TANGLED HEARTS

TRAPPED

The house was filled with music, colors, and the sweet scent of mehndi. Guests bustled about, chatting excitedly. The henna ceremony had begun. But Nargis stood by the window, unmoved, watching the sky shift from golden to grey. Her hands itched not from the henna, but from what she had just heard,earlier that morning, Nargis had gone for a workout. It was the only time she felt free. The air, the sweat, the solitude it gave her space to breathe, even if just for a moment.She returned home, towel around her neck, dressed in leggings and a sports tee, As she tiptoed into the hallway, she paused,Behind the floral drapes, she heard voices.Her father, Farhan Khan. Salma. And Zayn,her cousin. The one she hadn’t spoken to in months.

Their voices were low but sharp.“If she comes back from her workout,” Salma said, “lock her in. I know that girl. She’s hot-headed. She'll try something crazy.”Zayn's laugh grated on her nerves. “Don't worry, aunt. She won't escape. She'll do exactly what we want.", Her fists clenched.

Flashback~Two Months Ago.

Zayn had barged into her room without knocking. She had just come out of the bathroom, in shorts and a tank top, towel in hand. He stopped and stared,Then stepped forward."You've grown up, Nargis,” he said, his voice thick.“Damn, Be my f**k mate, cousin, You're so hot, I wonder how you'd taste.”Before he could move closer, Nargis slapped him across the face so hard it rang. Then she kicked him Hard, “You’re sick!” she shouted,Zayn had staggered back, eyes burning with shame and fury.He never forgave her for that.

~End Flashback~

Now, back in the present, she knew they meant to trap her,They feared she’d run,and they were right. She crept down the hallway toward the back door, barefoot, phone in pocket, bag slung lightly over her shoulder, The gate was only a few steps away,Then crash. Her elbow brushed a flower vase. It fell. Shattered. Zayn appeared instantly, eyes dark,“Trying to escape, huh?” he hissed. Before she could scream, he lifted her off the floor and hurled her into her room, The door slammed shut, The lock clicked,and she stayed there, till the wedding day.

That afternoon, they dragged her out for the henna ceremony. Dressed in gold and emerald, she was forced to smile. They pressed the cone into her hand,“Write his name on your palm,” Salma ordered,with shaking fingers, she scribbled 'Yusuf' in uneven curves. Tears welled, but she bit her lip. Then came the bridal shower, a fake celebration,Laughter, gifts, fake well-wishes. Nargis sat there, her eyes dead.And finally the Wedding Day. The crowd fell silent. The room pulsed with anticipation. Nargis stood at the altar, her heart pounding louder than the soft drums echoing through the hall. The chandeliers spun like her thoughts, and her knees trembled beneath the weight of lace and betrayal. This wasn’t how her life was supposed to go, not like this.

The officiator, dressed in ceremonial robes, turned to the groom. His voice rang out clearly:“Yusuf Saeed, son of Abdul and Mariam Saeed, do you willingly take Nargis Khan, daughter of Farhan and Zeenat Khan, as your lawfully wedded wife?". Yusuf, in his perfectly tailored sherwani, smiled with rehearsed calmness ,“Yes, I do.”a soft wave of applause rolled through the room. Camera flashes lit up like stars. From the front row, Salma smirked, victorious.

Then came the next question.“Nargis Khan, do you do you take Yusuf saeed son of Abdul and Mariam saeed as your husband”She hesitated, the room waited,her lips parted, but the words caught in her throat. She wasn’t supposed to be here. This wasn’t her dream, her choice, her future. Just as she gathered the courage to speak, chaos exploded,a woman charged forward, veil slipping off her head, anger blazing in her eyes."You're the b***h marrying my husband?!" Before anyone could react, the woman slammed Nargis to the ground. Gasps rang out as guests stood in confusion, some filming, others frozen in place. Nargis winced, trying to shield her face, but something flickered in her line of vision, a familiar figure.Lillian,her best friend stood just beyond the crowd, breathless, wide-eyed, motioning urgently: Run,hope sparked in Nargis like fire meeting gasoline.She scrambled to her feet, the lace of her wedding dress tearing at the hem, In the panic, she spotted Fayrouz a few steps away, tears in her eyes, unsure of what to do.Nargis didn't think, she acted. She grabbed Fayrouz by the hand, ripped the heels off her feet, and bolted.

They dashed through the hall, guests shouting behind them. The guards hesitated, too stunned to move,Lillian threw open the back doors,“Go!”They ran into the night, into freedom. The car was waiting, engine running. Within seconds, they were on their way to the private airstrip.

A Few Hours Later - Rome, ITALY

She hadn’t even changed her wedding gown, still breathless, makeup smudged, heart thudding, Nargis barged into the grand marble building that housed the exam hall at LUISS University.She pushed through the doors—only to be stopped by a stern-looking professor with icy eyes,“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked in a clipped Italian accent,“Please,” she panted, “I need to sit for my entrance exam. Let me in.”he sneered. “I don’t recall Indian women going to college. You belong in the kitchen.”The hall erupted into cruel laughter,Pens dropped,Eyes turned,Nargis raised her head,“And I don’t recall Italians been professors instead of killing themselves, what are you doing on earth?”,Gasps, silence,The professor's face twisted. He flung the question paper and answer sheet at her,“Take it.”She caught it, walked to her seat, and sat down. Her hands trembled, but her resolve was steel,She wrote,word after word, Line after line,everything she'd bottled up-the pain, the rage, the fire-she poured into every answer.When the time was up, she stood. Her wedding gown was stained and torn. Her hands smelled of ink and defiance,she turned in her paper,and smiled.

I can breathe now, she thought. All the memories, the fear, the voices trying to bury me,I’m done,Let them rot in the past. I’m done with Nigeria.

Nargis walked out of the hall, one step closer to the life she was ready to fight for.A new beginning had just begun.