I was ready in complete ethnic attire, waiting for Maaz and his family. Mum was happy as well. When we heard the doorbell, a maid opened the door and Maaz entered along with his mother. She was very beautiful and looked like her elder sister, but then he introduced her to us. "Didn't your father come?" dad asked Maaz. "He is coming-, he is attending an important phone call in the car," Maaz informed and Dad nodded. After a short conversation with Maaz, dad looked at me. He gave me a nod showing his agreement. "If both of you have agreed then we don't have any reason to refuse," Maaz's mother said and everyone nodded. "I agree," Dad said. A middle-aged man entered the living room with a smile on his face. "Uncle, he is my baba," Maaz introduced him, and Dad's face became red in anger. Maaz's father's smile also went to its end. "Waqaar," Dad said in surprise. "Ateeq," Maaz's father said with the same expression. "You both know each other?" Mum asked Dad but he didn't bother to reply. "Y-you are... are you his son?" Dad asked Maaz with anger and Maaz nodded his head. Maaz and I both were clueless about their expressions. "I will not marry my daughter with his son," Dad said loudly while pointing towards Waqaar uncle. "Maaz, let's go from here!" Uncle Waqaar said with dominance. "But Dad..." "Babaaaa..." we both only managed to say. Uncle Waqaar with his wife walked outside the house and Maaz followed them. "Baba, please tell me what's wrong! You agreed, but why..." I heard Maaz. "Dad...you agreed, you liked Maaz, right?" I asked in a confused tone. "I like Maaz, but I hate his father. I can't tolerate his face in front of my eyes, I can't even imagine him as my relative" Dad said in his arrogant tone. *** "Maaz, what now?" I asked him when we met in the food court the next day along with our friend circle. "I can't live without you," He said while holding my hands. "We have to do something," He said and we both nodded. Meanwhile, Arhaan bhai took part in the conversation. "Runaway and marry. Your parents will accept your relationship," Arhaan bhai said and we both looked at him. "Have you lost your mind?" Maaz almost yelled. "Dude, I don't think you both have another option," Arham said. "Dad wants to marry me with Umar," I said in a low voice. "Now, who is this damn idiot?" Maaz said and hit the table hard with his fist. "Relax, man!" Kinza told Maaz but he shouted at her. "How I could be relaxed? You tell me some goddamn way!" Maaz yelled at Kinza. "Don't you dare speak to me in this tone!" Kinza said with rage. "Kinza, Maaz please stop it! We already have a problem to solve. Don't create another one," I shouted angrily. "Are you ready to marry me?" Maaz asked. "What do you mean?" I asked in confusion, and all our friends were looking at me. "Rimsha, I'm asking you, are you ready to marry me or not? I promise you will not regret your decision. I'll handle my family," Maaz said in a hurry. I looked at him in shock. "You mean... run away with you?" I almost yelled and everyone nodded. "Maaz, I can't-" "Then go and marry that confounded nuisance!" Maaz yelled. He always lost his patience in anger. "Maaz, try to solve the problem, and not mess the situation," Arhaan bhai and Saad both said, but that was enough, he had hurt my ego. I got up with a jerk and left. After a day, he called me to apologize. After a long conversation, we tried to convince our parents. I locked myself in the room whenever mum or dad tried to talk to me. Whenever they tried to feed me something, I refused. On the other hand, Maaz was full-on angry. He ignored his family and food just like me. After struggling for two months, our parents agreed to put their egos aside just for our sake. Uncle Waqaar was the first to contact dad for our marriage. I hugged my dad and whispered, "Thanks, dad!" "Don't talk to me, and never visit here after your marriage! Live your life with your Maaz, after all, he is most important to you, right? I and my reputation are nothing to you," Dad pushed me away and said without looking at me. "Dad..." I held his hand again, but he jerked it off. "Dad please try to understand, you both are equally important to me!" I tried to convince him but he gave me a deadly glare. "If I was indeed important to you, you would never hurt my ego and my