Author POV
The Khan mansion had never looked more beautiful.
White roses decorated every corner.
Crystal chandeliers sparkled beneath the golden lights.
The entire reception venue looked like something out of a dream.
Guests were already arriving.
Relatives filled the hall.
Staff hurried around making last-minute adjustments.
The atmosphere buzzed with excitement.
And upstairs...
The bride was panicking.
Roohi stood in front of the mirror.
Completely still.
The ivory walima dress flowed around her like a waterfall of silver and pearls.
Every inch of the dress shimmered softly beneath the lights.
The veil framed her face perfectly.
The jewelry sparkled.
The makeup artists had done their work flawlessly. it was light not too heavy but looking beautiful
For a long moment...
Roohi simply stared at herself.
She looked beautiful.
But somehow...
It still didn't feel real.
The girl staring back at her looked like a bride from a fairytale.
Not Roohi Shah.
Not the sensitive girl who tripped over her own feet and worried about everything.
Her fingers nervously twisted together.
"What if everyone stares?"
Hania immediately rolled her eyes.
"It's a reception."
Roohi groaned.
"Exactly."
Hania laughed.
Aleena Khan entered a moment later.
The second her eyes landed on Roohi...
She stopped.
For a few seconds she said nothing.
And somehow...
That made Roohi even more nervous.
Then Aleena's eyes softened.
"My beautiful daughter."
Roohi's throat tightened instantly.
Aleena(zayan mother) carefully adjusted her dupatta.
The same way a mother would.
The same way she had been doing ever since Roohi entered this house.
And suddenly...
Roohi found herself blinking rapidly.
Trying not to cry.
Today was supposed to be a happy day.
Downstairs...
Zayan looked like he wanted to leave.
Immediately.
The black suit fit him perfectly.
The expensive watch.
The polished shoes.
The neatly styled black hair.
Everything looked flawless.
Unfortunately...
His mood did not.
Rayyan was enjoying himself immensely.
"You look excited."
Zayan looked at him.
Rayyan grinned.
"About as excited as someone attending their own execution."
Daniyal laughed.
Zayan ignored both of them.
As usual.
Then footsteps echoed from the staircase.
The room gradually fell silent.
And Zayan looked up.
A mistake.
A very big mistake.
Because suddenly...
He forgot what Rayyan had been saying.
Forgot what Daniyal was laughing about.
Forgot about the reception.
Forgot about everything.
Roohi stood at the top of the staircase.
The ivory dress shimmered beneath the lights.
The veil flowed behind her.
Her honey-hazel eyes nervously searched the room.
Completely unaware of the effect she had just caused.
For one brief moment...
The room disappeared.
Only Roohi remained.
And for the first time in a very long time...
Zayan Khan found himself speechless.
Unfortunately...
Daniyal noticed.
Of course he did.
The man's entire purpose in life seemed to be noticing things.
Daniyal slowly turned toward him.
Then smirked.
Zayan immediately looked away. but tip of his ears were sligtly pink
Too late.
Far too late.
Roohi carefully descended the staircase.
The dress was heavier than she expected.
Much heavier.
Halfway down...
The embroidered hem caught slightly beneath her heel.
She froze.
Her eyes widened.
The dress tugged.
And before she could react—
A hand reached forward.
Steady.
Quick.
Familiar.
Zayan.
Without saying a word, he gently freed the fabric.
The entire room pretended not to watch.
Everyone failed.
Spectacularly.
Roohi looked up.
For a second their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
Neither moved.
Then Zayan stepped back.
As if nothing had happened.
As if his heart hadn't skipped a beat.
As if half the family wasn't trying not to smile.
And then Aleena Khan ruined everything.
Or improved it.
Depending on who was asked.
She looked between them.
Then frowned.
"Why are you standing so far apart?"
Both immediately froze.
"Oh no," Rayyan whispered.
Daniyal looked delighted.
Aleena folded her arms.
"You're husband and wife."
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
Then—
"Hold hands."
Roohi nearly stopped breathing.
Zayan looked genuinely offended.
The guests nearby suddenly became very interested in absolutely nothing.
Everyone was listening.
Nobody was listening.
The perfect Pakistani family skill.
Aleena raised an eyebrow.
"Well?"
Roohi wanted the floor to swallow her.
Immediately.
Zayan looked like he wanted the floor to swallow everyone else.
Finally...
Very slowly...
Roohi extended her hand.
And after a moment—
Zayan took it.
The entire hall collectively lost its mind.
Not visibly.
But internally.
Very internally.
The drive to the reception venue felt much shorter than it should have.
Mostly because Roohi spent half of it staring out the window.
And the other half trying not to think about the fact that she had just held Zayan's hand.
Meanwhile...
Zayan sat beside her.
Silent.
Calm.
Composed.
At least on the outside.
The reception hall was breathtaking.
White flowers everywhere.
Soft golden lights.
Elegant decorations.
Everything looked perfect.
Guests immediately turned toward the newlyweds.
Roohi's nervousness returned at full speed.
She hated being the center of attention.
Unfortunately...
Tonight she had no choice.
And it didn't help that every time she glanced toward Zayan...
Her heart behaved strangely.
The black suit should have been illegal.
Honestly.
How was one person allowed to look that good?
The sharp jawline.
The dark hair.
The amber eyes.
The calm confidence.
It was unfair.
Completely unfair.
Roohi immediately looked away.
Her cheeks warming. as she smile kike a fool
Then looked again.
Then quickly looked away again.
Which was becoming a problem.
A very embarrassing problem.
Hours later...
The reception was in full swing.
Guests lined up for photographs.
Relatives offered congratulations.
Children ran around the venue.
Everything felt almost perfect.
Until Roohi saw them.
Her parents.
Standing together.
Watching her.
Proud.
Emotional.
Smiling.
And suddenly...
Everything became real.
The wedding.
The new home.
The new family.
Her new life.
A lump formed in her throat.
Her eyes filled instantly.
She looked away.
Trying to compose herself.
Trying not to cry.
Trying and failing.
Zayan noticed immediately.
Not Aleena.
Not Hania.
Not Rayyan.
Zayan.
His gaze followed hers.
Straight toward her parents.
Understanding settled quickly.
For a brief second...
Something softened inside him.
But softness was not something Zayan expressed well.
Unfortunately.
"You'll ruin your makeup." he say coldly "don't cry everyone is watching don't make drama"
The words came out colder than intended.
Roohi immediately looked down.
The warmth in her eyes fading slightly. her chest ache as her eyes fill but this time from his coldness
And Zayan knew instantly that he'd said the wrong thing.
Again.
As usual.
But before he could fix it—
Because fixing things wasn't exactly his specialty—
Another guest approached.
The moment passed.
Leaving behind a strange heaviness neither understood.
The reception continued.
The lights sparkled.
The music played.
The guests celebrated.
And somewhere beneath all the chaos...
Something was changing.
Roohi was beginning to see the man behind Zayan's cold walls.
And Zayan...
Was beginning to realize that he disliked anyone looking at Roohi for too long.
A realization that would cause him many problems in the future.
THANK YOU FOR READING 💍🖤✨
Zayan dress (Phewww! today's chapter was long right so like and commen pleasee😌)
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