The house was decorated beautifully, as if a wedding was about to take place. The boy was holding the girl's hand as they made their way inside. Upon entering, they saw a mandap (wedding altar) set up in the hall, where a girl, dressed as a bride, was seated, possibly waiting for her groom.
Around them, a few people stood with expressions of disappointment, as if they were waiting for someone. Suddenly, all eyes turned towards the boy and girl standing at the entrance. Their eyes widened in shock as they took in the sight before them.
Now moving forward,
The man stood at the door, the girl standing just behind him. As soon as the family members in the hall saw the girl and the state she was in—her face disheveled, hair tangled, face wet with tears, and vermilion smeared haphazardly across her forehead and face, turning half her face red—they were stunned.
Her clothes were in complete disarray, and she kept her head bowed, still sobbing uncontrollably. It seemed as if her eyes were oceans that refused to run dry.
The man, however, stood at the door without any expression on his face. An elderly woman, around 65 to 70 years old, approached them, her face filled with surprise. She stood before the boy and asked, "Nishiv, what is all this? Do you realize today was your wedding, and you disappeared from your own wedding? Your bride is sitting in the mandap, waiting for you, and no one knew where you were."
"And who is this girl with you?" But the boy, whose name was Nishiv, said nothing and remained silent. Seeing his silence, the elderly woman got angry and demanded, "I'm asking you, Nishiv! Answer me! Where were you, and who is this girl with you?"
This time, Nishiv responded, "She is my wife, Grandma. Today was my wedding, wasn't it? Well, I've done that. You wanted a daughter-in-law, so here she is. Your daughter-in-law." His words left his grandmother in shock. Though she had already sensed what was happening, hearing it from her grandson's mouth hit her hard, causing her legs to falter.
Just then, a young girl rushed forward to steady the elderly woman. For a while, the grandmother couldn't speak, and then she said, "What are you saying, Nishiv? Your bride is sitting in the mandap, waiting for you, and here you are, saying you're already married? Who is this girl? Where is she from? Which family does she belong to? And you've brought her here to be the daughter-in-law of this house?"
Listening to his grandmother, Nishiv replied, "I know exactly what I've done, Grandma, and I know who this girl is. She is my wife now, and that means she's part of our family. That's all that matters. I don't think anyone here has the right to decide for me. I can make my own choices in life whenever I want, and the truth is, I'm already married. From today, she is my wife."
As he said this, Nishiv grabbed the girl's hand. The girl kept her eyes downcast, tears streaming steadily down her face. Meanwhile, the bride who had been quietly sitting in the mandap stood up and made her way to the door. She stood before Nishiv, her tear-filled eyes locking onto his, and asked, "Why, Nishiv? Why did you do this to me?"
"If this was what you intended, why did you pretend to marry me? If you didn't want to marry me, then why all this charade? Just to humiliate me? Answer me, Nishiv, why did you do this?" She stepped forward and grabbed Nishiv by the collar.
Angered by her actions, Nishiv grabbed her hand and pushed it away, speaking in a cold voice, "You don't have the status to hold the collar of Nishiv Rathore. And yes, you're right. This entire charade, all this spectacle, was only to humiliate you. To show you your place. To take revenge for what your father did. This was all about destroying your father's honor."
"What did you think? That I would actually marry you? After the betrayal your father gave me? Did you really think I would marry you? It's one thing to have misunderstandings, but stupidity is unacceptable."
Hearing this, Ria's eyes filled with tears, and she looked at Nishiv in disbelief. There were whispers among the people in the hall. Nishiv continued, "The show's over. You've all seen enough. Everyone can go home now."
With that, people began leaving one by one, as no one had the courage to argue with Nishiv. Though there weren't many people present, a few had stayed.
Nishiv then noticed Ria's father approaching. Before he could say anything, Nishiv cut him off, "Listen carefully, everyone. From today, she is my wife and the daughter-in-law of this house. I won't tolerate a single word against her. You can all leave now." This time, Nishiv was addressing Ria's family, as the others had already left. With that, Nishiv grabbed the girl's hand and led her inside the house.
As the girl stepped inside, her footprints stained the threshold, marking her entrance, because when she was at the temple, a piece of glass had cut her foot, and it was still bleeding. Blood continued to drip from her feet, leaving a trail of bloody footprints as Nishiv led her inside. His grandmother noticed the marks on the floor and looked at Nishiv with concern.
Nishiv continued to lead the girl without stopping, heading straight for his room. After they left, the grandmother turned to Ria and said, "Forgive me, child. You've suffered so much because of my grandson. You've been humiliated beyond measure."
Hearing this, Ria responded, "No, Grandma, forgiveness isn't an option. What your grandson did today, I will never forgive him for. I never expected this from Nishiv. He has humiliated me so much today. I will never forget this, never. And for this, Nishiv will have to pay a very heavy price."
With that, she stormed off angrily, while the grandmother looked on, troubled and helpless.
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