Talab - Chapter 19: Chapter 19
You are reading Talab, Chapter 19: Chapter 19. Read more chapters of Talab.
Raj Mansion
"Dad, how can you ask me to marry a complete stranger? Please don't ruin my life. I have dreams—goals I want to achieve."
Arohi's voice trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks. She pleaded with her parents, but her words fell on deaf ears.
No one in the house ever really wanted her. She had grown up feeling like an outsider in her own family. Now, being forced into a marriage with a man she hadn't even seen—whose name she didn't even know—was just another way of being discarded. All Arohi had ever truly wanted was love. Care. Belonging.
Devi, her mother, grabbed her jaw harshly and spat, "It wasn't enough that we allowed you to become a useless author. You bring bad luck! I curse the day you were born. You will marry him. That's final. And if you even dare to say no... you know the consequences."
She shoved Arohi back, then stormed out of the room, leaving her daughter trembling and helpless.
Arohi's thoughts raced back to one of the most painful memories of her life—her first period. Scared and confused, she had clung to her mother and slept in her parents' room. The next morning, when bloodstains appeared on the bed, her mother, enraged over a ruined bedsheet, beat her with a belt. Even now, faint scars remained on her back.
After reliving the horror of her childhood, Arohi finally gave in.
She agreed to the marriage.
⸻
Phone Call with the Elliots
"Hello, Mr. Elliot. We're happy our children will be marrying. We just have one small request—could we please have an Indian wedding?" Raj's tone was honeyed.
But Mr. Elliot was not one for sweet talk.
"Listen, Mr. Raj. We don't have time for your Bollywood dreams. It'll be a simple Christian wedding. You'll receive the flight tickets by this evening."
Click.
⸻
That Evening – Raj Mansion
Tickets arrived for a flight scheduled for the next day. The family began packing. Arohi, numbed by fear and exhaustion, wrote in her diary:
Dear Diary,
I'm getting married to a stranger. I don't even know his name, or how he looks. I'm being sold—like a slave.
I just hope... this hell leads me to something better.
—Arohi
⸻
Next Day – Departure
"Everything is kept inside the car, Raj ji?" Devi asked.
"Yes," he replied.
Devi turned sharply to Arohi.
"And you—listen to me carefully, you useless girl. Behave. Don't you dare use your crocodile tears to gain sympathy there. Am I clear?"
Arohi nodded, "J-ji..."
⸻
Paris – Wedding Day
After arriving in France in the early morning hours, the Elliots' driver dropped them off at a hotel. Hours later, the makeup artist arrived to prepare Arohi.
Her lehenga-inspired wedding gown was beautiful but exposed more than she was comfortable with. A bold red lip, nude-toned eyes, open curls, and glittering heels completed her look.
⸻
John's Side
Alex was teasing relentlessly.
"So Mr. V-card, you ready to lose your V tonight?" he said with a wink.
"Shut up, Alex," John growled. "You know the situation. I don't even know how she looks. She's just 18. And girls like her... they only want luxury. Don't expect me to fall for her. It's just a trophy marriage."
Before he could finish his harsh words, a knock interrupted him.
"It's time, sir," came a voice from outside the room.
Alex, sobering a little, said, "Before you treat her like trash, at least ask her if she wanted this. Maybe she was forced too."
John said nothing.
⸻
The Wedding
Arohi's heart pounded as her father walked her down the aisle. She kept her head down, unable to meet the stranger's eyes.
John's POV:
When I saw her, my breath caught. Her veil fluttered gently, her lips—painted a soft red—were trembling. Her body was graceful, neither too slim nor too curvy, just... perfect. And those eyes, hidden but heavy. She looked like an angel.
He offered his hand. Her fingers were trembling as they met his.
The priest began the ceremony.
He slid the ring onto her finger gently.
She froze, prompting her mother to hiss, "What are you waiting for? Slide the damn ring!"
With shaky hands, she did.
⸻
Arohi's POV:
Everything felt like one of my stories. He looked like a prince in his suit... but also so distant. Yet, when he held my hand, it felt safe—something I had never known.
When the priest said, "You may kiss the bride," my world stopped. I shut my eyes tight, afraid.
But he didn't kiss her lips.
Instead, he gently lifted the veil and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
⸻
John's POV:
She closed her eyes so tightly, like a scared child. I couldn't do it. Her forehead... it deserved a kiss more than anything. I saw purity, not deceit. And even if her mother screamed greed, she didn't. Not her.
⸻
Author's POV:
After brunch, it was time to leave for John's home. Arohi, surprisingly, cried while leaving her parents—even if they had never treated her kindly.
John's mother and father greeted her warmly, asking her to call them "Mom" and "Dad." For the first time, she felt included.
John, from a distance, observed her silently.
But in his mind, a war was raging.
