Zara's POV

'No, wait. We have to go right now?' I ask, making everyone chuckle. I've never felt this nervous in my life. Not even when Zaid made me go on stage for our proposal. Not ever. My legs are shaking.

Layla and Ayesha giggle, winking at me. "Yes! Your husband is waiting patiently for you, and you're asking if you have to go right now? Of course we have to go! How long do you want to keep him waiting?" Layla replies, laughing.

My husband. My cheeks heat up, and my gaze travels to the floor. 'Okay,' I mutter, a small smile playing on my lips.

Ayesha grins at me. "Uncle, she's ready!" Oh, god.

Dad comes over to me, giving me a smile. 'Ready, Zara? Are you ready to go out in front of the world for the first time after your Nikah?'

I glare at him. "Dad, that's not helping! But yes, I'm ready. I guess."

He chuckles, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. 'I love you, Zara.' Mum comes over to me and smiles. She, too, kisses me on the top of my head.

"I love you too, Dad. You too, Mum," I whisper, giving them both small smiles.

My legs are trembling. I don't know how I'm still standing up straight.

Dad holds out his arm, which I take with a shaky smile. Am I ready for this?

Of course I am. I'm more than ready to meet Zaid, but I'm so nervous.

"Dad, don't let me fall, please," I whisper, nervously. The last thing I want is to trip over my own feet in front of the world.

He smiles sadly. 'Never, Zara. I won't let you fall.' His words are filled with emotion, his eyes tearing up slightly.

I swallow hard, and smile. "I know, Dad." My heart is racing at such a speed, that it feels unreal. I hold onto Dad's arm tightly, my hand at the crook of his arm. My other hand is holding my clutch.

The photographer and videographers are blocking the doorway, which is now open. At the end of the hall is Zaid, waiting for me.

The thought sends shivers up my spine and I take a deep breath.

When my bridesmaids (Ayesha and Layla) and my cousins start to walk out of the room and down the aisle, my heartbeat quickens. Very soon, it will be my turn to go. To go and meet Zaid.

A couple of minutes later, the videographers and photographers are back. It's time.

'Start walking slowly, Zara,' the videographer says, giving me a small smile. Oh, my god.

I do as he says, my gaze not lifting from the ground.

Stay calm, my crazy heart.

The entire hall falls silent when I make my entrance with Dad. I can hear faint music playing in the background, but I don't pay any attention to it.

If I look up, I will see Zaid at the other end of the hall. But if only I look up.

"Why is everyone silent?" I ask Dad in a whisper.

He lets out a small chuckle. 'Because they haven't seen such a beautiful bride before. That's why.'

My cheeks tint pink and I tighten my grasp on his arm.

The whispers start, and I blush harder.

She's stunning. She looks like an angel, Zaid is a lucky man.

Zaid will sure go crazy when he sees her more clearly.

Zaid can't take his eyes off her!

Wow! How stunning does she look in that gorgeous lehenga?

Really? I bite my lip and don't look up from the aisle, which is decorated beautifully with red rose petals.

"Dad? Don't let me fall," I say again, nervously. I really don't want to make a fool out of myself in front of everyone.

'Never, Zara. Have I ever let you fall before?' He replies, his voice sad. I shake my head.

We continue to make our way down the hall, but my gaze doesn't travel upwards once.

'I have to say, Zaid looks very handsome,' Dad says, his voice teasing.

My blush deepens further, and I don't reply. "He doesn't look as nice as me, though," I joke.

'Of course not. No one looks as amazing as you today, Zara,' Dad says, sadly. Then he adds, 'Look up! Don't be so nervous, dear!'

I don't realise that I do as he says. I look up, and my gaze meets Zaid's right away. His eyes are boring into mine, and I realise that I'm not too far from the stage. From him. He has a small, beautiful smile on his lips.

His gaze sends a shiver through my entire body, from the top of my head to my toes. There isn't a single inch of my body which isn't aware of his presence right now.

I blush again and my gaze travels back to the floor.

But god, he looks good. Zaid looks so handsome, in his light gold sherwani with red and gold embroidery. He looks like he's a royal, and I know that there isn't anyone in the world who can match his charm.

