At last... I was married.

Throughout the entire ceremony, not once did I smile, nor did I dare to lift my gaze. And it wasn't accidental-I did it deliberately. I wanted everyone to see it... to understand it clearly.

Yes. I am not happy with this marriage.

Though, it's not like anyone truly cared.

Amidst all the rituals and chaos, I could feel someone's gaze on me. Constant. Unwavering.

My husband-Viraat Oberoi.

But his eyes didn't give me butterflies.

No... they stung.

They burned against my skin, sharp and unsettling.

He's a man. He could've refused this marriage. At the very least, he could've tried... tried to talk to me, to understand me. But he didn't.

And for that... I will never forgive him.

Then again, why would he? What does a man ever lose in a marriage like this? It's always the girl who pays the price.

That's why I couldn't even bring myself to look at him. Because if I did... the anger, the frustration-it would've been evident in my eyes.

I would've continued cursing him... his presence... everything about him

.....If he hadn't apologized.

His apology didn't calm the storm inside me.

It didn't ease the chaos, nor did it extinguish my anger...

But somewhere, in a quiet corner of my heart, hearing him say sorry... it felt-strange.

For a fleeting moment, I felt... maybe the man I was married to wasn't entirely heartless.

And when he silently extended a handkerchief towards me... that feeling only deepened.

To be honest, I was shocked.

Not once in my life had I heard a man apologize to me. Not once.

Every man who had ever crossed my path only tried to remind me of my place. And because of that, I learned to fight... to defend myself... to never break.

But he... he was different. Maybe.

And maybe that's why...

I broke down in front of him.

I hate crying in front of anyone. I despise it.

But the moment he said sorry... the tears just... fell.

Days of frustration, the forced marriage, the suffocation, my own family treating me like a burden-everything poured out in those tears.q

But that didn't mean I trusted him.

Trusting a stranger?

No. Never.

I wasn't someone who could give her trust away so easily.

That's why I had come prepared.

Before leaving my house, I had already arranged for my safety. Hidden carefully inside the waistband of my lehenga was a knife-tucked securely behind my dupatta. It wasn't too big, but it was sharp enough... enough to scare someone, enough to protect me.

I had a plan.

If Viraat even tried to touch me without my consent, I wouldn't hesitate. I would attack him... and run.

But I had another plan too.

Until he actually forced himself on me, I would let fear show on my face. I would act vulnerable... cautious.

And if he listened to me... if he respected my boundaries... then I would drop the plan entirely.

Because leaving this house... wasn't something I could afford.

If I walked away now, my purpose-my reason for being here-would remain incomplete forever.

When we reached the house, he walked around and opened the door on my side.

Then he extended his hand toward me.

I hesitated.

For a moment, I just stared at his hand... thinking.

And then, slowly, I placed my hand in his.

Together, we stepped inside.

And God...

The house was huge.

Even bigger than I had imagined.

But what was the point of living in such a grand house...

when the hearts of the people inside weren't just as big?

After the griha pravesh, a few rituals were performed.

But my heart wasn't in any of it.

I was exhausted... drained to the core.

Yet no one seemed to notice.

That only made the irritation inside me grow stronger.

After a while, the rituals were put on hold, and Viraat's mother led me to his room.

She made me sit on the bed and gently adjusted my Jewellery and dupatta.

"See, Myra," she said softly, "how caring my son ... The rituals were still left, but he insisted that you should get some rest first."

I looked at her for a brief moment...

Then lowered my gaze again.

"So now, you rest. Alright?"

I nodded quietly.

Finally... some relief.

And in my heart, I silently thanked Viraat.

After she left, I lay down on the bed.

I was so exhausted that I didn't even have the strength to change my clothes.

Still dressed as a bride...

I drifted off to sleep.

🌺

Someone's touch suddenly woke me up.

My eyes flew open instantly, and the moment I looked towards that touch, fear rushed through my body like cold water.

Before I could even think, I quickly sat up and started moving backwards until my back touched the bedpost.

