Marriage ?

(I am not that good in English , so bear with that , always feel free to point the mistakes in a genuine way . And follow my Instagram for more updates, the link is available in bio)

"You have to marry him, Tanya," Dad said for the hundredth time today. I know he doesn’t want to marry me off like this… it’s just the situation. That’s what I keep telling myself.

I looked out of my bedroom window. The streetlights seemed brighter than usual tonight, almost as if they were watching me. I turned back to him.

Should I tell Dad about him?

No… first I’ll speak to Arhaan. Once Dad sees him, he won’t refuse.

"I need some time," I said, hoping he would agree. There was a strange pang in my heart, warning me that something was about to go wrong.

I chose to ignore it.

Not this time.

"Okay," Papa said with a soft smile, patting my head before leaving the room.

As soon as he left, I locked the door and searched for my earphones. I dialed Arhaan’s number. It kept ringing while I finally found them.

Shaking my head at myself, I sat on the edge of my bed and looked at my reflection in the mirror.

I looked exhausted.

My skin was tanned, dark circles shadowed my eyes, and I could barely focus these days.

He didn’t pick up.

I had been calling him since morning, ever since Dad mentioned marriage.

Arhaan and I were school sweethearts. He proposed to me after our 10th exams, and I said yes because I liked him too… maybe more than I admitted.

Late-night calls, going to the same college, holding hands in the canteen like it was our own little world.

He was the perfect boyfriend.

I don’t know if I was the perfect girlfriend.

Scrolling through our chats, I saw his message about being busy with a project. Ever since he moved to Italy, work had become his priority.

And I…

I was somewhere after that.

I went to freshen up, hoping I’d return to a message from him.

When I came back in my cotton PJs, I saw Ishu’s messages.

Ishu💗:

Babee, I forgot to call you. This guy Reyansh was annoying as hell. Had to deal with him.

Do you know how to get rid of a body?

Never mind, I’ll ask bhai.

Andddd—

I told Maa about your marriage thing. She said she’ll talk to Uncle, so stay stress-free.

Chummaa. Good night. Dream of…??

A small laugh escaped me.

Only Ishu could go from murder jokes to emotional support in seconds.

Just then—

Arhaan ❤️:

Baby, I’m busy. I’ll call you when I get free.

My fingers tightened around the phone.

Me:

Arhaan, I need to talk to you. It’s urgent. Please call me.

I placed my phone aside and lay down, exhaustion pulling me into sleep before my thoughts could.

When I woke up, it was already 6 a.m.

The floor felt cold against my feet as I stood up. My room was messy—unlike me—but yesterday wasn’t exactly normal.

I quickly cleaned everything and rearranged my bookshelf.

Bhai had gifted it to me on my 18th birthday. He had filled it with books himself, arranging them by color, placing a lamp beside it and a small flower pot on the right.

It was my favorite corner.

I work as an Assistant Editor at Ravish Publications, owned by Ishani’s family.

Books were never just pages to me,they were escapes, ideas, and truths.

I love reading about revolutions and change.

But my real favorite genres?

Those… I keep hidden.

I freshened up and walked downstairs, only to see Bua discussing my marriage with some relatives.

Where are Papa and Bhai?

I should handle this myself.

If I tell them I love someone… will they stay silent? Or will everything fall apart?

"I need to tell you all something," I said, my voice low but firm.

Everyone turned to look at me.

My heart raced.

I can’t give up on my right.

"I love someone. His name is Ar—"

My words died in my throat as Bua slapped me across the face.

Everything went blank.

"What do you think you’re saying?" she snapped, dragging me into the nearest room and pushing me against the wall.

"Bua, please… leave me," I whispered, tears filling my eyes.

"You will marry the man I chose," she said coldly. "You have no choice."

"No," I cried, pushing her away. "You can’t decide that for me!"

"You disgraceful girl," she hissed, grabbing my hair tightly.

Pain shot through my scalp.

"Ah—leave me, Bua…" my voice trembled.

"Do you think I don’t have proof?" she said, her voice dropping dangerously.

