Chapter 9
SAURAV
I paced back and forth, my fingers tangled in my messy hair, my breath uneven.
Was this really happening to me? My life was now upside down, twisted by a woman who had walked in and claimed it as hers.
Kavya. She would soon wear our ancestors’ clothes, drape herself in the jewellery my mother left behind, pretending to be the perfect wife.
My eyes fell on the saree my mother had worn on the second day of her wedding, its fabric still carrying the faint scent of her presence.
The jewellery, heavy gold bangles, intricate necklaces, anklets that sang with every step were all hers once.
Now they belonged to Kavya. These things were the reason she married me.
And tonight, she would finally have them all.
“Knock knock!” Rhea’s voice pierced through my storm of thoughts. Nosy, relentless Rhea. “May I come in, Sir?”
I rolled my eyes, refusing to turn. She stepped inside anyway, her footsteps light but her words heavy.
“Finally, you settled with a woman you never wanted to be with. I wondered how she made you marry her… I mean, marriage was never your thing, was it, Saurav Bhaiya?”
Her words sliced through me. My jaw tightened, teeth grinding. “Shut up and do as I say. You need to help Kavya get ready for the reception party.”
Rhea tilted her head, studying me like I was some puzzle she couldn’t solve. “You’re not you, are you?” She stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. Then her eyebrows shot up. “Holy shit! That look on your face!”
I turned away, trying to cage the fury clawing inside me. If I let it loose, Rhea wouldn’t be standing here in one piece.
“Bhaiya… ” she said hesitantly, her voice softer now. “I thought it was a love marriage…”
“It is,” I forced out, each word sharp as broken glass. My chest rose and fell with a sharp breath. “The thing is, I wasn’t ready to commit this soon. But anything for Kavya…”
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue. And then I saw Avni’s reflection in the mirror. She was stepping into the room, her face lighting up with relief at my words.
“I was just mad at my father,” I added quickly, my voice steadying. “You know how shattered our relationship is, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Rhea smiled, though it was hollow, her eyes betraying doubt. “Bhabhi… ” She looked past me, her gaze landing on Avni. “When did you arrive?”
“Just a few minutes ago,” Avni’s voice was calm, but her smile was unsure. I turned to her, forcing the best smile I could manage. But it was hard, it was so damn hard when everything inside me was burning.
Avni’s eyes lingered on me, searching, questioning.
Did she know the truth? Had Kavya whispered the same lie to her that she had fed everyone else?
If she ever did… if she ever dared to expose me with her twisted version of reality…
I swore I would forget I was human. I would kill her with my bare hands.
“Are you not saying hi to him?” Rhea interrupted, breaking the silence.
Avni smiled again, stepping closer. “I expect you to make my friend happy. Will you?”
Her words were gentle, but they carried weight. I nodded, my smile still forced, still hollow.
“Help Kavya get ready,” I ordered them, my voice clipped. “The program starts in an hour.”
Relief washed over me as they finally left. Alone at last, I collapsed onto the bed, burying my face in my hands. The silence pressed against me. It was making me suffocate.
I missed my mother. God, I missed her.
Reaching into the drawer, I pulled out her letters, the old paper trembling in my hands. Her familiar handwriting was a lifeline.
My dear son,
I know you have been upset as Mommy did not come as promised, but I tried to reach you. I was just standing outside the villa, watching you sit on the garden bench, lost in your world. You might have been thinking about me but…
Her words blurred as my mind drifted somewhere else. The ache of her absence was unbearable. She had been my anchor, my truth. And now, with Kavya’s shadow looming over everything, even her letters felt like fading echoes of a life I could never return to.
I let out a shaky breath, squeezing my eyes shut as I inhaled her scent through the letter.
Even after all these years, she was still in there.
The way she smelled, the warmth she carried, it lingered in the ink and paper.
My mother was the greatest person in my life.
