I had been through countless events, meetings, and celebrations where I was the center of attention. I knew what it was like to have eyes on me, to command a room with nothing more than my presence.
But nothingâabsolutely nothingâcould have prepared me for the moment Avni Rajput walked into the wedding hall.
The music softened. The world seemed to pause.
And IâAditya Singhania, a man who prided himself on always being in controlâstood there, frozen. She was breathtaking.
Draped in red and gold, every inch of her exuded royalty. Her lehenga shimmered under the grand chandeliers, the intricate embroidery hugging her frame perfectly. The gold jewelry adorning her was nothing compared to the sharp fire in her eyes. She looked like a queen being forced to take the throneâfierce, untouchable, regal.
And she was walking straight toward me. For a second, I forgot how to breathe.
She had always been stunning, but this... this was something else. This was Avni in her truest formâbold, defiant, and devastatingly beautiful.
A smirk tugged at my lips. Of course, she looked like she was walking toward her execution rather than her wedding. I could almost hear the curses she was mentally throwing at me.
Good. I wouldn't expect anything less from her.  She reached the mandap, and for a brief moment, her eyes met mine.
A flicker of something passed between us. She quickly looked away, but I saw it. She felt this too.
The priest's voice echoed through the grand hall as he chanted the sacred mantras, guiding us through the ancient wedding traditions.
Avni sat beside me, her posture stiff, her hands delicately resting on her lap. Every once in a while, she would shoot me a look that screamed, I still hate you.
I fought the urge to smirk. I knew she hated this. But I also knew she wasn't weak.
She wouldn't cry or break down. She would sit here with her head held high, enduring every ritual with the same fierce pride that made her Avni Rajput.
The sacred fire crackled between us as the priest instructed us to perform the kanyadaan ritual. Her father stepped forward, placing her hand in mineâa symbolic gesture of handing her over to me.
I tightened my grip, just for a second, just to see if she'd react. Her fingers twitched, but she didn't pull away.
Interesting. The mangalsutra was next. As I lifted the sacred black and gold necklace, I saw her shoulders tense.
I leaned in slightly, my breath ghosting against her skin as I clasped it around her neck. "Relax, sweetheart" I murmured, so only she could hear.
Her back stiffened even more, and I had to bite back a chuckle. I knew she hated that word.
Perfect. The sindoor came next. The moment I had to mark her as mine.
I took a pinch of the red powder, parting the hair at the center of her forehead before pressing the color into her skin.
A single second. That's all it was. But that second felt like something permanent.
Something irreversible. Something dangerously real.
I pulled back, watching as she blinked rapidly, as if trying to convince herself this wasn't actually happening. But it was.
And now, she was my wife.
The saat phere were next. The final step. We stood together, walking around the sacred fire seven times, reciting vows that bound us together in ways far beyond legal contracts.
She walked beside me, her pace steady, her eyes forward. She walked beside me, her pace steady, her eyes forward.
Did I believe in any of it? Not before.
But with every step, something inside me shifted. She wasn't just another name in my life anymore.
She was my wife.
Not by choice. Not by love. But by something even strongerâcircumstance. And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.
The ceremony ended with blessings from the elders. People cheered, showering us with flower petals as they celebrated the union of two families.
Avni barely reacted, her expression unreadable as she stood beside me, her hands still adorned with intricate mehendi, the scent of roses and sandalwood lingering between us.
I turned to look at her. She didn't look at me. Not once.
She was avoiding me now. But she wouldn't be able to avoid me forever.
Because no matter how much she fought it, no matter how much she hated it...
She was mine.
And I had all the time in the world to make her realize it.
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