The Arranged Marriage

The merging of companies

Anaya felt restless and unhappy on the next day of her marriage. She had married Arjun, a man she did not love or even like. She had married him to fulfill her father's dying wish, which was to marry her to the son of his friend and business rival, Rakesh Sharma. She was still in love with Armaan, her fiancé, who was in Dubai for his album recording. He did not know about her marriage and she did not know how to tell him.

She woke up early and saw Arjun sleeping on the other corner of the bed. They had slept separately, without any intimacy or affection. They had slept as strangers, not as husband and wife. She got up from the bed and checked the dressing area for her suitcases, which contained her clothes and belongings. But they were not there. They had not arrived from her house yet. She felt annoyed and helpless. She went to the washroom and washed her face. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw the signs of her marriage on her body. She saw the sindhoor on her hair parting and the mangalsutra around her neck. They were the symbols of her bond with Arjun, but they felt like chains to her. She felt trapped and suffocated. She came out of the washroom and started pacing the dressing area, wondering what to wear and what to do.

Arjun woke up and saw her pacing. He felt irritated and curious. He finally spoke to her for the first time since their marriage. He said, "Hey, why are you pacing like this? What's your problem?" Anaya also spoke to him for the first time. She said, "I need clothes. I have to go to office. I can't go like this." She gestured to her saree, which was wrinkled and grand. It was not suitable for office wear. It was suitable for a wedding, which she had attended the previous day.

Arjun looked at her from head to toe. He was about to say something to her, when there was a knock on the door. Anaya opened it and saw Ganga, a maid, standing there. She was carrying three suitcases.

She said, "deedee, ye aapake sootakes hain. ve aaj subah aae. deree ke lie mujhe khed hai. apane bhaee par naaraaz mat hoie."
(Translation: "Sister, these are your suitcases. They arrived this morning. I'm sorry for the delay. Please don't be angry with your brother.")

She smiled and thanked her. She took the suitcases and went to the dressing area. She opened one of them and picked a pink saree. She draped the saree around her body and put on some light jewellery and make up. She wanted to look presentable and professional. She wanted to go to her office and resume her work. She wanted to forget about her marriage and her husband.

She looked at herself in the mirror and saw that the deep neck of her blouse was exposing her mangalsutra and the partition of her hair was empty. She remembered that she had to wear sindhoor, as a sign of her marriage. She felt reluctant and sad. She remembered why she had married Arjun. She remembered her father's wish and his death. She remembered her mother's tears and her brother's sympathy. She remembered her love for Armaan and his absence. She sighed and wore sindhoor, after applying some water on her forehead. She picked up her phone and bag and wore some pink heels. She looked elegant and beautiful, but she felt miserable and lonely.

Arjun saw her and fumbled. He felt a surge of attraction towards her, but he quickly suppressed it. He did not want to feel anything for her. He did not want to be attracted to her. He did not want to be married to her. He hated her and her company, AAS, which was his company's competitor. He hated his father, who had forced him to marry her. He hated his mother, who had supported his father. He hated himself, for being obedient and passive. He did not say anything to her. He just looked away and pretended to be busy.

Anaya went downstairs and found her mother-in-law, Lavanya, in the living room. She was holding a cup of coffee and reading a newspaper. She looked up and saw Anaya. She smiled and said, "Good morning, beta. You look lovely. Come, have some coffee with me." Anaya smiled faintly and nodded. She did not feel lovely. She felt awful. She did not want to have coffee with her. She wanted to go to her office and work. She wanted to forget about her marriage and her husband.