VOWS NOT MINE
She was happier than ever today, her face glowing with a rare joy. She was carefully checking all the gifts that had arrived from his home, examining each one with special attention, because she knew he must have touched every single item with his hands. As she ran her fingers over each object, it felt as if she was touching him, as if he was right there beside her. She could feel his presence in the textures, the folds of fabric, and the scent of the boxes, and that thought alone sent shivers down her spine. Sitting beside her, her younger sister watched her face closely, but instead of feeling joy, her heart was heavy with unease. The happiness on her elder sister’s face gave her no comfort at all, in fact, it unsettled her. She kept staring, unable to fake a smile. Then, suddenly, the elder sister picked up a delicate pair of anklets, slipped them onto her feet, and turned toward her younger sister with a playful smile lighting up her entire face. “How do they look?” She asked cheerfully. But the younger one didn’t look down at the anklets even for a second. Instead, she locked eyes with her sister, eyes full of pain, fear, and something deeper, and said with a firmness that cut through the air like a blade, “Don’t marry him. Please... just don’t go through with this marriage.” The elder sister, who had been lost in joy, smiling and admiring every little thing like a young bride-to-be, suddenly felt her smile vanish as if someone had wiped it off her face in an instant. Her laughter froze mid-air, and the cheer in her eyes faded. Before she could even ask why or say anything in response, her gaze shifted behind her younger sister, and there he was. Her fiancé. He stood there in silence, just a few steps away, his eyes fixed on her with a blazing intensity. Fury burned in his gaze, and his clenched jaw made it obvious that he had heard everything. The younger sister, too, realized that he was standing right behind her and immediately turned around, startled. As soon as she met his eyes, she screamed out with a voice that carried every ounce of emotion she had bottled up inside her. “I hate you…” I don’t want you to marry my sister. Not now, not ever!” Before anyone could stop her or respond, she turned and ran out of the room, her footsteps echoing down the corridor. He didn’t move. He just stood there, staring in the direction she had disappeared. His fists clenched tighter, and the fire in his eyes refused to die down even a little. It was as if her words had ignited something within him, something that was waiting to explode. And though he stood still on the outside, inside him, a storm had begun to brew, and that storm was not going to calm easily.
