Author's POV

"I need to leave this... I can't marry that spoiled brat!" Abhiya's voice trembled as she spoke, her throat tight with emotion.

Her nerves were frayed, and she knew she had to run away from this mess. Without wasting another second, she began hurriedly gathering her clothes and essentials. The heavy bridal lehenga weighed her down, and the festive music that once sounded melodious now felt like a shrill, unbearable noise. Her parents were overjoyed, but she was shattered inside.

"Enough is enough. I can't do this..." Abhiya whispered, determined to escape the hell looming over her future. But little did she know, fate had planned something far more unexpected.

While Abhiya fled, Samarth was fuming with anger. He wasn't just furious-he was humiliated. His bride had run away, and despite all his rage, his love for his mother kept him from causing more havoc. The news spread like wildfire.

"I don't care what her name is-Aarohi, or whoever! I want her here now!" Samarth roared, his anger filling the air. He planned to make Aarohi's life a living nightmare, unaware that the bride meant to be his was not Aarohi at all-it was Abhiya. And while Samarth's bodyguards searched for his runaway bride, fate took a turn.

Abhiya, while darting through unfamiliar streets, was mistaken by Samarth's bodyguards as his bride. Spotting her in a bridal lehenga, they rushed toward her, not realizing the mix-up.

"Who are you? Have you lost your mind? Why are you grabbing me?!" Abhiya yelled, but the bodyguards quickly silenced her with tape and hustled her into a luxurious car.

"Don't even think about running away again," one of them warned, as they drove her toward Samarth, who waited, fuming, ready to exact revenge on his "bride."

Upon arrival at a massive mansion-one more royal than any palace Abhiya had ever seen-her confusion deepened. She had thought she was fleeing from one nightmare, only to land in another.

"Wait... this isn't Vivaan's house," Abhiya muttered to herself, her mind racing. But before she could process anything, she was surrounded by stern women.

"Shame on you! You're about to become the daughter-in-law of a great family, and this is how you behave? Now, cover your face with the ghunghat and come downstairs. Or else..."

Abhiya, trapped in a whirlwind of confusion and fear, was forcibly seated beside Samarth. She couldn't even bring herself to look at him. Everything felt like a blur, and before she knew it, Samarth's hand filled her hairline with vermillion.

They were married-legally husband and wife.

Time skips...

"You! What are you doing here?" Samarth's eyes burned with disbelief as he faced Abhiya.

"I... I didn't know. I didn't even know who you were. My parents forced me to marry a boy I barely knew-he was five years older, and I couldn't do it, so I ran. Then these bodyguards caught me, threatened me, and forced me to marry you," Abhiya explained, her words tumbling out in a rush.

"Couldn't you tell them you weren't the bride?" Samarth asked, incredulous.

"I did! I told them, but they thought I was wearing bridal attire for some kind of fashion show, and then they taped my mouth!" she protested.

"God, you're still as clueless as ever. Get out of my car. Now!" Samarth growled.

"Huh? But-"abhiya tried to protest

"GET OUT!"

"Okay, okay... geez."

---

Moments later, Samarth's mother appeared, demanding answers.

"Where is my daughter-in-law?"

"I... I left her by the roadside. She's not Aarohi. She's one of my students," Samarth replied, frustrated.

"Have you lost your mind? Bring her back immediately! Something must've gone wrong, but now, she's our daughter-in-law. Go!"

Samarth had no choice but to drive back. He found Abhiya still standing at the bus stop, waiting.

"Get in the car," he ordered.

"No way."

"I said, get in the car!" Samarth's voice was cold.

"You just threw me out, and now you want me back in? Make up your mind!"

"GET IN. Now."

"Fine, fine!"

They returned to a mansion-this one even grander than the last.

---

Inside, Samarth's mother welcomed Abhiya with warmth.

"What's your name, dear?"

"Abhiya Sharma," she replied hesitantly.

"Such a lovely name, just like you," his mother said with a smile. "You're very beautiful."

"Thank you, Auntyji. No one's ever complimented me like that before..."

"Maa, we don't have time for this. Let's hurry it up," Samarth interrupted.

"Come, dear, knock over the kalash and step in with your right foot."

"Okay."

---

Later, in their room...

"Listen," Samarth began, "whatever happened today was an accident. I've got something for you."

He handed her a set of papers.

"Divorce papers? Oh, thank God! I'm saved from living with a... hippopotamus," Abhiya said, unable to hide her relief.

Samarth raised an eyebrow. "A hippopotamus? Seriously?"

"It suits you! Keep it as a return gift," she teased.

"You're really something..." Samarth muttered.

"Don't worry, sir. You can have the bed. I'll sleep on the couch. I don't fight over stuff like that, especially since we're only stuck together for six months," Abhiya said nonchalantly.

"Can you just stop talking?" Samarth groaned.

"Hmm... fine."

---