The grand doors of the wedding hall groaned open with a slow, haunting creak - as though even the hinges hesitated to let in what was coming.

A hush swept over the guests like a cold gust of wind. Conversations died mid-sentence. Heads turned. Eyes widened. Even the flowers seemed to still in their vases, their scent now sharp... like warning.

And then-

He stepped in.

Ishaan.

Tall. Impossibly composed. Dressed in a rich in black suit trimmed. - but there was nothing soft about his presence. His eyes, sharp as broken glass, swept across the hall like a storm scanning the horizon.

__

There was power in the way he walked - unhurried, yet purposeful. Not a single unnecessary movement. Each step landed with silent finality. Not regal. Not noble. No. This was something else.

Something... darker.

The men in suits from his side stood up instinctively as he entered, nodding slightly, straightening their jackets. Like soldiers before a commander. There was no laughter, no cheer, no proud father walking beside him.

He walked alone.

Aanya felt it before she saw him. The air shifted. Heavied.

She turned her head, eyes widening as he entered her line of sight. And in that one moment, her breath stopped.

He didn't look like a groom. He looked like a man returning from war.

His jaw was clenched, not in nerves, but restraint. His brows pulled ever so slightly - not from shyness, but from the weight of something buried far beneath that carefully structured exterior.

His eyes - dark, unreadable - locked onto her just once, briefly, and in that second...

She saw it.

Pain. Rage. Silence. Secrets.

A thousand things screaming behind his eyes that his lips would never dare utter.
And yet he gave nothing away.

Aanya felt her throat go dry. Her fingers curled into the fabric of her lehenga. Something was wrong. This man... he was not here for love. He was not here for union.

He was here to fulfill something else.

A duty. A promise.
Or maybe... a revang.

This isn't just a wedding.
It's a sentence.

He looked nothing like the man her parents had described. In fact, he looked nothing like a man prepared for a marriage at all.

He wasn't nervous.
He wasn't curious.
He wasn't present.

He was hollow - wearing a mask so perfect it was terrifying.

Aanya's heartbeat pounded in her ears. She had seen grooms before. Blushing. Smiling. Overwhelmed with joy or awe.

But Ishaan?
He looked like a man burying someone - not marrying them.

As he reached the stage, he nodded briefly at her father, offered a slight, cold smile to her mother, and then stood before her without a word.

For a moment, their eyes met again.

And Aanya realized something chilling.

He wasn't hiding a part of himself.
He was hiding... all of it.

Aanya sat motionless on the stage, surrounded by warm lights and soft murmurs - but inside, she felt like a prisoner beneath a spotlight.

Beside her, Ishaan sat still. Too still. Like a sculpture carved out of ice and silence.

No excitement. No nervous breath.
Just... quiet intensity.
Dangerously calm.

The pandit's voice echoed, reciting sacred mantras meant to bless union and promise-but Aanya could barely hear them. Her heartbeat was louder.

Someone handed her the garland. Soft white mogras and red roses. Her fingers trembled as she held it.

She turned toward Ishaan slowly.

He was already looking at her.

Expressionless.
Unblinking.
Watching her like he already knew she would hesitate.

Aanya's throat tightened. Every instinct screamed at her to run.
But her body refused to move.

No one asked what I wanted.
No one cared what I dreamed.
And now, here I am... marrying a ghost with fire in his eyes.

She raised the garland with trembling hands, uncertain. Ishaan leaned forward slightly - not too much - just enough to allow the ritual to continue.

As the flowers touched his shoulders, their eyes locked once more. For a split second, Aanya swore she saw something flicker in him.

Guilt.
Regret.
Or was it a goodbye?

She didn't know.

Now it was his turn.

Someone handed him the second garland.

He took it.

Firm grip.
No hesitation.

He stood - towering over her - and placed the garland around her neck with such precision it felt mechanical. Controlled. Measured.

As it fell onto her shoulders, a shiver raced down her spine.

The guests clapped softly. Her cousin whispered "You look so beautiful" into her ear. Her mother forced a proud smile from below the stage.

But Aanya...
Aanya felt nothing.

No fluttering joy.
No nervous laughter.
Only one thing:

I don't know who this man is.
And yet, I'm about to tie my fate to his.

They sat again.

Close... but galaxies apart.

The pandit continued, instructing them to prepare for the SEVEN VOWS- the seven rounds of promise.

