Chapter 11 :
Arnav's POV
The car came to halt in front of the marriage hall. There was a line of white Mercedes and Audi's inside. So she was already there.
The door by me got opened by Damien, my right hand man, as I got out after maa stepped out from her side.
Our cars then went to line up inside and me along with my family members walked inside the hall through the back door since the guests were slowly arriving.
The hall had been extravagantly decorated since it was the very first marriage in Rai Mehrotra's young generation. Everyone was happy and excited except for the couple that'll be married.
My family members went to another room while maa asked me to go to another room. She told me it was for the bride and the groom.
I walked to the elevator before getting in and pressed the third floor button.
My right foot tapped on the red carpeted elevator floor while I impatiently waited to get out of it. My thoughts roamed around the things that'll happen from today.
Today, Anika and I will mark each other. I'll wear the engagement ring in her name and she'll wear in mine. On the day of marriage, we'll finally tie the sacred knot for a lifetime—both of our families believed this but it'll untie after one year.
Her thoughts itself angered me and the fact that I'll be living with her in the mansion I had built for someone else pained me. It's unusual for Arnav Rai Mehrotra to feel feelings like pain but it's true. I feel suffocated. It hurts me too but I just can't show it.
In this world, exposing one's weak points was like pushing oneself down the cliff on their own. And I ain't doing that so soon when I had worked all my life to build my empire.
My thoughts halted when the lift doors opened, revealing the bright corridor ending at the huge golden framed red velvet doors. An enormous glass chandelier hung from the off-white ceiling lighting up the hallway.
Stepping out, I walked over to the doors behind which my replaced bride was sitting.
Pushing the door open, I scoffed when I saw her sitting in the private room, alone. This room had been given to me and my bride because maa wanted us to be with each other as much as possible since it was an arranged marriage and we were yet to know each other—according to her.
If I looked over her cunning character, she was looking gorgeous in that lehenga. Her head was tilted towards the glass sliding door in front of me. She hadn't acknowledged my presence yet. Being a model she, for sure, had a well maintained body.
I cleared my throat to gain her attention.
•

I was lost in my thoughts while looking out of the closed glass sliding door by me, when round 7-8 black Mercedes and three deep blue Rolls Royce entering the area caught my attention.
He had arrived. He'll now taunt and mock me once he's in this room.
I sighed glancing at my bare palms. These palms will have his name tomorrow after I wash my hands once the mehendi leaves its colour on my skin.
It was said that the deeper the colour of mehendi, deeper the love of the husband for his wife. But love wasn't even there between us, moreover, was love even allowed for me? Did I even deserve it?
I had many questions like these which had been thrown away at the corner of my heart, all unanswered.
All the rituals of a marriage are believed to be sacred and special. Each had their own meaning but all these seemed so meaningless to me. I felt trapped in a place with endless darkness and bottomless depth. This place was very familiar to me so I wasn't scared anymore, instead, it was my comfort place. But sometimes I feared that the cage that had trapped me in it for years, would come back.
I had accepted everything that came my way because I already knew that I wasn't meant for something special.
I wonder what his ex-fiancée, Arshi, looked like. According to what his sister told me a few days ago, Arshi was Arnav's girl bestfriend. She was a model too so it was obvious for her to look good.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realise the presence near me until I heard the clearing of throat.
My head snapped to my left to see him standing there in his glory. His one hand was tucked inside his pant pocket, while the other was holding his phone.
He was dressed in the same color as me. Even if he was wearing a bright color, his dark aura had already dimmed the brightness and his penetrating gaze was directly on me.
I stood up and voices out, "You want to say something?", my voice was low but strong.
He didn't reply but simply kept staring at me. I felt very weird when he was with me. I can't exactly name that feeling but there was a tightness in my chest and a slight shakiness wrapped my body in it.
"Tell me who he is", he demanded. I frowned and spoke, "Whom are you talking about?". He's here to directly ask something ridiculous?
He clenched and unclenched his jaws before speaking, "The one you cheated with, on my brother".
My breath hitched. Why is he so after that incident? Yes his brother was hurt but now he was hurting me back too. Isn't this enough?
"What will you get after knowing his name?", I questioned back with audacity. He might kill me if I pushed him to his limits but I won't regret it. Every curse would be broken and every soul tied up to this mess will be free.
"Tell me already. Afterall, because of him and you, my brother is facing so much pain and I'm also tying knots with a burden like you. A burden who'll just taint my reputation", he spat bitterly, glaring at me with loathe.
