Chapter 1
People say life changes in a single moment.
I never believed them.
Until the day it happened to me.
I was nineteen.
Life felt beautifully ordinary.
Every morning, I rushed to college with unfinished assignments, laughed too loudly with my friends, argued with my mother over breakfast, and dreamed about a future that seemed endless.
I was like a bird that had only just learned how to fly, eager to explore every corner of the sky.
I never imagined someone else had already decided where I would land.
The moment I walked into the house, I tossed my college bag onto my bed.
“AMMIJAAN ” ? (MOM) I called.
No answer.
As expected.
She was in the kitchen.
She was always in the kitchen.
The aroma of freshly cooked rice and spices filled the house as I leaned against the doorway, watching her hum softly while stirring a pot.
Something was different today.
Her smile.
Her eyes.
They sparkled in a way I hadn’t seen for months.
I folded my arms and grinned.
“Okay... what happened?”
She turned around, unable to hide her excitement.
“Your abbu (father )agreed.”
I frowned.
“Agreed to what?”
She smiled even wider.
“The marriage proposal.”
Everything inside me stopped.
The smile on my face disappeared before I even realized it.
It felt as though someone had pulled the ground from beneath my feet.
I couldn’t breathe.
Couldn’t think.
Couldn’t even hear the sound of the boiling pot anymore.
Only those four words echoed inside my head.
“The marriage proposal”.
“Zumi?”
My mother’s voice pulled me back.
I forced a smile.
“O-Oh...”
I let out a nervous laugh.
“How did that happen? Dad said he’d never agree.”
A shadow crossed her face.
“Aren’t you happy?”
The question hit harder than I expected.
For a second...
I wanted to tell her everything.
That I wasn’t ready.
That my dreams were only beginning.
But then I looked into her eyes.
For the first time in months...
She looked peaceful.
Happy.
After everything our family had been through...
How could I be the reason that smile disappeared?
So I lied.
I smiled.
“Of course I’m happy, Mom.”
“I was just surprised.”
Her face lit up again.
She hugged me tightly before returning to the stove, already talking about wedding preparations.
I couldn’t hear a single word.
I quietly walked back to my room.
Closed the door.
Sat on the edge of my bed.
The room was silent.
Yet my mind wasn’t.
Memories I had buried long ago slowly returned...
Five years earlier...
“ABBU (Dad)... five more minutes.”
“No.”
My abbu (father) pulled the curtains open, letting sunlight flood my room.
“Wake up, sleepyhead.”
“It’s already nine.”
“We’re going to your aunt’s house.”
“Everyone’s waiting for us.”
“Your chachu ( uncle’s) haldi ceremony ( A funcution with A paste made of turmeric (haldi), sandalwood, rose water, and oils is lovingly applied to the bride and groom ) starts tonight, and your ammi (mothe)r is already calling us.”
I buried my face in the pillow.
ABBU (dad) “Do I have to?”
Dad laughed.
“Yes.”
“If you don’t get up in two minutes...”
“I’m eating all the biryani myself.”
My eyes flew open.
“That’s unfair!”
He laughed even harder as I jumped out of bed.
Neither of us knew...
That this wedding would introduce me to the person who would change my life forever.
Before you leave...
💭 What do you think Zumi is hiding?
And who is the person she’s about to meet at her uncle’s wedding?
Drop your theories below. I won’t confirm or deny anything... 😉
