I’m a 32 years old woman, happy with my job and with my middle class family. A few months ago, my parents brought up a marriage proposal and asked me to meet a guy they thought was a good match. So, my father, brother, and I went to meet him.
On June 17, 2023, we met, and suddenly, our engagement was set. I was shocked at how quickly things moved, and although I wasn’t thrilled, my family insisted he was a good guy having a steady job, own house, so no problem, right?
He lives in Bhubaneswar, and we’re from Balasore(Odisha), but I still agreed to the marriage. Our engagement took place on June 21, 2023. I was nervous, feeling uneasy about how quickly my life was changing. But the ceremony went smoothly, though I noticed some disturbing signs in his family’s behavior didn’t sit right with me, and my parents felt the same. Still, we brushed it off.
From then on, we spoke every day. I began to like and trust him, perhaps too easily. I even shared personal family issues with him. He asked me to leave my job, saying the distance would be a problem. Reluctantly, I agreed, as he promised to find me a job in Bhubaneswar. Then came our wedding day on July 5, 2023. Friends, family, everyone arrived from my side, but his family barely showed up.
Only his parents and a few office colleagues came, leaving us puzzled and hurt. My parents bore all the expenses, and I felt humiliated, but I held back my feelings and went through with the ceremony, which finally ended at 4 a.m. The next day was my “vidai” (farewell), and I struggled to leave my family. My brother stayed with me for a few days to ease the transition, but after he left, I felt completely isolated-new city, new house, no job. I was left alone in the house with nothing to do but wait.
On July 9, 2023, we had our reception, where my family came to attend. But his family treated us with such disrespect that I couldn’t believe it. It was like I’d married a stranger. Afterward, my family returned home, and I felt even more alone. Days passed, and he went to Kolkata for work, leaving me alone with his parents. I began to feel utterly abandoned. When I got my period, his mother told me to stay in a separate room, and even he wouldn’t check in on me. I felt completely alone, but I stayed silent.
On July 27, 2023, I experienced an awful incident. His mother made me isolate myself during my period, and even when it was over, he continued to avoid me. Then he claimed he’d had an accident where his laptop and the gold jewelry my family gifted him were stolen. Shocked, I believed him, though his parents seemed oddly unconcerned. In August, I went home for Raksha Bandhan, hoping things would improve.
But even over the phone, his behavior remained distant and cold. By the time I returned, he had quit his job, supposedly looking for a new one, but he wouldn’t share any details with me. He refused any physical closeness, claiming he was stressed, and our relationship felt more strained every day. Finally, when we did become intimate, I thought maybe things were turning around. But afterward, he insisted I take medicine to prevent pregnancy, and I, foolishly, agreed.
Days turned into weeks, and he grew even more distant. I spent each day in that house, barely seeing him, rarely talking, feeling like a ghost in his life. Then came February 6, 2023. He and his parents left to buy a car without even informing me. I was abandoned at home, left feeling invisible. I called my parents, telling them I couldn’t stay any longer. On February 18, 2023, I left his house, never realizing it would be my last day there.
After returning home, I learned the truth. His family had demanded a dowry of 2 lakh rupees before marriage, which my family had secretly paid. He had lied about everything his job, his intentions, even his affection. I’d been used, abused mentally, physically, and emotionally, all for his family’s financial gain.
Now, I’m fighting for a divorce from a man who never cared for me. I loved him truly, but he only wanted money. The betrayal cut so deep that I once considered ending my life, but I held on-for my parents and myself. The divorce case is ongoing, and I’m left questioning how I never saw his true face.