Tanu saw it all in Jim’s eyes. It was love that she saw, but he never showed it. Jim was a player. He had the looks and everything; every girl liked him because he was so handsome.

Tanu was a simple girl who loved hanging out with her friends. When they arrived at school they saw each other and Jim said, “Hi Tanu.”

Tanu said, “Hey,” with a smile on her face.

Both knew they liked each other, but never tried to show it. When Jim saw Tanu standing with a boy he got the wrong impression not knowing that the boy was her friend. He started dating other girls, which led to Tanu’s depression. All she could ever think of was the fear of losing him.

Jim dated the girls to get Tanu out of his mind, but it only made him love her more. He finally gathered the courage to tell her that he loved her. Tanu knew that he dated the other girls because he needed to forget.

Six years later they tied the knot.

***

After five years since Tanu and Jim got married, it was not all glitz and glamour as they experienced a lot of obstacles in their marriage. Jim’s sister did not like Tanu, she often told Tanu she did not belong in their class and vowed that her marriage would not last for too long.

Despite this, Tanu still loved and respected her husband’s family. She never even bothered to tell him. When Tanu saw Jim through the window as he was coming from work, she ran downstairs to welcome him but she reached downstairs and noticed something different about Jim. He was angry and the word from Jim’s sister saying her marriage wouldn’t last echoed through her head.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” she asked.

“Why did you push my sister down the stairs?” he asked her. Tanu felt tears rolling down her cheeks and kept on staring at him.

“She is lying!” she said and then saw Aaliya lying in bed. She asked her why she lied and Aaliya just smiled.

“Sister-in-law, you know sometimes you have to lie to get what you want,” and as soon as Tanu was about to talk, Jim came in and saw Aaliya. He ran to her to ask if she was okay and Aaliya said, “I’m fine but if you want me to get better soon, you should divorce your wife.”

***

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