FORBIDDEN FLAMES



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I sat by the open window, the gentle breeze carrying the scent of the mango blossoms from our courtyard. The golden rays of the setting sun bathed everything in a glow that felt deceitfully serene. To the world outside, we were a family of tradition, loyalty, and grace. To those who looked closer, we were the Thakurs-a family cloaked in secrets.

Arjun paced the room like a restless tiger, his jaw tight and fists clenched. He had always been the fire in our family. Where Baba spoke in riddles and ma in prayers, Arjun spoke with the certainty of conviction. He had a plan. He always had a plan.

"This marriage is our chance," he said, stopping abruptly and turning to me. His dark eyes burned with determination. " Edward Ashford - or whatever the British like to call him-isn't just a railway officer. He's a gateway. A way to know their movements, their strategies, everything."

I stayed silent, watching the shadows dance on the floor as the wind played with the curtains. I hated the way he said it-like I was a tool to be wielded, not a sister with thoughts and feelings.

"And what about me, Arjun?" I asked finally, my voice steady but low. "What am I in this plan of yours? A spy? A pawn?"

His gaze softened for a moment, but only just. "You're the key, Roshni. The British see us as obstacles, nuisances. They would never expect one of us to infiltrate their world so closely. Marrying him gives us power-power to undermine them from the inside."

I turned away, my fingers brushing against the edge of the window frame. The idea of marrying a Britisher had felt like betrayal in itself. These were the people who had taken so much from us-our land, our dignity, our freedom. And now, I was expected to walk into their world willingly, to play the obedient wife to one of their own?

"But why me?" I whispered.

"Because you're the only one who can do it," Arjun said firmly, coming to stand beside me. "You're strong, Roshni. Smarter than they'll ever know. And most importantly, you understand what's at stake."

I clenched my fists, feeling the heat rise in my chest. Yes, I understood. I understood the pain in Amma's eyes every time she passed by the British soldiers who strutted through our village like they owned it. I understood the silent fury in Baba's hands as he worked the fields, knowing the best of our harvests would go to feed their soldiers, not our own people.

But that didn't make this any easier.

"Roshni," Arjun said, his voice softer now, "if there was another way, I wouldn't ask this of you. But there isn't. This is our chance to make a difference."

I looked at him, seeing the desperation in his eyes. He believed in this plan, in me, with every fiber of his being. And maybe that's what made it so hard.

"If I do this," I said slowly, "what happens when he finds out? What happens when Edward Ashford realizes I'm not the docile, dutiful wife he's expecting?"

Arjun's expression darkened. "He won't find out. And if he does... you'll handle it. You're a Thakur, Roshni. You're stronger than you think."

His words were meant to reassure me, but they didn't. If anything, they felt like chains tightening around my wrists.

"I don't trust him," I said after a moment, my voice barely above a whisper.

"You don't have to," Arjun replied. "You just have to make him trust you."

His words were meant to reassure me, but they didn't. If anything, they felt like chains tightening around my wrists.

I turned back toward the window, the shadows lengthening on the floor. Somewhere in the distance, a train whistle echoed, a haunting reminder of the world I was about to step into.

"I'll marry him if I have to," I said finally, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. "But I won't belong to him-not his world, not his rules. Never."

I wasn't ready for this.

But did it matter?

For my family, for my people, I would do it. Even if it meant losing myself in
the process.

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Hope you enjoyed the chapter. More is coming soon.
Till then stay tuned 🤍.