WILLIAM
ADITHYA MENON
I sat on the dried sand of the beach while she wandered near the edge of the sea.
She wasn’t playing in the water, not laughing like the people you usually see on beaches.
She only stood there, letting the waves crawl up to her feet before stepping back again.
The shore was almost empty, the wind carrying nothing but the dull roar of the sea.
I clicked my tongue in irritation.
Of course she dragged me here. Another threat, another order wrapped in that cold tone of hers. If I refused, she would call her brother and ask him to throw me out of the job he arranged for me. My life had somehow turned into a long list of humiliations I had to quietly survive.
Sometimes I wonder how much worse it can get.
My parents already know about the marriage. Viyana almost ruined the situation by blurting out the truth—that she forced me. I stopped her before she could finish. When they asked, I told them I married her because I loved her. A clean lie. The kind that tastes bitter but is easier to swallow.
My parents already think I’m a shameless, reckless son for falling in love with someone like her and marrying without their permission.
But that’s fine.
Let them think I’m foolish.
If I told the truth that I married her because she threatened me with their lives, they will feel guilty.
Now they think I married her because she is rich. For her money. They think I am selfish.
At least now they can believe the fault is mine and not theirs. They don’t have to carry the weight of guilt on their shoulders.
That day… they said their son was dead.
My father’s voice was cold. My mother didn’t even speak. They only told me not to show my face to them again. Just like that… years of love, care, sacrifices—reduced to a few sharp words.
Not once did they say, “Adithya wouldn’t do something like this.”
Not once did they pause and think maybe there was a reason. Maybe something was wrong. Maybe their son wasn’t the kind of man who would throw his life away for money.
No.
They believed the easiest story.
That I fell in love with her wealth.
That I sold their dignity for her empire.
That I chose money over the family who raised me.
I let out a quiet laugh, but it felt hollow in my chest.
Every step I take now feels like walking with chains tied to my ankles… and the person holding those chains is the stupid standing in the waves right now, letting the sea touch her feet like she owns even the ocean.
I was getting tired of sitting in the same spot. The sand had already crept into my shoes and the salty wind was starting to irritate me. With a sigh, I pushed myself up from the ground, brushing the grains of sand off my palms. Maybe walking a little would help clear my head.
I had barely taken a step.
A shadow fell over me.
Before I could even process it, a tall figure appeared out of nowhere, stepping straight into my path. Something cold and metallic pressed hard against the center of my forehead.
My body froze.
A gun.
My eyes slowly lifted to look at the man holding it, my heart pounding violently in my chest.
What the actual fuck.
Soon more men appeared—one after another—like shadows crawling out of the darkness. Nearly twenty of them, all dressed in the same black outfit, identical as if it were some twisted school uniform. Before I could even react, two of them grabbed my arms from behind, gripping them tightly.
I struggled against them. “Hey! Who the hell are you?” I shouted, twisting my shoulders, trying to break free.
The beach was empty.
No people.
No lifeguards.
No witnesses.
Just us.
Viyana finally turned toward the commotion. She had been standing near the waves, the water brushing against her ankles. When her eyes landed on the man in front of me, something flickered across her face—not fear.
Recognition.
“William,” she called out, surprised.
The man smirked slightly, lowering the gun from my forehead.
“A pleasure to meet you again,” he said coldly. “After you ghosted us for months.”
My lungs finally released the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding when the gun moved away from my head.
He raised the gun again.
This time, pointing it straight at her.
“Heard you got married,” he said casually.
Click.
He loaded the bullets.
My soul immediately left my body, wrote its will, and started ascending to heaven.
Even the waves behind us looked confused.
Two of the men dragged Viyana toward us while she kicked and twisted like a wild cat stuffed into a bag.
“You absolute motherfuckers! Fatherfuckers! Cousinfuckers! Holy moly peacock butt hole! cat shit! Unhand me before I personally make sure your entire bloodline disappears from this planet!” she snapped.
Wow. What a vocabulary!
“You haven’t changed,” he sighed.
Viyana glared at him. “And you still look like a rejected bodyguard from a low-budget action movie.”
One of the men holding her actually choked on his breath trying not to laugh.
William slowly rubbed his temple.
“You turned the whole hospital case on me… just to save your brother,” he said slowly, his voice dripping with accusation. “While I was busy dealing with courts, police, and lawyers… you got married.”
The way he said married sounded less like a fact and more like a personal insult.
Viyana twisted violently in the grip of the men holding her.
“Shut the fuck up!” she snapped. “You idiot tried to dump the entire mess on my brother. What did you expect? That I would sit quietly and clap for you while you ruined him?”
She kicked forward in pure rage.
Unfortunately, the only person within kicking distance… was me.
Her heel slammed straight into my shin.
“OW—!” I yelled in pain.
No one cared. The bodyguards didn't even loosen their grip on me.
William just raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained.
“You always had a temper,” he said lazily. “But I didn’t expect you to betray me this badly.”
“Betray?” she scoffed. “You were stealing money, manipulating reports, and risking patients’ lives. You betrayed my brother.”
He clicked his tongue.
“Still acting like the righteous queen of the empire.”
“Still acting like a cockroach that refuses to die,” she shot back instantly.
Meanwhile William’s gaze slowly shifted toward me.
I froze.
Oh no.
Please don’t include me in this drama.
He studied me from head to toe like I was some suspicious object that had appeared in the wrong place.
