The air in the apartment was thick with  Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gill, stood in the living room, their faces stern. Vidyut and Nargis were nearby, their worried gazes darting between Shehnaaz and her parents.

Shehnaaz heart sank. She had not expected to see them again, especially not like this. Memories of their judgment, the cold distance they had kept after her traumatic past, rushed back, threatening to overwhelm her.

"Kya baat karni hai aapko?" Shehnaaz asked, her voice laced with bitterness.

Her mother's lips thinned. "Hum yahaan tumhare bhale ke liye aaye hai. Tumhari zindagi ke baare mein kuch zaruri faisle lene"

Shehnaaz frowned, a sense of foreboding creeping into her chest. "Kaunse faisle?"

Her father stepped forward, his voice firm. "Tumhari shaadi ka faisla. Tumhare liye ek rishta fix kiya hai humne"

The room fell silent. Vidyut immediately stepped in, his tone sharp. "Aap logo ne yeh kaise soch liya ki Shehnaaz ki shaadi ka faisla bina uski marzi ke karenge?"

"Uski marzi?" Her father scoffed. "Vidyut, tumhare jaise modern soch se zindagi nahi chalti. Yeh rishta uske liye perfect hai. Ladka responsible hai, ek badi company me kaam karta hai. Divorcee hai, lekin achha insaan hai. Aur ek bachcha hai toh kya hua? Tumhari behen ke liye aur kaun aayega shaadi karne? Wo bhi iska past sunne ke baad"

Shehnaaz flinched, her mother's next words cutting deeper. "Hume khud nahi lagta tha ki koi isse apnana chahega. Yeh rishta humare liye ek mauka hai ki iska ghar bas jaye"

Shehnaaz's hands trembled, anger and pain twisting inside her. "Ghar bas jaye? Mera ghar basana hai, ya bas apne aap se door karna hai? Aap log kabhi mere saath nahi the jab mujhe zarurat thi. Aur ab mujhe ek aise rishtay mein dhakelna chahte ho jo meri khushi ke khilaf hai? Aap log mere parents ho bhi ya nahi?"

Her father's patience was waning. "Shehnaaz, hume sirf tumhare bhale ke liye soch rahe hai. Ladka acha hai, aur tumhari umar nikalti ja rahi hai. Aur tumhare beete hue kal ke baad…"

"Bas!" Shehnaaz voice cracked as tears welled up in her eyes. "Woh beeta hua kal aap logo ke wajah se tha. Aapne mujhe kabhi support nahi kiya. Jab mujhe aapka pyar aur bharosa chahiye tha, tab aapne mujhe akela chhod diya tha"

Her mother's expression softened, but her father remained rigid. "Ye tumhare liye ek second chance hai. Ladke ke gharwale tumhare past ko ignore karne ko tayar hain. Tumhari bhalai ke liye hi toh hum yeh kar rahe hain"

Vidyut, visibly fuming, raised his voice. "Shehnaaz ek insaan hai, koi bojh nahi! Aur aap uski zindagi ke decisions lena bandh kijiye"

Her father glared at Vidyut. "Tum humare faisle ko nahi badal sakte. Tum log toh yaha apni duniya me masroof ho, Shehnaaz ka sochna toh humari zimmedari hai"

"Behen hai wo meri, zimmedari bhi meri hai, aap logo ko uski fikar karne ki zarurat nahi hai." Vidyut said angrily.

While the argument escalated, Nargis stepped forward, her voice steady but filled with quiet resolve. "Papa ji, aap logo ki niyat acchi ho sakti hai, lekin ye Shehnaaz ki zindagi hai. Agar use ye shaadi nahi karni, toh aap log use force nahi kar sakte."

Her mother shot Nargis a sharp look. "Tum beech mein mat bolo, Nargis. Tumhari shaadi ko humne kabhi accept nahi kiya, toh tumhare kehne ka koi matlab nahi."

Nargis’'s face fell, but she held her ground. "Aap logo ne bhale hi mujhe accept na karo ho lekin maine Shehnaaz ko pure dil se accept kara hai aur uske liye bola mera haq hai"

Shehnaaz's breathing quickened as the pressure in the room mounted. The voices around her blurred, and the weight of their expectations bore down on her like a crushing tide.

"I won't do it," she said finally, her voice shaking but resolute. "Main yeh shaadi nahi karungi."

Her father's anger erupted. "Tumhari marzi nahi chalegi, Shehnaaz! Yeh faisla ho chuka hai."

But Shehnaaz stood firm, her tears now replaced with quiet defiance. "Aap log mere maalik nahi hain. Meri zindagi meri hai. Main apni marzi ke bina ek kadam bhi nahi uthaoongi"

Vidyut stepped closer, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Aur main Shehnaaz ke saath hoon. Agar aap log use force karne ki koshish karenge, toh mujhe uska rakshak banne mein ek second bhi nahi lagega"

Her father's jaw tightened, but he did not respond. Instead, he stormed out of the apartment, her mother following close behind.

As the door slammed shut, silence filled the room. Shehnaaz slumped onto the couch, tears streaming down her face. Vidyut knelt beside her, his hand resting on her shoulder. "Tere saath kabhi galat nahi hone dunga, Shehnaaz. Tu meri chhoti behen hai, aur teri khushi meri zimmedari hai, koi tujhe force nahi karega"

Nargis sat on the other side, holding Shehnaaz's trembling hands. "Tune apne liye stand liya Shehnaaz, I'm so proud of you"

But Shehnaaz's mind was still reeling. Their words echoed in her head, threatening to undo her newfound confidence.

"Main bas… main bas apne past ke saaye se bhaag rahi hoon" she whispered.

