"The entire hall turned silent as he walked in—Ayan khan, 'The super star' the man whose name echoed in every corner of the city. The man who never looked back at the ordinary world."
*"In the blinding flashes of a hundred cameras, Ayan khan sat like a statue-his sharp jaw clenched, his knuckles white from the pressure of his fists. The murmurs of the crowd, the whispers of the guests,
"Did you see him?" someone whispered. "Ayan khan in real life. I can't believe it."
the excited chattering of the media-it all felt like noise. Meaningless, suffocating noise. This wasn't supposed to happen.
Across from him, dressed in a delicate red bridal outfit, Ayat fatima sat with her gaze lowered, her hands folded neatly in her lap. Unlike him, she wasn't fighting this. Unlike him, she had already accepted her fate.
She adjusted her dupatta nervously, feeling out of place among the glittering guests. This wasn't her world. And he... he was someone who lived in a world beyond her reach.
The Qazi's voice rang clear. "Ayan khan, aapko Ayat Fatima qubool hai (do you agree?)"
Ayan's stomach twisted. His uncle's
watchful gaze burned into him, reminding him of everything at stake-his wealth, his career, his status. Everything he had worked for was in his uncle's control.
His mind screamed NO. His heart pounded against his ribs, every fiber of his being resisting the words he was about to say.
But then, he thought of Riya. The woman he actually wanted. The woman he had made promises to.
What would he tell her? How would she react when she found out he had married someone else?
His hands curled into fists. He had no choice.
His voice came out sharp, cold, distant.
His voice came out sharp, cold, distant. "Qabool hai."(yes)
A quiet gasp escaped Ayat's lips. Not because of his words, but because of the way he said them-like she was a burden, a punishment he had been forced to accept.
"Qabool hai." He said it again, his jaw tightening.
The third time, it felt like chains locking around him. "Qabool hai." And just like that, it was done.
Ayan khan was married. To a woman he didn't love. To a woman he had already warned to stay out of his life.
. To a woman who was never meant to be his. And yet, fate had bound them together… in chains neither of them could break."