Chapter 2:
A Marriage He Did Not Choose
When a choice was made for Aziz Khan, he was nineteen years old and still seeking to know his
own life. He was in university, concentrating on his studies, friends, and the quiet dream that
one day he might be able to choose his own future. That hope broke the day he learned his
marriage was already planned.
His mother had chosen a girl. The family had agreed upon something. Dates were debated,
guests were named, and expectations were set. Aziz wasn't asked what he desired. He was
given knowledge of what would transpire. His words were disregarded as childish when he tried
to speak. He was reminded that obedience was his job and silence was his safety.
The pressure was merciless and quick. His mother cautioned him of disgrace, fractured family
ties, and divine retribution. His brothers flanked her, emphasizing every warning. Knowing that
resistance would cost Aziz his place in the family made him feel stuck. He was too weak at
nineteen to walk away.
And thus, the wedding took place.
Shelfa understood everything. Being his cousin, she knew every advancement, every whispered
word, every preparation. Though the news broke her, she did not face Aziz. She didn't shed a
tear in front of anyone. She opted for dignity above desperation. Her heart, though, shattered
silently within.
Aziz refused to fight for himself. He thought explanations were useless in a society that had
already decided his guilt. He just said time would expose the truth.
After the marriage, his mother's animosity did not go away. It got tougher. She constantly
cautioned him that she would never forgive him if he picked Shelfa. She told him he was sinful
and that in the afterlife, punishments awaited him.
Aziz had faith and hung onto it. He reasoned he hadn't committed anything bad. Being a
Muslim, he understood that a second marriage was allowed as long as it was conducted with
accountability and justice. He rejected viewing himself as guilty for loving one woman while
being obliged to marry another.
Shelfa kept waiting. Years went by. Aziz became a father, then a father once more, until he had
five kids. Shelfa was advised to accept reality, choose a different life, and move on. She said no
to every idea.
She only uttered one word. Her only desire in this world was Aziz Khan. She would prefer to be
by herself than to belong to someone else. Her waiting was not a fault. It was faithfulness, and it
was steadfast.
Those years turned her quiet into strength, his patience into will, and their love into something
unmovable, tested daily by loss, anxiety, and constant faith, always together.
Aziz began the wedding bearing a heavy guilt. Though his feelings remained connected to
Shelfa, he did his duty. Though the world urged him to wipe her out, he never refuted her
position in his heart. People started to judge him critically. They challenged his integrity and
charged him with playing on feelings.