Confused about Istikhara, naseeb, and letting go of someone I wanted to marry

Salam everyone. I need some clarity, especially from those who know Islam better than me. I'm not looking for someone to just tell me what I want to hear. If I'm misunderstanding Istikhara, naseeb, or Allah's signs, I want to know. I was in a relationship with a girl for about 3 months. We're both Muslim-she's Indian and I'm Pakistani-and although we're from different backgrounds, we were really compatible. We had similar interests, same football team, similar taste in music, similar cultural understanding, and were on a similar level when it came to deen. We barely argued, and when we did, we resolved things quickly. There was never a point where we questioned the relationship because of problems between us. We loved each other a lot and had even talked about our future, including marriage and kids, because we believed we were compatible enough for marriage. The main issue was that she was one year older than me. She was turning 23 and I was turning 22. That one-year age gap became a huge issue with her family. About two weeks into our relationship, her parents brought up a marriage proposal from a man who was 27, lived in the US, had graduated, and was financially stable. She told her parents she was already talking to me. Her parents immediately rejected me because I was younger. They didn't ask about my character, what I was studying, my career plans, my situation in Canada, or anything else. They basically told her that if she chose me, she would have to leave the house and they would cut her off. Because she didn't want to lose her parents, she initially told them she would end things with me. But she still loved me and didn't want to marry someone she didn't choose herself. As months went on, her family kept putting more pressure on her about the proposal. At one point, things became so overwhelming that we started praying Tahajjud and making dua about our situation. We asked Allah to remove the obstacles between us, soften her parents' hearts, and allow us to marry if we were good for each other. There were moments where it felt like things were becoming easier after we prayed. For example, once her parents were supposed to meet the other family's parents, but something came up and they had to leave the country, giving us more time. There were a few situations like this where we felt doors were temporarily opening. During Ramadan, I had been making a lot of dua asking Allah to bring someone into my life who would be my naseeb-someone compatible with me in personality, appearance, character, and deen. A couple of weeks later, she came to my house for iftar with friends because my brother already knew her. That's when I met her. Because of the timing, I started wondering if Allah had answered those duas by bringing her into my life. I don't mean that as proof she was definitely my naseeb, but at the time it felt meaningful. She also performed Istikhara more than once during our relationship. On some occasions, she told me she saw me in her dreams afterward. She described those dreams as positive, where we were happy together. Because of that, we both wondered if Allah was showing us to continue trying. We also became more serious about our deen during this situation. We started praying Tahajjud, making longer duas, and trying to trust Allah. In a strange way, the relationship pushed us closer to Allah. But eventually everything got worse. About 10 days ago, her parents fixed her marriage with the same man, apparently without her consent. She told me it was over and there was no way for us anymore. Her family was extremely firm. She said she couldn't choose me over her parents because of their family dynamic, especially after they repeatedly told her that choosing me would mean losing them. She had been fighting for months, and it became too much. Things became especially serious when her family found out she was still talking to me. She told me they slapped her when they found out, shortly before the marriage was fixed. After the marriage was fixed, she told me something that confused me even more. She said she performed Istikhara again a day before everything was finalized. This time, she didn't see me in her dream. Instead, she saw the other man. She also told me that afterward she felt a sense of peace and numbness toward me and her feelings were starting to disappear. She felt like she was finally leaning toward her parents' decision. Her reasoning was: We've prayed so much, and things aren't getting easier. Doors are closing. Maybe this is Allah showing us we're not meant to be. This is where I'm struggling. I also performed Istikhara after the breakup because I wanted clarity and peace. I hoped that if this wasn't meant for me, Allah would help my heart accept it. But instead, I missed her even more afterward, and I dreamed about her that same night. I haven't felt numb at all. My feelings are still the same. So now I'm confused. Why did she have positive dreams about me after previous Istikhara, while her final Istikhara involved the other man? Why did she feel peace and detachment afterward while I still feel attached? Does any of this indicate who our naseeb is, or am I putting too much meaning into dreams and circumstances? Another thing that makes this difficult is that we had intentions of making things halal. Yes, the relationship was haram, and I regret that. I've repented and don't want to justify it. But our intention was always marriage. We had even talked about getting Nikah next year, though we knew her parents would probably never agree. I also told my mother about her because I genuinely wanted to marry her. My mother was positive and open to the idea. During those three months, I felt my life became happier. I'm naturally introverted, but after she came into my life, I started going out more, felt more positive, and had something to look forward to. She also told me she would fight for our future and wanted to make things work. That's why it hurts that everything changed so quickly. I understand her family situation is complicated, and I'm not blaming her for not going against her parents. I know parents have rights in Islam, and I don't know the full extent of what she's gone through at home. But I'm struggling to understand how to interpret everything. I've heard people say, "If Allah puts someone in your heart and makes you make dua for them, He must have a reason," or that if Allah makes you repeatedly ask for something, He intends to give it to you. I don't know if that's an Islamic concept or just something people say. For the past few months, I've made specific duas for her: asking Allah to make her my naseeb, make our paths come together through halal marriage, remove obstacles, soften her parents' hearts, and make us good for each other. Now we're in no contact, and she says it's over. Her marriage is supposed to happen after she graduates next year. Part of me accepts I may have to let her go. But another part still has hope because of everything before-the duas, Tahajjud, positive Istikhara experiences, obstacles temporarily disappearing, and our compatibility. At the same time, her final Istikhara, her peace, her numbness, and her family fixing the marriage make me wonder if I need to accept this wasn't written for me. I'm not trying to chase her or interfere with her family. We're in no contact, and I respect her decision. I just don't understand how to interpret everything from an Islamic perspective. I still make dua for her, but I try to include: "Ya Allah, if she is good for me and this marriage is good for both of us, make it halal and bring us together. If not, give me strength to accept Your decree." I would appreciate sincere Islamic perspectives, especially from those who have studied Istikhara, Qadr/naseeb, and marriage. Please don't just tell me "move on"-I know that's probably what I need emotionally. I want to understand what Islam says about these signs and experiences. Also, I believe Allah lets two people meet for a reason. I saw her Instagram account in November 2025 and thought she was beautiful. I sent a request hoping things would work out in a halal way. She added me back, but I was too scared to confess and didn't do anything. This Ramadan, she unexpectedly came to our place for iftar. I never expected her because we never talked or met in person. After my constant prayers, she came to my house and entered my life. We started talking after, and she was interested too, and that's how it started. Please help me, brothers and sisters, I need clarity. I'm also confused because it's not allowed in Islam to force your daughter to marry someone she doesn't want. So how can they be naseeb if the path is through force and without consent, which isn't permissible? Thanks for your time, JazakAllah khair.