*Unedited*

It was very dark but I could feel something like grass under my feet.

"Rehan where are we?" I looked around only to find darkness. His grab on my hand tightened "Are you afraid?"

"Nah...just curiosity" I lied. In small amounts, I'm afraid of darkness.

"Then hold your curiosity for a few more minutes, we are almost here".

After the reception, Rehan brought me here saying its a surprise.

"We are here!" I let out a gasp. We don't know where we are but in the distance, there was a table and two chairs and a candle was lit in the middle. A few lanterns were hanging around which showed me the path to the table was filled with rose petals.

Rehan took me by my hand to the table. A strange feeling filled me.

This looked like a date. The lanterns, roses, and everything looked amazing. No, this can't be happening.

"Aimen!" I moved my gaze toward Rehan who was on his knees holding my hand. Any girl would be happy but not me. Tears welled up in my eyes.

"Aimen, I lo..." I cut him in midway.

"No Rehan please!" I took a step back. He stood up and looked into my eyes.

"Before you start your 'I hate you' stuff, listen to me" He quoted with his fingers. "I LOVE YOU AIMEN!" He said and the tears started to roll down.

"And I hate you!" I said. No, he can't love me after spoiling my life.

"Can I ask why?" He crossed his arms across his chest.

"Because of you, my life became so difficult. Because of you, I had to stop going to college. Because of you, my ammi stopped talking to me..."

"How come I am involved in this matter?"

Maybe my excuses are lame but those things made me cry a lot.

"Why did you ask me to marry you? No. Why did you marry me?" His eyes fumed with anger "I hate you for.....for everything" I don't know the exact reason why I hate him but I just hate him.

"You know what? The feeling is mutual now" with that he left.

I opened the door of my car and started the engine but instantly kicked it off at the thought of my so-called wife.

How can she be so heartless? I felt my cheeks turning wet. I hit the steering.

She hates me for no reason and I love her for no reason.

I cried my heart out. I blamed myself for confessing my love to her. The thing which made me hurt was that she is so heartless that she immediately rejected me when I opened my heart before her. It felt like someone stabbed my heart.

I don't remember when I had fallen for her. Her acts will not make me love her any less but it had surely made me hard.

I had the great urge to drive away from this place. The place which I made by so many efforts. The feelings which I had in me reflected in all these things. The moment which I waited for months came and it was shattered like nothing.

I looked at the entrance of the park for Aimen but she didn't come. I took my phone and searched through the gallery of pictures and finally found the picture I was looking for.

It was the photo of Aimen from our engagement ceremony. I took it without her knowledge. She was wearing a peach color dress and was looking somewhere. Her perfect beauty brought a smile between my tears. "What have I done that you hate me this much Aimen? What have I done?"

I don't know what the time was. We stayed there for hours. I looked at her photo all the time. I finally moved out of the car. There were tiny traces of sun in the sky. I went inside the park to take my so-called wife back home.

I know I have hurt him but he too did the same. Though my reasons are lame, I suffered from many mental problems. He didn't hurt me directly but I held him responsible for everything. I sat down hugging my legs. I cried thinking of everything.

This place suffocated me. Everything here reminded me of him. I want to leave this place but my legs stopped me I was unable to move. Also, no cab will be available now. Every struggle I had undergone came into my mind.

"Aimen, he proposed to you!" Aisha was moving along with me. "I knew it. The way he looks at you, anyone can say he is in love with you" She started her blabbering which is of no interest to me.

"Will you please be quiet? I rejected him" I spat at her. All the anger which I had for Rehan, I poured onto her.

My mood was spoiled, it was reflected in me and I was not able to enjoy the sleepover.

That night ammi called me into her room. "Aimen, I want to talk about something important" As far as I know she heard us when Rehan proposed to me for marriage.

"Okay!"

"I want you to stop going to college" It was like someone has poured ice water on me.

"Ammi!" I whined mentally making ready for all the arguments.

"Do you think it's safer for you to go college after being kidnapped ?" She said sternly.

"It doesn't mean ammi, I should stay at home always" I argued.

" And also I don't want you to be in the same place as Rehan!"

"But...." She cut me saying "No buts you are not going and that's final. Go your friends are waiting"

That was all that happened. Ammi never let me to college. I managed to sneak out but was caught and ammi stopped talking to me for days. I fought for my dream of engineering.

I finally succeeded in going to college after the great Rehan completed his study.

The thing which is confusing is that ammi retained me from college just because of Rehan and now she made me marry the same guy.

I know I'm acting like a kid and blaming him for nothing but he made me suffer all these months.

"Let's go!" Came Rehan's voice. He is still here?

"Why are you still here?" I asked my question.

He didn't reply and went back. I looked around and found it to be morning. Did I spend the whole night here?

The whole ride was silent. He never looked at me and I did the same. After returning home, I performed namaz and found Rehan in the room.

I asked him a question that I had in my mind right from the engagement "Why did you marry me when I already rejected you and even when I said I hated you?"

He frowned but didn't answer. "I don't feel like this marriage would be successful," I said in a low voice.

"Shut up!" He replied.

"I feel like I was forced to marry you" I looked at him. He held an angry look. "Why can't you tell me why you married me?" I yelled the last part.

"Shut up!" He said again.

"No, I won't" The next minute, I was pinned to the wall. He trapped my wrist with his strong hands sending a sharp pain in mine.

"Do you know there's a thing called Istikhara in Islam? I have performed it and the result for our marriage came positive" His eyes held anger as well as there was hurt.

"Have you performed it?" I just stared at him, speechless. "Have you performed it?" He asked again. I shook my head saying no.

"At least respect Allah's decision and be in this relationship" He left making me dumb.