Just because of a small incident during the village festival, Elara Mahesa suddenly had to marry a stranger-Kieran Aditya Ravindra. A massive misunderstanding occurred when the villagers found them in a suspicious situation inside an old storage house. Rumors spread quickly, and to protect Elara's honor and prevent the 'ancestral curse' that the villagers believed would befall them if they didn't marry, they were forced into a wedding within 24 hours. However, the marriage wasn't just sudden-it also had to be kept a secret. Elara's status as Kieran's wife had to be hidden because he was actually the heir of the powerful Ravindra family. His father, a wealthy businessman with political ambitions, had already arranged for Kieran to marry another woman for the sake of the family's interests. If news of their marriage got out, everything-including his father's carefully planned future-could collapse. Elara, who had once lived a peaceful life in the village, suddenly found herself trapped in a world of power plays and wealthy family intrigues. Meanwhile, Kieran couldn't simply ignore Elara's existence. The longer they stayed together, the harder it became to pretend that their marriage was just a 'mistake.' But what happens when their secret is exposed? Will Elara remain as Kieran's hidden wife, or will she choose to walk away from the man who has unexpectedly captured her heart? And will Kieran have the courage to defy his family and fight for the woman who was forced into his life? What started as a misunderstanding soon unraveled a far bigger secret. Will they find happiness in the end, or will their complicated reality tear them apart?
Chapter 1 The Unlikely Marriage
The evening air was thick with the scent of spices, freshly cooked meals, and the distant hum of villagers preparing for the annual harvest festival. Elara Mahesa had always looked forward to these festivals, but this year, it felt different. Her heart was heavy with an unease she couldn't quite explain, though she tried to shake it off as nothing more than a fleeting thought. The festival, after all, was a time for celebration, for laughter and music that echoed through the village streets.
As the villagers danced and sang, Elara's feet carried her away from the festivities, drawn to the old storage house at the edge of the village. The small, crumbling building was a place she had often retreated to as a child, seeking solitude in its shadowed corners. It was her sanctuary, a quiet place where she could escape from the prying eyes of the village and the expectations that weighed so heavily on her.
But tonight, there was something strange in the air. The wind picked up, rustling the leaves, and a soft thud echoed through the walls of the storage house. Elara hesitated for a moment, but her curiosity got the better of her. She crept toward the door, pushing it open with a creak that seemed far too loud in the stillness.
Inside, there was a figure, standing with his back to her. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair that fell in messy waves around his face. Elara's breath caught in her throat as she realized that the man standing there was none other than Kieran Aditya Ravindra-the young master of the Ravindra family.
Kieran was a name that carried weight in the village. He was the heir to one of the wealthiest families in the region, a man whose presence commanded attention wherever he went. Elara had heard of him, of course-who hadn't? But she had never imagined that their paths would cross, much less in such a private, unexpected manner.
As she stood there, trying to make sense of the situation, the wind picked up again, sending the door swinging open wider. Elara stumbled, her foot catching on the floor, and she collided with Kieran, knocking him off balance. In an instant, they both fell to the ground in a tangled mess of limbs and awkward silence.
The sound of footsteps outside reached them, and suddenly, they were no longer alone. Villagers had gathered at the door, their eyes wide with shock as they took in the scene before them. A gasp swept through the crowd, followed by murmurs of confusion and curiosity.
"Elara?" someone called out, the voice trembling with uncertainty.
Kieran quickly stood up, helping her to her feet. His face was flushed with embarrassment, but there was a glint of something more in his eyes-something that Elara couldn't quite place. She opened her mouth to explain, but the words didn't come. What could she possibly say? The villagers had seen everything.
And that's when the rumors began.
The whispers spread like wildfire through the village, reaching the ears of everyone from the oldest matriarch to the youngest child. Some said that Elara and Kieran had been caught in a compromising position, while others claimed it was nothing more than a misunderstanding. But one thing was clear: the villagers believed the two of them had done something far worse than just accidentally bumping into each other in a quiet, forgotten corner of the village.
