Avni
“What are you talking about, Avi? Are you out of your mind? How could you take such a big decision on your own, huh?” Papa’s voice thundered through the room the moment he heard about the arranged marriage. His face was a mixture of disbelief and fury, and yet underneath it all, I could see something else. It was fear.
I didn’t flinch. I didn’t argue back. I simply stared up at the white ceiling above me, letting his words fall around me like meaningless noise. The paint on the ceiling was cracked in a few places. One of the lines curved like a dancer’s foot poised mid-step - a cruel reminder.
I felt… nothing.
No rage, no sorrow, not even the fire that once kept me pushing forward. I was hollow, a shell of who I used to be. And if there was truly nothing left inside me, why should I care who I was marrying? If this marriage could bring my family a little happiness, if it meant my mother could get better treatment and my little brother could finally go to the school of his dreams, then maybe it wasn’t such a bad deal after all.
“Papa,” I said quietly, forcing myself to glance at him. His expression had shifted, his anger cracked open by heartbreak. “I want to be alone. Please, just leave me for a while.”
I watched the way his shoulders slumped slightly, as though my words had drained the fight out of him. My pain was visible to him. He could feel it just like I did. No matter how much I tried to keep it buried. And it hurt, watching him like this. Just as much as it hurt to admit what I’d lost.
Just a few days ago, we were celebrating. There was music, sweets, and laughter. I had secured second runner-up in the regional Kathak competition, and I was just one step away from being crowned queen. Just one more win. I had rehearsed endlessly, pushed through nights of exhaustion and aching legs, dreaming of that final triumph.
And then everything disappeared like smoke through my fingers.
If only I hadn’t taken that shortcut. If only I’d left ten minutes earlier. If only that bastard hadn’t been driving drunk.
If only.
I closed my eyes, and the memory returned uninvited, the blinding headlights, the screech of tires, my scream drowned in silence. Then darkness.
That one moment snatched everything away.
I would have been on stage that evening, wrapped in applause and the rhythm of my ghungroos. Instead, I was lying in a hospital bed with white bandage around my legs and pain stitched into my bones. The stage was gone. My future was stolen.
“Avi…” Papa sat beside me and gently took my hand. His warmth was familiar, grounding but I couldn’t return the gesture.
“What’s more important,” he said, voice softer now, “is that you’re still alive.”
I turned to him, eyes burning. “It would’ve been better if I’d died in that accident.”
His hand stiffened around mine.
“Why did God leave me alive, Papa? Just to watch everything I worked for crumble? Why is He always so unfair with us? Why can’t we just have a normal life and peaceful life without pain for once?” My voice cracked, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. I wouldn’t cry. Not now. I’d done enough of that when I first woke up in this bed.
Since I was ten, my life had been one long, uphill battle. When Mummy got sick, everything changed. I gave up school. I cleaned, cooked, took care of her, and in between all that, I clung to my dance. Kathak was the only place where I could be free, where I didn’t feel like a caretaker or a broken child.
I gave it everything.
And now even that was gone.
“The doctors said with the right therapy…” Papa began.
“They also said I can’t dance anymore,” I cut him off, voice rising. “Not like before. They said my legs won’t be able to handle the force of Kathak. What kind of life is that for me, Papa? Don’t you see? I’ve lost everything.”
He went quiet, and I looked away again. He didn’t understand. No one did.
But I did. I understood the depth of this loss, and I knew the only thing that would help me sleep at night was revenge.
The Rathores took my dream. And I was going to take something from them in return.
I’d heard about Aryan Rathore’s upcoming wedding to his long-time girlfriend. A perfect love story about to unfold until I ruined it. His father, Lieutenant General Vijay Rathore, came to my hospital room, hat in hand, pleading with me to drop the charges. Instead, I named my price - his son.
Let the world think what it wanted. I smirked at the thought of Aryan’s livid face when he heard the deal. So much power, so much honor and yet completely powerless in front of a middle-class girl like me.
