I am a small town girl.

But I had big dreams, I wanted to prove myself not only to the society but also to my parents. I was mediocre during my school days but understood the importance of education after I left my small town and went for AIPMT preparations. There, I faced true competition. I tried my level best to crack the entrance but was not able to. From that day itself, I changed myself, I had got my motto in life. I started striving hard to come back to my potential.

I thought my family members supported me but this is where I went wrong. After completing my graduation I went for my PG to the City of Joy. I successfully completed my post graduation with a job in hand. I had created a name for myself in my college. I had everything- wonderful friends, loving teachers, and the love of my life. In all this, I had forgotten about my family and my roots. I had completely changed myself, I did not want to go back. I had my dreams, I wanted to be successful but fate had something else in store for me. My parents wanted me to get married and settle down.

This is when I had to spill the beans about my boyfriend to my parents. He was from another caste. Yes, it's the 21st century and still, we have to deal with all these nonsensical things. My mom came to meet me and she tried her level best to persuade me to come back, I asked her to meet him just for once but she did not agree. I was begging her and she threatened to commit suicide.

I knew my mom- she could commit suicide if her husband suffered, I agreed to go to my hometown for a few days. On reaching my hometown, my mom's husband, my lawful father, was waiting with all the emotional blackmail.

After all the blackmailing, when I was not ready to leave my boyfriend, he also threatened to commit suicide. A coward he is, but then I had to give in. I went back to my karmabhumi, finished all my assignments and with a faint hope of getting married to my boyfriend, I went back to my hometown.

I was in constant touch with my boyfriend, waiting for a miracle to happen. Meanwhile, my family was finding a guy in the community to get rid of me. Though I lived in a small town, the environment was that of a big city. My father found a match and they came to see me. I was selected and my parents were happier than the time they got to know that I had topped in my class. They got me engaged the same day. I cried, I cried a lot, I had to break up on the phone.

My boyfriend thought that I had not tried hard enough, and accused me of giving in because I would become wealthier through this marriage. I didn't disagree because I wanted him to hate me. That way, he could forget me. I loved him and I knew that.

I thought that was the worst phase of my life; little did I know that the worst was yet to come.

We got married. I was told that he lived in a metro city. Frankly speaking, I lost all expectations from life. Once a confident girl, I turned hostile. After the bidai, I came to know that I had been married off into a remote village. I still tried to adjust to the new environment. That day, I died. I was killed by my parents. My dreams were shattered, I was breathing outside and dead inside.

My boyfriend still thinks that I betrayed him for money and I let him believe that. Deep inside, I want to revolt. It has been 3 years, but now I don't have the courage to fight back. Everybody knows that I'm happy but deep within, I die every day, paying the cost of being born a girl.

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