*crash*

Aashika shut her eyes dreadfully, covering her ears. Her eyes were filled with tears which were now making there way down her cheeks.

'Didi please don't do this'

She tried to stop Inayat from breaking anything else.

Yes! Inayat had broken a glass window with her fist.

Her fist was covered in blood, glass peices pricked in her skin.

"You think you can run away little sister", She finally spoke. Her eyes lifting to look at Aashika's frightened face.

A smirk made it's way to her lips as she approached her with measured, tentative steps.

*Slap*

The intensity of slap was so much that she landed straight on floor.

'INAYAT!!!'

Their uncle growled in anger. Only to receive a sharp glare from her.

He matched her intensity glaring back at her.

"Don't you dare handle her this way"

"Stay in your limits Mr. Rai .. It's our 'Family matter', it would be better if you keep your feelings to yourself",

Inayat replied, her tone icy cold and face emotionless as usual.

*slap*

As soon as Aashika got up, she recieved another hard slap from her sister.

'Don't hit me didi please',Aashika pleaded for some mercy from her, but she was dealing with whom?

"HOW DARE YOU STAKE OUR REPUTATION!" , Inayat yelled grabbing her hair.

Her uncle and aunt tried to free Aashika from her grip, but failed miserably.

"You will be marrying the one whom MY MOTHER wanted you too.", Inayat spoke with malice.

"She was my mother too.", Aashika sobbed.

Inayat ignored her royally, ordering her aunt..

"Send some makeup artists to cover her bruises."

Her aunt wanted to protest but her words died in her throat looking at the maddening expression of Inayat.

She was compelled to follow her order.

Aashika sat on the floor sobbing hard. Her tears were flowing continously as she tries to suppress a sob.

This was Inayat

A face dripping with innocence but persona nothing to do with it.

She stood their, in her exquisite maroon lehnga with an intricate golden border. Her hair tied neatly in a bun, adorned with a gajra.

Her wrists cladded with red lakh bangles. She was loaded with jewellery which was giving her royal yet deadly vibes.

Face still emotionless, she glared at Aashika, who had no more tears left to shed.

'Can I meet him once', She asked Inayat, gaining her attention.

'Don't worry, you will find him downstairs', She replied nonchalantly.

The make up artist arrived and started her work.

And she was ready within half an hour.

She wore a bright red lehnga with exclusive embroidery.

Hands cladded with red bangles, hair open and minimal makeup gave her an enchanting appearance.

But her face held melancholy.

Both the brides decended down to the pavilion with grace.

"Ah ah wait wait .. the runaway bride .. wait keep patience... don't you want to meet your lover boy?", Inayat feigned sarcasm.

'Mark bring him",She ordered her assistant.

And soon after a body draped in white cloth was bought towards the pavillion.

Inayat herself removed the cloth from the body.

And

Aashika's eyes widened seeing the body of her lover drenched in the pool of his own blood.

His fingers were chopped, hair were forcefully removed and was stabbed mercilessly.

'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO'

************************************

She was sitting on the wedding pavilion, in her wedding attire,hair open, cascading down her waist.

Her face had a few bruises and slap marks, her eyes held coldness.

Her face was void of any emotions.

Her sister was getting married too, her wedding pavilion just adjacent to her's.

He filled her hair partition with orange vermilion. His eyes blazing with furry.

Smell of blood lingered in the air because just between the two pavillion their layed a corpse..

The corpse of her lover ..

Both the sisters sat emotionless but there was a difference.

Inayat was usually the same
But Aashika ... she was helpless ..

She couldn't mourn the death, nor she could defy her sister.

This is how the sisters got married.

It was the time of vidai now.

Their uncle and aunt were weeping but the girls, they seemed unfazed.

************************************

In Dhairya and Aashika's car.

Dhairya never wanted a marriage, but as usual Indian families force a 29 year old to settle down, same was the case with him.

He never defied his fathers words as he was the only one who showed a little care to him.

So when his father asked him to marry, he agreed without a second thought.

He looked at Aashika through the corner of his eyes. Looking at her face his anger fueled.

How could she think of running away?

"Doesn't she have an ounce of shame?" He thought.

The ride was silent.

The silence which could be heard.

The silence of their inner turmoil.

************************************

In Inayat's and Zain's car

Silence hung in thick air.
There was tension of unspoken emotions lingering inside between the couple.

"How could she be so cruel to her own sister?", He thought.

The thought itself left him disgusted of his wife.

He looked at her finally deciding to break the silence.

"Why?", it came out as a mere whisper.

"I had my reasons Mr. Oberoi", she replied, her tone holding a ting of something else which both of them couldn't decipher.

Zain felt taken aback by witnessing some emotions in her tone, something he thought never existed in her.

Inayat looked out of the window taking a glance of the outer world within the confines of the car.

And finally, a drop of tear made it's way out from her eyes.

Why! didn't she have right to show what was going within her. The dam had to break somehow right ?

This was Inayat .... it wasn't like her tears never fell infact it did whenever she felt pain or hurt.

But the irony was that her face remained void of emotions.

She never cried. She just shed tears and there is a difference.

Zain did not notice her shedding tears. He was lost in his own world.

He was neutral about marriage and stuffs. He had never witnessed a truly successful relationship and thus never craved for one, or maybe he did but never knew.

He got married just because his father told him to. He was robotic when it came to family. He did what he was told to do and never complained because as a child, no one was there to hear him complain and now he had got used to it.

Inayat and Zain had only one thing in common and that was coldness.

They both looked like an iceberg together.

The ride went on.. both the couples were mum. None had anything to say.

Not because there was nothing left to say but they weren't able to express themselves.

************************************

1200 words

And this marks the end of the first chapter.

Comments on the charecters...

You guys interested to know further..

This is a check ch.. if you guys are intrigued then I'll continue to post.

Thanks
Yours
Praya.