The rain-soaked prescription in Arohi's hand was blurring, mirroring her fading future. The hospital's sterile white walls felt like they were closing in on her. The cost of her father's surgery was a mountain she couldn't climb alone. Just then, Aaryan's deep, commanding voice cut through the sound of the downpour from behind the tinted car window.
Arohi froze in shock. Her heart hammered against her ribs, and her breath hitched. How did this stranger know her name? And why was he offering her a marriage proposal out of thin air? But in the next second, her father's pale, struggling face flashed before her eyes. Her dreams of college after high school and her own freedom suddenly felt insignificant compared to her father's life. "Do I even have a choice?" she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible over the rain.