"Manu! My dear, think about it one more time. Do you really believe you're ready for this marriage?"

A beautiful 24-year-old girl, dressed in a red bridal outfit, sat in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection without a trace of emotion. Light red lipstick adorned her lips, a tiny bindi rested on her forehead, and colorful bangles decorated her hands. She looked like the perfect bride.

There was only one thing missing.

A smile.

The girl's name was Manyata Ahuja, and not even the slightest happiness could be seen on her face.

Manyata's mother, Shalini, who was around forty-eight years old, tried once again to convince her.

"My child, there's still time. You don't have to do this."

Without taking her eyes off the mirror, Manyata replied,

"Mom, it's too late to think now. I can't back out anymore. I have to go through with this marriage."

Her expression remained completely blank, as if nothing in the world mattered to her anymore. She looked like a living corpse sitting before the mirror.

Shalini said with restrained anger,

"Marriage? What kind of marriage is this, where we don't even know who the groom is?"

Manyata, who had been sitting motionless until now, stood up and walked over to Shalini.

Holding her mother's hands, she said,

"Mom, what difference does it make who the groom is? Right now, he's willing to give us exactly what we need the most. The good thing is that, whoever he is, he asked me to marry him. If he wanted to, he could have demanded something much worse..."

Before she could finish her sentence, someone knocked on the door.

Shalini walked over and opened it.

Standing outside was Damini, Shalini's elder sister.

She hurried inside and said,

"Manyata, dear! I know you've already made your decision, but still..."

Manyata stood up, held Damini's hands, and said,

"Mom, please don't stop me. I've made my decision."

Hearing her words, a tear rolled down Damini's cheek.

Supporting Damini, Shalini said,

"Manyata is a strong girl. Nothing will happen to her."

Manyata forced a smile and replied,

"Mom, don't worry. Maybe that man has some helpless reason for wanting this marriage. Once his purpose is fulfilled, I'll be free."

The three of them were still talking when someone came in and informed them,

"The wedding procession has arrived."

The moment Manyata heard those words, her heart began pounding violently.

Until just a few moments ago, she had been acting brave to reassure her mother and Damini. But the frantic beating of her heart revealed just how terrified she truly was.

Hearing that the groom's procession had arrived, Damini said,

"Come on. At least now we'll finally find out who our daughter's groom is."

Shalini nodded in agreement, and the two women walked out to welcome the wedding procession.

Outside, a long line of luxury cars stood parked in front of Kashyap Nivas.

Mercedes.

Rolls-Royce.

Almost every renowned luxury car brand imaginable was present.

Shalini and Damini stood at the entrance with an aarti plate in their hands, waiting to welcome the guests as they stepped out of the vehicles.

But in the very next moment, their hearts skipped a beat.

The car doors opened...

Yet not a single guest stepped out.

Instead, one driver stood beside each car with his head respectfully bowed.

Shalini, Damini, and all the relatives stared in confusion at the seemingly empty procession.

Whispers and murmurs spread among the guests.

Just then, a man named Mohit stepped out of one of the cars.

Holding a file in his hand, he walked up to Shalini, bowed respectfully, and greeted her.

Meanwhile, as soon as Shalini and Damini left the room, Manyata collapsed onto the floor.

Only she knew what she was going through at that moment.

Her mind drifted back to the day she had received the marriage proposal.

Flashback

Manyata was sitting in the hospital.

Inside the room, her father, Yogesh Kashyap, was receiving a blood transfusion.

A few months earlier, he had met with a serious accident.

Since then, he had required a blood transfusion every twenty-one days.

He needed a bone marrow transplant, but his body was still too weak to undergo the procedure. For the time being, he had to continue with medication to stabilize his condition.

All of this treatment was extremely expensive.

Manyata herself was still studying.

She had recently applied for a job at a company, but she was still waiting for their response.

To pay for Yogesh's treatment, Damini had already sold almost all of her remaining property.

Now, Kashyap Nivas was the only asset left.

Damini wanted to sell the house as well, but Manyata had stopped her.

Lost in these worries, Manyata sat alone on a hospital bench.

Just then, a man approached her.

He appeared to be around thirty years old.

Walking up to her, he said,

"Hello, Miss."

Manyata was deeply distressed.

Her eyes were red from crying, and tears still lingered in them.

She wiped them away and replied politely,

"Yes? Can I help you with something?"

The man sat down beside her on the bench and said,

"My name is Mohit. If you want, I can help you."

Manyata looked at him in surprise.

His words sounded rather strange to her.

She stood up and said,

"I have something to do. I'll take my leave."

Mohit also stood up.

Handing her a visiting card, he said,

"Think it over carefully... and call this number."

With that, he walked away.

Manyata simply stood there, watching him disappear into the distance.

She couldn't understand any of it.

All she could do was stare at the card that the mysterious man had just placed in her hand.