Every meeting was the same: she sat across from him in a long white dress, her face hidden behind a light veil. She spoke softly and modestly, smiled with her eyes, but never once attempted to lift the veil. He thought it was just shyness.

Even during video calls she always turned off her camera. “It has to be this way,” the girl repeated.

The groom’s family had doubts, but he assured them that she was simply raised differently. He had already decided to marry her, and nothing could shake his certainty, because he truly loved her.