Aryan Rathore, you wrecked my life, and now I’ll destroy yours. You’ll be shackled to a wife you never chose. I’ll turn you against your father, make him regret the day he let you behind the wheel. I’ll tarnish that shiny reputation of yours until the world sees the monster you really are.
His father told me about his upcoming promotion. He was supposed to become a major soon. A national hero, they said. But to me, he’d always be the villain.
And I would never, ever forgive him.
“You can’t just force him to marry you, Avi,” Papa interrupted my thoughts, his voice taut with worry. “There’s no comparison between our families. You’ve seen where we live. You must have seen their villa, miles out of the city, covered in glass and marble. They’re not like us.”
“I know exactly who they are,” I replied coldly.
“I’ve known Marshal Vijay Rathore and Aryan. They’re good men. Brave souls. They’ve given so much for this country. It was an accident, sweetheart. Aryan didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Seriously, Papa?” I said, feeling my blood boil. “You’ve seen the condition of my legs.”
“The doctors…”
“They said I’ll recover, yes,” I interrupted. “But they also said I’ll never dance again. Do you even understand what that means to me? Kathak was my identity.”
“I do understand,” he whispered. “That’s why it hurts me to see you throwing your life away like this… dragging someone else down with you.”
I turned my face away, tears stinging the corners of my eyes. “This is exactly what I want.”
Because if I couldn’t have my dream, then Aryan Rathore couldn’t have his either.
_____
So it was actually a nightmare I had convinced myself was a dream. And yet, here I was on my wedding day and getting ready as my best friends, Noor and Kavya, fluttered around me like two excited butterflies in a storm I was too numb to feel.
“You’re seriously getting married, girl?” Noor asked, raising an eyebrow at me in disbelief. She held the maang tikka delicately between her fingers, her brows furrowed in concern.
I gave her a hollow smile. “Apparently, yes.”
“Oh my God!” Kavya shrieked, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. “You’re getting married to an army officer?” Her eyes lit up with more excitement than I had felt in weeks. “That’s insane! He must be insanely handsome. I mean—army guys, Avi! They’re like… disciplined, muscular, hot, sexy, and built like Greek gods. Do you know how crazy talented they are? I always dreamed I’d marry an army officer someday, but nope. My dad decided an engineer with oily hair and a paunch is what I deserve.” She paused dramatically, then added, “And you know, army guys are like… so horny.”
“No shame, right?” Noor snapped, glaring at her while she adjusted the maang tikka on my forehead. “Can you shut up for one minute without being ridiculous?”
Kavya pouted but helped me with my jewelry, her fingers soft but efficient. She slipped the bangles onto my wrists, adjusted the anklets on my feet, clipped the nose ring, and finally clasped the necklace around my neck.
Noor worked in rhythm beside her as she was pinning up my hair into a neat bun and weaving fresh red roses through it. The fragrance clung to me like a memory. My mother’s favorite.
They began applying makeup in silence—foundation, kajal, a light shimmer. I didn’t resist. I didn’t speak.
“Avi,” Noor said gently, shaking my shoulder, pulling me back into the present. “Say something, please. You still have time. If you want to stop this, we can. I mean it. We can walk out right now, and I’ll help you do it.”
I looked into her eyes that were deep brown, full of worry and loyalty and I wished I could cry. But I couldn’t. Not anymore.
Suddenly, Kavya gasped like she'd discovered a national secret. “OH MY GOD! He is Aryan?” She held up her phone with a photo displayed. “This is him, right? This is your groom?”
I glanced at the screen. Aryan’s formal army photograph stared back at me—tall, broad-shouldered, sharp-jawed, and dangerously charming with a smirk that made the air feel warmer.
“He is so dashing,” Kavya breathed. “I mean, look at his arms! I swear those could crush watermelons. He must be like 6’2 or something. And that smile… Avi, forget marrying him, I’d settle for one night with him.”
