Chapter No 1

“What are you saying?” asked Mehtaab, horrified.

“Mummy, it is so clear, she is asking Saliha’s hand for Jamshaid,” said Junaid, beaming.

“What?” Mehtaab got up from the couch she was sitting on.

“What happened? It is not something you have heard for the first time. Every girl gets married; my brother wants to get married to Saliha,” said Rukhsana, grinning.

“Have you lost your mind? She just turned 14 and your brother is 37,” she said, annoyed.

“Mummy, Jamshaid is the perfect boy for Saliha, we are doing it only for her secure future,” said Junaid.

“Listen, Junaid, I know you are doing it on behalf of your witch wife, but mark my words, I will never ever let you marry off my granddaughter to your pervert brother-in-law,” said Mehtaab, angrily.

“Junaid, your mother is crossing the limits. How could she call my brother a pervert,” said Rukhsana, angrily.

“Your brother is indeed a pervert. Why did he go to jail? He tried to molest a young girl last year,” said Mehtaab angrily.

“Mummy, this is final, Saliha is going to get married,” said Junaid stubbornly.

Saliha was hearing all this standing outside the kitchen. She looked at Junaid and she felt Goosebumps.

She never liked Jamshaid, she felt insecure when he was around. He is the brother of Rukhsana. She does not like the way he looks at her.

She ran towards her room and started crying.

*********

“Mama, I am home,” said Sana, aloud.

“Ah, my daughter, my baby is home,” said Junaid, while kissing his daughter.

“Daddy, I have completed my 7th grade,” she said, happily.

Both Rukhsana and Junaid were flattering their daughter. They started sending her to school after they saw Saliha go. They were totally different people to their own child.

*************

“Grandma, I don’t want to get married,” she said, crying.

“Oh my child, I won’t let that happen,” said Mehtaab, sadly.

“Grandma, I want to become a doctor,” she said, sadly.

“I know, and you will,” Mehtaab said while thinking about something. “Bring my phone,” she said.

**************

“Hey, listen, get ready, you are getting married today,” said Rukhsana.

She looked at her grandmother horribly.

She has been fighting with her son and daughter-in-law for two months. Her health was now declining.

“No, I will not marry him,” she said. It was the first time she had spoken in front of her aunt. She does not know how she got such courage.

“What did you say?” asked Junaid, who had just entered the room. “You spoke in front of your aunt, you bitch,” he said and held her hair and pulled it, dragging her with him.

“Come, I will teach you a lesson today,” he said, and beat her.

That whole day, he beat her and her grandma was lying on the bed screaming.

“Say yes to the marriage or else you know,” said Rukhsana, and she went inside the room.

She was crying.

*************

The day of 'death' has come. She had made up her mind that she would not marry him; she brought rat poison with her.

Years of abuse had made her suicidal. She sat and her eyes were teary. Mehtaab tried hard to stop this marriage but she failed.

The priest started the wedding rites. She held the poison's vile in her hand tightly.

She was about to open it when she heard someone say, "stop".

They all turned their heads. It was a man who had light brown hair with very little silver in it.

He had light brown eyes and a tall posture with a handsome face. He had dark brown eyes and black hair. There was a woman beside him. She was so beautiful. Her hair was light brown with a few golden streaks. She had light blue eyes.

“What is happening here? Who has invited you?” asked Rukhsana, angrily.

“I don’t need an invitation to get into my own house,” he said.

“Imran, what are you doing here?” Junaid asked, shocked.

"Mummy called me and she said she needed me,” he said, while looking at Saliha.

“Imran, you are here?” asked Mehtaab while entering the room. He turned and hugged her.

“Your mother has taken responsibility for everyone’s child. I mean look, I was marrying off her motherless granddaughter, she let in another adopted son of hers',” said Rukhsana.

“Shut up, don’t you dare say such a thing about my son, at least he is not shaming his mother,” said Mehtaab. "Yes, he is adopted but he is more than my own son. Raising him is not making me regret, as I regret giving birth to you, Junaid," she said, looking at her son.

“Priest, continue the marriage,” said Rukhsana.

“There is no rush for such a thing,” said Imran. She looked at him while narrowing her eyes. "You are not going to get her married,” he said, expressionlessly.

“Who are you to stop us?” asked Junaid.

“I am her uncle,” Imran said.

“You are not her real uncle, you know that. Junaid is her biological uncle,” said Rukhsana, smirking.

“Stop this nonsense, she is coming with us,” said the woman who came with Imran.

“Take her with desires but with which relationship? She has no relationship with you and we cannot let our niece be not-related,” said Junaid.

Imran’s expression turned to stone.

“Roman,” he called out.

After a while, a tall, broad-shouldered boy who looked like an English boy entered the room. He had silky straight light brown hair with a few golden streaks.

“My son will marry Saliha,” he said. She looked up from the corner of her eyes through the veil. He was older than her but not so old. He seemed in his very early twenties, maybe 20- 21.

“Dad, what are you talking about?” Roman asked, shocked. His father did not reply to him.

“Sit,” said the woman who shared his facial features, calmly.

“Mum, what is it? You said, “We are going on vacation,” he said.

“I will tell you everything later, please sit down,” she said.

He looked so annoyed but he could not speak in front of his father. He looked at the girl in the veil, angrily. He sat in front of her.

“What is happening here?” asked Rukhsana, shocked.

“Now start,” said Imran.

“No, this can’t be. What do you mean he is marrying her? It’s me, I am the groom and I was paying off this girl,” said Jamshaid.

Roman looked up at him angrily. Jamshaid was talking about buying a woman?

How disgusting is this man?

“Woman is not something or product you can pay for and buy. I am marrying her off to my son. Men like you are a disgrace to society,” Imran said.

“My brother is the groom,” said Rukhsana, angrily.

“I will kill you all if you dare to do such a thing,” said Jamshaid, while showing them the revolver.

Imran looked at him expressionlessly. He walked towards him while looking into his eyes and in a matter of seconds he punched his hand and the revolver fell down.

“Never mess with someone who is from the army,” said the woman who came with him smiling.

“Start,” he ordered.

The preacher started the wedding rites.

“You, Saliha, daughter of Wajhdaan Ahmer, take Syed Roman Gardezi?” asked the scholar.

“I do,” she said, shaking. She never thought that life was going to take a turn like that. She has to marry someone whom she came to know about moments ago.

“Do you, Syed Roman Gardezi, take Saliha as your legal wife?” he asked.

He looked at the girl’s expressions and then at his father, who had similar expressions, and then he nodded.

She felt her heart was heavy as if someone stuffed wet cotton in it. This is how her life changed and she set about to step inside the love of hurdles.

***********