That night didn't begin with shouting.
It began with silence.
The kind of silence that feels planned.
Ria sat in the living room, her back straight, her hands folded in her lap, while her parents sat across from her with Khalid beside them. The air felt thick, heavy with something unspoken but already decided.
Her mother spoke first.
"Tonight, we finish this matter."
Ria's heart dropped.
Khalid didn't look at her. His eyes were fixed on the floor, his posture stiff, controlled.
Her father continued calmly, too calmly.
"An engagement is the right step. It protects everyone. It ends the rumors. It brings stability."
"Tonight," her mother added.
The word echoed.
Ria's lips parted. "You never asked me."
Her mother's gaze hardened.
"We are telling you."
Then came the weapon.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just precise.
"If you refuse," her father said quietly, "you will lose everything we've built for you. Your education. Your future. Your independence. Your freedom."
The message was clear.
Obey — or be erased.
Khalid finally spoke, his voice low.
"This is for your good, Ria."
She looked at him, disbelief burning in her chest.
"For whose good?" she whispered.
No one answered.
That was the moment she understood:
This wasn't a proposal.
It was a trap.
She escaped to the terrace, the night air cold against her skin, her chest burning with silent panic.
That's where Fahad found her.
Not by accident.
By instinct.
He didn't touch her.
Didn't speak at first.
Just stood beside her.
"They're forcing you," he said softly.
Her strength shattered.
Tears filled her eyes.
"They're threatening my whole life," she whispered. "If I say no, I lose everything."
Fahad's jaw tightened. His voice trembled.
"And if you say yes… you lose yourself."
She turned to him.
And in that moment, all the fear, all the pressure, all the lies collapsed.
"I can't do this anymore," she cried.
"I can't pretend. I can't breathe in a life that isn't mine."
He stepped closer, his voice breaking.
"Then don't."
Her heart pounded.
"They'll destroy me, Fahad."
He looked at her like she was his only truth in a collapsing world.
"Then let them try," he said.
"Because I love you."
The words hit her like a storm.
She didn't hesitate.
"I love you too," she confessed.
"I've loved you in silence. In fear. In distance. In every version of myself that wasn't allowed to choose."
They stood there, shaking, terrified, honest.
Two hearts finally speaking the truth they'd been hiding from the world.
Below them, plans were being made.
Contracts.
Engagements.
Arrangements.
But above it all…
Two souls had already chosen each other.
And nothing would ever be the same again.