HER POV

"Rehaan Malik, apka nikkah Inaya Zaffar ke saath padha ja raha hai. Kya aapko yeh nikkah qubool hai?" The maulvi's voice echoed through the silent masjid.

I held my breath, my heart pounding against my ribs. His calm and steady reply broke the tension. 

"Qubool hai."

The maulvi turned toward me, his eyes kind yet expectant. 

"Inaya Zaffar, apka nikkah Rehaan Malik ke saath 10 lakh haq meher mein kiya ja raha hai. Kya aapko yeh nikkah manzoor hai?"

My hands trembled in my lap, my voice barely above a whisper. 

"Qubool hai," I replied, sealing my fate with those two words.

The maulvi handed me the nikah nama, the weight of it far heavier than the paper it was written on. I signed my name, my hand shaking slightly, and watched as Rehaan signed his.

The ceremony ended as quickly as it had begun. Moments later, we stepped out of the masjid together. The warm sun greeted us, but I felt none of its warmth.

Rehaan guided me to his car in silence. His grip on my arm was firm but not harsh. The ride to his house felt like an eternity, yet I couldn't muster the courage to speak.

As we reached his home, an unfamiliar sense of foreboding settled in my chest. My future was no longer mine to decide. It lay ahead, uncertain and shadowed by the man I had just married.

------

I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands trembling as I removed my dupatta. The delicate fabric felt suffocating, a reminder of the weight of everything that had just happened. The room was silent, too silent, amplifying the storm raging inside me.

One by one, I unclasped the jewelry, the pieces slipping off my wrists and ears like fragments of a life I no longer recognized.

When I finally lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, it felt like the walls were closing in on me.

This was my reality now a reality I never chose.

The sound of the door opening snapped me out of my thoughts. My eyes darted to him Rehaan. He stepped inside, his presence commanding and unyielding. But his expression was unreadable, cold. He stopped a few feet away, his hands tucked into his pockets, and then he spoke.

"Dekho, yeh nikkah sirf ek samjhota hai," he said, his voice firm and detached. Each word hit me like a blow. "Koi vehem mat rakhna ki humare beech kabhi kuch ho sakta hai aage bhi."

I froze, my breath caught in my throat. 

A samjhota? My heart clenched painfully, but I willed myself not to react.

He wasn't done yet. His eyes met mine, sharp and unyielding. His words left no room for doubt, no room for hope.

"Aur tumhe meri zindagi ka hissa banne ki zarurat nahi hai. Tum apni jagah raho, main apni jagah....." 

I sat there, watching him with a quiet defiance bubbling inside me. He thought I would cower, maybe apologize for something I hadn't done.

"Dekho, itna bolne ki zarurat nahi thi," I said, my voice laced with sarcasm. "Waise, mujhe pata hai tum aage kya bolne wale the... but still, as I care, duh!"

He seemed taken aback for a second, probably expecting me to be intimidated. Well, he was in for a surprise.

"you...."

I wasn't afraid of him. I wasn't afraid of anything he could throw my way. 

"Arey, chup raho tum!" I snapped, interrupting his inevitable response. "Mujhe bolne do, main nahi darne wali tumhare ghurne se. Bachi nahi hoon ki dar jaungi."

He stepped closer, his presence growing more intense. 

"Tumhein lagta hai tum kuch bhi kar sakti ho? His voice had an edge, frustration creeping in, but I didn't flinch.

"Awww, Uncle ne aankh dikhayi, main toh dar gayi," I shot back, rolling my eyes and continuing with a dismissive gesture. 

If he thinks I'll crumble under his intimidation, he's sorely mistaken.

I could see the anger boiling in his eyes, but I didn't care. Not anymore. 

"Dekho, mujhe koi fark nahi padta tum kya karte ho, kya nahi karte ho," I said, crossing my arms. "Kab ghar aate ho, kab nahi aate ho, kiske saath so rahe ho, kiske saath rang rangelia bana rahe ho. I don't give a damn."

The words hung in the air between us. I knew they stung, but I didn't flinch. 

He doesn't get to control me. Not now, not ever.

I stared at him for a moment, feeling the weight of the unspoken understanding between us. "Mein tumhare personal life mein dakhal nahi dungi, aur tum mere personal life mein nahi doge simple si baat hai," I said, a touch of finality in my voice. "Aur haan, kisi ko batane ki zarurat nahi hai ki hum miya-biwi hain. Public mein dhindhora pitne ki koi zarurat nahi hai, tumhe aur na mujhe."

I won't be part of his world, not in the way he thinks. We're strangers, trapped in this... arrangement.

I shifted my attention to the bed. I didn't care how petty this might seem, but this was the one thing I could control. 

"Agra tumhare bhashan khatam ho gaya ho, toh let me tell you something." My voice was steady as I pointed to the left side of the bed. "Left side of the bed meri hai, kyunki usme charging point paas mein hai, toh woh meri. Aur haan, mujhe ek body pillow mangwa dena meri height ke hisaab se."

I turned to face him, my eyes locking with his. "Agar tumhe mere saath ek bed pe sona hai, toh khud ke pillow aur blanket leke aana. Aur raat ko laat kha ke niche gir jao toh subah uth ke mujhe blame karne ki koi zarurat nahi hai, samjhe?"

Let's see if he tries to argue with that.

His face was a mask of frustration, but there was a flicker of something else in his eyes anger, maybe, but also... something softer? 

Was it disbelief? 

I didn't care. 

He had no power over me.

I watched as he turned and walked out of the room, the door shutting behind him with a quiet finality.

Alone, I exhaled deeply. His words had tried to affect me, but I refused to let them. I was done being rattled.

----

I stripped away the day's heaviness in the shower, letting the water soothe the tension in my body. When I stepped out, I walked straight to his closet.

His world, his rules... but not anymore.

I grabbed his black shirt simple, comfortable, and completely mine for the taking.

Slipping it on, I felt a brief sense of rebellion, a little spark of something I hadn't had in a long time. I crawled into the bed, the cool fabric of his shirt oddly comforting. I pulled the covers around myself, and for the first time that night, I felt like I had a semblance of control.

Tomorrow would be another day, another battle. But for now, tonight, I was winning.

TO BE COUTINUE...........

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