“Kavya!” Noor and I said in unison, both shooting daggers at her.
Kavya looked sheepish for a second. “Okay, okay, I get it. I forgot, he’s that Aryan. The one who… you know…”
“The one who hit me and destroyed my career,” I said bitterly, my voice coated in venom. “Don’t forget that part.”
“He also took you to the hospital, didn’t he?” Kavya said quietly, avoiding my gaze. “I’m sorry, Avi. I just got carried away admiring his… uniform.”
“He didn’t care. You should’ve seen his face, Kavya. He looked at me like I was some inconvenience, like I was a mess he couldn’t wait to be done with. No guilt. No empathy. Just cold arrogance. And you think that man deserves admiration?”
Kavya remained silent.
“He is the devil in human form,” I hissed. “And after tonight, he’ll know what it’s like to have his life turned upside down. He may not want my sympathy now but after this marriage, he’ll beg for it.”
Before they could respond, Papa knocked and peeked in. His eyes immediately widened when he saw me, dressed in my mother’s old wedding saree. It was golden silk with faded crimson embroidery that shimmered under the light.
“You… you look just beautiful, beti,” he whispered, his voice catching. He walked in slowly, his eyes glossed with tears. “Your mother will be so proud to see you like this.”
I couldn’t look at him too long. My chest was already too tight.
Noor gently wheeled my chair out of the room and into my mother’s. Mummy lay on the bed, her skin pale and paper-thin, but her eyes lit up when she saw me.
“Avi…” she murmured, struggling to lift her head. “My beautiful girl. Look at you… you look like a dream.” Her lips trembled with emotion. “I wish I could stand beside you, hold your hand through this. But my body…” Her voice trailed off into a whisper.
“I know, Maa,” I said, touching her fingers gently. “You’re with me at every step.”
Just then, Aarav burst in like a little storm. “Di! They’re here! The groom’s car just arrived!”
“Take the boxes of sweets, Aarav. Make sure nothing’s left behind,” Papa instructed.
“Yes, Papa!” Aarav saluted and dashed off like he was on a secret mission.
I didn’t know how Papa managed to pull off everything in less than twenty-four hours but somehow, he did. The rituals, the food, the sweets, the clothes, the priest. He arranged a full wedding ceremony like he was performing a miracle.
A few minutes later, Mr. Rathore walked in, regal in a dark sherwani. His presence filled the room, quiet and commanding.
“You look just beautiful, beta,” he said, placing a gentle hand on my head. His voice was calm, almost fatherly, and for a second, my resentment melted just a bit.
“Are you ready?” he asked softly.
I nodded, breath trembling.
Noor and Kavya helped wheel me outside. The air was heavy with marigolds and smoke from incense. The driver opened the door but before I could lift myself in, he stepped forward and carried me in his arms.
It was mortifying.
I clenched my teeth, looking away, my cheeks flaming.
“Even their drivers are handsome,” Kavya whispered, clearly impressed.
The man arched his brow. “Who the hell told you I’m a driver?”
Kavya blinked. “Uh… you’re not?”
“I’m the groom’s cousin,” he muttered.
“Oh.” She cleared her throat. “Oops. Sorry.”
Noor burst into laughter, and I rolled my eyes.
“You’re also in the army?” Kavya asked with wide eyes.
“Nope. I’m in the Air Force,” he replied coolly. “Wing Commander Saurav.”
“Saurav, shut up!” Mr. Rathore barked from behind, clearly irritated.
But Kavya was on a roll. “That’s awesome. I’ve always dreamt of fainting dramatically into the arms of an officer. Maybe you could help me fulfill that fantasy?”
Saurav gave her a side glance. “Not interested. I have a girlfriend.”
“Obviously,” Kavya muttered, crossing her arms. “All the good ones are taken.”
I stayed quiet, watching the gates open as the car began to move.
The wedding was happening. My life was changing. And I didn’t know whether I was walking toward revenge… or another form of ruin.
_____
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