When You LOVED Me...

4.

She hadn't need to explain. The situation was itself explanatory. If they expect her to formulate the escape plan for a bride in just two days of her arrival, they were being delusional.

"Mia, I had to say something more." This caught her attention and she noticed that he took the permission of her Mom before proceeding,"Mia you know child I am deeply sorry that we don't share the deep bonds of family, but I had always considered you as my second daughter and now only you can save us from the humiliation that Sophia has caused. Please don't say no." She stared at her Uncle as he had grown two heads. Her eyes widened, even her slow mind can comprehend what he is implying. But one thought struck her hard. They possibly couldn't came up with this idea on their own. Her mother suggested this.

"Y-You couldn't possibly-" she stuttered her words before swallowing hard. She glanced at her mother and she found no remorse in her eyes for landing her in this circumstances.

"Yes, He was implying that, Would you agree to marry my son as your sister's substitute bride?" Mr. Keshav put the question in such a manner that her head hung on low own his own.

Substitute bride? No!

"No," she firmly said her answer penetrating Mr. Rathore's eyes. Damn them for thinking such absurd thing.

"See, I told you Nathan. No one would agree to save your pride when your own daughter had step on it.You don't know how to keep the women of your family in control. I don't care about your reputation but I sure care about mine. If you couldn't able to manage this scandal, you had hell coming on your way," Mr. Keshav spat aggressively on Uncle Nathan then shot me a glance of furry and stomp out the door. Mrs Meera followed soon after giving me a apologetic glance.

A thick silence bathed the room.

"Mia beta," Aunt Mandira sobbed a while after. Mia sat there numbly they were thinking of-, No! no one would force her, right? She didn't want to marry a person she knew nothing about as a Substitute.

"We would not force you to accept this proposal but we want you to think logically, it will save our family's name and reputation. But the last decision was yours. We don't want to repeat our mistake." Her aunt said so sweetly that her ears started to hurt. Why she had to take responsibility for what their daughter had done? And they were remembering family after what they had did to them.

She didn't answer. She didn't want to.

After few tensed minutes she was left alone with her mother. She curled herself into a ball and put her head on her knees to save herself from the unknown storm which she was sure going to come.

"Think about it, Mia," her mother said in a bussiness like tone and something inside her snapped.

"Mom," her voice raised to another level and she stood up seething the hurt that she felt."How could you possibly suggest this. Out of all the people in the world, y-you, you were telling me this. Mom you say yourself na that marriage was not some joke. So, why can't you see that this whole fiasco was nothing but a joke on my life." She cheeks felt hot due to anger and her heartbeat increased running thousands miles per millisecond. But her outburst didn't faze her Mom.

"Yes, I am suggesting this and I know what marriage being like. I didn't need to learn that from you. I sacrificed my life for you and see what I am getting in return. You were such a great daughter Mia." She said and tear drops started to fall from her eyes.

Mia stood there bewildered. She had never been a nice daughter. But she wanted to, she tried, she tried her best. But just not this.

She moved near her mother and sat in front of her. She held her mother's hands in hers and squeezed tightly.

"Mom, I know why were you doing this. But was being the part of the Khurana family important than my life. We don't need acceptance from them, Maa. We were happy being ourselves. We were happy in our little paradise," She said in a low voice remembering their days of struggle when they were left alone to fend for themselves. Her mother was always there to support her children but she was always disheartened by the fact that they were no more a part of the family.

"Yes, it is important. Maybe you were happy but I was not. And what paradise you were talking about. How much time you spent there huh? You were always busy, school, college, job. I know what it felt like. Yes it is important to me that I make sure we would become unbreakable part of Khuranas. If you consider yourself my daughter then you would accept the proposal. Otherwise don't ever call me Mom again." Her mother said and snatched her hands from her. She gave her one last look that she couldn't comprehend.

It looks like that Mia had given a choice. But she know better than that.

*****