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Swara's POV-

I don't know what the fu*ck was happening. I was doing what the panditji was instructing. Everything was hazy and I could hear people murmuring about the bride swap and I being too young to get married and honestly, I totally agreed with them.

" Now both of you stand for the pheres." Panditji said.

Mumma helped me getting up and I started walking around the pious fire.

The panditji started talking about the significance of the ceremony. Ah! As if any of these will be followed in this so called marriage!

" The first phera of 7 Pheras implies Nourishment. The groom promises to take care of the welfare of his wife and their future children and satisfy the basic needs of food, shelter and money. While the bride, also agrees to partake this responsibility with her husband." He said as we completed the first round.

" The second phera of 7 Pheras talks about the strength. They ask the almighty to give them the strength to love each other through all the thick and thin. They pledge to support each other and face all the mental, physical and emotional turbulence in life with courage." He chanted as we completed the second round.

" In the third phera of 7 Pheras, the couple seeks wealth and prosperity in their married life. They aspire to make life better for them as well as their progeny materialistically as well as spiritually. The bride and the groom also agree to devote themselves to each other and remain faithful and loyal." He said with the completion of third round.

" The fourth phera is about strengthening and fortifying the bond with the family. It also talks about giving unconditional love and respect to each other. The groom acknowledges the bride for making his life complete and fulfilling. In return, the bride promises to love him and be with him forever." Respect? He is going to hate me and my family because of what Kritika didi did with them. Just at the thought of her made me tearful.

How could she do that to us, to him? Now I am getting married to his to be husband while she will live her dream life in Chicago. Kudos di.

" Now the bride will take the lead and the groom will follow." Panditji interrupted my thoughts and I was made to step ahead of ji.....Aditya.

" In their journey of togetherness, the couple seeks the divine blessings for noble, healthy and happy progeny. They take vows to be responsible parents and nurture them in the best possible way. They also decide to not only be life partners but also friends to each other. In the first four pheras of 7 Pheras, the groom always takes the lead while in the last three pheras of 7 Pheras the bride takes the lead. It implies that she can lead if circumstances dictate so." Someone please stop him from talking!

I started the sixth round.

" The sixth phera is about bride and the groom wishing for a healthy and abundant life together. They desire to lead a life which is free from diseases and mental ailments so that they can enjoy the joys and pleasures of life. The ultimate goal is to lead a balanced life with their family, children and each other." He gave us his free knowledge.

O uncle! What will you take to just stop with your information. I said mentally and rolled my eyes.

" The last step binds the bride and the groom forever and makes them companions for a lifetime. They promise to strive for maturity and wisdom so that they can lead a life of mutual understanding, trust and peace. The pray that their love and friendship remain strong and they remain inseparable for life." Finally done!

Mumma helped me in sitting back.

" Now tie the sacred thread (mangalsutra) around the bride's neck." He said.

So he did and the mangalsutra which was meant for my sister lied on my neck.

" Take the vermillion (sindoor) and fill the bride's maang ( hair partition)" He said again.

Ji...shit! Aditya took a pinch of it between his thumb and index finger and I clutched my dupatta and closed my eyes.

Someone lifted my maantika and he filled it with vermillion.

" Hereon, you are husband and wife. May god bless you." Pandit...JI said and I opened my eyes in frustration.

Funny how people close their eyes in frustration and I am opening them!

" Shut up Swara. You have signed your freedom and love away and you are finding this situation humerous!" I mutter scolded myself.

Soon the kanyadan was done and it was time for vidaai.....WHAT? I'll have to leave my house and live in someone else's house!??

No no no....this is not I had planned my shifting back to Mumbai!

" Please god....please please please transport me a year back. I can take all the boards stress over and over again but this...? This is too much to digest!

I pinched myself to wake up from this ridiculous dream but nothing seemed to be working for me.

" Ouch!" I screamed because I had pinched myself hard.

" What happened Shona?" Mumma asked, concerned.

" Nothing." I replied and looked away from everyone.

Right now, everyone was my enemy.

I was made to throw rice backwards. Such stupid tradition, wasting food!

" God bless you Shona." Mumma said as I hugged her and broke down.

" I don't wanna go mumma. I don't know what to do!" I cried yelled.

" I trust my Shona. You'll be fine. You are a fighter." She said.

Then I went on to hug papa and grandpa and then came Aryan.

" S, I know this has been unfair on your part but listen, I'll always be there for you. Just remember, I'm a call away and yes, you are a fighter so don't lose heart and never tolerate disrespect." He muttered as I hugged him.

" Promise that we are going to the same college?" I asked, forwarding my pinky.

" Pinky promise. Now don't cry." He said and I wiped my tears.

I was made to sit in the car and next to me was my supposed husband.

Throughout the ride, I couldn't stop crying.

" We are here." Aunty said and after some rituals I was directed to a bedroom.

Everyone except for Karan was very rude to me, specially the grandparents.

" This girl's family has tarnished our reputation. I don't know how they have been brought up." She said.

I really wanted to talk back but I knew it was Kritika didi's fault and I would have to hear these taunts lifelong.

Why did you do this di? Why?

The room I was taken to was decorated with flowers.

" What the hell." I shouted.