She had been there for me even without her physical presence, her love etched into every word she wrote.
“I’m glad you’re following our tradition and letting Kavya wear your mother’s clothes and jewellery…”
The voice snapped me out of my trance. My father. He had entered my room without knocking, as always. I clenched the letter tighter in my palm, my eyes shooting up to meet his. My expression was neutral, but inside, rage simmered.
“Don’t think I’m doing this to please you,” I said sharply, my voice cutting through the silence.
He smirked, one side of his mouth curling upward in that victorious way I hated. “But still, you’re doing what I wanted. I like it when you follow my will. I wish you were always like this. My life might have been easier. You look like my son.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You think I’m your puppet?”
“Fulfilling a father’s dream doesn’t make you a puppet,” he replied smoothly. “And it’s not like I forced you into this marriage. It was your fault, and now you’re paying for your sin.”
His words were the same as always, repeated like a curse meant to shrink me smaller each time. My chest tightened. “You keep saying the same thing over and over, making me feel smaller. I wish...just once you believed me.”
I shoved the letters back into the drawer, my hands trembling, and snatched my phone from the night stand before storming out of the room.
The sound of chatter hit me as I stepped into the hall. Guests filled the villa, their voices blending into a constant hum. The entire place was decorated with flowers and lights, glowing like a festival. I descended the stairs, and immediately people began congratulating me on my marriage.
Damn.
I regretted stepping among them. Their questions came like arrows, sharp and relentless.
“Love marriage?” they asked, their eyes wide with curiosity.
Love marriage. The words tasted bitter. I plastered a smile on my face, forcing myself to weave a story I never thought I was capable of. My mind screamed tell them to fuck off, but my mouth betrayed me, spinning a tale so sweet it almost sounded real.
“That’s really soon, isn’t it?” my father’s sister, Mrs. Rathore, asked. She was the only one who looked suspicious, her eyes narrowing as though she could see through me.
“Yes, Bua,” I replied with a fake smile. “If true love finds you, everything feels soon. Once you start loving someone deeply, you never want to let them go. Not even for a second. So I decided to marry Kavya before leaving for duty. I’m… I’m just happy to have her in my life.”
My teeth clenched as I spoke the last line. Hopefully, they wouldn’t notice the hesitation in my voice, the way my smile faltered.
My mother used to say I was like a lamp that lit the entire house with its glow. I had always been cheerful, always the one to make people laugh. But now? Who was going to do that for me? Who was going to light my darkness?
“Here she is,” my aunt said, her voice pulling my gaze upward.
Kavya was descending the stairs, draped in my mother’s saree, adorned with every piece of jewellery I had given her. She looked beautiful. But was that smile on her face one of victory, or was it just for show? Avni and Rhea walked beside her, but they stepped aside when I approached.
Kavya’s eyes flickered toward me, hesitant, almost fearful. She didn’t look at me directly, as though she expected me to lash out.
It was better for her to stay away.
My father appeared again, his sinister smile cutting into me. “Get closer to her. Put a smile on that shitty face of yours. You look awful with that scowl. I don’t want our relatives to doubt us. So be careful, son.”
I breathed sharply, forcing myself to shift closer to my new bride. Kavya flinched when my shoulder brushed hers, but after a moment, she relaxed.
God. She was really behaving like I had tried to violate her.
“This is a beautiful saree,” Kavya whispered, her voice soft but deliberate.
I glanced at her, my brows raised. “But you look like a complete piece of shit in it,” I snapped, the words spilling out before I could stop them. Regret hit me instantly, but it was too late.
“Actually, I am a piece of shit,” she replied with a cheery smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Hate me all you want, but I’m your wife now. You’re stuck with me for the rest of your life...”
Her words hit me softly near my heart. What the fuck was that?
“What if I don’t?” I cut her off sharply, my voice low and dangerous. “You might be sharing my surname now, but you will never become my wife, Kavya. Never.”
_______