reputation!" Dad's harsh words drilled a hole in my heart. Tears started rolling down my eyes. I never thought that this would go this way- I was going to win such a precious person, yet I was losing the most important part of my life. Still, I had hope. I knew that Dad would accept Maaz and me. *** I was sitting in a small room of the marriage hall clad in a maroon and golden lehenga. Mum and my aunties stood near me as we all waited for the baraat. When my phone began ringing with his call, a smile played on my lips. "Hello?" I slowly muttered, but there was complete silence from the other side for about a minute. "Hello?" I repeated. "Are you ready my bride?" He asked, making me blush. "Yeah," I only said, as others were present. "I'm coming to make you Mrs. Rimsha Maaz," He said and hung up, a smile played on my face. My heart bet differently, and each moment we spent together ran in my mind. The most beautiful moments of my life. I was remembering the day when he proposed to me. After some time the baarat arrived- my heart was fluttering. "You are looking beautiful, Maaz will become crazy" Kinza came to me and said mischievously. "I'm offended with you! Did you come with the baraat? Are you from the groom's side?" I angrily asked. "I wanted to be welcomed, so I arrived with baraat." She replied in a taunting way. In the time being one of my cousins entered the room in a hurry and panic. "Mami!" She called my mum as she huffed. "What happened beta? Why are you-" Mum couldn't let her complete. "Ateeq mama and Maaz bhai's father are arguing!" my cousin informed us. Mum and my aunty scooted there. After nearly twenty minutes when mum and aunty didn't come back, I stood up to go outside. "Where are you going?" My aunt asked, who stood near me. "I'm going to check what's going on," I said in a hurry. "No! you are the bride, you can't go like this!" She stopped me, but my heart was felt fear. I sent Kinza to check on the situation, but she didn't come back for about half-an-hour as well. My heart sank in my stomach. "Aunty, please tell me what is going on!" I asked my aunt in fright. "I don't know what is going on!" She replied. Every passing second was killing me. Mum entered the room, she was crying. She came to me and hugged me. Kinza was also stood beside mum. She was continuously crying. My aunt asked too, but she wasn't in the state to tell anything. "Mum, plea-please tell me wh-why are you crying?" I asked in fear and confusion. She didn't say anything. "Maaz's Nikah is going on outside," Kinza said, but I was confused. Why did she say Maaz's Nikah? "Maaz's Nik-nikkah?!" I stammered and Kinza nodded. "With some other girl," Her words snatched my soul from my frame. "Mum...Maaz..." I looked at mum and she nodded with teary eyes. I set to walk outside the room, but mum held my wrist. "Mum, please let me go! We'll sort out the matter, please!" I said with determination while holding back my tears. "The Nikah is already done," she said with great difficulty and I dropped to my knees. "How it is possible?" I mumbled. Tears began flowing down my eyes. My soul, my heart, and my mind asked the same question- How could Maaz do this? After some time I walked out of the room with my mum. The hall was empty, and most of the guests were gone. I tried to find out Maaz but he was nowhere. My heart and my eyes both shed tears now. Mum helped me sit in the car, but I was crying with hiccups. I wanted to go with Maaz, but I was going back to my house. When we entered the house, mum cried along with me, but dad was silent. I opened my purse and drew out my phone to call Maaz, but dad snatched it from my hands. "He is married, don't you dare to contact him!" "All this happened just because of you and your ego! Maaz and his family were ready for the Nikah but you-" Mum shouted at dad as I thought about what had happened to me and my life. "Didn't I agree?!" Dad asked in rage. "Did I advise them to do Nikah with some other girl?" Dad's roar echoed in the entire house. "No! You didn't tell them, but you created such a situation that they didn't have any other way!" Mum replied in the loudest voice that she could. Their argument continued, but I ran to my room. I felt broken. Maaz and I, both fought for our love but in the end, we were left empty-handed. ***