I felt the knife concealed between my waist and the folds of my lehenga, a silent reminder to myself-if he dares to cross a line... I won't hesitate to strike back.

The man standing in front of me - the man who had become my husband just a few hours ago - slowly extended his hand towards me again.

But I immediately squeezed my eyes shut and started shaking my head repeatedly.

I had to act first .

"No... no... please... don't... don't touch me... please..."

My voice trembled with fear, and instinctively, my hand drifted behind my waist-toward the knife concealed there.

But maybe... I wouldn't need it after all.

His hand stopped midway in the air.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence in the room.

I felt him sitting down on the bed , maintaining a proper distance.Then slowly, he moved closer and gently held my chin between his fingers, turning my face towards him.

My eyes were still tightly shut. I was about to plead again when his soft voice stopped me.

"Shh... daro mat... main kuch nahi kar raha."

("Shh... don't be scared... I'm not doing anything.")

Something about his voice made me fall silent.

And I let him do what he was doing

First, he carefully removed the chunri from my head.

Then slowly... patiently... one by one, he started removing the heavy jewellery I had been wearing since this morning.

My earrings.

My necklace.

My bangles.

Each touch of his hands was careful, almost as if he was afraid of scaring me more.

And it made me feel ....good

I was still scared... but somewhere deep inside, I wanted to believe his words.

When he finally finished, I suddenly felt much lighter.

Now the only things left on me were a mangalsutra around my neck, two bangles in each hand, anklets in my feet... and one more thing.

My kamarband.

Strangely, he hadn't touched it.

My eyes were still closed when his voice reached me again.

"Aankhein kholiye, Myra."

( Open your Eyes Myra)

I shook my head in no .

"Please..." He Insisted.

Slowly... hesitantly... I opened my eyes, but my gaze remained lowered.

Even though he had said he wouldn't do anything, fear still lingered inside me.

So I whispered again,

"Please... kuch mat kijiye... mein ready nahi hoon abhi..."

( Please don't do anything....I am not ready right now for this )

For a moment, there was silence.

Then suddenly, he chuckled softly.

The sound surprised me.

"Bathroom mein Jaiye .Jaake kapde change kar lijiye... phir aake so Jaiye.Aap already bohot thak chuki hain itna soch soch ke aur mat thakaiye khud ko"

(Please go to the bathroom. Go and change your clothes... then come back and sleep. You are already very tired, don't exhaust yourself more by overthinking)

He paused before adding,

"Aapki Naa ka Matlab Samajhta hu mein Myra, Aapko baar baar nahi Samjhna Padega."

(I understand what your no means, Myra. You won't have to explain it to me again and again.)

I slowly lifted my eyes towards him.

And for the first time, I truly looked at The man I was now married to.

He was smiling.

Dimples appeared on his cheeks as he smiled gently. His eyes were a deep shade of brown, calm yet warm. His slightly dusky face somehow made those eyes look even more beautiful.

"You can take out the knife from behind your waist." He said with a teasing smile.

And I looked at him in shock.

Then I lowered my eyes and slowly took out the knife from behind and placed it on the bed.

I wasn't looking at him, but I could feel his eyes on me.

And I couldn't tolerate it anymore so I stood up from the bed hastily and started going towards the bathroom when he spoke again, a playful softness in his voice.

"Aadmi bura nahi hoon main Miss Srivastava.... bharosa kar sakti hain aap Mujhpe"

(I'm not a bad man, Miss Srivastava... you can trust me.)

Miss Srivastava?

I turned to him , he was looking straight into my eyes with that same gorgeous smile of him

And strangely...

At that moment,

His words felt even more beautiful to me than His face.

🌺

I rushed into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

For a moment, I just stood there... staring at myself in the mirror. The sindoor in my maang, the mangalsutra resting against my neck, the bangles adorning my wrists, and my bridal attire-everything screamed one truth... I was someone's bride now.

Suddenly, Viraat's face began to flash before my eyes... those dimples, that genuine smile.