Thank god no one heard me or so I thought.

" Swara?" I heard Karan.

" I am so sorry." I said, breaking down.

" It's okay. It's not your fault. Relax and just take it easy on grandma's taunts for now. She is hurt." He said.

" Can you do me a favor?" I asked him, timidly.

" Of course. Anything." He said.

" Please get this room cleared. It feels wrong." I confessed.

He nodded and left the room and in two minutes, the house help came and took all the flowers and decorations from there.

Then HE entered the room. Thank god everything was clean.

We did not exchange a word and he directly went to the washroom to I guess, freshen up.

I had no clothes with me, I was very tired and very hungry.

It was already 7 in the morning so I decided to call Aryan to get my clothes and other stuff from home.

" Hello Aryan, please go home and get my clothes and other stuff for me. I am literally sitting in the uncomfortable dress." I said.

By this time, I had pulled walls around myself so that no one could see what was happening with me.

" Okay, I'll be there soon. Just send me your location." He said and I obliged after hanging up.

The only person in whom I could seek comfort was him.

As promised, he was here in half an hour and I went outside the house to him.

" Thank you so much Aryan. Now go home and rest. You look like you can do with some rest." I joked.

" Stop S. I know what you are doing. Stop trying to push me away and talk to me. Avoiding it will only add up to your misery." He said.

" What are you talking about Aryan? See, do I look miserable? I am fine. I got married.....so what? Everybody does. It's normal. Now you go. I'll call you later and miss me." I said as I took my bag from him and started walking inside with tears in my eyes.

Fuck these tears!!

As I walked inside, breakfast was going on but nobody asked me to join so I shut my mouth and walked back to the room.

I took a nice, long bath and then got ready and reached downstairs.

" Your breakfast is kept on the table. Have it if you want to." Aunty said and walked away. Everyone was done.

Her taunt made me loose my appetite and I asked the maid to keep the food back.

" Look at this shameless girl...the first day of her marriage and she is wearing unappropriate clothes. Did your mother not teach you how to dress up when married?" Grandma shouted at me.

I was wearing my jeans and a proper T-shirt. I only had traditional clothes for weddings and all, not for home.

" With all due respect ma'am, please keep this insult to me. You don't have to drag my parents in this argument." I said as politely as possible.

" See...this girl back answers too. No manners at all." She shouted back at me.

I clothes my eyes to calm myself down.

Such a principal material.

" That's called defending my family. I am sure if you were at my place, you'd do the exact same this. I know that my sister has betrayed you all, hell she has betrayed us too but that does not mean that my parents were involved in it. We were just as clueless as you were at that time. I am sorry if I am coming off rude or disrespectful but I am not going to hear to the low blows you all will throw at me without saying a word. I will have answers to all your questions." I said, suddenly angry.

" Fine then....answer this question. Why did your sister run away. It wasn't like I would have stopped her from achieving her dreams?" My so called husband of a day questioned me.

And yes, I truly had no answer to that.

" No answer I suppose. So from now on you better watch your tone while you talk to your elders." He said with such venom in his voice that I unknowingly shivered.

Unable to take all those hatred filled words, I ran out of the house. Make no mistake, I will fight back, but not now. Not when I can't think clearly, not when I am suffocating, not when I'm lost and most of all, not when I don't know what to do.

Just wanting to open up to someone, I called Aryan again.

" Hello." He said.

" Aryan, please come here. I am suffocating, I don't know what to do or whom to talk to or whom to ask for help or how to deal with this whole situation. I can't do this, I am panicking. This is all very impossible for me. Please come here, please I need you right now and I really need to get out of here." I cried, venting it out all.

By now, my head had started throbbing insanely and instantly knew that it was migraine.

" Also, get some tablets for migraine. I really would need them." I said and hung up.

" Swara, come inside. There are some rituals remaining. You need to do them." Aunty said, coming to me.

Shit.

I nodded and walked inside after texting Aryan to come after 2 hours.

I could manage the rituals but the migraine was getting out of control and I could not tell anybody about it simply because no one cared.

Karan had his flight a while back to Bangalore and everybody else simply hated me.

Not that I wanted someone's pity but I really want to go home right now, to my bed and my things and my everything. I wanted my mumma.

The rituals were done in an hour and having an hour more to spare before Aryan would be here, I walked back into the room where Aditya was working on his laptop.

As soon as I saw him, I turned back and rushed out of the room. I could really do without his lecture on how mannerless I am right now.

My only escape was the lawn in front of this huge house.

" Aryan!" I explained as he got down from his bike. He was finally here.

" Take your medicine. Have this and then we will leave." He said.

I nodded, ran inside, took the medicine, walked to the room for grabbing my wallet where my supposed husband was still working and was on my way back out when Amrita aunty called me.

" Swara, tomorrow you will be leaving with Aditya to his apartment." She said and walked away.

Surprisingly, I was happy with this recently acquired news because it meant that I'd have to have to ignore just one person in the house and not the entire bunch of of family like what I was trying to do right now.

I merrily walked outside, sat with Aryan on his bike and he drove me away far from his maddening situation which I couldn't do anything about but surely could ignore for a few damn hours!

Swara's look-

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