Chapter 1: The Decision That Changed Everything

Lian had no idea that evening would be the last evening she would spend as an ordinary young woman.

She finished arranging the books on her small desk, then looked up at the window. The sunset light streamed into her room as she smiled, imagining herself a few months from now, a university student at the university she had dreamed of attending for years.

Her mother's voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Lian… your father wants you in the living room.”

She got up, thinking it might be about her exam results or a visit from a relative. It never occurred to her that her entire future was waiting for her behind that door.

She walked in quietly, then stopped.

Her father was sitting with his head lowered, while her uncle stood nearby, staring silently at the floor. On the sofa across from them sat an elegantly dressed man who looked to be in his fifties. His features carried the authority of a wealthy man.

The man gave her a cold smile.

“So… this is Lian.”

She gave him a shy nod, then sat beside her mother.

Silence filled the room for several long seconds before her father finally let out a difficult sigh.

“My daughter… there is something important you need to know.”

A tight feeling settled in Lian's chest.

“Is everything all right, Dad?”

He didn't answer, as though the words were too difficult to say.

The stranger spoke instead.

“My name is Sami… and I'm from the Al-Rawi family.”

The name wasn't unfamiliar to her. Everyone knew the wealthy Al-Rawi family, which owned one of the largest companies in the country.

Sami continued calmly.

“I came today to ask for your hand in marriage on behalf of my nephew.”

Lian's eyes widened. She stared at her father in disbelief.

“Marriage?”

Her father remained silent.

She whispered, her voice trembling.

“But… I don't want to get married now.”

Her father lowered his head further, while Sami said firmly,

“You will have a life you could never dream of. Your future will be secure.”

Lian stared at him blankly, then turned her eyes back to her father.

“Dad… say something.”

The man closed his eyes for a moment before speaking in a broken voice.

“Forgive me, my daughter…”

At that moment, Lian felt as though the ground had been pulled out from beneath her feet. She didn't know that the decision made in that room was not simply about marriage, but the beginning of a scheme that would change her life for many years to come.

Silence continued to fill the room until the ticking of the clock seemed louder than the breathing of everyone sitting there.

Lian stared at her father with tears filling her eyes.

“Dad… please. Tell me this is just a joke.”

He didn't raise his head. He simply rubbed his trembling palms together.

Her mother finally spoke. Her eyes were red from crying.

“Lian… listen to your father first.”

Lian shook her head firmly.

“I don't want to hear anything. I just want to understand… why?”

Her father let out a long sigh before speaking in a tired voice.

“I'm going through a difficult situation, my daughter.”

She moved closer and sat at his feet.

“What kind of situation? We'll all work. I'll even give up my studies if necessary, but don't ask me to marry someone I don't know.”

Her father's lips trembled, but he didn't answer.

Sami continued to watch the scene with a strange calmness before saying,

“My nephew is a respectable young man. He's educated and comes from a well-known family. You won't lack anything with him.”

Lian turned toward him angrily.

“Did you even ask if I wanted him?”

He gave her a faint smile.

“Life isn't always the way we want it to be.”

She suddenly stood up, her voice beginning to rise.

“I'm not a piece of merchandise for you to decide my fate!”

Her mother quickly stood and grabbed her hand.

“Lower your voice.”

Lian gently pulled her hand away and looked at her father again.

“You've already agreed, haven't you?”

He closed his eyes for a few seconds before slowly nodding.

That answer was enough to destroy the last bit of hope inside her.

She felt as though all the words had disappeared from the world. She could hear nothing except the rapid beating of her heart.

Sami turned toward her father and said confidently,

“Then we'll consider the matter settled. I'll send someone to take care of the marriage arrangements within the next few days.”

He then stood, adjusted his jacket, and left the house with calm steps, as though he had just completed a successful business deal rather than decided the fate of a girl who had yet to fulfill her dreams.

The door closed behind him, and Lian remained staring into empty space.

She whispered in a broken voice,

“I don't even know his name…”

After a moment of hesitation, her father answered,

“His name is Adam.”

She repeated the name quietly.

“Adam…”

It was a name that meant nothing to her, but from that moment on, it became connected to a future she had never chosen and a life she had never wished to live.

Lian raised her head toward her father and asked the question that had been haunting her since the beginning of the conversation.

“Does he agree to this marriage?”

Silence filled the room once again.

Then her father said with difficulty,

“Yes… that's what they told me.”

But the truth was that no one in that room knew that Adam didn't even know yet that his wedding date had been set, and that at that very moment, he was preparing to travel outside the country, running away from a marriage he had not chosen either.