Her father married her to a beggar because she was born blindwhat happened next left everyone speechless.
Zainab had never seen the world with her own eyes, but she felt its cruelty with every breath. Born into a family that valued beauty above all else, she was the unseen burden, the hidden shame.
Her sisters were admired for their enchanting eyes and graceful figures, while she was treated like a stain on the familys flawless image. Her mother died when she was five, and from then on, her father grew cold and bitterespecially toward her. He never called her by name, only “that thing.”
She wasnt allowed at the table or in the room when guests visited. To him, she was cursedan omen of misfortune, a divine punishment.
On her 21st birthday, he shattered what little remained of her broken heart.
One morning, he entered her tiny roomwhere she sat quietly, tracing the raised lines of a Braille bookand dropped folded fabric into her lap.
“Tomorrow, you marry,” he said flatly.
She froze. The words made no sense. Married? To whom?
“A beggar from the mosque,” he continued. “Youre blind, hes poor. A perfect match.”
Blood drained from her face. She wanted to scream, to runbut no sound came. She had no choice. She never had.
The next day, it happened fasta rushed ceremony, few witnesses, no joy. Of course, she never saw his face, and no one dared describe it.
Her father pushed her toward the stranger and told her to take his arm. She did it mechanically, like a soulless shadow. Onlookers sneered, whispering, “The blind girl and the beggar.”
Afterward, her father shoved a small bag of clothes into her hands and gave her to the man.
“Now shes your problem,” he said, walking away without looking back.
The beggarYushaled her silently through the streets. They walked until they reached a ragged hut at the villages edge, reeking of damp earth and smoke.
“Its not much,” Yusha said gently. “But here, youll be safe.”
Zainab sat on an old mat inside, swallowing tears. This was her fate nowa blind girl, wed to a beggar, in a hut of mud and despair.
But from the first night, something strange happened.
Yusha brewed tea with careful hands. He gave her his coat for warmth and slept by the door like a loyal guard. He spoke to her with kindness, asking about her favorite stories, dreams, the foods she loved. No one had ever asked her such things.
Days became weeks. Yusha led her to the river each morning, describing the sun, birds, and trees with such poetry that she began to “see” them through his words. He sang as they washed clothes, told her tales of stars and distant lands. For the first time in years, she laughed again.
Her heart began to open. And in that simple hut, something unexpected happenedZainab fell in love.
One afternoon, she took his hand and asked, “Were you always a beggar?”
Yusha hesitated. “No,” he admitted softly. But he said no more, and she didnt press.
Until one day.
She went alone to the market, following Yushas clear directions. But halfway there, someone grabbed her arm roughly.
“Blind rat!” spat a hateful voiceher sister, Amina. “Still alive? Still playing wife to a beggar?”
Tears welled, but Zainab held them back. She lifted her chin. “Im happy.”
Amina laughed. “You dont even know what he looks like. Hes filthjust like you.” Then she whispered something that shattered Zainabs heart: “Hes not a beggar. Youve been lied to.”
Confused, Zainab returned home and waited. That night, she demanded the truth.
Yusha knelt before her. “I didnt mean to hurt you,” he said. “Im not a beggar. Im the emirs son.”
The world spun. She struggled to breathe.
“Why?” she whispered.
“I wanted someone who saw menot my wealth, not my title. Just me. You were everything I ever asked for.”
Her legs weakened. Joy and disbelief warred in her chest.
That night, a royal carriage arrived. Guards bowed as they escorted her into a new life.
At the palace, whispers followed heruntil Yusha silenced them with a vow: “I wont take the throne unless shes honored here. If she isnt, Ill leave with her.”
The queen rose. “From today, Zainab is your princess. Disrespect her, and you disrespect the crown.”
Silence fell.
Zainabs heart pounded, not with fear, but with power. She was no longer an outcastshe was a woman whod found her place in the world.
And for the first time, she didnt need to be seen for her beauty. Only for the love in her heart.