Is she acting? Or is this girl truly innocent?
"Dad, how can you ask me to marry a complete stranger? Please don't ruin my life. I have dreams—goals I want to achieve."
Arohi's voice trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks. She pleaded with her parents, but her words fell on deaf ears.
No one in the house ever really wanted her. She had grown up feeling like an outsider in her own family. Now, being forced into a marriage with a man she hadn't even seen—whose name she didn't even know—was just another way of being discarded. All Arohi had ever truly wanted was love. Care. Belonging.
Devi, her mother, grabbed her jaw harshly and spat, "It wasn't enough that we allowed you to become a useless author. You bring bad luck! I curse the day you were born. You will marry him. That's final. And if you even dare to say no... you know the consequences."
She shoved Arohi back, then stormed out of the room, leaving her daughter trembling and helpless.
Arohi's thoughts raced back to one of the most painful memories of her life—her first period. Scared and confused, she had clung to her mother and slept in her parents' room. The next morning, when bloodstains appeared on the bed, her mother, enraged over a ruined bedsheet, beat her with a belt. Even now, faint scars remained on her back.
After reliving the horror of her childhood, Arohi finally gave in.
She agreed to the marriage.
⸻
Phone Call with the Elliots
"Hello, Mr. Elliot. We're happy our children will be marrying. We just have one small request—could we please have an Indian wedding?" Raj's tone was honeyed.
But Mr. Elliot was not one for sweet talk.
"Listen, Mr. Raj. We don't have time for your Bollywood dreams. It'll be a simple Christian wedding. You'll receive the flight tickets by this evening."
Click.
⸻
That Evening – Raj Mansion
Tickets arrived for a flight scheduled for the next day. The family began packing. Arohi, numbed by fear and exhaustion, wrote in her diary:
Dear Diary,
I'm getting married to a stranger. I don't even know his name, or how he looks. I'm being sold—like a slave.
I just hope... this hell leads me to something better.
—Arohi
⸻
Next Day – Departure
"Everything is kept inside the car, Raj ji?" Devi asked.
"Yes," he replied.
Devi turned sharply to Arohi.
"And you—listen to me carefully, you useless girl. Behave. Don't you dare use your crocodile tears to gain sympathy there. Am I clear?"
Arohi nodded, "J-ji..."
⸻
Paris – Wedding Day
After arriving in France in the early morning hours, the Elliots' driver dropped them off at a hotel. Hours later, the makeup artist arrived to prepare Arohi.
Her lehenga-inspired wedding gown was beautiful but exposed more than she was comfortable with. A bold red lip, nude-toned eyes, open curls, and glittering heels completed her look.
⸻
John's Side
Alex was teasing relentlessly.
"So Mr. V-card, you ready to lose your V tonight?" he said with a wink.
"Shut up, Alex," John growled. "You know the situation. I don't even know how she looks. She's just 18. And girls like her... they only want luxury. Don't expect me to fall for her. It's just a trophy marriage."
Before he could finish his harsh words, a knock interrupted him.
"It's time, sir," came a voice from outside the room.
Alex, sobering a little, said, "Before you treat her like trash, at least ask her if she wanted this. Maybe she was forced too."
John said nothing.
⸻
The Wedding
Arohi's heart pounded as her father walked her down the aisle. She kept her head down, unable to meet the stranger's eyes.
John's POV:
When I saw her, my breath caught. Her veil fluttered gently, her lips—painted a soft red—were trembling. Her body was graceful, neither too slim nor too curvy, just... perfect. And those eyes, hidden but heavy. She looked like an angel.
He offered his hand. Her fingers were trembling as they met his.
The priest began the ceremony.
He slid the ring onto her finger gently.
She froze, prompting her mother to hiss, "What are you waiting for? Slide the damn ring!"
With shaky hands, she did.
⸻
Arohi's POV:
Everything felt like one of my stories. He looked like a prince in his suit... but also so distant. Yet, when he held my hand, it felt safe—something I had never known.
When the priest said, "You may kiss the bride," my world stopped. I shut my eyes tight, afraid.
But he didn't kiss her lips.
Instead, he gently lifted the veil and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
⸻
John's POV:
She closed her eyes so tightly, like a scared child. I couldn't do it. Her forehead... it deserved a kiss more than anything. I saw purity, not deceit. And even if her mother screamed greed, she didn't. Not her.
⸻
Author's POV:
After brunch, it was time to leave for John's home. Arohi, surprisingly, cried while leaving her parents—even if they had never treated her kindly.
John's mother and father greeted her warmly, asking her to call them "Mom" and "Dad." For the first time, she felt included.
John, from a distance, observed her silently.
But in his mind, a war was raging.
Is she acting? Or is this girl truly innocent?
End of Talab Chapter 19. Continue reading Chapter 20 or return to Talab book page.