"What proof?" I stuttered.

She threw a stack of photos at me.

My breath stopped.

Me and Arhaan.

Our first kiss.

Holding hands.

Moments that were never meant for anyone else.

"How do you have these…?" my voice broke.

"If your father sees these," she said slowly, "what do you think will happen?"

No.

This can’t be happening.

I tore the photos apart, my hands shaking.

But she grabbed my hair again.

"I have more copies. This is just the beginning."

My entire body froze.

"Meri baat suno," she said firmly. "Go outside and say you will marry him."

Tears streamed down my face.

But something inside me…

Didn’t break.

Not yet.

I walked out slowly, my legs trembling, my heart pounding loudly in my ears as if everyone around me could hear it. The living room was filled with relatives, soft murmurs and low conversations floating in the air, but the moment I stepped in, everything seemed to quiet down. All eyes turned toward me, waiting.

Just then, the main door opened.

Papa walked in, holding a box of sweets in his hand, Bhai right beside him. They looked like they had just come from outside probably to get sweets for the guests—but the moment their eyes landed on me, something in their expressions changed.

Papa’s smile faded.

Bhai’s grip on the sweet box tightened.

Both of them looked… worried.

Not angry.

Not disappointed.

Just worried.

And somehow, that broke me more than anything else.

Papa quickly handed the sweets to one of the relatives without even looking away from me and walked closer. "Tanya… what happened?"

His voice was soft, but there was a sharp concern beneath it. The same voice that had always protected me, always stood between me and the world when things went wrong.

Bhai stepped forward too, his eyes scanning my face, stopping at my tear-stained cheeks. His jaw tightened.

"Who did this?" he asked, his tone low but dangerous.

For a second,

I wanted to tell them everything.

About Arhaan.

About the photos.

About Bua.

About how helpless I felt.

But then my eyes met Papa’s.

The man who trusted me blindly.

The man who never forced me into anything.

And I knew,

If I told him, he wouldn’t force me.

He would choose me.

Always.

My throat tightened painfully.

"I…" my voice cracked, barely coming out.

I glanced back once.

Bua stood there among the relatives, her expression calm, almost normal but her eyes held a warning, cold and sharp, reminding me of everything she had just said.

I closed my eyes for a brief second, trying to steady myself.

And then,

"I will marry him," I said.

The words left my mouth, but they didn’t feel like mine.

Silence filled the room instantly.

No one spoke.

No one reacted.

Papa didn’t smile.

He didn’t look relieved.

If anything,

His concern deepened.

He stepped closer, gently cupping my face, his thumb brushing away the tears I hadn’t even realized were still falling.

"Are you sure, beta?" he asked softly, searching my eyes.

I nodded.

But even I could feel how weak that nod was.

Bhai let out a small, disbelieving breath, running a hand through his hair as he stepped closer.

"This isn’t like you," he said quietly, his gaze fixed on me. "You don’t just… agree like this. What happened?"

"I’m fine," I said quickly, forcing my voice to stay steady. "I just… thought about it. It’s okay."

It wasn’t convincing.

Not even a little.

Papa’s hand didn’t leave my face.

His eyes didn’t leave mine.

And in that moment, I knew.

He didn’t believe me.

Not completely.

Not even close.

But he didn’t push.

Not in front of everyone.

Instead, he gave a small nod, turning slightly toward the relatives. "We’ll talk later," he said calmly, but there was an edge in his voice that only I recognized.

Bhai, however, didn’t move.

His gaze shifted briefly toward Bua.

And something in his expression hardened.

Then he looked back at me.

"I’m not done with this," he said under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear.

My heart sank.

Because I knew.

This wasn’t over.

Not for them.

Not for me.

And for the first time,

Saying yes didn’t feel like an end.

It felt like the beginning of something I had no control over.

Will Tanya be rescued? Or will she get married?.

Comment down your analysis!!

Signing off ,

Samikshaaa

Note:

(I will update on Wattpad by night it is having some network issues guys. Help me if you guys know anything about this , to resolve )

Lots of love .