The night was strangely quiet. There was a moon in the sky, but the light seemed to not want to reach the earth. A few people were standing inside a small rented house. The lamp in the house created semi-darkness.
The girl was sitting in the middle of the room.
Her name was Mehreen.
Her hands were shaking. Her heart was beating so loudly in her chest that even the people next to her could hear it.
Rashed was sitting in front of her.
Rashed did not have any excitement on his face. As if this was a very ordinary event in his life.
But for Mehreen, this was the biggest moment of her life.
A Qazi Sahib opened the paper and said—
"Mehrin Begum, are you accepting Rashed Ahmed for this much money as dowry?"
Mehreen's throat was dry.
But she said slowly—
"Accepted."
Her voice was so soft that it blended with the wind.
The Qazi said again—
"Accepted?"
Mehreen said a little louder this time—
"I accept."
Her eyes were wet when she said it for the third time.
"I accept."
At that moment, she felt like she had found the greatest happiness in the world.
But she didn't know—this marriage was the beginning of the biggest test of her life.
Because this marriage was a secret marriage.
No one outside the house knew.
The neighborhood didn't know.
Rashed's family didn't know.
Even Rashed's first wife didn't know.
The day before the wedding, Rashed told her—
"Mehrin, I have something to say."
Mehreen was laughing then.
"What's the matter?"
Rashed was silent for a while.
Then he said—
"I will marry you… but there is one condition."
Mehreen was surprised.
"What condition?"
Rashed said—
"I won't tell anyone right now that you are my wife."
Mehreen's heart stopped a little.
"Why?"
Rashed looked out the window and said—
"Because if you tell me now, there will be a lot of problems. My family, society… a lot of problems."
Mehreen was silent.
Then Rashed said—
"If you can go abroad… then I will tell everyone that you are my wife. We will live together abroad."
Mehreen was blinded by love at that time.
She thought—
Everything is easier with love.
So she nodded.
"Okay."
Whether that decision was the biggest mistake of her life or not—
She still didn't know.
After the wedding, Kazi left.
Only the two of them remained in the house.
Mehreen looked at Rashed with shy eyes.
"From today, I am your wife…"
Rashed smiled lightly.
But there was something in that smile—which Mehreen couldn't understand at the time.