Uqd-e-Muhabbat

> "You are living in a graveyard, Airah. Don't complain about the cold."
>
At twenty-two, Airah Aftab Khan believed in the beauty of *Nikkah*. Raised in a home overflowing with warmth, laughter, and love, she stepped into her arranged marriage with eyes full of dreams, hoping for a partner who would cherish her, a soulmate to share her quiet prayers and loud smiles with.

Instead, she was given Shazain Ali Khan.
At thirty, Shazain is a force to be reckoned with. Tall, ruthlessly handsome, and cloaked in a brutal, bone-chilling indifference, he is a billionaire who rules his empire but remains a prisoner to his past. Six years ago, on a rain-slicked highway, his heart died alongside the only woman he ever loved. He promised never to love again. He only accepted this marriage to satisfy his grandfather's wish.

To him, Airah is a duty. An intrusion. A mistake.

For three agonizing months, Airah tries. She cooks his favorite meals, waits up for him past midnight, and greets his icy glares with soft smiles. But a human heart can only take so many blows before it shatters. When Shazain draws a line in the sand-shamefully rejecting her affection and forbidding her from ever expecting intimacy-something inside the gentle girl snaps.

The sunshine dies. The hope withers away.

"You broke my heart, Shazain Ali Khan. One day you will bow down before this very broken heart... and on that day, I will have nothing left to give you."

Airah stops trying. She packs away her colorful clothes, silences her laughter, and treats him with the exact same freezing indifference he gave her. But when the light completely leaves her eyes, the darkness in Shazain's world suddenly becomes terrifyingly loud.

For the first time in six years, Shazain is forced to look at his wife. And for the first time, he is terrified of losing her.

Can a girl with a broken heart heal a man who claims he doesn't have one? Or will his guilt forever keep them trapped in a loveless marriage?