Sneha successfully came out of the back door of the marriage hall. The small bag dangled on her right shoulder as she tried to make the slightest sound possible. The backside of the building was vacant, except for the two guards who were asked by her father to meet him briefly.

Miraculously, she exited the huge guarded premises with success. And, now with each step, her heart thumped less in fear and more in happiness.

'I made it. I made it.' She consoled herself and pushed herself in the direction of the bus stop that she had seen when she came here in the car. It wasn't too far but not too near as well. She was sure that she would be far gone by the time the people gathered in the hall would know about her absence.

However, she was only 50 metres away from the main gate when a sleek black car stopped in front of her. Thinking of it to be a random car, she tried to run from behind it. But, at that moment, the door opened and a man stepped out.

Looking up, she could swear that her heartbeat had stopped.

How is it possible? Why is he here? All sorts of negative feelings surfaced in her mind.

"Viraj." She whispered in fear and disbelief.

In response, he only smiled.

Stepping closer to her, he first looked at his beautiful bride from top to bottom...appreciating every single part of her, and then met her eyes again.

"Cold feet?" He asked as they stood facing each other.

Sneha could literally feel her legs shivering at what is going to happen to her now. The tears made an appearance slowly.

She gulped hard before replying.

"Viraj...I..." She didn't know what to say! She was caught running away from her own marriage, for God's sake!

Sensing her dilemma, he gently smiled and cornered a hair strand that had come out while her active running.

"Even I had second thoughts when I was coming here...with all my friends and relatives. It is something, I guess, natural to feel...scared at your own wedding. But, aren't you taking it too far? Running away, seriously?" Viraj chuckled...still not understanding the severity of the scene.

She looked up at him and pursed her lips. She knew it was time for her to tell him the truth. The lies that she had cooked up in the past six months needed to come to an end, now. Because, if she continued lying, she will end up getting married to him!

"Viraj...We...I can't marry you...I am so sorry..." She managed to speak in between her cries. It was getting difficult for her to stand as her legs had started shivering so badly. She had no idea what Viraj's father would do once he got to know about all this!

Viraj sighed and held both of her arms gently.

"Sneha...You are thinking too much! I get that you are scared and all, but...we love each other." He tried to console her with a smile but she interrupted him by freeing her hands, rather harshly.

"NO, Viraj! We don't love each other!" She said loudly while her voice shivered.

Viraj's brows furrowed deeply at her act. It was difficult for him to understand why she was behaving like this.

Looking behind him, he gestured to his armed guards to give them some privacy. Within seconds, they were alone.

"Now, tell me...What is going on in your mind? Why are you behaving like this? Did anyone say anything to you?" He asked gently yet firmly.

Sneha tried to breathe calmly.

"We can't marry..." She trailed but he immediately interrupted her.

"Why?" He asked straight-forward.

"Because we don't love each other."

"I love you."

Sneha remained quiet for a while before continuing.

"No, Viraj." Her voice lowered. "You don't love me. It is just your zidd (stubbornness) that you think of as love. You are just infatuated with a person who is not truly me!" She clarified.

"Zidd? You think what I feel for you is plain infatuation?" He asked...every word hitting him like arrows. But, this was just the beginning.

"Yes. Because the person you love is not me."

"What are you even saying, Sneha?" He asked strictly...unable to understand a word.

Sneha took a deep breath...mostly to calm herself. She didn't know how to explain it to him. A part of her mind was genuinely scared of how he would respond.

"Viraj...I...I have been faking everything since I accepted your marriage proposal."

"Faking what?"

"I was faking my love for you. I was accepting your affection even though I hated it. I...smiled for you but internally I was crying. I accepted the gifts you gave me even when I didn't want to. I spent time with you even though I didn't want to..."

"But why? Why did you do it?" He asked in a straight voice. Her words pierced through his heart but he didn't show it...just like he had been suppressing his emotions since childhood.

Sneha sighed.

