Unlucky Marriage

Chapter 7

Emma's POV

Noah standing just a few meters away but faw away from me.
He stood with his back to me, facing the priest, and as I reached the altar, my heart began to race. The priest announced my arrival, and everyone turned. His family smiled warmly at me, but Noah—Noah didn’t look at me. He didn’t even glance over.

I stared at him, my heart sinking. He looked perfect, as always, in his traditional attire, every inch the man every girl wanted. I couldn’t help but feel small in comparison. What was I doing here? I wasn’t even sure if I was enough.

The ceremony continued, but Noah didn’t acknowledge me. We exchanged rings, recited vows, and then came the moment when the priest asked Noah to tie the knot. He did it, but it was like I wasn’t even there. He didn’t look at me, not once.

Tears started to fall from my eyes, and I knew no one understood. Everyone thought they were tears of happiness, but the truth was, they were tears of helplessness. Was this truly what I was getting into?

The priest declared us husband and wife, and even then, he didn’t look at me.

We took some photos afterward, and then came Rohan, Noah’s best friend. He was kind, charming, and made me feel at ease in a way that Noah never had. We had a short chat, and I quickly learned that Rohan wasn’t just Noah’s best friend—he was his partner, too.

As the photographers guided us through more poses, Noah’s frustration became obvious. When it came time for a simple pose, where Noah was supposed to kiss my forehead, something inside him snapped. “Enough!” he shouted, storming off. Rohan ran after him, leaving me standing there, lost. Alone.

I didn’t want to make a scene, so I explained to the photographers that he was just tired. But inside, I felt like the world was slipping out of my grasp.

At the reception, everything continued as if nothing had happened. No one seemed to know the tension that hung between Noah and me, so I kept quiet, focusing on the night ahead. I changed to the saree given by Noah's family.

We shared our first meal as husband and wife in silence. The guests came up to us, offering their congratulations, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was standing in a dream, a dream where Noah was somewhere far away.

Later that night, after the reception, we returned to my house. My mom, always the welcoming one, took Noah to our room—our room now. He seemed happy, chatting with everyone, and I allowed myself to relax, to breathe. Maybe everything would be fine after all.

But when I went to check on him later, he was nowhere to be found. A quick search revealed him talking to my cousin in the hallway, and I couldn’t help but smile. He was trying. He was fitting in. He considered my family as his, not some stranger. Every single person in my family fell in love with him. That thought carried me back to my room, where I took a shower and tried to clear my head.

When I returned, he was sitting in front of his laptop.

“Noah, are you not going to sleep?”

“Work,” was all he said.

I didn’t know what to say to that. So I just nodded and sat down, waiting for him. The silence stretched between us until I finally fell asleep, the weight of the day pressing me into unconsciousness.