I was sitting in the car with the man I had just married and I knew nothing about him. Hell I didn't even know I was marrying him a few days back. I stared at him, observing him. He was just sitting, staring straight ahead, he looked like he was in some deep thought. Maybe remembering his first wedding with the wife he loved, and how he took her to his house the same way he was taking me but willingly and lovingly.

He didn't speak a word to me during the whole wedding, the only time he spoke was when I had to leave my parents and go with him. I was crying my eyes out as I didn't want to leave my parents and sisters, he came to me and said in a soft voice " we have to go now" and I had no option but to leave my parents. 

I started remembering the day this all started

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FLASHBACK

it was just before my wedding activities when I got the news that my fiance's brother's wife had passed away due to cancer. I had met her quite a few times and we were becoming good friends and I was really sad to hear about her death. I never knew she had cancer, she hid it so well and I felt bad for her tiny daughter who would now grow up without a mother.

Me and Rohan were engaged and were about to get married in a few days. Ours was not a love marriage but an arranged one, our parents knew each other well and apparently when we were born itself, they had decided to get us married. Rohan and I were of the same age but we had never met before. He grew up in the UK whereas I in India. He had an elder brother who was just 3 years elder than us but he looked so mature for his age.

I never spoke to him much. in fact I only spoke to him once and I got the feeling he didn't like me. His wife was the complete opposite, I was glad I was getting such a fun and jovial sister in law. and their daughter was so cute. I would play with her daughter so many times, she would never let me go. She was around 10 months and she was a cutie. 

Me and rohan were not in love, we were still in the friends stage but we would go to that stage soon. We had a lot of similar habits and common things and I enjoyed spending time with him. But fate had a twist, I just couldn't be happy for once in my life.

A few days after her death, Rohan's parents came to meet my parents and they had a long discussion. I didn't know what it was, but I was quite worried. Everyone looked so worried and I didn't know what to do and was waiting in my room for them.

I don't know when I slept off  but by the time I woke up, it was already 7 in the evening. I went out to see what was happening and saw my parents sitting in the living room worried.

"kya hua? itna pareshan kyu"

(what happened? why so worried?)

"beta, we need to talk to you about something important. come sit here with us."

"what happened maa? is everything alright?"

"no beta, so you know rohan's sister in law recently passed away right?"

"yes, i feel so bad for her daughter" i said thinking about that innocent baby

"so yesterday, their lawyer came and gave her will and in her will she wrote her dying wish"

i sat quietly, waiting for my mom to finish

"her last wish was to find a woman who could be a good mother to arohi and a good wife to rahul"

"haan, thike na phir, we'll find someone"

"no beta, she wants you to marry Rahul"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Someone was shaking my shoulder to wake me up. I opened my eyes to realize the car had stopped moving and we had reached a house. the house looked beautiful from outside with 2 floors and giving an antique vibe.

Rahul had already gotten down and the driver had opened my door for me to get down. I collected my heavy lehenga and with great difficulty got down.

The house in front of me was huge and was decorated with lights and flowers. 

This was Rahul's parents house and I saw a bunch of people waiting outside to welcome us.

As we walked in I spotted his mom and sister first holding a thali (plate) in their hands and they were surrounded by some other women.

As soon as I got close his sister came and hugged me and said "welcome to the family bhabhi" with a warm smile on her face.

I gave her a smile back and than her mom came and hugged me, "ghar mai lakshmi ayi hai (Goddess Laxmi has come to our house)

This almost brought tears to my eyes and than my mother in law did aarti for us and we had some rituals than.

Rahul seemed to be getting angry and I didn't blame him, he had already done this with her, why would he be happy doing all this with me.

We quickly finished all our rituals as it looked like aunty also knew Rahul's mood was turning and she sent us to our room.

My suitcase was already there and I couldn't wait to get out of this lehenga and jewellery. I was so exhausted that I knew if I sat on the bed, I would fall asleep immediately.

The room was spacious and big and very comfortable, it looked like a guest room maybe, I went to the washroom to change and by the time I came back, I saw Rahul was already laying on the bed in his night clothes and was resting.

I didn't know what to say and I got very awkward, he didn't speak to me about anything but made one thing clear to me

FLASHBACK

Rahul told me to meet him today for lunch and I wondered what he had to say, he hadn't contacted me till now

I only didn't know what I was doing n life and it was all so messed up.

I saw him come up to me and i smiled at him nervously, he just sat down and was waiting for me to sit down.

"Why did you agree to this?" he asked me

no hello, hi nothing, no formalities, straight to the question

"For arohi" i replied with the most sincerest tone

"What about you and rohan?"

"None of your business, I said" forgetting he's his brother

"He's my brother"

"Than you can ask him itslef"

"well, I'll be marrying you right, not my brother"

"We were just friends and it might have been something more given it some time, but we agreed to end it where it was" I said with a sigh

"I can't give anything to you, I can't be anything to you, I'm also marrying you only for Arohi, so don't expect anything from me"

"Don't worry, I won't, I'm also doing this for that small baby, it's not like I'm in love with you or something"

he looked very annoyed now

"You can do what you want but just don't interfere in my life unless it's related to arohi and I also won't  bother you, you can be like her nanny"

i felt really hurt at that, "if you wanted a nanny you can just hire one. I'm only doing this cause it was your wife's dying wish and I know how to respect that" I said angrily

"okay okay I shouldn't have said that, but please don't expect anything from me"

"I won't"

I didn't know what to do, he was already sleeping one side of the bed. I took the other pillow and went to sleep on the couch. Arohi was with his parents for today and I would get to meet her tomorrow. I can't believe I agreed to this for that cute little girl who had stolen my heart already.

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