He hated me so much that he even considered me a burden. Maybe he was right. I was a burden anyways. I'll taint his reputation if the world gets to know something that I've hidden for years .
I gulped down the painful lump forming in my throat.
"Why do you want, Arnav? It's confidential and I'd like to keep it like that. I bet you know that I don't prefer washing my dirty linen in front of others", I spoke trying my best not to stutter.
He walked near me as I stood still until his figure towered mine, as we still glared at each other.
Sliding his hand around my waist, he pulled me closer, clashing our chests, erasing the proximity between our faces, "Let me tell you one thing, doll. I own you according to the contract. I own your each and every thought and secret. I own your body and your whole existence for one year. And trust me, I'm not soft when it comes to my betrayers. You better speak when I wish if you like proper conversations without violence".
His hot breaths fanned over my face and my heart thumped against my ribs. His grey dark orbs were burning with his hatred for me.
He showed up for the first time of the day and straight chose to show his hatred for me.
"Do you know which Greek Goddess you are similar to?", he asked all of a sudden.
He hated me and now he was talking about me being similar to a Greek Goddess?
"Are you really sane?", I asked unknowingly but regretted it right away when his eyes turned darker.
Isn't it obvious to question like this when a person expressing his hatred one moment talked about the person being hated to be a Greek Goddess the next moment?
"Just answer me", he gritted. I shook my head in response.
"You're like Aphrodite", he answered taking me aback. He was praising me or mocking me in some sense?
I remained silent feeling his grip tightening around my waist. It was burning. His nails were digging deeper into my skin. It might even bleed soon but would he care?
"She was beautiful, very beautiful to be clear. Her charisma was very strong and no Greek God was able to look away from her", he spoke, further confusing me more.
"But you know how her character was?", he asked earning silence from me as an answer.
"She was manipulative and she left no chance to use her beauty for her desires, just like you", he finally spoke what he wanted to say.
I chuckled earning a confused glare from him. He let me free as I stood back straight and said, "You sure you hate me, Arnav?".
I slightly smirked at him while he clenched his jaws.
If he can give me pain, then I can trigger him too. It should be 50-50.
I wanted to cry because of the burning pain on my waist. It was hurting and the feeling of something dropping down my skin had already made me realise that the cuts he gave a while ago were bleeding.
"I mean, you have so much time to look up on the internet about Greek Goddesses and take out information about their characters just to compare them with me. To be specific, say someone like me who always searches for chances to get her desires fulfilled. So it somehow contradicts your hate for me, doesn't it?", I asked folding my hands in front of my chest while raising my eyebrows.
He kept glaring at me and I saw his fists tightening with each and every second.
Getting no reaction from him, I was about to turn around when I felt my body being slammed with a great force against the wall infront of the couch I was earlier seated on.
My eyes widened when I felt the lack of oxygen in my lungs and it dawned upon me that he was strangling me.
My back was pressed against the cold wall while his body was pressed against mine. While his one hand rested beside my head, the other was wrapped around my throat. His face was so close to me that I could see his eyes turning red with fury. The veins in his forehead and neck were popping up while his jaws hardened, exposing their sharpness.
Feeling totally out of breath, I tapped on his strangling hand to let me go. I wanted to die but still I was struggling to live. I was really stuck between life and death just like Dhruv. Just the difference was that he was in a coma and I was alive, feeling the pain it gave.
He gritted, "Don't speak too much doll. I don't like to disrespect women and in Rai Mehrotra's bloodline, no men have ever raised their hands on any women. But you, you're such a shameless and cunning woman that it's hard for me to not kill you right away. You have done such a sin and still carry the audacity to talk like that, huh?", his voice was deep and dark.
He spoke further but it felt like no words were entering my ears. My head was throbbing and my pulse rate was increasing. A burning sensation had covered my whole face except for the body which was turning cold each passing second. The lack of oxygen was burning my lungs and all I could see was black dizzy dots appearing in front of me. My hands were continuously tapping on his arm but still the grip wasn't loosening. I tried to speak despite the words that had died down at the bottom of my throat.
Is this my end?
But before I could totally lose my senses, I felt air filling up my lungs again, as I collapsed on the ground. Holding onto my chest, I coughed hard inhaling huge amounts of oxygen.
My head still hurt.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I kept on coughing but he just stood there silently. I gulped down a lump and it burnt my throat with pain. It was paining. It was hurting.
After several moments passed, I finally calmed down and closed my eyes.
I was at his feet struggling for life and he was standing there watching me being vulnerable. Isn't this what he had wanted?