The way he didn't get angry seeing the knife... his calm behavior... his gentleness... his respect towards me...

All of it was so new to me. So different. And perhaps that was exactly why my heart was racing the way it was and why I was behaving strangely than usual .

I was still lost in my thoughts when a knock echoed on the door, followed by Viraat's voice-

"Myra, you didn't bring your clothes... here, I got them for you."

And that's when it hit me-how foolish I had been.

I slowly opened the door and took the clothes from his hands, my embarrassment clearly written all over my face.

"I... I am sorry... I was just.. in a hurry..."

What was wrong with me? Why was I stammering so much? I wondered internally.

But then... he laughed.

And that only made me more embarrassed.

"Myra... there's no need to be so nervous around me. I'm not going to eat you," he said lightly. "Go on, get ready and come out. I need to change too."

"Jiii... but?"

"Ji?" he turned towards me.

"Where did you get my clothes from?"

"I had one of your bags brought here. The rest will arrive tomorrow. This was on top, so... I just took it. Sorry if that bothered you."

"No, no... in fact, thank you."

He nodded, and I quietly shut the bathroom door again.

🌺

After a while, I changed into my nightwear-a blue pajama and t-shirt-and stepped out.

God... it felt so comfortable. As if I had finally found a piece of heaven.

I looked around the room, but no one was there.

I checked the balcony-empty.

Outside, it was just darkness.

That's when I glanced at the time.

1 a.m.

Just then, the door opened, and I turned to see Viraat walking in, holding a plate. It had four sandwiches and two glasses of haldi milk.

I stepped forward to take it, but he placed it directly on the bed.

"You eat. I'll freshen up and then I'll eat, okay?"

I simply nodded.

I sat on the bed while he went into the bathroom.

I reached out to pick up a sandwich... but something stopped me. I placed it back and started scrolling through my phone instead.

After a while, he came out, now dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants.

I put my phone aside and waited for him.

"You still haven't eaten?" he asked, brows furrowed.

"No..."

He sat on the bed, maintaining a respectful distance.

"Why?"

"Mein Aapka Intezaar Kar rahi thi " I shrugged, looking at him.

His eyes snapped to mine, and for a moment, he just stared.

"Thank you."

"Huh? What? Why?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he picked up a sandwich and placed it in my hand, then took another for himself and took a bite.

But I just sat there, still.

"Mera kabhi kisi ne intezaar nahi kiya isliye....Aaj Mera Intezaar krne k liye Shukriya....Myra "

("No one has ever waited for me before... so... thank you for waiting, Myra.")

There was a quiet pain in his voice.

I just looked at him.

"Eat... aren't you hungry?" he suddenly added with a soft smile, as if that moment of vulnerability had never existed.

And we both started eating in silence.

The moment I took a bite... a wave of satisfaction hit me.

God... it was so good.

Still, curiosity got the better of me.

"You didn't have to trouble anyone so late, Viraat," I said, even though this was honestly the best thing at the moment because I was starving.

"Don't worry, I didn't trouble anyone."

"Then... did you make this?" I asked jokingly.

"Yes."

"What?" I was shocked. I had never seen a man cook before. Never.

"Yes... you hadn't eaten anything, so I thought I'd make something quick. Sandwiches are light for the night... and haldi milk is good before sleeping... so I just prepared both. Did you like it?"

Hearing this, my hands froze mid-air, still holding the sandwich.

I felt... emotional.

I nodded slowly.

And he smiled again.

I won't lie... I felt overwhelmed.

No one had ever put in effort for me before. And here my husband, despite being tired, had cooked for me.

That meant more than anything.

"Viraat Suniye ?" I called softly.

"Ji, Myra...

Kahiye ."

"No one has ever cared enough to do something like this for me"

I turned my eyes to him and continued with a smile that doesn't reach my ears .

"Thank you So much you thought about me. "

But my heart knew...

That Thank you wasn't just for the sandwiches.

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

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