He's just about ten metres away from me now. My heartbeat is racing faster the closer I'm getting to him.

This is the strangest but most amazing feeling ever, walking down the aisle to my husband. What must he be thinking right now?

I can't believe how I got so lucky. How I got to marry him, the man of my dreams. The man of every girl's dreams. I still have no idea, even now that we are married, how he chose me out of the whole world. Why did he choose me? Why does he love me? I'm glad that he does, but nothing's so special about me. I'm just ordinary, whereas he's...he's every girl's dream. He's Zaid Malik.

My husband.

Mine.

My gaze is still towards the floor, I'm lost in my thoughts and I don't realise when we reach the end of the aisle. When Dad stops walking, I jump out of my trance and stare at him questioningly.

He chuckles, teary eyed. 'Don't you want to meet Zaid?' He whispers, before winking at me.

I blush deep red, realising that we've reached the stage. I peek up from under my lashes, and see Zaid standing near the end of the stage. He's looking right at me, his gaze intense. I feel it through my whole body.

I feel Dad place a lingering kiss on my forehead, before he sighs and gives me a small, sad smile. I give him a wobbly smile in return.

He takes a step forward, towards Zaid, before giving him a manly hug. 'Zaid, I'm giving you my princess, my most prized possession. Please take care of her, you are the only man I trust for her.'

I hear Zaid's voice reply confidently but gently. It sends tremors through my body. "Uncle, Zara will be my queen. I'll care for her and protect her with my life. Always. I promise."

My blush intensifies, I still don't look up to meet Zaid's eyes. When Dad places my hand in Zaid's, I jump and stare at him. I stare into his eyes, and he looks back, various emotions evident in his eyes. He looks way better from close. How this man is my husband, I will never understand. His touch sends sparks through my body.

Zaid's POV

When I catch sight of Zara making her entrance with Uncle, it feels like the entire world has stopped around me. My heart skips a beat when I see her walking down the aisle, her gaze fixed to the ground, her signature blush painting her rosy cheeks. She looks beautiful, absolutely beautiful. Perfect. Her lehenga is stunning, fitting her gorgeous body perfectly. The deep red colour of her lehenga brings out her every feature, her makeup and hair are done to perfection.

How did I get so damn lucky? I can't believe that I'm married to her, to my Zara, to the most beautiful girl in the world. We're now married, and it feels like I've waited an eternity and longer to be with her. Finally, finally, the time has arrived. She's now mine, my wife. I will always love her with everything inside of me, I'll protect her and cherish her with my life.

When Zara and Uncle are near the middle of the aisle, Uncle whispers something to her, making her smile and blush harder. She looks up and right away, meets my eyes. When she returns my gaze and looks into my eyes, I'm a goner. She looks absolutely beautiful, I can't wait to tell her that, and also how much I love her. She looks into my eyes for a few seconds, and I can't help but think of how she stole my heart away. All her little actions, her craziness, her giggles and her blush. Everything about her stole my heart away. The interview, her first day at the office when she spilled the coffee on me. I chuckle at the memory. The London business trip we went on together, the day she told me about her past, the day when another proposal came for her, and the day I proposed to her. Before today, that was the best day of my life.

But today, my life changed completely. I'll always remember today as the best day of my life, because today is the day I married Zara. Today is the start of our lives together. I'll always remember waking up early today to get ready for my wedding, I'll always remember impatiently waiting to see Zara, I'll always remember my Nikah, and I'll always remember seeing Zara walking down the aisle. There are so many memories of today that have already imprinted on my heart, and I'm sure there will be many more memories of this day which are to come.

When she finally reaches the end of the aisle, I can't take my eyes off her. There is no one in the world who can match her beauty and her innocence. Uncle gets emotional when he places Zara's hand in mine, but I'm glad that he trusts me so much. I won't ever break his trust. I promise him that I'll always care for Zara and protect her with my life.

When I take Zara's hand, I feel her tremble slightly. I smile, loving the feel of her hand in mine. I can finally touch her, tell her how I feel about her. It's my right. I can't stop looking at her and being in awe about how beautiful she is and how lucky I am. I want to tell her how much I love her, but I stop myself. I'll tell her later, when we're alone. I'm shamelessly checking her out, but now I can. She's all mine now, and I don't want to stop looking at her.

