The merciless love

Chapter One

Shifa

I was dreaming.

And, for once, it was a beautiful dream.

I was standing in the middle of a field covered with tiny white flowers. The sky above me was painted in soft shades of pink and gold, and the cool breeze moved gently through my hair.

Then I heard it.

Clip-clop. Clip-clop.

I turned around.

A white horse was coming toward me.

And sitting on it was a man dressed entirely in white.

I couldn't see his face clearly. The sunlight behind him was too bright, almost as if the sky itself was trying to hide him from me.

Still, something about him felt familiar.

He slowly came closer.

My heart began beating faster.

He stopped right in front of me.

I looked up at him.

He looked down at me.

And just when he was about to say something—

"Shifa! Wake up!"

I frowned.

No.

Not now.

"Shifa!"

I turned my face away.

"Five more minutes..."

"Five minutes? Get up!"

My mother's voice finally dragged me out of my dream.

I opened my eyes and found myself staring at my bedroom ceiling.

For a few seconds, I didn't move.

Then I remembered the dream.

The horse.

The man.

The face I never got to see.

"Seriously?" I whispered to myself.

Of all the times my mother could wake me up, she had chosen the exact moment my dream was getting interesting.

The curtains suddenly opened, and sunlight flooded my room.

I immediately covered my face with the blanket.

"Ammi!"

"Don't 'Ammi' me. Look at the time."

I slowly moved the blanket down and looked at the clock.

My eyes widened.

"Oh no."

Today was my first day of college.

I practically jumped out of bed.

I was eighteen, and today was supposed to be the beginning of an entirely new part of my life.

New college.

New people.

New experiences.

And, hopefully, no embarrassing incidents on the first day.

I rushed into the bathroom while hearing my mother complain from outside.

"Last night I told you to sleep early!"

"I did!"

"You were on your phone until midnight!"

"I was talking to Alina!"

"Same thing!"

I smiled to myself.

That was my mother.

She could somehow turn anything into an argument.

---

By the time I came downstairs, everyone was already having breakfast.

My father was sitting quietly with his tea, scrolling through his phone. My mother was moving between the kitchen and dining table, making sure everyone had eaten.

My fourteen-year-old younger brother, Sameer, was sitting in front of a plate that looked like it had been attacked by a hungry animal.

And then there was my grandmother.

Dadi was sitting comfortably in her usual chair, watching everything with the kind of expression that told me she had already noticed everything happening in the house before anyone else had.

The moment she saw me, she looked at the clock.

"First day of college and you're already late."

I smiled.

"Good morning to you too, Dadi."

"Good morning would've been better if you had woken up on time."

Sameer started laughing.

I gave him a look.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"Then stop smiling."

"I'm not smiling."

"You literally are."

My mother placed a plate in front of me.

"Sit down and eat. You have very little time."

I sat down and started eating as quickly as I could.

For a few minutes, everything was normal.

Until Dadi suddenly said,

"You know, yesterday at the function, everyone was asking about you."

I immediately looked up.

"What about me?"

My mother exchanged a glance with my grandmother.

That look.

I knew that look.

"What did they ask?"

Dadi smiled.

"They were asking when we're going to get you married."

I nearly choked.

"What?!"

Sameer burst out laughing.

I stared at him.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Dadi said marriage."

"So?"

"You looked terrified."

"Because I am terrified!"

My mother tried to hide her smile.

I looked at my father.

"Abbu, did they actually ask that?"

He nodded.

"Yes. Some relatives were asking."

"But I'm eighteen!"

Dadi raised an eyebrow.

"And?"

"And I'm eighteen!"

"You're not a child anymore."

I stared at her in disbelief.

"I've just started college!"

"Exactly. You have plenty of time."

"Then why are we talking about marriage?"

Sameer suddenly said, "Maybe because your prince is late."

I kicked his leg under the table.

"Ow!"

"Deserved."

He rubbed his leg and laughed.

My mother finally spoke.

"Don't worry, Shifa. Nobody is asking you to get married now."

I looked at her.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

My father nodded.

"Your studies are important. Focus on them."

I smiled.

That was exactly what I wanted to hear.

"I want to study properly," I said. "I don't want to think about marriage right now. I have plans."

Dadi sighed.

"Fine. Study. Become whatever you want to become. But someday, you will have to get married."

"Dadi!"

Everyone laughed.

I rolled my eyes.

"Can we please talk about something else?"

Sameer immediately said, "Yes. My new cricket bat—"

"No."

He looked offended.

"You didn't even let me finish."

"Because I already know what you're going to ask."

My mother laughed.

For a moment, I forgot about the conversation.

I forgot about marriage.

I forgot about everything.

Today was my first day.

And I was excited.

---

After breakfast, I went upstairs to get ready.

I stood in front of my mirror and looked at myself.

I had never considered myself extraordinarily beautiful.

I was simply me.

I was around 5'7", which often made me taller than most of the girls around me. My skin had a warm dusky complexion, something I had grown comfortable with over the years. My eyes were probably my most noticeable feature—large, dark, and expressive enough that my mother could usually tell when I was lying without me saying a word.

My hair was long and dark, falling naturally around my shoulders.

For my first day, I didn't want anything too fancy.

I chose a comfortable pair of blue jeans and a simple, elegant kurta.

The kurta was modest and pretty without being overly traditional, exactly the kind of outfit my family was comfortable with me wearing to college.

I draped a light scarf around my neck, letting both ends fall naturally over my shoulders.

I checked myself in the mirror one last time.

"Okay."

I took a breath.

"First day."

My phone suddenly buzzed.

Alina: I'm outside. Hurry up or we're leaving without you.

I smiled.

Of course she was already waiting.

I grabbed my bag and hurried downstairs.

My mother immediately noticed me.

"Scarf properly."

I adjusted it.

"It's fine."

"Take your water bottle."

"Yes."

"And don't come home late."

"I know."

"And call me when you reach."

"Yes, Ammi."

"And—"

"Ammi!"

She smiled.

"Okay, okay. Go."

I slipped on my sandals and walked outside.

The morning air felt different somehow.

Maybe it was because I knew that when I returned home tonight, I wouldn't be the same girl who had left this morning.

I walked toward the gate.

Alina was waiting outside on her Activa, tapping her fingers impatiently against the handle.

The moment she saw me, she shouted,

"Finally!"

I laughed.

"Good morning to you too."

"Get on. We're already late."