Anaya-His heartbeat

CHAPTER-13-A STORM OF DOUBT

ANAYA'S  POV

I stood there, rooted in place, Shivarth's words still hanging in the air, as if they were etched into the walls around us. *Gold digger.* The sting of those two words pierced me deeper than I expected. My mind reeled, replaying the moment over and over, the sharpness in his voice, the anger in his eyes.How could he think that? How could he believe, even for a second, that I would agree to this marriage for money? Did he really see me that way? My throat tightened as I tried to process the flood of emotions swirling inside me—hurt, anger, confusion, betrayal. But beneath it all, one question pulsed in my mind: *Could I really marry this man?*A man who could so easily accuse me, without even trying to understand my side of the story?I crossed my arms, trying to steady my breathing, but the weight of everything felt too much. This marriage wasn't something I had wanted. It wasn't something I had ever imagined for myself. My father—*my own father*—had pushed me into this, making it sound like I had no other option, like the fate of our family rested on my shoulders. And I, obedient as I had always been, said yes. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to.And now here I was, standing in front of a man who saw me as nothing more than a pawn in a business deal.But as the silence between us grew thicker, something inside me began to shift. My anger—fueled by the hurt of being accused—started to give way to a different feeling. Understanding.I glanced at Shivarth, really looked at him this time. His jaw was tight, his fists still clenched, but there was something else in his eyes. Frustration, yes, but also confusion. A kind of helplessness that mirrored what I was feeling. He was angry, but not just at me—he was angry at this whole situation.And suddenly, I understood. He was as trapped as I was.Shivarth hadn't asked for this marriage any more than I had. He hadn't chosen me, just as I hadn't chosen him. He was acting out of frustration, out of confusion, just like I had been moments before. He didn't know what I was going through. He didn't know the pressure I was under, the weight of my father's words. How could he? He had been blindsided by this, just like me.I swallowed hard, feeling my anger begin to soften, though the hurt remained. *He doesn't know,* I reminded myself. *He doesn't know what I've been through.*But that didn't make his words any easier to bear. It didn't change the fact that he had accused me of something so ugly, so unfounded. I had never been someone to crave money or status. That wasn't who I was. I was doing this because my family needed me to. Because my father made me believe I had no other choice.Shivarth didn't know that. He had lashed out at me, just as I might have lashed out if I didn't know the full story.I sighed, a deep, weary sigh that seemed to carry all the weight of this impossible situation. I couldn't put all the blame on him. He was struggling too, bound by the same fate that tied us both to this marriage neither of us wanted. But still... could I really go through with this? Could I marry a man who could hurl accusations so easily? Who didn't even take the time to understand me before deciding I was the worst kind of person?I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion swirling inside me. Part of me wanted to walk away, to say *no* to all of this. To refuse this marriage, no matter what my father said, no matter what Shivarth or anyone else thought. But another part of me knew that wasn't an option. I was stuck. We both were.*He doesn't know what I'm going through,* I reminded myself again. *Just like I didn't know what he's dealing with.*Maybe he wasn't the villain in this story. Maybe he was just as lost, just as frustrated. Maybe... maybe we were both victims of circumstances beyond our control.But even if I understood his side now, the uncertainty remained. Could I trust him? Could I spend the rest of my life with someone who had already judged me so harshly? The thought made my heart ache, the uncertainty swirling through me like a storm I couldn't escape.I took a breath, trying to steady myself. I had to accept it, didn't I? This was happening. This marriage was happening. And as much as I wanted to fight it, to walk away from the hurt and the doubt, I couldn't. Neither of us could.The helplessness of that realization sank in, heavy and unavoidable.

And  on top of that i am getting engaged on 11th may wtff  I need to decide everything 

I was thinkimg all this when my phone rang *manav* flashed ohh shitt how can I forget these idiots 

"hello"

"mar gyi?"

'haan'

"group pe aa ek baat btani h"

 we were group of 6 in our school days its been years we all reunited but we are still in touch and will always be❤  and the healed a part of me even I didnt knew that needed to be healed we promised to meet every month when we all parted our ways for our studies but of course that was not practically possible but we all hold an irreplacabe part of eachother' heart 

I quicly opened our group chat *faltu log* wierd name ? so are we

'hey guys'

' INEED TO TELL YOU SOMETING VERY IMPORTANT"

'bhauk'

"I AM GETTING ENGAGED ON 11TH '

VAANI- kab kha kaise how  bhnnnnnnn ek dam se heat attack degi kya

MAHI- maa ksm jo ye prank hua ghar ake marungi 

CHAVVI- merko vishvas ni hora agr iska  boyfriend hota to hame to pta hi hota

MANAV-Bhai isse kon shaadi krega 

Hardik typing

"Can you guys please shut up  meri engagement hori h merko khud ye aaj pta chla or ladke se do din phlemili thi"

"whattttttttt"

i explained them everything 

Mahi- bhai sach sach bta ladka handsome h?
"UMMMMM"
MAHI - btaaaa naaa

"hai to "

MAHI-krle fir shaadi m abhi lehenga khrid leti hu 

VAANI- SHUT up mahi its hard for her its a forced marriage how can se digest it so fast "

 finally some sensible person 

CHAVVI- Dont do this If you dont want and we will oppose  the ceremony if you want

Hardik -yesss we can fight if you want

"no please dont do all this It will happen no matter what and I cant escape reality please come with the same energy and enthusiasm  dont give it a thaught that its forced marriage or something Its hard but please dont ruin ceremony  pleaseee  we always dreamt of enjoying each others marriage lets do it that way only '

MAHI-  so you dont want us to come homeless

'of course not "

"VAANI and HARDIK were supposed to be the first one to get married  and  see the fate I am getting first "

a lil context - they both were childhood sweeties are in relationship since school and I always adored them my fav couple to exist my love birds...their marriage is our roman empire we always dreamt of them getting married and by god's grace they will get married soon❤❤

we chit chatted for a while thats when my mother called me for engagement shopping i dont know whats happening  One part of my heart is not able to process anything  and the other half wants everything in my wedding that I dreamt of   I am hurt but I am excited too  I dont love my husband but I Love myself and dont want this occasion to be ruined 

I dont know I am messed uppppppppppppppppppp

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