Zara's POV

We gaze at each other for a good few seconds, before I clear my throat, blushing, and pull us both out of the trance. A small smile makes its way onto Zaid's lips, as he leads me to the decorated couch on the stage.

"Zara, you look beautiful. Perfect," he whispers, so only the two of us can hear.

I blush, biting my lip. 'Thank you,' I whisper in reply, taking a seat next to him.

My hand is still in his, which I just realise now. I try to free my hand from his, but he's not having it. His grasp on my hand is gentle yet firm. And my hand feels so good in his.

"Today you've made me the luckiest man in the world, Zara. You're the most beautiful bride this world has ever seen, and all the men in this hall today must be so jealous of me," Zaid says, chuckling. There is so much love and care in his eyes, it makes me slightly emotional.

I blush harder, biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from grinning like crazy. I thank him again, quietly.

This feels so unreal. I feel as though I've waited forever to be with Zaid, to marry him. And now, today, all my dreams have come true.

"Zara?" Zaid whispers after a few seconds, his voice gentle. Hundreds of guests are now taking photos of me and Zaid together on stage, and whispering about how good we look together.

'Yes?' I whisper in reply. The tingling and butterfly sensation is stronger than ever in the pit of my stomach.

"You're beautiful," he replies, gazing at me at his side.

I look up to meet his gaze and give him a tiny smile in return. I know that he won't stop complimenting me today, and I don't want him to stop. His compliments mean the most to me, and I love hearing them.

'You don't look too bad yourself,' I whisper back, teasing.

He chuckles, shaking his head. "You're definitely the same Zara. My Zara."

I'm blushing deep red from head to toe. But he's right. I'm his Zara. Always.

Just then, our families and friends start to rush onto the stage to congratulate us and take pictures with us. Hafsa and Maryam are on the stage before everyone else, and they can't stop complimenting us on how cute we look together. Ayesha and Layla are also taking pictures of me and Zaid excitedly, before asking both of us for selfies.

After a short photo session, it's time for dinner. Me and Zaid sit at the dinner table at the front of the hall, with Maryam, Layla, Ayesha, Hafsa, Rayyan and Ali. Unfortunately, Hafsa and Maryam are sitting closest to me and Zaid, and they're whispering constantly. They're planning on how to sabotage our wedding night.

'Maryam, I say that we go in with them. Zara, you didn't want to be alone tonight, did you?' Hafsa whispers, winking at me. I blush scarlet, glaring at my best friend.

Zaid hears everything, as he's sitting right beside me, his hand on mine after every few seconds.

"Yes, Hafsa! That's a good idea, what do you say, sis?" Maryam asks, joining in with Hafsa's teasing.

'Hafsa, Maryam, you're both crazy! Shut up and eat,' I mutter under my breath. I can't believe them! They're saying all this in front of Zaid, they have no shame at all. I know that they'll always tease me, now more than ever because I'm married.

It feels crazy knowing that I'm now married. It all feels like a dream.

Do you know that feeling, when reality is better than your dreams? It's the best feeling in the world.

Thankfully, we're saved by Mum and Aunty, who come and join us at the table for dinner. They're whispering excitedly and happily amongst themselves, saying how much closer we've now become that me and Zaid are married. Our families were always so close, and now they're closer than ever.

After dinner, Zaid takes my hand and leads me back to the stage, where we take a seat. It's now time for everyone to come and meet the newly wedded couple, give their gifts and blessings, and be in our wedding video.

Our parents come first onto the stage, where they shower us with money and gifts. My parents gift me a gold jewellery set, and Zaid a Rolex watch. Aunty gifts us tickets to whichever honeymoon location we want, and Uncle gifts us keys to a cottage in the countryside, which is just absolutely amazing and crazy.

Our friends and cousins come onto the stage next, giving us lovely gifts and taking pictures with us. After Maryam and my best friends, Zaid's best friend comes onto the stage. I'm seeing him after years. I used to sometimes see him with Zaid two years ago, but I hadn't seen him in the last few months. He used to be a funny, caring guy. It's obvious how much he cares about his best friend.

