She didn't knew that loving him will be so painful for her.
She tried her best to stay with him but everyone took him away from her.
Will they be able to live together?
Will they get to live a life they imagine about?
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When Inaya opened her eyes, the room was bathed in soft morning light, but the absence of Malik hit her like a physical blow. He was gone, had left her house in the dead of night.
The realization made her heart ache, but it was his scent still lingering on the pillow that brought a strange comfort, as though he had never really left.
She clutched the pillow to her chest, burying her face in its fabric, inhaling deeply as if trying to hold onto a part of him.
Her breath hitched, and though tears welled up in her eyes, she didn’t allow herself to fully cry. It hurt too much. She couldn’t let it consume her, not yet.
Taking a shaky breath, she forced herself to get up. After going through her morning routine mechanically, she stepped out of her room, the weight of her thoughts making each step feel heavier.
As she descended the stairs, she noticed people in the hallway, carefully arranging delicate pink and white flowers, adorning the house with an almost festive air. She stopped, a strange chill crawling up her spine.
Her eyes wandered, taking in the decorations, but no one was around to answer her unspoken questions. Then, a horrible realization struck her. The decorations. The flowers. They were for her engagement.
Her heart plummeted, the air leaving her lungs as the walls seemed to close in around her. She spun on her heel, rushing back to her room as if the house itself might swallow her whole.
Locking herself in, she collapsed onto her bed. Her breath came in ragged sobs, and the tears she had held back finally broke free. She cried without restraint, her body trembling with the force of it.
How could her father do this to her? How could he force her into a marriage with someone she didn’t love—someone who wasn’t Malik—when he knew the depth of her feelings? The pain was suffocating. Every inch of her felt trapped in a life she didn’t want. She had never felt more alone.
Meanwhile, Malik sat at his desk, but his mind was a thousand miles away. He couldn't focus on the work in front of him—his thoughts kept circling back to Inaya.
The way she had cried the night before, her voice broken, her eyes filled with despair. The image haunted him. He couldn't escape it. Every time he tried to push it away, it came crashing back with even more force.
His office door creaked open, snapping him from his thoughts. Zain walked in, his presence as commanding as ever.
"What are you doing here?" Zain asked, irritation in his voice. "It’s my engagement day, and you're just sitting here, brooding."
Malik didn’t respond, his gaze cold and piercing as he stared at his best friend. The anger he felt was bubbling beneath the surface, but he kept it contained, his jaw clenched tight.
Zain took a few steps closer. "Come on," he said, his tone carrying a mixture of mockery and annoyance. "We have errands to run. Get ready. We’re going to Inaya’s house."
