Prologue

Prologue

Maher's POV

The sound of temple bells echoed in the air, soft and sacred, like a lullaby meant to calm chaos—but it only made the storm inside me louder.

I stood quietly at the back of the grand wedding hall, a place dressed in gold and crimson. Roses dripped from the ceilings, lights shimmered like stars, and the scent of incense and marigolds clung to everything. People moved around me, whispering, laughing, celebrating. Their joy hung heavy in the air, suffocating. Deafening.

But my eyes saw only one person.

Rudra.

Sitting at the wedding altar.

He looked... perfect.

A cream sherwani hugged his tall frame, embroidered with golden thread, regal and radiant. A turban sat on his head, the sehra—those tiny pearl strings—resting softly over his forehead. He was smiling at something the priest said. That smile. God, that smile used to be mine.

And now it would belong to someone else.

"Bring the bride," the priest finally announced, his voice loud and steady, sealing what little hope remained in me.

I froze.

The rustle of silk followed. Gasps. Applause. The crowd parted like waves in reverence.

And then came Isha.

Draped in red, her lehenga glittered under the golden lights. The veil over her head swayed gently as she walked, her face glowing with bridal shyness and pride. Every step she took was a reminder that she was walking into a life I once thought was mine.

The girl beside me whispered, "She looks beautiful."
I didn't respond. My throat had closed in on itself.

I looked at Rudra again. He stood up as Isha approached, their eyes meeting. His expression shifted—something unreadable passed over his face—but then it was gone, replaced by a small smile. He held out his hand.

And I knew then.

This was real.

No more maybes. No more what ifs. No more silent stares across the room, no more lingering glances, no more stolen moments where I pretended he could still be mine.

I wanted to move. To leave. But my feet were rooted. Like my body was here but my soul had been left behind, still lingering in the shadows of the past where Rudra and I once existed.

A place where his laughter echoed with mine.
A place where we weren't strangers.
A place where we weren't too late.

My vision blurred as tears welled up, but I blinked them away. I couldn't break here. Not now.

He was about to marry someone else.
And I was just a silent guest at his forever.

I pressed a hand to my chest, where the ache pulsed like a second heartbeat.

So this is what it feels like...
To watch the person you love choose someone else.
To smile for them... while breaking for yourself.