'Zaid, bro! Congratulations, man! I can't believe it, you're married!' His best friend, Aaron, gives him a bro hug, grinning.

"Thanks, man," Zaid replies, happily.

'Zara, hi! It's been so long! Zaid, you definitely got lucky, man. Zara, I hope you don't mind, but you look stunning!' Aaron says to me, smiling politely.

I grin, shaking my head. I used to know this guy, and he's a copy of Rayyan. He's a funny, kind hearted guy who means no harm. "Thanks, Aaron. Thanks for coming!"

Several other guests also come to greet us and congratulate us on starting our new lives together. We get spoiled with money and gifts from everyone.

After several hours, all the guests have come onto the stage and taken pictures and videos with us, giving us their gifts. It's nearly 10:30pm when the guests have started to leave, and now it's time for the speeches. I had no idea that there were going to be speeches today, from Maryam and Hafsa.

I have a feeling that I'm going to both laugh and cry during their speeches. As Maryam makes her way onto the stage and takes the microphone, I take a deep breath. Zaid senses my crazy emotions and he takes my hand in his, gently rubbing small circles onto the back of it. It calms me slightly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming to my sister and brother-in-law's wedding! I hope you've all been having a great time? So, me and Hafsa, Zaid bhai's sister and Zara's best friend, came up with this idea to deliver speeches tonight. We thought it was a great idea, because we're so happy tonight. Zara, sis, honestly, tonight has been the best night of my life. You look like a princess, you look absolutely gorgeous. I feel proud to call you my sister! You always look beautiful, but tonight more than ever. Aren't I right, Zaid bhai?" My sister asks, winking at us.

I chuckle, blushing. Zaid smiles at me, nodding. 'Zara, you look amazing. Perfect,' he says for the thousandth time tonight. I smile back at him, thanking him, before my gaze travels back to my lap.

Maryam continues to speak. "Zaid bhai, you look amazing too, you guys make the most beautiful couple in the world. Honestly. Seeing you both together, after everything you've both been through, it's so amazing. You both complete each other and are perfect for each other, I'm sure that every person in this hall today can agree with me on this. Zara, I've known you all my life, and you've always been so...amazing. Yes, you've been annoying at times, when you tell me off, especially, but you've been the perfect older sister. Although you're not even two years older than me, you're so much more mature and responsible than me. You've always been a second mother figure to me, and I'm glad that you have. You've always been my best friend, too. You're the person I trust the most, and gosh...I'm gonna miss you. So much."

My eyes tear up and I quickly dab at them with a tissue which I take out from my clutch. Maryam glances over at me, her eyes filled with tears, and smiles. I return her smile, mouthing 'I love you'.

Zaid holds my hand and asks me if I'm okay. I reply with a smile and a nod.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, Zara, but it's okay. Because I'll always be at your home to annoy you, with Hafsa. We've planned everything out, and just because you're married, you're not getting rid of me. Not now, not ever. Zaid bhai, you're the perfect guy for my sister. I've always known this, and I'm honestly the happiest person today that you guys are finally together. Always stay amazing, stay your crazy selves and enjoy your lives together. Zaid bhai, another word. You know how I think of you as my older brother, but if you don't take care of my sister, if you ever make her sad, then no one will be worse than me. I'm sure you won't want to deal with me. I know how much you care about Zara, though, you care for her more than yourself. I trust you completely, as do Mum and Dad, and we love you loads. Have the best lives together, and always, always stay happy. I wish you both all the happiness in the world, because you definitely deserve it. Much love to both of you."

My eyes are filled with tears which are threatening to spill. Maryam comes over to us and gives us both hugs. She kisses me on the forehead, and then whispers something into my ear. 'Enjoy tonight, okay?'

I blush deep red and playfully smack her on her arm. She giggles and winks at me, before making her way off stage.

Next, Hafsa comes onto the stage and winks at both me and Zaid.

Oh, I'm definitely looking forward to this. But I know it's gonna be crazy. Just like Hafsa herself.

