𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐅𝐄 : Where Opposite Attracts

12 (𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭)

The sun had the audacity to rise as if the world was normal. The sky was painted in warm hues—soft peach and gold—but it didn't feel warm to me.
Not today.

Today marked Day Two of what I personally like to call The Biggest Mistake of My Life.
Yesterday, I survived by avoiding his face. A few accidental glances here and there, a restrained sigh, and maybe one internal eye-roll per hour.
But today?

Today, I was expected to hold his hand. Stand next to him. Smile, even. Like we're starring in a tragic play that only my family seems to enjoy.

I hadn't imagined in any universe—real, alternate, fictional or post-apocalyptic—that I would marry Aryan Singhania.
Sadistic. Heartless. Arrogant. Brainless. The ultimate walking red flag.
And yet, here we are.

But things change, right?
People grow, empires fall, and apparently, so do standards.

Do I care?
No. Not in the slightest. Not anymore.

Love, for me, is a beautifully wrapped lie, dipped in betrayal, sealed with scars.
After what I've endured, I've promised myself—no love, no weakness, no expectations.

I stood in front of the mirror, staring at the stranger I had become.
My hair had been styled into an elegant braid, decorated with delicate mogra flowers. A stylist's cherry-on-top moment.
The peach lehenga wrapped around me felt regal—intricate gold embroidery catching the light and complementing my complexion like it was designed just for me.

My makeup was soft. Dewy. Perfect. I looked like a bride who had dreamed of this moment.
Except—I hadn't.

I slid into my Louboutin heels, mentally preparing to step into a room full of people who would applaud my ruination like it was a celebration.

And then, my mother entered.

She looked at me like I was the moon.
As if dressing me up in jewels could hide the emotional debris underneath.

"Vanshu beta... you look breathtaking." Her voice cracked, a dam of unshed tears already shimmering in her eyes.

I turned to her, rolling my lips in to hold my emotions back. "Come on, Mom... don't cry now, please." I said, wiping that one tear that dared to fall.

Her hand trembled as it caressed my cheek. "How can I not, beta?" she whispered. "We forced you into this marriage. You didn't deserve this."

Ah. Happy Realisation unlocked.

Good morning to the guilt train, now arriving right on time.

I smiled—one of those broken, sarcastic ones you reserve for guests and ghosted dreams.

"Well, congratulations. You all succeeded." I didn't say it out loud. I couldn't.

Instead, I let her hug me.