𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 ✓

-43-

Something is wrong with Siddique, and it’s tearing me up inside. It started subtly—little moments where he seemed distracted or lost, but after our engagement ring shopping and that encounter with Mariyam at the restaurant, it became impossible to ignore. Since then, he’s been... distant. It’s like his mind is elsewhere, caught up in something he can’t, or won’t, share with anyone. Not his mother, not Rizwan, and certainly not me.

I’ve tried to talk to him, really tried. I’ve asked, more than once, what’s bothering him, what’s weighing him down. I’ve offered to listen, to help. Each time, he deflects, dodging the conversation with that practiced ease of his, as if he’s completely unaware of how much it’s hurting me.

Last night, though, I’d had enough. I told him that if he didn’t trust me enough to share his problems, maybe he didn’t think I deserved to be a part of his life at all. Maybe we shouldn’t even go through with this wedding.

That finally got a reaction. He looked shocked, hurt, and then... furious. We argued, words pouring out that we both knew would cut deep. But how else was I supposed to get through to him?

I don’t want to cancel our wedding, but I also can’t keep pretending like everything’s fine when he’s shutting me out. This distance between us—it feels like a wall, one he’s building higher every day.

Since our fight, he’s been trying to reach me. Call after call, text after text, apologies spilling out across my phone. But I can’t bring myself to answer. If he can ignore me during the happiest, most important moments of our lives—our wedding preparations—why should I run to him now?

For days, he’s only seemed interested in talking when it’s late at night, just before he goes to bed, as if I’m some kind of afterthought. It’s hurtful, and I can’t keep letting him get away with it.

Today should be different.

Today should be magical.

Today is our wedding day.

But this silent treatment, this punishment I’m giving him, I know it’s poisoning everything. Today is our wedding day, and he’s supposed to be the love of my life. I should feel overjoyed, but instead, all I feel is anger and hurt. It’s unbearable, but I won’t back down. He needs to understand that this isn’t just a one-sided partnership. If he’s struggling with something, we should face it together.

As the minutes tick closer to our ceremony, my heart feels heavy. I’m not ready to talk to him, and I’m certainly not ready to look at him. Not until he’s ready to let me in.

My heart felt heavy as I lingered in the silence, still feeling the weight of last night’s fight with Siddique. But before I could dwell on it further, I heard my mother’s voice calling me softly, reminding me that it was time to leave for the mosque. The moment had come. She stepped into my room, then stopped in her tracks, her expression softening as she looked at me with wide eyes.