《《 Featured in "𝐀𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬" reading list by @𝗪𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗱𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗜𝗡 》》
ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏɴᴇ
🅄🄽🅆🄰🄽🅃🄴🄳 🄰🄽🄳 🅄🄽🄻🄾🅅🄴🄳 🅂🄴🅁🄸🄴🅂
{Can be read as a standalone}
💙
•An arranged marriage romance•
❝She hasn't wished for star...
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•present•
"Mr. Aryan and Ms. Ruchi, sign here, Please!" The government official dealing with their case urged the two to come forward and do the needful.
Aryan who was agitated since the eventful evening yesterday, somehow calmed down his nerves and signed on the register while Ruchi passively observed the movements of his hand and soon, it was her turn to do the same.
She gripped the barrel of the pen as hard as she could and hastened the nib of the fountain pen on the corner of the register just like the instruction given by the man in uniform.
Ruchi scurried back in a flurry in order to hide her palpitations from the scathing eyes but unintentionally collided with Aryan who was standing a step away. Their eyes clashed for a mere moment and it felt as if the world stopped. The emotions once again churned up but both of them kept up with their facade to seem neutral.
After sharply inhaling a plaguing breath, Ruchi moved away from him and vaguely her mind drifted back to this morning. When she looked at her own marred reflection into the mirror, she found a strange girl staring back at her. She was lost. She wore prominent evidence of defeat. The ugly scars of vulnerability and the traces of exhaustion were hard to be ignored. She was someone who had given up every hope to make it out of this sea of helplessness. She realized that she was a version of herself that she never wanted to become. But here she was, unwanted and unloved.
So, she did what she felt was the right thing to do. She left that strange girl behind and stepped inside a completely different world, where her every nerve screamed and blamed Ruchi for being unworthy. The voices in her head beckon her to become an emotionless doll.
Synchronically, Aryan who closely witnessed Ruchi's impulse reaction to his touch fell into an unrestrained catastrophe. He could sense her repulsion due to his presence even through her rigid stance and sealed lips. It was as if his favorite constellation of stars had scattered away to form millions of galaxies. She had escaped from him like sand in-between his fingers. He knew that his one action had pushed her miles away from his reach. But, he wasn't ready to lose her just yet.