Ishaan didn't speak. Not once.
Not a whisper. Not a glance. Not even a fake smile.

Aanya turned her head, unable to stop herself from looking at him again.

His hands were tightly clasped. His jaw clenched.

He looked like a man making a commitment to destroy her.

Who are you, i don,t know anything about you.
they told me just your name and say your a good man, your going to take good care of me but to looking you its not look like that.

Who are you Ishaan Mehra?
And what secrets have brought us here?

The sacred fire crackled in the center of the mandap, casting long golden shadows on Aanya's pale face.

She stood beside Ishaan - not as a bride in love, but as a girl forced into the unknown.

The pandit raised his hand, signaling the start of the seven vows.

The guests watched in reverent silence.

But in Aanya's heart, every vow felt like a lock tightening around her.

First Vows - The Promise of Nourishment

Pandit: "In this first round, the groom promises to provide and protect. The bride vows to share responsibilities and stand beside him."

Aanya took the first step.

So did Ishaan.

But his footsteps were cold.

You promised protection... yet you've dragged me into a world I don't understand.
Who do you protect - me or your secret?

Second vows - The Promise of Strength

Pandit: "In the second round, the couple promises to support each other in all happiness and sorrow."

Aanya's feet trembled slightly as she took the second circle. Ishaan's steps were calculated. Silent.

If this is the beginning, why does it already feel like the end?
Will you share my sorrow... or be the reason for it?

Third vows - The Promise of Wealth and Prosperity.

Pandit: "You promise to grow together, build a life of comfort and prosperity."

Aanya's eyes fell on the guests.
Some smiled politely.
Some barely looked up from their phones.
The men in suits, unfamiliar, watched everything too closely.

Whose prosperity is this about, Ishaan?
Are we building a home... or sealing a deal?

Fourth vowa - The Promise of Family and Respect

Pandit: "You vow to respect one another's family and uphold dharma."

Aanya turned slightly, looking at her mother.

Tears shimmered in her mother's eyes.
Guilt. Helplessness.

Her father refused to meet her gaze.
Her brother - still missing.

Respect? How can I respect a family that silenced me? That broke me without warning?
You weren't here, bhai... Why weren't you here?

Fifth vows - The Promise of Children and Responsibility

Pandit: "May you be blessed with children and raise them with love and care."

Aanya's knees almost buckled.

A child? A life?
With him?
With a stranger whose name felt like a wall?

Ishaan remained silent.

He hadn't looked at her once.

What kind of father will a man be... who carries silence like a weapon?

Sixth vows - The Promise of Health and Longevity

Pandit: "May you both live long and healthy lives, full of joy."

The words felt mocking.

Aanya's breath shortened.

What joy? What life? I'm living someone else's plan - like a puppet in someone's well-written lie.
You're not my destiny, Ishaan. You're my punishment.

Seventh vows - The Final Promise: Loyalty and Love

Pandit: "This last vow binds your hearts. A promise of eternal love, loyalty, and companionship."

Aanya hesitated.

Ishaan walked the final step without falter.

When they stopped, he finally looked at her.

His eyes were a storm.
No joy.
No pride.
No relief.

Only torment.
As if this marriage was a price he was paying for something unimaginable.

And in that one shared glance - she understood:

He's hiding something.
Something dark.
Something that can burn everything down.

The guests clapped.

The pandit recited the final mantra.

Aanya stood still - barely breathing, barely present.

The garlands around her neck felt like chains.
The vermillion in her hair felt like a mark of silence.

And then... she felt it.

His presence.

Ishaan stepped closer behind her - so close she could feel the heat of his breath against her ear.

He didn't touch her.
He didn't smile.
But his voice slid into her soul like a blade wrapped in silk.

"Remember these vows..."
his voice was calm, dangerously soft.
"And what it means to break them."

He whispered it like a promise.
Or was it a warning?

Aanya's breath caught in her throat.

Her body froze.

Her spine shivered - not from cold, but from the sudden knowledge:

This man...
This marriage...
This night...

Was the beginning of something far darker than she'd ever imagined.

I've just taken seven steps toward a life I didn't choose...
And with each step, a part of me is disappearing.

And the war of love, betrayal, lies, secret, and revenge begins.

Next chapter is going to be ishaan POV.
I am excited to know his pov.

Thank you for staying, comment, vote it's meant a lot to me your support encourage me to continue writing.❤️🙃