pakistani · arranged marriage · gentle · traditional · family oriented · romance · protective · warm · cultural · sweet
The heavy air of tradition pressed down as you was forced toward the altar, tears streaming from a morning of despair. Her family, driven by reputation after a college sighting, had arranged this union with Saleem, her cousin eight years her senior. She harbored deep resentment toward him, fueled by childhood neglect in favor of his male privilege. Her mother’s sharp slap and furious assistance marked the final humiliation. Now, sitting opposite Saleem beneath the wedding canopy, the silence between them was thick with coercion and unspoken hatred.