past had its place, but it didn’t define me anymore.

Mahir’s POV:

Moving in with Anaira and Alvira was more complicated than I had anticipated. I knew all the history—Zayaan’s relationship with Anaira, the heartache it caused Alvira, the way everything had unraveled. But I wasn’t here to relive the past. I wasn’t here to drag them down or make them feel guilty for things they couldn’t change.

I was a man who had my own life now—a wife and child—and I had let go of the mistakes of the past. I wanted them to do the same. I wanted them to understand that the past didn’t have to control their present.

One evening, after a long conversation, I looked at Anaira and Alvira and said, “I’m actually glad none of you married me. You two were never meant to fight over Zayaan. He always had a better connection with you, Alvira. You’ve both grown from this, and I’m proud of you.”

It felt like the right thing to say, not just for them, but for me too. It was a way of letting go of old attachments and moving forward.

When Anaira asked about Kiran, I told her that she had moved on and was happy. And when Alvira asked about Aneeka, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Aneeka? She’s my nand now. She married a ‘gora pakora’,” I said, enjoying the irony of it all.

But it wasn’t about the past anymore. It wasn’t about Zayaan, Kiran, or Aneeka. It was about helping Anaira and Alvira heal and move on. I wasn’t here to make them relive their pain. I was here to remind them that the past didn’t define them, and they had the power to shape their own futures.

Anaira’s & Alvira’s Thoughts:

Mahir’s words gave us both a sense of closure we hadn’t realized we needed. The past was behind us, and it didn’t have to control us anymore. We didn’t need to fight for a love that was never ours to begin with. We didn’t need to compare ourselves to others or to live up to anyone else’s expectations.

With Mahir’s support, we began to see the possibility of growth, of healing. We didn’t need to compete with anyone for validation. We were enough as we were, and it was time we started believing it.