Author's POV:

The next few weeks blurred into one another.

Hiba moved like a shadow in the Malik mansion-silent, careful, trying to make herself invisible. Her mornings began with cooking or setting the table under Mrs. Malik's critical gaze, and her nights ended on the same narrow couch, where sleep never came easy.

Hayaan was a ghost in his own way. He left early, returned late, and barely spared her a glance.

Every day, Hiba whispered a small prayer:
Ya Allah, give me patience. Give me a way out of this heaviness.

But patience was tested one morning when Mrs. Malik summoned her to the living room.

Hiba entered cautiously, smoothing her dupatta, her heart already thudding. Her mother‑in‑law sat on the velvet sofa, a cup of tea in her hand and a calculating look in her eyes. Areeba lounged beside her, scrolling through her phone as usual.

"You've been in this house for a weeks," Mrs. Malik said without preamble. "And already, people are whispering."

Hiba blinked in confusion. "Wh‑Whispering?"

"That my son is married to a doll," Mrs. Malik said coldly. "A pretty little doll who can't fulfill her duties as a wife. Do you know what that means, Hiba?"

Her throat tightened. She shook her head.

"It means," Mrs. Malik leaned forward, her voice dropping to a chilling softness, "that if you can't prove this marriage is real, people will assume... shameful things."

Areeba smirked, her voice sing‑song. "They'll think bhai married a weakling. Or worse... that he doesn't even want her."

Hiba's cheeks flamed. She wanted to disappear, to sink into the marble floor. "I‑I don't understand what you want me to-"

"You will understand," Mrs. Malik cut her off. "Tonight, when Hayaan comes home, you will make sure this house sees that you are his wife. I want the world to believe it."

The meaning hit Hiba like a splash of ice water. Her stomach twisted, a tremor running through her. "You... you want us to...?"

"I want proof," Mrs. Malik said firmly. "Every Malik bride does her duty. If you fail, I will send you back to your parents in disgrace."

Tears pricked Hiba's eyes. Humiliation burned through her like fire. She nodded silently, because what else could she do?

---

The hours crawled by.

Hiba sat on the edge of the bed that night, dressed in a soft maroon night suit that Areeba had smugly handed her earlier. She twisted her fingers together, her heart racing every time she heard the elevator or a door click.

When Hayaan finally walked in, his presence consumed the room. He paused at the sight of her sitting on the bed, then his eyes narrowed slightly.

"What is this?" he asked, his voice calm but dangerous.

Hiba's lips trembled. "I... I was told... to..."

"To what?" His tone hardened.

"To... to make it look like..." Her voice broke as her eyes fell to the floor. "...like we are... husband and wife."

Silence fell. Heavy. Suffocating.

Hayaan exhaled slowly, a mixture of irritation and something else flickering in his gaze. He removed his blazer and tossed it on the chair, then walked toward her with slow, measured steps.

"Who told you this?"

Hiba hesitated. "M‑Mother... she said if I don't, people will talk... and... she'll send me back in disgrace."

Something cold and sharp flashed in his eyes. He stopped right in front of her, towering over her small frame.

"You are my wife," he said, his voice low, a dangerous calm. "No one will humiliate you without my permission. Not even my mother."

Hiba's breath caught. For the first time, there was a glimmer of protectiveness in his tone, like a spark buried under layers of ice.

But it vanished just as quickly.

"I'll deal with her," he said. "But you..." He leaned closer, his shadow swallowing her. "...you will listen to me, not anyone else. Do you understand?"

Hiba nodded, her pulse racing, fear and something unfamiliar mingling in her chest.

Hayaan straightened, turning toward the window as if the moment had never happened. His voice was clipped when he finally spoke again.

"Get some sleep. Tomorrow, this house will know its limits."

Hiba lay back on the couch, her heart hammering, caught between relief and confusion.

She didn't know if she had just been protected... or warned.

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