On a lavishly decorated altar that exuded opulence, two people took their wedding vows. One, adorned in a red lehenga, the other in a simple blue kurta, appeared more like a friend than a groom. Yet, Shraddha, like any normal Indian woman, was excited about her new life, despite that it was an arranged marriage. The ceremony concluded, and Pandit Ji instructed Anand to apply vermillion to her forehead, prompting Shraddha to smile. Anand, a famous doctor twice her age, harbored an inexplicable hatred for her. Why?
As vermillion touched her forehead, a deafening explosion rocked the hall, sending decorations crashing and people fleeing. Amidst the chaos, Anand noticed the altar about to collapse, but he left Shraddha behind. He didn't care if she perished; he only wanted to escape the coerced responsibility.
Shraddha saw him leave with the priest and tried to get up, but her lehenga got stuck on a nail.
The next morning, after their wedding night, Anand's callous words shattered Shraddha's heart. He admitted he would never touch her, even to save her life. His true love remained with a portrait of his deceased wife.
He hated her because of her skin colour, which was dark and not the fair skin colour he preferred. He was forced into the marriage thanks to a promise his grandparents made to her family long ago, a promise he regretted every moment of every day.
He had no regard for her feelings or dreams, seeing her only as an unwanted obligation he had to fulfil.
He felt disgusted and ashamed whenever he looked at her, and he couldn't bear introducing her to his friends as his wife or even bringing her along to any gathering.
In his voice, during their wedding night, he spoke with a tone filled with hate and disgust, "Not just me, nobody can bear to sleep beside you. You're a darkness, a curse, a harbinger of misfortune and suffering. You're like the darkest, most miserable nights, bringing only misfortune and suffering."
She married him in poverty, but after their union, he became wealthy. Yet, instead of proudly introducing her as his wife, he hid her from his friends, deeming her unworthy of his social stature.
🩶His Brown Bride