The following morning, as the sun rose over the village, the elders called a meeting, and Elara found herself at the center of a storm she never could have anticipated. The elders, with their wrinkled faces and sagely expressions, had decided that something needed to be done to preserve the honor of both Elara and the village. And so, in a sudden and unexpected turn of events, Elara was told that she would marry Kieran.
"Marriage?" Elara exclaimed, her voice sharp with disbelief. "But... we're strangers! We don't even know each other!"
The elders exchanged knowing glances, their faces serious.
"It's the only way," one of them said, his voice heavy with authority. "The curse of the ancestors will fall upon this village if we don't make this right. The gods will not forgive us if we let this dishonor linger."
Elara's mind raced. She had heard the stories-the warnings of a curse that would befall the village if anyone ever brought shame upon the sacred traditions. But this was madness. She couldn't marry a man she barely knew, especially not under such strange and ridiculous circumstances.
But as the elders spoke of the consequences, the weight of the village's beliefs, and the long-standing tradition that required such a union, Elara knew there was no escaping it.
She would marry Kieran.
And that was only the beginning of a marriage that would be anything but simple. As the village looked on, their eyes filled with judgment and expectation, Elara could already feel the tension beginning to build. The marriage wasn't just for the villagers-it was for something much bigger, a secret that neither of them were prepared to face.
Kieran, as she would soon learn, wasn't just a stranger. He was the heir to a powerful family with its own set of rules, and his life was far more complicated than Elara could have ever imagined. And as for her? She had no idea what kind of world she was about to be thrust into.
But one thing was clear: their marriage, though born from a misunderstanding, would change both of their lives forever. And they would have to navigate the tangled web of family, power, and secrets if they were ever to survive the storm that was about to engulf them.
For now, they were bound by something neither of them wanted-but in time, Elara would learn that sometimes, the most unlikely of marriages can turn into the most powerful of alliances.
And it all started with one fateful, accidental meeting in the old storage house.
Chapter 1 The Unlikely Marriage
07/03/2025
Chapter 2 The Hidden Marriage
07/03/2025
Chapter 3 Secrets and Strangers
07/03/2025
Chapter 4 The days bled into each other
07/03/2025
Chapter 5 fleeting moments of understanding
07/03/2025
Chapter 6 each one blending into the next
07/03/2025
Chapter 7 They existed together
07/03/2025
Chapter 8 Kieran stood motionless
07/03/2025
Chapter 9 Every night
07/03/2025
Chapter 10 Elara had retreated to the bedroom
07/03/2025
Chapter 11 Fractured Paths
07/03/2025
Chapter 12 Neither Kieran nor Elara knew where they were heading
07/03/2025
Chapter 13 The days grew longer
07/03/2025
Chapter 14 Fractures in the Silence
07/03/2025
Chapter 15 The mornings were the hardest
07/03/2025
Chapter 16 The following days were a delicate balance
07/03/2025
Chapter 17 but it was fragile
07/03/2025
Chapter 18 The next few weeks felt like an intricate dance
07/03/2025
Chapter 19 a sense of change
07/03/2025
Chapter 20 The village
07/03/2025
Chapter 21 She had taken a step toward Kieran
07/03/2025
Chapter 22 Kieran were enough to carry them forward
07/03/2025
Chapter 23 The weight of Kieran's confession
07/03/2025
Chapter 24 The weight of their shared secret
07/03/2025
Chapter 25 Kieran felt like a storm had settled over their lives
07/03/2025
Chapter 26 an eerie contrast to the turmoil raging within Elara's mind
07/03/2025
Chapter 27 The wind howled through the trees
07/03/2025
Chapter 28 Not when every fiber of her being screamed
07/03/2025
Chapter 29 then who could
07/03/2025
Chapter 30 Elara's pulse pounded in her ears as she took another step back
07/03/2025
Other books by Risa Febria Arumi
More