"Everyone, listen up! Oh, you're all already listening. How are you all tonight? I hope you're all well? Enjoying? I hope so! I certainly am enjoying myself so much, it's the best day ever today! I can't even explain how happy I am today, because of my brother and my best friend. Zaid bhai, Zara, I love you both more than words can describe, I love you guys so so much. This feels so unreal, too good to be true! I can't believe that my idiot brother made the best decision of his life by marrying Zara. I cried when I saw both of these crazy people dressed in their wedding attire. I haven't ever cried this much before, but of course, they're happy tears. Zara! I can't wait for you to come to our home tonight, we're gonna have so much fun everyday! Honestly, having my best friend as my sister-in-law will be crazy but amazing. Zara, please don't be like Zaid bhai though, please don't tell me off all the time. Because he always does."

Everyone, including me, chuckles. Hafsa is so crazy. Zaid is laughing open heartedly, shaking his head at his sister. The love he has for Hafsa is crystal clear in his brown orbs.

"Bhai, I've known you my whole life, of course, and even though you're sometimes the most annoying human being on the planet, you're amazing and I love you so much. You're the best big brother anyone could ever have, and I'm so glad you decided to marry Zara. You both complete each other, and as I've said over a thousand times today, you make the most beautiful couple. Zara, my sweetie, Zaid bhai can be quite annoying and hot-tempered at times, but he has the biggest heart and he loves you more than you can imagine. Zaid bhai, Zara is the most amazing person in the world. She also can be weird at times, even more stubborn than me, but she's the kindest person ever. She puts others before herself always, which I hate at times, but she's the loveliest girl and the most incredible best friend anyone could ever ask for. Although I'm your sister, bhai, I love Zara more than I love you. I can't wait to see the two of you live your lives together, I can't wait for you to come to our home, Zara. Oh, why am I getting emotional now?" Hafsa wipes away a few tears which fall out of her eyes. My own eyes tear up and I blink back the tears.

Zaid places his hand on mine gently. I glance at him and he gives me a reassuring smile. I give him a small smile back.

Hafsa continues to speak, more tears escaping her beautiful eyes. "I'm the happiest person in the world right now, because my idiot brother has married my best friend. I'm so happy, but I'm feeling sad at the same time. Because I very well know how you must be feeling, Zara. I always knew that I would cry at my bestie's rukhsati, and I'm crying now, even though you're marrying my brother and coming to our home. I know I can't fully understand the pain you must be feeling, but I love you, Mum and Dad love you, and Zaid bhai loves you. We all love you more than you can imagine." She glances at me, shooting me a smile. I smile back at her through my tears, which are threatening to escape.

"I could go on forever, because Zara and Zaid bhai make the most perfect couple, and they're my favourite. I don't want to keep talking forever, though, because it's getting pretty late now. So, let me just finish off by saying this. Zara, bhai, I love you both to bits. You're two of the best people in the world, and I feel so lucky that I will be a part of your lives. I can't wait to see you grow old together and have the most beautiful babies." Everyone starts to laugh. Some have tears in their eyes. Mum, Aunty, Ayesha, Maryam, and several others.

"Today was the most beautiful day, it was so precious and memorable. Thank you Zara, bhai, for making me the happiest sister, sister-in-law and best friend in the world. And to everyone who came today, thank you so much! I hope you had a great day and felt the same happiness we felt in the union of these two beautiful souls. Bye everyone, peace."

Hafsa comes over to me and Zaid and gives us both hugs, blinking back more tears.

We have another small photoshoot with close family and friends, and then, it's time for my Rukhsati.

I can't believe it's finally time. When my parents come onto stage and Dad takes a seat next to me, my heart starts to beat frantically. A few seconds later, he stands up and helps me up. I feel my heart break when I see Dad's heartbroken expression and his tear-filled eyes. I try to hold in my tears when he helps me to walk off stage, but I can't control myself. Not today.

Tears start to pour down my cheeks when Mum wraps me into her warm, motherly embrace. I lose it completely when she wraps her arms around me and whispers soothing words into my ears to calm me. I feel her body shaking with tears, though, as she wants to hold onto me as much as I want to hold onto her. How can I leave Mum and go? How can I leave my parents, my sister and my home? The only home I've known since childhood, the home where I have made so many memories with my family. How can I just go and start a new life with a new family?

