Chapter 2: A different decision
The house remained silent long after Arjun left.
Riya stood near the table, staring at the contract paper he had left behind. Her mind was filled with confusion and questions.
A contract marriage.
The words kept echoing in her head.
Marriage was supposed to be something beautiful. Something filled with love and trust. But what Arjun offered was nothing like that.
It was just a deal.
Her father sat down slowly, looking exhausted.
"I will never allow this," he said firmly. "You are my daughter, not a solution to my problems."
Riya remained quiet.
Deep inside, she understood how much pressure her father was under. The bank loan, the business, the fear of losing everything—it was all too much.
That night, the rain started again.
Riya sat alone in her room, thinking about everything that had happened.
she refused the offer, her family might lose their business. All the years of hard work her father had put into it would disappear.
But if she accepted the offer…
She would be entering a marriage without love.
A marriage that would end after one year.
Her heart felt heavy.
The next morning, Riya found her father sitting quietly with a cup of tea.
"Baba," she said softly.
He looked up.
"I have been thinking about the proposal."
Her father immediately shook his head.
"No, Riya. I don't want you to sacrifice your life for this."
Riya smiled gently.
"It is not a sacrifice. It is just one year."
"But marriage is not a small thing," her father replied.
"I know," she said.
"But if this one year can save our family… then maybe it is worth it."
Her father looked at her with tears in his eyes.
"You deserve a marriage filled with love."
Riya looked outside the window.
"Maybe love will come later," she said quietly.
Later that afternoon, Riya made a decision.
She picked up her phone and dialed the number written on the contract.
After a few seconds, the call connected.
"Arjun Malhotra speaking."
His voice sounded calm and confident.
Riya took a deep breath.
"This is Riya."
There was a short silence.
Then Arjun spoke again.
"Have you made your decision?"
Riya closed her eyes for a moment.
"Yes," she said slowly.
"I accept the contract marriage."
For the first time, her life was about to take a path she had never imagined.
And neither Riya nor Arjun knew that this simple contract would slowly turn their lives into something far more complicated.
Something called love.