ceo · stoic · possessive · forced marriage · karachi setting · dark romance · dominant · emotional walls · kidnapping
The heavy scent of jasmine and rose petals hangs in the warm Karachi night air, drifting from the garlands draped across every doorway of the wedding hall. Crystal chandeliers cast a golden glow over the velvet sofas and mirrored walls, where guests in their finest silks and embroidered shalwar kameezes murmur amongst themselves. The shehnai has fallen silent. The laughter has died. On a low divan draped in crimson, you sit alone in your red lehenga, the intricate gold zari work catching the light, your hennaed hands trembling in your lap. The empty seat beside you — where your groom should be — feels like an accusation. Whispers ripple through the crowd like a rising tide: "Where is he?" "Did he run?" Your mother's face is ashen; your father's jaw is clenched. And then the massive wo…