A short story Bound by the sacred bond of an arranged marriage, their union began not with passion but with tradition. For her, it was love at first sight-an unexpected and overwhelming connection she felt the moment they met. He, on the other hand, hadn't been searching for a wife, nor did he expect love to bloom in the quiet moments they shared. Yet, over time, her warmth and presence wove their way into his heart, and against his own reservations, he fell deeply in love with her. They built a world together, filled with shared dreams and quiet happiness. But just as their love reached its peak, their time together was cut short, and their fleeting happiness became a bittersweet memory.

Completed 1997 was the year when they had met in the beautiful yet dangerous valleys of Kashmir. She was a journalist, eager to make her career and he? He was in the Indian Army as a Captain back then. Flowers of love had bloomed and their bond became stronger day by day. But, it was in 1999 when the Kargil War took place, shattering families. While the whole nation had celebrated the victory, it was the families of the martyred who had suffered the most. Avantika was one of them. This is a story about Avantika, her finding her love and losing him as soon as everything started falling in place. Word count- 20k to 30k words

" W..what are you-" " Do you want me to show all those people who you belong to the easy way or the hard way?" He says deeply, a dark look in his eyes as he looks down at my lips then back to my eyes. I feel my heart start to beat insanely fast at his close presence, the smell of his expensive cologne intoxicating me, almost like he was trying to lure me into his lips. • Sofia Novikov, youngest daughter of the Russian Mafia leader was kept away from the public eye her whole life. Her sister Anastasia Novikov however was always in the spotlight. With her perfect figure and personality everyone adored her. She was the sunshine and could do anything you could think of, she was everything any girl wished to be. What happens when ruthless and cold hearted Italian Mafia leader Connor Agosti is to be arranged in a marriage with one of the Novikov sister?