"Because...I thought it would make you hate me. I thought my clinginess would irritate you and ultimately you will get over this infatuation. I expected you to break this engagement yourself when you'd see how readily I was accepting your advances." She said while looking at the road.

"Are you stupid, Sneha? Why did you think that your affection would irritate me?" He raised his voice, scaring her further.

"B.because you hated this in Nupur."

Viraj's brows furrowed deeply.

"I thought, if you disliked Nupur's way of showing affection, you'd hate me too if I would imitate her." She explained.

Viraj grabbed his forehead as her logic processed in his mind. The deception hurt his heart deeply. It was difficult to even believe that this was happening. Is this a dream, he wondered.

But, he didn't understand one thing.

"Why didn't you tell me directly? Why did you use your brain to come up with this idiotic idea?" He asked in frustration.

Sneha's heartbeat picked up speed again. She didn't want to answer this question...Nor was she ready to hear it.

"I asked you something." He raised his voice again.

"I..." She trailed again.

Viraj took a step forward and grabbed her arm again as she tried to step back. Pulling her close to him, he asked again.

"Why did you lie to me, Sneha? And, don't make me repeat myself again." His voice turned deeper than ever.

Tears raced from her eyes again as she felt captured.

"You...your f.f.father told me...threatened me...to accept your marriage proposal...and to accept your affection. He said he'd kill me and my family if I won't...make you happy or... satisfy you." She unwillingly revealed the truth.

She knew she would now die at Dev's hands. But, if not Dev, Viraj would surely kill her if she had not told him the truth. She was doomed anyway.

The revelation shook Viraj's faith completely. His hands fell on their own as he recalled the past six months and the beautiful memories he had created with her. But, knowing now that everything was a lie...everything that he felt from her side was nothing but a huge lie...it was difficult for him to accept it.

A long silence prevailed between them. She kept her eyes downcast as Viraj thought over everything.

"So...all those flowers...those text messages...those hugs...those late-night talks... that concern-filled advice...those kisses...Sneha, were all of them fake as well?" He asked slowly as a clear frown developed on his forehead.

She had not expected his voice to be soft after hearing the truth. But, the pain in his voice was clearly audible. And the way he said that, made her relive those moments she spent with him. It made her realize that...perhaps, she was also wrong here.

She too played with his feelings. She understood.

Thus, Sneha fell to her knees and folded her hands in the begging position.

"I am sorry, Viraj. I didn't mean to hurt you. But...I had no other option."

"No option? You could have told me the truth on the very first day."

"I was afraid of your father. He had almost killed my father by drowning him in a drum of water. What could I have done other than follow his orders?"

"You should have trusted me. I would have protected you and your family as easily as I convinced my father to accept our marriage proposal."

Sneha paused before speaking her heart out.

"I couldn't trust you."

"Even in these four months of courtship, you couldn't trust me?" He asked in anger.

Sneha looked up but lowered her eyes when she saw the anger in his eyes.

"I am sorry." She mumbled as she shook her head negatively in response to his question.

Viraj's fist clenched in frustration. He couldn't understand what hurt more...her betrayal or her lack of trust in him even when he loved her so much.

But, he couldn't cancel the wedding now. He loved her and he would have postponed the wedding if she had told him all this earlier. But, now the situation was different. All his family members and friends were assembled here! It was not only his heart but his reputation also at stake.

What would people say if they would get to know that Viraj Khatri's bride ran away on the wedding day? It would be a huge blot on his reputation and his family's name. He would be laughed at!

Thus, he decided to do the right thing according to his understanding.

"Fine...you will have our lifetime to develop trust in me." He said.

Sneha looked up in confusion.

"What?" She asked when he didn't explain.

"Think of this as an arranged marriage or whatever you want to, but we are getting married today." He announced.

Sneha quickly shook her head negatively.

"No, Viraj. Please..." She pleaded again.

"No arguments, Sneha. Go back and come in front of the guests as my bride."

She quickly grabbed his hand while still kneeling in front of him.

"I am begging you, Viraj. Please don't force me anymore. I told you the truth. I told you how your father threatened..." She began begging again but he interrupted her harshly.

"If you don't want me to finish what my father started, you will go inside the marriage hall this instant." He laid the clear warning.

Sneha's voice got stuck in her throat and so did her breathing for a moment. She couldn't believe him. The man who was, till now, claiming to love her, was threatening her now?

She pressed his hands in her further to show her desperation.

"Please, Viraj. I can't marry you. I...will not marry you." She asserted.

And, it raised his anger further.

He nodded with pursed lips.

"Fine. Run away. But, remember one thing..." He said as he freed his right hand from hers and softly touched her cheek. "...The baraat has arrived and the wedding will happen tonight, no matter what." He challenged her.

But, she didn't understand a word.

Her confused eyes gave away her emotions.

"I don't understand." She mumbled slowly. If she ran away, then whom will he marry? Was Nupur here too? She wondered.

"You know my family history." He subtly answered her unasked question.

And, then it clicked on her. If not her, Viraj will marry her younger sister, Priya! It was just how Dev had married his first wife's younger sister when she had died.

Her scared expression turned stern and furious in a flash.

"You wouldn't do that!" Her voice turned grim as she left his hand.

"Try me." He challenged her.

Obviously, he had no intention of marrying Priya. That little girl was like his own sister. But, he knew about his beloved's soft corner. Sneha would never let anything happen to Priya...especially on her guard.

It flared her anger.

"And you say that you love me? Is this how love is?" She asked in disbelief.

Viraj held her arms and pulled her up.

"In the past six months, you have seen how I love." He answered as a million thoughts ran through his mind.

Sneha looked at him in disgust.

"This is something that one won't even do to someone they hate! You don't love me Viraj." The anger was evident in her tone.

Hearing her, Viraj stepped closer and bent to her eye level.

"Be grateful that I love you, Sneha. Because if I hated you, then every day of your life would have been a living hell." He tried to defend his feelings for her.

"Marrying you will be a living hell to me." She quickly replied, making his temper flare.

He closed his eyes momentarily to control himself from doing something that he would regret later.

Sneha took a deep breath when he finally opened his eyes. Viraj gently grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her closer to him.

"In that case, welcome to hell." He said.

There was a strange kind of craziness in the way he spoke. And, that scared her.

"This marriage will not work, Viraj. It is based on lies and threats. None of us will be happy." She tried to knock some sense in him.

"We will be happy."

"I won't be."

"You will learn."

"Viraj, please listen..."

"No! Now, you will listen to me. We have wasted enough time already, You have two choices. Either marry me tonight without any more drama. Or run away and I will marry your sister at gunpoint." He warned while taking a step back.

Sneha's hand shivered.

"Please, Viraj!"

"The second choice, it is, then. Fine!" He took a step towards the marriage hall when she shouted suddenly.

"NO!" She cried.

"Decide quickly, Sneha."

She wanted to sit on the ground. She felt tired now.

"I...I will marry you." She almost whispered as tear after tear fell from her eyes.

"Good. Now go inside." He directed.

She was full-fledged crying now. She never thought that her life would turn like this. It felt like a drama! She just wanted her original life back where there was no trace of the Khatri family.

"And, Sneha." He called for her when she had taken a few steps away from him.

She stopped but didn't turn around to face him.

"If I see a trace of tear or reluctance from your side, I promise you will see the worst side of me tonight."

'You will regret doing all this, Viraj.' She thought over in her mind. Without giving him a reply, she slowly made her way back to the room from where she had exited before, leaving the small bag behind.

.

.

.

The very first thing that Viraj did when he entered the marriage hall was to approach his father.

"Papa." He called for his father's attention as he was talking to one of his relatives in the group.

Dev looked at his son with a huge smile. But, on seeing his serious expression, he raised his brows in slight confusion.

"I need to talk to you." He said and pulled his father to a corner.

"What happened? Everything okay?" Dev asked in concern.

"I need you to go and talk to Sneha's father. He is going to object to the wedding when she will come down here."

"Why would he do that? And how do you know it?" Dev asked in suspicion.

Viraj took a deep breath before replying.

"Sneha told me everything." He said.

Dev's brows furrowed deeper.

"She was...trying to run away." Viraj explained in embarrassment.

"WHAT?" Dev exclaimed.

"That is why I am asking you to go and talk to her father since I know it is all his plan. My girl can't take this huge step all by herself. Her father must have provoked and encouraged her to betray me."

"Has Shankar lost his mind? How dare he even think of playing with our family's reputation!" Dev said while looking at Sneha's father who was standing far from them and talking to Priya.

Viraj chuckled.

"All thanks to you, papa." He said sarcastically.

Dev looked at his son in surprise.

"I did that because I wanted you happy. They were trying to run away to their hometown when we approached them with the marriage proposal. I knew you wanted her. And, as a father, I could only think of your happiness." Dev defended himself.

"I know. I don't blame you. But, I regret not listening to you 5 months ago." He said as he recalled the past briefly.

"If you don't want to marry Sneha, it is still not too late." Dev said.

Viraj glared at his father.

"I meant, I should have listened to you when you said that our marriage should be concluded as soon as possible...in March itself. I fell into her charm and accepted her request of postponing it to July. I was so stupid." He said, mostly to himself.

"You don't worry. If you want this wedding, it will happen. Even God can't break this knot. I'll go and knock some sense into Shankar's head. He won't object to anything. Go and enjoy your day." Dev patted Viraj's arm and started his way towards the father of the bride.

.

.

.

Sneha sat in front of the mirror again. Her mind automatically went into deep thinking. Her past, present, and most importantly, her future concerned her now. If this marriage really happened, her life would be ruined completely. She will become nothing but a puppet in Viraj's life. His family's weird customs and ideology would imprison her always. She would be nothing but an object of his pleasure and desires.

Fresh tears pooled in her eyes as she thought of the situation.

"Didi!" She heard Priya's frantic voice as she entered the room and quickly closed the door. Sneha quickly wiped her cheeks to hide her tears.

"Papa told me that you are probably back inside. Viraj bhaiya's father threatened papa again and said that if this marriage didn't happen, he will burn this entire place with us inside." Priya said, still in shock.

Sneha quickly turned around and stood up.

"Is papa okay?" She asked.

"He asked me to check on you. He is going to call the police. Only they can save us now." Priya repeated what her father told her.

"NO! Priya...Go and tell papa to not call for any help. I...I will marry Viraj. His family and he is crazy. I don't want them to hurt any of us." Sneha quickly spoke.

"But, didi...how can you?" Priya whined.

Sneha ignored her and picked up her phone to call her father.

After five minutes of intense argument, Sneha finally convinced her father.

"Papa, just trust me, please. I will take care of everything. Just give me away to them as they want." She finally said and cancelled the call reluctantly.

After a minute of silence, Sneha faced her sister again.

"Priya, fix my makeup. I think it is time for the varmala." She said.

Priya couldn't be more confused.

"Didi, why? Why are you doing this? It is not right!" She whined, again.

"There is no way out now."

"But..."

"Please..." She pleaded to her younger sister. Priya sighed and got onto her work reluctantly.

When her appearance was renewed, She let Priya make her stand properly and fix the wedding dress for the long walk.

"Take me downstairs." She asked.

"Didi..." Priya mumbled on seeing her sister's expressionless face.

"He wants a puppet. I'll be his puppet." Sneha whispered, mostly to herself.

.

.

.

{Hi everyone!

I know I took a very long break from writing. November is a very busy month in schools as we have pre-boards and other work. Since I am a little free now, I decided to complete this chapter today anyhow.

So, thank you so much to everyone who patiently waited and encouraged me to write. Reading your comments has encouraged me to write some words every day.

By the way, what do you think will happen now? Will #Vineha's wedding take place? Or are we up for more drama?

How did you feel about seeing Viraj's response to Sneha's so-called betrayal?