A S H N A

"I like you, Arsala."

Dialogues like that are meant to be ignored.

Except nothing about Rayyan Uddin can be ignored.

He was charming, persistent, handsome, and far too interested in a woman who wanted nothing to do with him.

Arsala Rasheed doesn't have time for love.

Not when her family is drowning in debt, her mother's health is declining, her sisters are falling apart, and they're barely keeping themselves afloat in this joke of an economy.

So when a charming stranger walks into her life with heartwarming smiles and unshakable persistence, Arsala does what she always does-keep herself the hell away from him.

Too bad Rayyan Uddin is used to getting what he wants.

And for his cardio, Arsala is the first woman who doesn't care.

What starts as an innocent search for solace soon turns into a dangerous gamble of hearts that no longer belong to them.

And the cure for love is marriage they say.

But love is not enough to survive a marriage, is it? Especially when there's a vast difference between the bank accounts of the bride and groom.

Not when life becomes suffocating and when one person slowly fades so the other can make room for their own demands.

Not when respect is lost.

After all, falling in love is easy. Choosing to love the same person every day after that is the hard part.