She was just leaving college, tired but content, ready to drive back home. As she approached her car, a group of classmates - including one she was close to - walked up to her.
"Anu!!, We need your help!!!," one of them said, a little breathless.
"Where? What happened?" she asked, clearly confused.
"We'll explain on the way. Just come with us, please," they insisted.
Before she could ask more, a guy from the group jumped into the driver's seat. She was gently ushered into the backseat, sandwiched between two others.
"The couple wants to get married," one of them whispered. "Their families don't agree. They're running away. We needed your car because their families won't recognize it."
She looked at them, surprised but sympathetic. "You should've told me earlier."
They smiled nervously. "We didn't thought we'll be needing your help."
🖤
Eventually, they stopped in a deserted area in front of a small temple. Everyone quickly got out. She followed, thinking she'd only be there for a short while. Everything seemed fine - no one had followed them. There were smiles and sighs of relief.
Then came the twist.
The pandit looked directly at her. "Bride, please come for the pooja."
She turned to the girl who was supposed to be the bride. But the girl didn't move. Instead, she stared at her.
"What are you doing? Go sit," she said, gently nudging the girl.
But the girl stayed still.
Then, one by one, the others turned to her. "You go sit."
"What? No! It's her wedding, not mine!" she laughed, bewildered.
But they insisted again. "Ma'am, it's your wedding."
"Are you kidding me? This is some prank, right?" she laughed nervously again, turning to her friend. "Why are they calling me ma'am?"
Before anyone could answer, a voice came from behind.
"Go and sit."
She froze.
She knew that voice.
Her heart began to race - not from nerves, but from memories. That memories.
She didn't look up. Her eyes fell to the ground.
He came and stood in front of her. Calm, composed, and in complete control.
Without a word, he adjusted her dupatta properly over her head and around her shoulders. Then, he took her hand - gently, but firmly - and led her to the sacred fire.
She didn't resist. Her body moved, but her soul shattered.
The rituals began.
She sat there like a doll - silent, broken, betrayed. Every word the pandit said cut through her. Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she made no sound.
She now understood why they all called her ma'am. They were his people. His plan. His trap.
She had been used - her kindness, her trust, everything.
And it was her own fault.
The wedding neared its end. It was time for the sindoor and mangalsutra.
He paused, watching her cry. He had known from the beginning, but now he acknowledged it.
As he tied the mangalsutra around her neck and reached for the sindoor, he said softly, "I'm sorry."
She looked up, tears in her eyes, confused.
Sorry? Now?
He gently lifted her chin. "Look at me," he said.
She didn't.
"LOOK. AT. ME."
This time, she did.
Their eyes met.
He wiped her tears. "I'm sorry you had to marry me in these clothes. Without the wedding you deserved."
That broke her even more.
She cried harder, silently.
The final rituals were completed.
"Shaadi sampann hui," the pandit announced. "From today, you are husband and wife."
She stood up, her legs trembling.
Together, they bowed to the deity, then touched the pandit's feet for blessings.
Her life had changed forever.
And she never saw it coming this soon.
She stood there, still draped in the weight of the wedding she never asked for. Her heart felt heavier with each beat, fear settling deeper inside her chest. What now? she thought. What will I do? What will I say to my family?
A storm of thoughts raged in her mind - her home, her parents, her future. She felt trapped, like the walls of the temple were closing in. Her eyes darted around, looking for something - anything - familiar. But all she saw were his people. His control.
Suddenly, her phone rang. The sharp sound jolted her back to reality.
She fumbled to take it out of her bag, hands trembling. The name on the screen made her freeze.
Baba.
Her eyes filled with fresh tears. What will I tell him?
Before she could decide, he noticed the call. He was already walking toward her.
Her heart began to thump louder. She clutched the phone tightly, almost as if it were her only hope. As he neared, she instinctively stepped back - just a small step, but enough to show her distance.
"Pick it up," he said, voice calm but firm.
She hesitated.
"Pick it up," he repeated, softer this time, but the authority in his tone remained.
With shaking hands, she swiped to answer the call. Her lips quivered as she brought the phone to her ear.
"Hello... beta?" came her father's voice, warm and worried. "Where are you? Are you okay? You didn't come home, and your phone was unreachable... I was getting scared."
She couldn't speak.
She pressed her lips tightly, trying to stop the sob threatening to escape.
"Beta? Say something. Are you alright?"
She looked up at the man standing in front of her. His eyes were unreadable - not anger, not softness. Just unreadable.
"Y-yes, Baba..." she finally managed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm okay."
But she wasn't.
And she didn't know if she ever would be again.
She quickly composed herself and said on the call, "Baba... I'm really sorry. One of my friend needed an urgent drop home... her health wasn't good. I came to her place for a while, that's why I got late."
There was a pause before her father replied, his voice calm but laced with concern. "It's okay, beta. But you should've informed someone, na? Your phone was unreachable for so long. Your Aai was very worried."
Guilt crept up her throat. "I know, Baba... I'm really sorry for being careless. I'll leave now. I'll be home soon."
After the call ended, silence settled around her - the kind that arrives after a storm. But she knew this storm was far from over.
He stepped closer again, looking at her with those unreadable eyes.
"I already told your bodyguards what to tell Atharva, don't worry about that." he said, she stared at him.
"This marriage," he said in a low voice, "will remain hidden. No one should know - not now. You're too young to handle the responsibilities of being a wife."
She blinked at him, trying to process his words. If that's the case, she thought bitterly, then why marry me in the first place?
As if he read her mind, he said with calm finality, "You know very well why I married you."
Her throat dried. She looked away, swallowing the lump rising in her chest.
"I'll be leaving for Jaipur day after tomorrow," he continued. "Don't know when I'll return. I want to see you one last time before I go. After your college."
Her heart fluttered - not out of love, but confusion. Relief.
"I won't disturb you with calls or texts, because you might be busy with college." he added. "But you message me. You call me." he paused and continued, "Atleast one message, whenever you feel."
She looked at him, stunned. Was this a deal? A punishment? Or something else entirely?
"You belong to me now and I belong to you," he finished softly, before helping her into the car.
"So no need to run away from me now onwards."
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Aise kon shaadi krta hai? Naa band baja, Na baarat? Aur na hi Parivaar?
Aapka kya khayal hai guys??Do let me know 😉❤️
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