Opening my eyes, I looked up at him and tried to speak, "Isn't t-this what you wanted? Mil gayi khusi? Ho gayi shanti? Maar kyu nahi diya ek bar me hi? Kyu zinda choda?", I ended up yelling despite the pain in my throat. My voice kept cracking in between while more tears streamed down my cheeks. I don't care if my makeup was getting ruined.
(Did you get happiness? Are you at peace? Why didn't you kill me at once? Why did you leave me alive?)
"Dekho mai tumhare pairo par giri hui hu. Dekho aur haso. Shanti milegi", I snapped, staring back at him.
(See I'm at your feet. See and laugh. You'll get peace)
I hated him more now.
He smirked slightly before crouching down to be at my level. Once his face was infront of me, he wiped my tears and spoke, "It's just the beginning, doll. How can I get peace after hurting you for a few minutes when you had hurt my brother for years?"
My heart clenched. I wasn't answerable to this even if I had answers to it.
I remained silent.
Standing up, he forwarded his hand to me, "Stand up".
I furiously glared at him before pushing away his hand when he forwarded it again, "Take my mercy when I'm giving it because it's not for every time. You'll be hurt later on again and then don't expect me to help you get up".
I clenched my teeth, "I don't need your help or mercy. You want to hurt me, then do it. You want to break me, then do it. I don't care because I can take care of myself", I spat on his face, getting up.
As I stood up, I saw his gaze falling on my waist. He had noticed my bruise.
"Put some antiseptic over there", he spoke glancing away.
I smiled ironically.
"Don't show care to break me later on", my reply came out soft, unexpectedly.
He looked back at me without any expression for a few seconds before walking out of the room.
The moment he went out, I fell back on my knees, lowering my head. My palms rested on the floor to support my body, as my low sobs echoed in the room.
It hurt so much to endure everything all alone. I can't share it with anyone except for Rooh and she wasn't by me now. Hot tears streamed down my face as I kept sobbing. My throat hurt but more than that, my soul hurt. My heart hurt.
I can't cry more. If someone comes in, I'll get caught.
Composing myself, I stood up on my feet and walked over to the washroom to wash my face. I needed to redo my makeup.
Holding up my lehenga skirt, I walked across the room over to the bathroom before entering it and locked the door.
I stood infront of the mirror, fixed over the sink before running my eyes over my face.
Nothing was smudged because of the waterproof makeup. Just the tear stains were there on my cheeks. My neck had red marks around it. I slightly turned my body to my left before dropping my gaze at my waist.
The cuts were slightly deep since he had been pressing onto them for really long and the blood was all over that place. A few drops had already stained my skirt along with my skin.
I grimaced.
Opening the cabinet beside me fixed to the wall, I took out the medical kit. Taking out some cotton, antiseptic cream and a few bandages, I closed it before clearing the dried blood and putting the bandages over them.
Putting everything back in the kit, I tore a paper towel from the roll kept beside the sink. Wetting it under the tap, I tapped the towel over my stained cheeks prior to throwing it in the bin nearby.
Once I was clean, I walked out to fix my makeup and hide the marks around my neck. They were turning faded red, slowly.
After almost twenty minutes of putting layes of concealer over the marks, I sighed in relief when they were covered properly.
I'll simply make the excuse that I got hurt somewhere when someone asked about the bruises on my waist. Also, I had already fixed the blood stain on my skirt's waistband with a stain remover.
Taking out a white bottle from my purse, I gulped down two pills with some water from the glass jar placed on the coffee table infront of the couch.
Once I checked that I was done with everything, I glanced at myself in the mirror. I was looking fit and fine from outside because that's what only mattered now.
"Are you ready beta?", Neha maa asked knocking on the door.
"Yes maa I'm ready. You can come in", I replied pressing onto the bandage.
The knob twisted before the door opened revealing maa, who was clad in a translucent red saree and deep neck blouse. She never failed to awe me with her beauty. The red lipstick had further enhanced her look.
I smiled at her as she smiled back.
Standing in front of me, she twisted her wrists on either side of my head in the air before taking them near her head. Then she faked-spat three times at her right and looked back at me.
(It's the nazar utarna process)
Then she took some kajal from her lower eye lid and put it under my left ear.
"Nazar na lage meri beti ko", she spoke excitedly holding onto my upper arms.
(Knock on wood to my daughter)
I chuckled.
"Everyone's waiting for you. Let's go, hm?", she spoke while holding onto my wrist. But before we could walk out, her eyes fell on my waist.
No, shit.