I sob into Mum's chest, tightening my hold around her waist. Mum continues to whisper soothing words to calm me, but they don't work. This is the most difficult thing I've experienced in my whole life. How can I leave my family who I love so much?

'Don't cry, Zara. Please, baby. You'll be so happy with Zaid, he will keep you very happy. Please don't cry,' she whispers, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

I don't know how long I continue to hug her. When I finally and very reluctantly break the hug, tears flowing down my cheeks, Mum carefully and gently wipes them away and presses another kiss, this time to my forehead. I feel like my heart has completely broken, seeing Mum so upset. I can't see her cry like this. She's smiling at me, but her eyes are rimmed with red and filled with tears. Her cheeks are tear stained.

'I love you, my Zara. I'll always love you more than you can imagine,' she whispers, giving me another small smile.

"I love you, Mum," I cry, looking away from her as my tears continue to spill. She gives me another small, warm hug but quickly breaks it as I feel she's going to completely lose it.

Next, my friends envelop me in a group hug, crying into my shoulder. I hug them back, not holding back my tears. Ayesha, Layla, Hafsa, and also my cousins.

'Take care, Zara. Okay?' Ayesha whispers to me after we break the hug. She's one of the strongest girls I know, but she's crying badly right now, too. Everyone's crying. My parents, Maryam, my best friends, Aunty, my cousins, my aunts and uncles, everyone.

"I love you Zara, take care sweetie," Layla whispers, giving me another hug.

When Maryam comes forward to hug me, I lose it again and cry into her shoulder. How can I leave her? She's my baby sister. She's always trusted me like I'm her best friend, she's always shared everything with me. How can I just leave her and go and start a new life? No matter how much we argue and fight, she's my baby sister. I love her way too much to let her go, and I'm going to miss her like crazy. I can't believe I'm not going to be living in the same house as her anymore. It feels crazy.

"I love you, Zara. Always," Maryam whispers through her tears, when we finally let go of each other. She smiles through her tears.

'I love you too, baby sis. I'm gonna miss you like crazy,' I reply, wiping away my tears. Maryam places a kiss on my cheek and lets go of me after giving me another hug.

My heart has broken completely. Shattered into a million pieces.

Several other relatives and family friends come forward and hug me one by one. Soon, there's only one person left. I know this is going to be the hardest and most painful goodbye. Dad.

When I see Dad through the crowd of family and friends, more tears spring to my eyes. He gives me a shaky smile, his eyes filled to the brim with tears. 'Dad,' I whisper, rushing to him and jumping into his arms. I hug him tightly, wrapping my arms around him. He hugs me back, close. I cry and cry into his chest, the control shooting out of the window. How can I leave Dad and go? What will he do without me? I know how much he loves me and how difficult this is for him. He's the best father a girl can ever ask for. He's super caring, loving, funny, friendly and protective. He's my hero, and he always will be.

I feel his strong body shaking with emotion, but he somehow manages to control himself. I know that he doesn't want to give me away, he doesn't want to let me go, as much as he trusts Zaid. I've always been Dad's princess. He holds me for several minutes, before he slowly breaks the hug with a heavy heart.

He takes my face into his hands gently and gives me a small smile, wiping away my tears. He kisses my forehead and I take a deep breath, unable to control the emotions running through me. He looks at me with so much love and care in his eyes that I break again and hug him once more, trying to control my tears while holding him close.

I know very well what Dad must be thinking right now. He must be thinking of the first time he saw me when I was born, the first time he held me in his arms, my first day of school, my first day of college and university. He must be recalling so many memories of my childhood. I take a deep breath and break the hug because I know that if I stay for another minute, I won't be able to leave. I won't be able to leave my family and go with Zaid.

Dad presses another gentle kiss to my forehead, before he lets go of me. He looks around and sees someone and he smiles. I turn around and see Zaid walk towards us.

Zaid's POV

I had been standing back, giving Zara some space and time to say goodbye to her family. I knew it would be difficult, but I didn't know it would be this difficult. I want so much to go to Zara and hold her in my arms and comfort her, but I don't have the courage to somehow. Seeing Aunty and Uncle so upset, makes me sad. I'm trying to control my own emotions. They're such lovely people, and they've always been the best parents to Zara. It must be very difficult for her to leave her family whom she has known since birth.

When Uncle looks for me in the crowd and smiles at me, I walk towards them, returning the smile with a small one of my own. I walk forward towards Zara and Uncle, and am enveloped in a hug. Uncle wraps both me and Zara into an embrace, holding us both close. I wrap one arm around his back and the other around Zara, feeling her body shaking with emotion.

When we break the hug, I continue to hold Zara as I feel her completely drained of energy. Her legs are about to give way, but I wrap a strong arm around her waist and give her support. Uncle smiles at us, before speaking. "Zaid, son, Zara is my princess, a huge piece of my heart which I am giving to you today. Please always keep her happy and safe. Don't ever hurt her, because she's too precious. She's my beautiful angel, too innocent and too perfect. Please never let me down, son. I've always trusted you fully, and I know that my daughter has, too. Always love her and care for her, never let her cry. You're the only man I trust for my daughter. You're my son."

My heart aches with emotion as Uncle whispers these words to me. I promise myself that I'll do all this, I would do all this even if Uncle hadn't said it, because Zara is my entire life now.

'I promise, Uncle, I'll always do everything I can to keep Zara happy, I'll love her forever. I'll always protect her and keep her safe, with my life. Uncle, she's my queen, and she always will be. I feel so grateful and lucky, that you've trusted me this much, and I'll show you, I won't ever break your trust. I promise you, Zara is my wife, the love of my life. I can't even think of hurting her. I'll always love her and cherish her, because she is my angel, too.'

Zara's POV

Dad's and Zaid's words warm my heart, and still, all I want to do is cry into Dad's chest. I don't want to leave him, I'm not strong enough to. However, I don't want to make this more difficult than it already is for us all. As Mum and Maryam come to me and give me one final hug, I hold myself together somehow and don't shed another tear. I hug them back and even give them small, reassuring smiles, telling them to take care of themselves, and also telling them that I will be okay.

A couple of minutes later, once everyone has said their goodbyes, Zaid takes my hand and gives me a gentle, caring smile. I start to walk with the man I love, out of the wedding venue and towards his car. I start to walk towards my new life and home, taking a deep breath to control my emotions.

When we finally reach the car, I turn and see all my family and friends standing about a metre away, waving. My lips tremble as I wave back at them and give them a shaky smile. Zaid opens the door to his sports car, this one must be a new one as I haven't seen it before, and helps me to sit in the passenger seat.

He slides into the driver's seat and glances at me, giving me another smile. A few seconds later, he starts the car and the journey to our new life together. I look out of the window and see my parents and sister trying to control their tears. Maryam is in Hafsa's car, and she will be coming to Zaid's home (my home), with us for a few hours or so.

I give everyone a final smile, before nodding at Zaid to start driving. When he starts to drive, I take a deep breath and lean back into the seat, silent tears escaping my eyes. Zaid places his free hand on mine to comfort me, whispering comforting words, and he doesn't remove his hand from mine the entire journey. I don't remove his hand from mine, either, as it is slowly starting to comfort me.

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Hi, guys! How are you all? I'm so sorry for such a late update, I know I was supposed to update last week. I'm really sorry! This last week has been such a difficult week for me, and I have my reasons for this late update. I've been really down and sick this last week, but finally, I'm starting to feel a bit better. Please give this chapter lots of love, guys, because you honestly don't know how much your comments make me smile. Especially the funny comments. I could do with plenty of those right now.

What was your favourite scene in this chapter?

Zara's rukhsati was difficult for me to write, as the entire time I was writing, I was remembering my own rukhsati, which was such a difficult time for me. Honestly, girls are so strong to be able to leave their parents and their maternal home.

I have a feeling you guys will like the next chapter. Haha!

I love you all SO much, and I again apologise for updating so late. This was a pretty long chapter, though, so I hope you all forgive me!

Bye guys!