Mafia's Contracted Bride

Chapter 7

The room was dimly lit by the fading afternoon sun, casting long shadows on the bare walls. Yara sat on the bed, her fingers trembling as they clutched the edge of her pale pink wedding dress. The fabric felt foreign, wrong against her skin, as if it were suffocating her. Her chest tightened with each sob that broke from her lips, but she forced herself to stay as silent as possible. If Dawood heard her crying, she wasn’t sure what he might do.

The mirror in front of her reflected a stranger, all she saw was a girl trapped in a nightmare she couldn’t wake from. Her face was pale, her eyes swollen from crying. The kohl smudged across her eyelids only emphasized her tear-stained cheeks. The intricate henna designs that had been hurriedly applied to her hands in the last few hours now felt like chains, tightening around her wrists, binding her to this nightmare.

Safiya ma gently combed through Yara’s hair, her own heart heavy with guilt. “I know, child. This isn’t easy, but you have to be strong. You’ll get through this.”

Safiya Ma hovered behind her, adjusting the dupatta on Yara’s head. Her hands were gentle, but her eyes betrayed the weight of helplessness she felt. Yara caught her reflection in the mirror and averted her gaze. How could this woman, who seemed so kind, be complicit in this? She wanted to scream, to beg for her freedom, but what good would it do?

No one would help her. Not even Safiya Ma.

“I’m so sorry, dear,” Safiya Ma whispered softly, placing a hand on Yara’s shoulder. “But there’s no way out of this... you have to be strong.”

Yara squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let more tears fall. How could she be strong when everything inside her was breaking? When every breath felt like a struggle against drowning?

Tears streamed down Yara's face as she stared blankly ahead. “I don’t want to marry him, Safiya Ma,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Please… I just want to go home.”

Safiya’s hand tightened on Yara's trembling shoulder. “I know, my dear. But Dawood… he’s not someone you can defy. This marriage, it’s already decided. But I promise you, I will find a way to help you… one day.”

Safiya wanted to tell her it was impossible to leave this place, but the truth was more painful than lies. Dawood was dangerous. His world was dangerous. But there were some things even Dawood couldn’t control.

Yara felt a deep, gnawing pit of despair open inside her. How had her life come to this? Trapped in a web she didn’t weave, forced into a marriage she never wanted. Every step closer to this wedding felt like she was losing another part of herself, like pieces of her soul were being stolen away.

She recalled the day she last saw her family, the warmth of her home, the love in her mother’s eyes. Would she ever see them again? Or was this the end of her life as she knew it?

Were they safe? Were they being threatened just as she was?

Dawood’s words from earlier haunted her—your family’s life is at risk.

Your so called papa's deal, He sold you for money!, these words hit her harder.

She hated him, hated him with a fire that burned through her veins. But what could she do? If she didn’t comply, the consequences would fall not just on her but on everyone she loved.

She glanced down at the delicate gold bangles that now adorned her wrists. They gleamed in the fading light, mocking her helplessness. This wasn’t the wedding she had ever dreamed of.

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Dawood Haider Khan stood in front of the large window in his study, staring out into the vast grounds of his estate, his fingers lightly tracing the edge of an ornate knife. His jaw clenched as the evening wind rustled through the trees outside. Inside, a storm brewed within him, swirling with anger, doubt, and something else he couldn’t quite name.