Mannat belonged to a simple, middle-class family where dreams were always secondary and decisions were never hers. She was quiet, romantic at heart, and deeply loyal — the kind of girl who loved silently and endured endlessly.
Her life was already decided for her long before she could decide for herself.
One evening, while returning from college, the bus she was travelling in met with a minor accident. The bus driver crashed into a car and instantly began arguing, refusing to accept his mistake. Passengers gathered, voices grew louder, and chaos filled the road.
That was when Mannat noticed him.
The boy from the car stood firm, fearless despite being surrounded by an angry crowd. He spoke calmly but boldly, defending the truth without hesitation. He wasn't loud — he was right. And that courage… it stayed with her.
She didn't know it then, but that moment planted something in her heart.
Later, she saw him again — outside her college, on familiar roads, in passing glances that fate kept repeating. Slowly, silently, Mannat realised she was in love. Not the kind that demands, but the kind that simply exists.
She never spoke to him.Never messaged him.Never crossed limits.
She only watched him from afar — and loved him honestly.
His name was Sahil.
Before she could even understand her own feelings, her family fixed her marriage. No choice. No discussion. Her education was stopped. Her dreams were dismissed.
She cried. She begged. She even thought of ending her life — but fear and family eyes trapped her inside her own existence.
Finally, she surrendered.
On her wedding day, when she lifted her eyes during the garland ceremony, the world froze.
The groom was Sahil.
For a moment, her heart believed destiny had finally been kind.
But destiny wasn't done breaking her.
After marriage, Mannat discovered the truth — Sahil had been married before. His wife had passed away, leaving behind a five-year-old son. This truth had been hidden from her.
That night, Sahil made his position clear.
"I didn't want this marriage," he said coldly."I don't expect anything from you. Don't think of yourself as my wife."
Mannat said nothing. She cried silently through the night — but when she looked at the child sleeping innocently in the next room, something inside her softened.
She chose love over bitterness.
She accepted the child as her own — not because she had to, but because he was a part of Sahil.
Sahil doubted her every action.He thought she was pretending.That her kindness was fake.
But Mannat never complained.
Then one day, fate tested love brutally.
While returning from a temple, gunshots erupted nearby. Panic spread. In the chaos, Mannat saw a gun aimed at Sahil.
Without thinking, she stepped forward.
The bullet struck her shoulder.
As she collapsed, Sahil held her, begging her to open her eyes. Blood soaked his hands — fear soaked his soul.
"Stay with me," he cried.
Mannat smiled weakly."Just… keep yourself and your child happy."
She survived.
But Sahil never forgot that moment.
Days later, in anger and confusion, Sahil accused her of marrying him for money. His words shattered her.
Finally, Mannat broke.
"I loved you before I was your wife," she said through tears."I loved you without expecting anything."
"And your child?" Sahil asked.
"I love him because he is your blood," she replied."In love, you don't just take — you give."
That night, Sahil realised the truth.
He had mistaken purity for weakness.Silence for selfishness.Love for obligation.
"I was wrong," he whispered."I love you."
For the first time, Mannat didn't cry.
She smiled.
And love — the kind that waits, endures, and sacrifices — finally found its home.