She ran to her father's room, her pulse racing. Each step felt heavier than the last as her heart wrestled with fear and desperation. With a trembling hand, she opened the door.

Her father sat in his chair, his back straight, his face set in an expression she recognized too well-unyielding, immovable. She paused for a moment, swallowing her emotions before stepping closer.

She stood beside him, her head bowed, as if already defeated. "Dad... I need to talk to you," she whispered, her voice barely audible, her gaze locked onto the floor.

Without looking at her, he spoke, his tone cold and final. "My decisions are made, Inaya. You know that."

Her chest tightened, but she forced herself to continue. "But, Dad... how am I supposed to live my life with someone I don't love?" she asked, her voice cracking under the weight of her pain.

He sighed, his face hardening even more. "Love? Inaya, you'll get used to him. Affection, respect-those come after marriage. It's not a big deal."

She shook her head, the quiet, helpless tears beginning to spill over her cheeks. She could feel her heart breaking as she forced herself to find the words.

"Dad... please, just meet him. You don't know him, but if you met him, I know you'd see what I see. He's... he's everything," she said, her voice breaking as she tried to make him understand.

But her father's voice thundered, cutting through her plea. "I told you-my decision is final!" He looked at her, his gaze piercing.

"I can't believe this... the daughter I raised, the daughter I gave freedom and an education to, the daughter I trusted, would betray me like this. I never thought you'd ruin our family's reputation over some... some boy."

His words struck her like a blow, the sting of betrayal more intense than she'd anticipated. She could hardly believe it-her father, the man who had always treated her like a princess, was looking at her as though she were a stranger. She took a shuddering breath, the pain in her heart growing with every word he spoke.

"Dad," she whispered, her voice barely holding together, "please... please understand. I can't live without him. He means everything to me. Please, don't make me give him up."

He shook his head, his own pain slipping through his anger. "People live without each other, Inaya. I'm still living without your mother, aren't I?"

She looked at him, her heart aching for him, for herself, for all the pain they were wrapped up in. "But, Dad... I have you...your wife's part.... I can't marry someone else, not when I love him."

He raised his hand, warning her to stop, his expression hardening even further. "Inaya, this is my last warning. You'll do as I say. Leave, or I swear, I won't hesitate to raise my hand."

She flinched, shocked. This wasn't the man she knew. The father who'd held her close when she was frightened, who'd spoiled her with kindness, now looked at her with something close to fury.

She felt her heart breaking as she clutched her hands together, desperation giving way to open pleading.

"Dad, please, I haven't done anything wrong. We only met six months ago... I wanted to tell you, I just didn't know how." Her voice cracked as she continued, "Please, I'm your daughter. You've always given me what I wanted. Just this once, let me have this... let me have him."

His voice grew cold, unyielding as stone. "I've already made arrangements with Shah. I gave him my word. You'll do this, Inaya. Now tell me-who's more important? Your father, who raised you, who gave you every comfort, or some boy you've known for six months?"

She looked up at him, the tears now freely flowing. "You're important, Dad. That's why I'm begging you to trust me. Let me marry the one I love. I don't want to marry Zain, not when my heart belongs to someone else. Just... just meet him once. Please, just once."

"Enough!" he shouted, his voice echoing around the room, slicing through her hopes. "Enough, Inaya. I've already made up my mind. Get out of my sight before I do something I'll regret."

Inaya stepped back, her body shaking with the pain of rejection. She looked at her father, hoping for one last sign of softness, but his face remained as unyielding as ever. She could hardly breathe, the weight of the moment pressing down on her like a storm.

Her vision blurred as she stumbled back, each step taking her further from the life she thought she'd have, from the love she couldn't imagine living without.

The world around her seemed empty, her dreams shattered. She couldn't imagine a future without Malik, She closed her eyes, feeling her heart break with every step she took towards her room, it was making her feel like she was going away from Malik.

Inaya sat on the floor of her dimly lit room, her heart heavy as tears spilled silently down her cheeks. The walls around her seemed to close in, holding echoes of the past she longed to return to.

Malik’s face lingered in her mind, his laughter, his gentle words, and the warmth of his presence that had once filled her days with light.

They had dreamed together of a future built on love, where they’d stand side by side against the world. But those dreams had been torn apart when her father, had arranged her marriage to Zain.

She remembered the way Malik had looked at her every time very lovingly. The love that had once been her strength now felt like a weight she could never escape, a beautiful memory turned into a quiet torment.

In the silence, her own thoughts become too loud to ignore.

She picked her phone, and saw the photo of her and Malik, a memory from a day that now feels like it was a lifetime ago. She traces his face with her finger, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Why does it have to be this way?"she whispers to herself, her voice breaking in the empty room. "Why can’t he understand my love for you?"

She lets out a shaky breath, the weight of her situation pressing down on her. "I thought... I thought he'd understand," she murmurs, talking to herself. "But he won’t even listen to me. To him, it’s just about tradition, about the family, about finding someone he thinks is right for me."

Her gaze drops back to the photo, and a sad smile plays on her lips. “But Malik......I love you so much...I won't be able to live without you" saying this.

She hugeed the photo to her chest, rocking slightly as if trying to comfort herself. "How can I let go of him? How can I marry someone else when he’s the one I want, the one I can’t imagine my life without?"

A sob escapes her, raw and filled with all the words she’ll never get to say. "Malik... I don’t know if he'll ever understand how much I wanted this. How much I wanted us."

She looks toward the door, as if expecting someone to appear and tell her it’s all a mistake—that she won’t have to choose duty over love. But no one comes, and she realizes the decision has already been made for her.

In the quiet darkness, Ianaya presses her face into her hands, her tears falling silently as she whispers, "How do I say goodbye to my own heart?"

As she sat alone, she could feel Malik’s absence like a wound, his name a whisper in the dark that only deepened her sorrow. She knew that honoring her father’s wishes was expected of her, that loyalty to family was a part of her very being, but it came at the cost of her own happiness, of the love she knew she can't be with him.

In the quiet of the night, her tears were her only companion, carrying the silent promise that, in her heart, she would always belong to Malik, even if life had stolen him away, looking at his picture and with a heavy heart she falls asleep.

She didn't call him, not finding the courage to tell him what is going to happen with them.

--------

𝑽𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. 
𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉💖