Heyy munchkins!! Welcome to the very first chapter of my story 💖 I'm so excited to finally share it with you all! Please enjoy reading, and don't forget to leave your thoughts-every comment, upvote, and feedback means the world to me 😘 I'd love it if you follow me too so we can go on this journey together. Your line-by-line reactions and messages truly keep me motivated and inspire me to write even better chapters. Happy reading, and let's dive in!! ✨📖"

VIZAG, ANDHRA PRADASH

"Congratulations, Ashika," someone whispered from behind.
But she couldn't bring herself to respond.

Because while the mansion celebrated her big day...
inside her, a quiet ache whispered the truth:
This wasn't the wedding she had dreamed of.
And tonight, even in the most beautiful moment of her life, she felt a loneliness only she could understand.The Chowdhary mansion glowed like a palace dipped in gold. Strings of marigolds hung from carved pillars, chandeliers shimmered against the high ceilings, and the entire courtyard buzzed with the sounds of celebration-laughter, footsteps, shehnais winding softly through the evening air. Servants hurried with trays, aunties whispered excitedly, and fairy lights wrapped every corner as if the stars themselves had come down to bless the occasion.
Why wouldn't it? Today was their daughter's wedding.

Inside the bride's chamber, however, the world felt quieter.

Ashika Chowdhary sat before an antique mirror, draped in a pristine white and red Kanchipuram saree, its gold zari weaving catching every soft flicker of the lamp beside her. Her jewellery-temple gold earrings, delicate bangles, the matha patti resting perfectly on her forehead-made her look nothing short of divine. Her long hair had been braided with jasmine strands, their fragrance filling the room.

Her light brown eyes, usually bright with mischief and ambition, looked softer tonight... almost vulnerable. Her wheatish skin glowed under the warm lights, yet there was a quiet heaviness hidden beneath the shimmer of makeup and ornaments.

She inhaled deeply.

The weight of the saree, the heavy jewellery, the distant hum of celebration-everything pressed against her chest. She wasn't unhappy... but she wasn't truly happy either. A storm of emotions churned beneath her calm exterior.

The makeup artist adjusted her veil, but Ashika barely noticed. Her mind drifted-
To the dreams she once had.
To the life she imagined.
To the unknown future waiting for her beyond the decorated mandap.

A single tear escaped before she could stop it. It glided down her cheek, catching a golden sparkle from the jewellery, almost looking like liquid light. She quickly wiped it away, forcing a small smile at her own reflection..

Because while the mansion celebrated her big day...
inside her, a quiet ache whispered the truth:
This wasn't the wedding she had dreamed of.
And tonight, even in the most beautiful moment of her life, she felt a loneliness only she could understand.

The door eased open with a soft, reluctant creak, the kind that carried guilt in its hinges, and Ashika's mother stepped inside. For a moment, the golden glow of the bridal lamps and the gentle scent of jasmine blurred into the background, overshadowed entirely by the fragile sight of the woman standing at the threshold.
Her mother looked worn-deeply, painfully worn. Strands of hair had slipped loose from her neatly tied bun and clung to the edges of her tear-damp face. Her eyes were red and swollen, the heaviness beneath them revealing hours of silent crying. Even the pallu of her saree hung limply over her shoulder, crushed and uneven, like her spirit had been folded and unfolded too many times.
She tried to smile. A tiny, trembling smile.
But it carried the weight of defeat more than joy.
Ashika felt her heart splinter.
"Everyone... please leave," she whispered, her voice barely steady. The makeup artists and helpers exchanged unsure glances but left quietly. As the final click of the door echoed through the room, the silence that remained was thick-choking almost-filled with the kind of ache that sank into the walls.
Ashika took a slow, unsteady step toward her mother. Then another. Her breath hitched, and her vision blurred. And in the next moment, all restraint shattered.
She collapsed into her mother's arms, the sound that escaped her throat raw and broken, as if it had been trapped inside her for far too long.
"Maaa..." she sobbed, her voice cracking under the weight of her fear. She clutched her mother's saree so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her entire body trembled, her breath coming out in uneven, painful bursts.
"Maaa... please do something naa... valla kaadu maa...
(Maa... please do something... I can't do this, maa...)"
Her words spilled out between sobs, each one drenched in desperation.She pulled back slightly, her face streaked with tears, her lips trembling uncontrollably.
"Maa... please talk with annaya atleast... Let nanna return from USA first...
Why is anna doing this to me, maa...?" Her voice quivered again.
"I want to study maa... please stop anna...naaku ee pelli vaadu maa... "
(I want to study, maa... please stop him... I don't want this marriage, maa...)"
She hid her face against her mother's shoulder again, the fabric dampening with fresh tears. Her shoulders shook violently with every sob, and the jasmine flowers woven into her braid trembled like they, too, were breaking.Her mother's lips trembled as she wrapped her arms around her daughter, pulling her close with a kind of helplessness that hurt to witness.
"Bangaru... (My precious one...)" she whispered, her voice cracking painfully. She smoothed a trembling hand over Ashika's hair, but her touch couldn't stop her own tears.
"I tried, amma... I tried everything..." she breathed out, the confession barely holding itself together.
She pulled Ashika's face between her palms so their foreheads touched. Her own tears slid down, falling onto Ashika's cheeks, mixing with her daughter's.
"Your annaya is too stubborn, Ashika..."
Her voice broke in the middle of the sentence.
"He made a promise on himself...
He said if I interfere, he will kill himself..."
Ashika froze, her breath shattering. Her mother closed her eyes, unable to look at her child while saying the next words.
"What am I supposed to do, amma...? He took our phones... we couldn't call your nanna... We are trapped in our own home... "
Ashika sank slowly to her knees, the silk of her saree pooling around her like a fallen flower. She gripped her mother's hands tightly, her tears dripping onto the marble floor."Maa... I want to study... I want to start my own business..."
Her voice broke into pieces.
"That groom... he said he will stop my education... he wants me to stay home...
Maa, I will die there...

Her mother knelt with her, pulling her into a fierce, trembling embrace, both of them drowning in the heartbreak neither of them could escape.
Outside, the wedding drums grew louder.
Inside, a mother and daughter held each other like the world was collapsing around them-because for them...

Just then, Maya-Aashika's sister-in-law-glided into the room, every inch of her wrapped in a shimmering golden saree that caught the light like she was walking through a spotlight. Heavy makeup masked her real expressions, but not well enough to hide the smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. Her eyes-sharp, calculating-flicked between Aashika and the person she was hugging, lingering just long enough to twist the moment into discomfort.

She folded her hands loosely under her chest, tilting her head with a wicked, knowing smile, the kind that didn't just mock... it provoked.

"Aashu," she purred, the fake sweetness dripping from her tongue, "it's time for the muhuratham. Come on. Everyone's waiting."

The words sliced through the soft silence like a blade.

Aashika's breath hitched. She slowly pulled away from the hug, her fingertips trembling as she steadied herself. Her jaw clenched, her chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. She turned sharply, her gaze locking onto Maya with a glare that could've burned through gold.

In that single look, an entire storm raged.

It wasn't just annoyance.

It was betrayal... suspicion... and the sting of knowing exactly what Maya was capable of.

Because deep down, somewhere in the corners of her mind she never wanted to explore, Aashika knew-knew-that Maya's hands were not clean in this marriage. Not when the groom was Maya's beloved brother. Not when Maya had been smiling too much for days. Not when her eyes always sparkled whenever someone mentioned the alliance.

Maya stood there almost proudly, like a puppeteer admiring her own work.

Aashika's fingers curled into fists. Her heart throbbed painfully in her chest, not with love... not with fury... but with the raw ache of being pushed into a life she never asked for.

Maya raised an eyebrow, amused. "Shall we?" she asked again, this time with a slight taunt, as if she was enjoying every second of Aashika's helplessness

Aashika lifted her face slowly, her red, tear-filled eyes blazing like wounded fire. Her chest trembled, breaths uneven, but the fury burning inside her pushed her past fear. She glared straight at Maya-her sister-in-law, her betrayer-and her voice came out razor-sharp, slicing through the tension.

"I'm not coming with you, vadhina.
I won't do this marriage."

(vadhina = sister-in-law)

The room went still.

Maya's eyes narrowed, the last trace of fake sweetness vanishing. Her heavily made-up face hardened, revealing the cruel woman beneath.

Before Aashika could even step back, Maya lunged forward. Her fingers gripped Aashika's hair fiercely, yanking her head back with enough force to send a jolt of pain down her spine.

Aashika gasped, her hands shaking as she tried to hold herself steady.

Maya leaned in, her voice low, icy, and venomous.

"Nobody cares about your consent.
Neither your yes nor your no matters.
You will marry my brother-that's final.
Now stop your drama and come sit in the mandap."

Her words hit like slaps.

Aashika swallowed the sob rising in her throat. The pain in her scalp was nothing compared to the ache in her chest. Her voice trembled-not with fear now, but with anger-as she glared back and whispered:

"Idhi nee plan kaada, vadhina?
(Isn't this your plan, sister-in-law?)

Idi annitiki nuvve mastermind kadha?"
(Aren't you the mastermind behind all this?)

Maya's lips stretched into a slow, triumphant smirk. She caught Aashika's chin between her fingers, lifting her face.

Her eyes gleamed with pure wickedness as she whispered:

"Em ayina doubt ahh, Aashu?
(Any doubt about that, Aashu?)

Nee life lo edhi jarugutundo... anni nenu decide chestha."
(Whatever happens in your life... I will decide everything.)

She let go abruptly, making Aashika stumble back, her hair disheveled, her eyes wet, her soul trembling.

Maya adjusted her golden saree as if nothing had happened and flicked her hair back arrogantly.

"Come. The mandap is waiting."

And she turned away, expecting Aashika to follow-never realizing the fire she had just ignited inside her.

Aashika's chest heaved, fury trembling through every inch of her. Maya still stood in front of her with that same poisonous smirk, the same arrogance, as if she owned everyone and everything in the room.

And then-

SLAP.

Aashika's hand crashed against Maya's cheek with brutal, unrestrained force, the sound cracking through the room like thunder. Maya's head jerked to the side, her hair swaying, her golden earrings rattling violently as she staggered a step.

Aashika stood frozen in the aftermath, her palm burning, her breath shaking, her eyes fierce with a fire she had been holding back for far too long.

For a heartbeat, everything went silent.

Then a soft, broken sound shattered it.

In the corner of the room, Aashika's mother crumbled, one hand pressed against her mouth, the other clutching her saree pallu. Tears streamed down her cheeks in helpless rivers as she watched the scene unfold-watched her daughter snap, watched the reality she had feared come crashing down.

Her voice cracked through sobs, weak and aching:
"Aashu..."

Her shoulders shook as she cried, unable to protect her, unable to stop any of this.
Helpless. Torn. Devastated.

Aashika turned slightly, her jaw clenched, her own eyes glistening-caught between rage and heartbreak-as her mother's sobs filled the suffocating silence.

The charged silence shattered as the door thudded open.

Arvind, Aashika's brother, stepped in. His eyes widened instantly at the scene before him-Maya standing with her hand on Aashika's chin, the smug, victorious smirk still playing on her lips. The room smelled of tension, anger, and fear, each second stretching unbearably.

Arvind's gaze shifted to his sister-hair disheveled, cheeks flushed from her anger, her red, tear-filled eyes blazing-but something inside him snapped in an instant.

Without a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward. His hand shot out faster than Aashika could react.

CRACK!

The sound of his slap echoed through the room, mingling with the sobs of their mother in the corner. Aashika's head jerked to the side, pain flaring across her cheek, tears mixing with the sting of betrayal.

For a heartbeat, the world seemed to stop. Maya's smirk faltered slightly, her eyes flicking between the siblings in shock. Their mother's sobs grew louder, her hands shaking as she pressed them to her face, helpless, unable to intervene.

Aashika stood frozen, palm still burning from the slap she had just delivered, now tasting the sting of her brother's blow. Her eyes, wide and stunned, glistened with hurt and disbelief.

The room held only tension, anger, and heartbreak-like a storm paused mid-strike, waiting to descend.

"ARVINDDDDDD!"

The scream tore through the house like a thunderclap. Their mother's voice was raw, hoarse, trembling with pain, rage, and helplessness all at once. Her hands shot up, trembling, ready to slap him-but then she froze, eyes widening as she saw Maya standing there.

Her heart ached, a sharp, stabbing pain, because striking her own son in front of his wife felt like shattering the last piece of her heart. She lowered her hands, trembling, but the anger simmering inside her refused to be silenced.

Her voice quivered, breaking through sobs as she lashed out, words dripping with heartbreak and fury:

"Nee buddhi em ayindi Arvind?"
(What were you thinking, Arvind?)
Her eyes burned, brimming with tears. Every syllable shook with disbelief-how could her son, the boy she had raised with love and care, betray his own sister so cruelly?

"Nee samskram ekkada eppudu!"
(Where is your sense of responsibility ,morals ?)
Her hands trembled as she gestured wildly toward him. Her voice rose, echoing in the room, sharp like a whip. Every word was a dagger, cutting through the thick, suffocating tension.

"Adhi nee chelli ra..."
(That's your sister...)
Her words cracked with sorrow. Her body shook with grief as she imagined the pain and humiliation Aashika must have felt. Her chest heaved violently, and the sobs that followed sounded like a storm.

"Enduku murgham laga pravathesunav nuvvu?!"
(Why are you acting like an animal?)
Her eyes blazed, flashing disappointment and anger. Every word carried the weight of years of care, frustration, and the disbelief of watching her son destroy trust in a single moment.

"Daniki ee pelli vaadu antha!"
(She doesn't want this wedding arvind !)
Her voice cracked even more, trembling with anguish. She could barely hold herself upright as grief and fury intertwined, shaking her from head to toe.

"Enduku ra? Nenu entha sobha pettunav, devudaa!"
(Why, son? How much shame have you caused me why are you torturing me like this, God!)
Her hands flew to her head as her grief became physical. She began hitting her forehead repeatedly, sobs wracking her body, tears streaming like a waterfall. Every sob was a heartbeat of her broken soul, a mother witnessing her family collapse around her.

The room felt suffocating, charged with pain, anger, heartbreak, and helplessness. Aashika's tear-streaked eyes followed her mother, her own grief mirrored in her gaze. Maya stood frozen, smirk fading slightly as the raw force of a mother's sorrow hit her like a wall.

And in that moment, the house itself seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the next storm to break.

The door slammed open, and her father entered, his face a mask of stone-cold, unyielding, void of the warmth that had once comforted her. For a fleeting second, Aashika's heart fluttered. Relief, hope, the faint belief that someone would protect her.

"Nanna......" Her voice trembled, fragile and desperate, tears already blurring her vision. She stepped forward, reaching out, wanting to find comfort in the one person who had always been her anchor.

But that hope shattered instantly.

Her father's hand shot out with terrifying speed. A stack of photographs-vulgar pictures of her with men she didn't even know-flew across the room and landed on her face. The paper stung, but the humiliation cut deeper than any physical blow ever could. Aashika staggered back, chest tightening, mouth opening to protest, but all that came out were shaky, choked sobs.

"Nanna... these aren't me! I don't even know them! Please... you have to believe me!" Her voice cracked, each word trembling with raw fear, desperation, and heartbreak. She fell to her knees, clutching the hem of her mother's saree, her body shaking uncontrollably.

Her father's face hardened further. No softness, no questioning, no doubt-only condemnation.

"What a shame! So this is why we had to plan this marriage for you?" he thundered.

The words hit her like a knife through her chest. She opened her mouth, trying again, voice breaking, choking on her own tears:

"Nanna... amma... please! I swear it's not me! I don't know these men! You have to listen to me... please!"

But no one moved. Her mother, who had always been her safe place, only stood frozen, sobbing helplessly, hands clutched to her face, unable to intervene. Even her brother Arvind, the one she had once trusted to protect her, stood there silently, complicit in the betrayal, his eyes cold, guiltless, unmoved.

Aashika's sobs grew louder, almost desperate, shaking her entire frame. She fell to the floor, hands stretched out, trying to make them see, to make them understand. Her heart screamed: How could they believe shame over truth? How could they all turn against me?

"Please... Nanna... Amma... Arvind... you're my family... you have to believe me... please..." Her voice cracked, raw with pain, fear, and disbelief, every word drenched in tears.

Her father's hand lashed out, slapping her with brutal force. Pain exploded across her cheek, but worse than the sting was the utter betrayal, the coldness, the shame they all carried in abandoning her.

Aashika fell, gasping, sobbing uncontrollably, feeling the weight of their disappointment, anger, and shame crushing her. Her mother's helpless crying, her father's icy rage, her brother's cold silence-it all wrapped around her like a suffocating shroud.

She tried to crawl to them, begging, pleading, her voice hoarse:

"I'm your daughter! Your sister! I've done nothing wrong! Please... see me! Believe me!"

But there was nothing. No one moved. No one cared. Their faces were twisted in shame and anger, their love and trust replaced by judgment and cruelty. And in the corner, Maya stood, smirk wide, eyes glittering with pure triumph, as if she had orchestrated the destruction of everything Aashika had ever held dear.

Aashika's heart shattered completely in that moment. All her trust, all her faith in her family, all her safety-gone. She lay there on the cold floor, soaked in tears, sobbing, screaming silently into the void that used to be her family.

Maya cleared her throat, the sound sharp and deliberate, like a predator savoring her prey. Her eyes glinted with malice and triumph, and she let herself step forward, every movement slow, deliberate, and filled with calculated cruelty.

"Chiiii... what type of girl are you, Aashika?" she sneered, voice dripping with disgust. The single word pierced through the air, sharp and venomous, like a whip.

Aashika's tears blurred her vision, her chest rising and falling with ragged sobs, but she couldn't move. She couldn't speak. Every muscle in her body froze under Maya's scathing gaze.

"How could you roam with all these men? Where is your character?" Maya continued, each word poisonous, deliberate, designed to crush. "You are such a shame, Aashika... you've taken all the family's reputation on your shoulders, and ruined it!"

Her voice rose, cruel and triumphant, echoing off the walls of the room. Aashika's mother sobbed quietly in the corner, hands trembling, but didn't dare intervene. Her father's face remained rigid, unmoved, while Arvind's eyes flickered with a mixture of confusion and coldness, adding to the suffocating betrayal.

Maya leaned slightly closer, lowering her voice just enough for Aashika to hear every venomous syllable:

"Seeing your character, nobody will ever be ready to marry you-but my brother... he did!" She laughed, low and mocking, as if this revelation were the greatest joke in the world. "Don't know with how many men you've slept, also... you whore!"

The words hit Aashika like a hammer to her chest. Her vision blurred further, her knees buckling as all the pain, humiliation, and betrayal collided at once. Her lips trembled, a choked sob escaping as she struggled to breathe through the weight of the verbal onslaught.

Her hands flew to her face, trying to shield herself from the venom spilling from Maya's lips, but no shield could protect her heart from the sheer cruelty. The room seemed to close in around her-the walls heavy, suffocating, filled with judgment and hate.

For a moment, Aashika felt like the entire world had turned against her. Every whispered accusation, every cold glance, every unspoken assumption pressed down on her chest. Her tears fell freely, mixing with the sting of humiliation that no apology could ever erase.

Maya's smirk widened, wicked and triumphant, as if she were watching the exact moment Aashika's spirit broke. And in the corner, her parents' silence, her father's stoic cruelty, and Arvind's indifferent gaze cemented the finality of her isolation.

Aashika's chest heaved, sobs choking her words, and yet, even through the pain, a spark of defiance flickered faintly, buried beneath the avalanche of shame and heartbreak that Maya so ruthlessly unleashed. Aashika's chest tightened, her knees threatening to buckle. Every word, every accusation, every filthy insinuation felt like a dagger to her heart. Her tears blurred her vision, and she pressed her hands against her ears, trying in vain to shut out the cruelty.

And then-her father's voice boomed like thunder, shattering the suffocating silence:

"STOPPPPP!"

The single word reverberated through the room, cutting through Maya's smirk, through the whispers of judgment, through the weight of every accusing eye.

Aashika closed her eyes tightly, shame and relief mingling in a confusing storm inside her. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She had done nothing wrong, yet her entire family had condemned her. She had been innocent, yet every word from Maya had felt like a mark of guilt she didn't deserve.

Her body trembled, tears streaming silently now, her lips quivering as the sound of her father's scream echoed in her mind. She wanted to speak, to explain, to tell them all she was innocent-but the words wouldn't come. The shame, the shock, the pain of being accused of things she didn't do, pressed her down, leaving her silent, vulnerable, and broken.

Maya's triumphant smirk faltered for a heartbeat, replaced by a flicker of confusion and annoyance, as even she recognized the power of her father's voice in that moment.

Aashika remained eyes closed, heart pounding, trembling, the room spinning around her, trapped between humiliation, relief, and disbelief, too overwhelmed even to move.eyes tightly closed, letting the storm of shame, fear, and heartbreak wash over her. Her body trembled, but in that trembling, something else began to stir-a quiet, fierce resolve.

She opened her lips just slightly, her voice barely a whisper, soft but unwavering:

"I... I am ready for the marriage..."

The words hung in the room like a fragile, defiant flame. The family froze, the tension so thick it pressed against her chest. Even Maya's smirk widened , caught off guard by the quiet power in Aashika's voice.

Aashika lifted her chin slightly, summoning every ounce of courage she had left. She spoke again, stronger this time:

"Everyone... please, leave the room. I want to be alone for now."

Her parents and brother hesitated, exchanging glances, but her eyes-steady, calm, and resolute despite the tears streaking her cheeks-forced them to obey. Slowly, silently, they filed out, leaving her standing in the room that had just been a battlefield of judgment, shame, and cruelty.

Once the door clicked shut behind them, Aashika sank to her knees, pressing her forehead to the floor, not in defeat but in release. Every sob, every tremble, every heartbeat screamed of pain endured and courage found.

Yay! That's the end of the first chapter, munchkins 💖 I hope you enjoyed it! What did you think about Aashika and everything happening in her family? How intense was this chapter for you? Do comment below, I want to know your thoughts-your reactions, feelings, favorite parts, or even what you didn't like!

Also, don't forget to rate the chapter and the book-how would you rate it out of 10? Your feedback really motivates me and helps me make the next chapters even more exciting ✨

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