📖 Chapter 1: A Promise Forced by Fate
The wedding hall was glowing with lights, yet My heart felt dark and heavy, but my face smiled.
I stood silently in the corner, my fingers clutching the edge of my red veil. This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, wasn't it? That was what everyone believed.
But no one asked what I wanted.
Soft music played in the background while relatives smiled and whispered blessings. To them, this marriage was a celebration. To me, it felt like a quiet goodbye to my freedom.
Then I saw him.
Krishna
The man I was about to marry.
He looked calm, confident, and distant—like this wedding meant nothing to him. When his eyes met mine, there was no warmth. Only a cold wall I couldn't cross.
This marriage was not built on love.
It was built on responsibility.
On sacrifices made in silence.
I took a deep breath as the priest called our names. My feet moved forward even though my heart begged me to stop.
When our hands touched for the ritual, his grip was firm but emotionless.
"This changes nothing," he said in a low voice, not looking at me.
I swallowed the pain rising in my chest and nodded. Maybe this was my destiny—to live beside a man who never wanted me.
As the sacred vows were spoken, I realized one painful truth.
I wasn't just marrying a stranger.
I was promising my life to a man whose heart was already closed to me.