The door closed with a soft click, yet the sound echoed loudly in her chest.
The room was unfamiliar—too neat, too silent—nothing like the life she had known until this morning. The red bangles on her wrists felt heavier now, as if they carried the weight of a promise she hadn't fully understood.
He stood a few steps away from her.
Her husband.
A man she barely knew.
Neither of them spoke.
The air between them was thick with things unsaid—questions, fears, and something dangerously close to regret.
"You can sit," he said finally, his voice calm but distant.
She nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, clutching the corner of her dupatta. Her heart was racing. This marriage had happened too fast. Too quietly. Too secretly.
"Are you scared?" he asked.
She looked up, startled. His eyes weren't cruel. If anything, they held restraint—like a man constantly guarding himself.
"A little," she admitted.
He exhaled slowly. "So am I."
That surprised her.
Silence returned, but this time it was different—less sharp, more fragile.
"There are things you should know," he continued, turning away toward the window. "But not tonight."
Her fingers tightened. Things?
Before she could ask, there was a knock on the door.
"Dinner is ready," someone called from outside.
He glanced back at her. "In this house, we play our roles perfectly. No mistakes. No questions—in front of others."
"And in private?" she asked softly.
His jaw tightened.
"In private," he said, "the truth is dangerous."
Her breath caught.
As he opened the door, she realized something chilling—
This nikah hadn't united two hearts.
It had locked two strangers inside a secret neither of them could escape.
And whatever he was hiding… would eventually tear them apart.