Vidyut looked at her, his expression fierce. "Tere paas ab tera future hai, Shehnaaz tera Sidharth. Jo log tumhe usse door karna chahte hain, unhe wapas apne zindagi me aane ki jagah mat do"

Shehnaaz ran out from her apartment, Vidyut try to stop her but Nargis stop him as she know where Shehnaaz headed. Shehnaaz heart was pounding wildly in her chest. The world around her felt distant, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. It was as if everything she had been building, her newfound happiness, her relationship with Sidharth was slipping through her fingers.

The cold wind whipped through her hair as she reached Sidharth's apartment. She couldn't stop herself. Her breath came out in ragged gasps, and her palms were clammy from the anxiety that had gripped her since the confrontation with her parents. Without a second thought, Shehnaaz pushed the doorbell to Sidharth's apartment.

Her mind was clouded with fear, but deep down, she knew she needed him now more than ever.

A few seconds later, the door swung open, and there he was. Sidharth. His expression instantly softened when he saw her standing there, breathless and on the verge of tears.

"Shehnaaz?" he asked, stepping aside to let her in. "What happened? Why are you....."

Before he could finish, Shehnaaz stepped forward and, without thinking, threw herself into his arms. The hug was tight, desperate, as if she was clinging to him for dear life.

Sidharth froze for a moment in surprise, but then his arms enveloped her, pulling her closer. He could feel the tremor in her body, the way she was shaking against him, and his heart clenched in worry.

"Shehnaaz, kya hua?" he whispered, his voice soft but filled with concern.

She pulled away just enough to look into his eyes, tears streaming down her face. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"Mere parents ne… Meri shaadi ka rishta fix kar diya hai. Mujhe… mujhe ye shaadi karne ke liye force kar rahe hain, Sidharth"

Sidharth blinked in disbelief. "Shaadi? Tumhe force kar rahe hain?"

Shehnaaz nodded, her sobs uncontrollable now. "Unhone mujhse kaha ki koi bhi mere past ko accept nahi karega. Mere liye rishta fix kiya hai. Ek divorcee ladka hai, uska ek baccha bhi hai"

Her words hit him like a punch to the gut. He had no idea her parents had been so relentless, so harsh in their expectations. He gently cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs wiping away the stray tears that had slipped down her cheeks.

"Hey… hey" he murmured softly. "Shehnaaz, dekho, tumhari zindagi ki ye decision tumhara hai, sirf tumhara. Koi tumhe force nahi kar sakta. Tumhara past... tumhara future... sab tumhara hai"

Shehnaaz closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, but she was shaking, her voice barely audible.

"I'm so scared, Sidharth. I never thought this would happen. Just a few days ago, we… we became something, and now this. I'm scared they will take you away from me too, just like they took everything else"

Sidharth's heart ached for her. He could feel her vulnerability, the fear that had taken hold of her ever since her parents had arrived. She had never asked for this. And now that she had finally found someone who made her feel whole again, her parents were pulling her back into the darkness of her past.

"I'm not going anywhere, Shehnaaz" he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm not like them. I'm not going to leave you. I know what you are going through. I know how it feels to feel like you don't deserve love because of your past, but that's not who you are, and it's definitely not who you are going to be"

Shehnaaz looked at him, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "But my parents…"

Sidharth shook his head, his hands holding her face gently but firmly. "You don't have to fight them alone, Shehnaaz. Main hu tumhare saath, aur hamare liye bhi unse ladne ko taiyaar hu. We'll figure this out together"

A quiet moment passed between them. The silence was heavy with everything they had not said yet, everything they were still figuring out. Shehnaaz's heart pounded in her chest, her mind still racing with fear, but there was also something else, something warm and steady inside her, something she knew she had not felt before. It was trust.

Sidharth pulled her back into his arms, holding her close, as if he could protect her from all the pain, all the uncertainty. She inhaled deeply, taking comfort in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against her ear.

"I don't know what to do" she whispered, her voice muffled against his chest.

"You don't have to know right now" Sidharth replied softly. "We don't have to have all the answers. But what I do know is that I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. And I'm not going to let them tear us apart."

For the first time in her life, Shehnaaz felt a glimmer of hope. Sidharth's words were like a lifeline, pulling her away from the dark thoughts that had begun to consume her. She could trust him. He was not like the others. He was not like her parents or the people who had hurt her in the past.

"I just… I just want to be happy with you, Sidharth," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

'And you will be" he replied, his hands gently stroking her back. "We'll make sure of it. Together"

Shehnaaz nodded, tears still in her eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. For the first time, she truly believed it. They could make it through anything, as long as they were together.

___________________________

Later that evening, after Shehnaaz had calmed down, they sat together in the living room. Shehnaaz leaned against Sidharth's shoulder, her hand resting in his. They were both quiet, each lost in their own thoughts, but there was a sense of peace between them a feeling of understanding that needed no words.

Sidharth broke the silence with a soft sigh. "Shehnaaz, please don't overthink baby, main hoon na."

She nodded, her eyes still red from crying, but there was something different now in her gaze. The uncertainty was still there, but it was mingled with the warmth of their connection.

"I just need time to process all of this" she said softly. "I want to be with you, Sidharth, but I need to know if we can really fight through everything… together, i don't want that they will hurt you in this"

Sidharth smiled softly, his hand gently squeezing hers. "We will. I promise you, we'll face it all. No matter what"

The words felt like a promise, a vow that they would hold onto, no matter the hurdles life threw at them. For Shehnaaz, it was a lifeline. For Sidharth, it was a chance to prove that love could conquer all.

As the night stretched on, Shehnaaz found comfort in his presence, the weight of the world no longer quite so heavy. She did not have all the answers yet, but one thing was clear: Sidharth was her home. And she would never let him go.

_________________________

That is it for today.

Hope you all like it.

Thanks for reading.