“And this,” he said, gesturing at me, “is the husband?”
“—Yes, he is. And don’t you dare harm him!” she shouted at William.
My eyes widened.
She was doing this on purpose.
“Did anyone ask you?” I snapped under my breath, staring at her. But she only smirked like a devil who had just found a new toy.
Great. Wonderful. Fantastic.
I was about to die because this woman was bored.
“Sir,” I said quickly, raising both my hands like a man who very much wanted to continue living. “I don’t even know who you are. I am just a normal guy. Please leave me out of this.”
“I love him so much!” she shouted again dramatically. “Don’t you dare hurt him!”
William slowly turned his head toward me.
Oh no.
No no no.
His gun lifted slightly.
“Is that so?” he murmured.
His eyes travelled over me slowly, as if trying to understand what kind of magical creature had managed to capture the heart of someone like Viyana.
“So if I harm you, you will suffer,” he said to Viyana, his eyes darkening.
The situation suddenly turned serious. The men tightened their grip on me. I struggled in their arms, twisting and kicking like a fish that had just realized it was no longer in water.
And then—
BAM!
A hard punch landed straight on my face.
Viyana stopped shouting.
Pain exploded across my cheek.
Anger flared inside me.
“You stupid idiot!” I yelled at William.
He calmly punched me again.
My head snapped to the side like I was some cheap action figure with a loose neck. I tasted blood at the corner of my lips.
“What, Vivi? Feeling the pain?” he asked her with a smug smile.
I blinked.
“Why are you beating me?” I asked, panting.
“If I beat you, she will feel the pain,” he replied coldly.
I stared at him.
Then I stared at Viyana.
Then I stared back at him.
“Idiot! If you beat me, I’m the one feeling the pain!”
I jerked my chin toward Viyana.
“Look at her… she’s smiling.”
And she was.
That devil was literally smiling like she had just watched her favorite comedy show.
“Excuse me?” I said, offended. “I’m getting punched here like a punching bag and you’re enjoying the show?”
Viyana shrugged casually.
“You look funny when you get hit.”
“Funny?!”
William frowned, clearly confused.
He looked at me.
Then at her.
Then back at me.
William rubbed his temples.
“Are you even a good villain?” I shouted. “You didn’t even do your homework. She doesn’t care even if you kill me.”
My voice sounded louder than I expected in the empty beach.
But the next second, William pointed the gun straight at me.
The air turned heavy.
Even the sound of the waves felt distant.
My heart started beating faster as the reality of the situation finally settled in.
The faces of my family suddenly flashed through my mind.
My father.
My mother.
The last words they said to me.
Our son died the day you married her.
My hands trembled slightly.
William stepped closer and pressed the cold gun against my forehead.
I swallowed hard.
“I was suffering here…” he growled, his eyes fixed on Viyana. “While you were enjoying your life… getting married.”
His voice carried years of anger.
For the first time since this chaos began, Viyana didn’t shout back immediately.
“He has nothing to do with this, William.” she said finally.
Her voice was calm but firm.
I stayed quiet.
Speaking suddenly felt like a bad idea.
William let out a short, bitter laugh.
“I always thought you would marry me.”
I blinked in surprise.
His eyes darkened as he looked between the two of us.
“But no.” he continued slowly. “You married this man…”
His gaze moved to me, scanning me from head to toe like I was some disappointing purchase.
“A man who is neither distinguished… nor rich.”
For a moment, no one spoke.
The waves crashed softly behind us.
And for some strange reason, standing there with a gun against my head, bruised and bleeding, one thought crossed my mind.
Is he going to kill me ?
William suddenly stepped away from me.
Before I could even process what he was doing—
BANG!
He fired into the sky.
The sound exploded through the empty beach.
I flinched violently, my ears ringing as my eyes watered instantly. My chest tightened.
No… no… please…
I didn’t want to die.
Not like this.
William slowly raised the gun again and pointed it back at my head.
My breath hitched.
Somewhere behind him, Viyana shouted.
“William, stop!”
But her voice sounded distant, like it was underwater.
My mind blurred.
My heart hammered wildly in my chest.
The men gripping my arms tightened their hold, but panic took over my body. Pure instinct.
Without thinking, I jerked my body forward, twisting out of their grip just enough to move my leg.
I kicked William’s hand.
Hard.
Everything happened in a single second.
He stumbled.
The gun fired.
BANG!
I squeezed my eyes shut.
My body froze.
This is it.
A few seconds passed.
But… I didn’t feel anything.
No pain.
No burning.
No darkness swallowing me.
Instead, I felt the grip on my arms suddenly loosen.
Confused, I slowly opened my eyes.
The men who were holding me had stepped back.
Their faces looked… shocked.
My vision moved past them.
And then I saw her.
Viyana.
Standing a few feet away.
Covered in blood.
My eyes widened.
A red stain was spreading across her shoulder where the bullet had grazed through.
“What the—?!” William shouted, panic suddenly replacing the anger on his face. “Vihaan will kill us!”
The confidence he had five seconds ago completely vanished.
“Run!”
Within seconds, the men scattered.
Boots thudded across the sand as they rushed toward their vehicles and disappeared.
Leaving us alone.
The sound of the waves returned again.
Viyana swayed slightly.
Then her knees buckled.
She collapsed onto the sand.
My heart dropped as I just stood there.