𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐁𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

Chapter 42

The moment we stepped into the Singhania Mansion, the atmosphere shifted.

Not in a bad way.

Just... it was different.

Livelier. Brighter.

Because now, Maya was here.

My wife.

Mrs. Singhania

God, I couldn't stop smirking every time I thought about that ridiculous name she made the mehendi artist write. The way she'd looked at me with that signature smirk during the function... yeah, she'd pay for that. In kisses. Lots of them.

As we walked inside, Veer was already standing at the door with a smug expression.

"Bhabhi!" he grinned, holding out a thali like he was the one doing the griha pravesh. "Ready to enter the royal jungle?"

Maya chuckled. "Only if the animals behave."

I gave Veer a look. "Don't start."

He held his hands up innocently. "I'm just saying, now that Bhabhi's here, this house will have some class."

Maya stepped forward, kicked the rice pot gently and placed her feet into the vermillion tray. My mother teared up watching her step into the house, while my father was already instructing the photographer to "zoom in on her first step like they do in movies."

I helped her in, one arm protective around her waist. She leaned into me slightly. That small, instinctive gesture felt like the world finally aligning.

Later that night, after the rituals were done and dinner was served, I was finally alone in my room—our room.

Maya walked in, freshly showered and wearing a soft peach saree, looking like a dream and a storm all at once.

"You sure you're ready to share closet space, Mr. Khadoos?" she teased, running a hand over her wet hair.

"I've already cleared the entire left side," I replied, loosening the buttons of my sherwani. "Even made space for your three hundred face creams."

She laughed. That sound? Addictive.

I pulled her close by the waist, our foreheads touching. "You sure you're ready to live with me? The original khadoos?"

She smiled, her eyes soft. "Only if you're ready to live with me. The original chaos."

"Challenge accepted."

And just when I was about to kiss her, the door flung open.

Veer.

Holding Simba.

"Guys, Simba chose my room to sleep in, which is clearly a sign that I should keep him—oh my god, are you two about to kiss?"

I groaned. Maya turned red, burying her face in my chest.

"Veer, out. Now," I growled.

Veer snorted, kissed Simba dramatically on the head, and walked away yelling, "Lock your doors, lovebirds!"

Maya looked up at me with a sheepish grin. "Our chaos starts now."

I wrapped my arms tighter around her, eyes full of mischief. "Then let's make sure we enjoy every second of it."

The bedroom was dimly lit, petals still scattered from the wedding rituals, and I stood near the edge of the bed, fiddling with the pallu of my saree while Rudra rolled up the sleeves of his kurta with the precision of a man about to commit a crime. A beautiful crime.

"So," I began, clearing my throat, "remember that scene I bookmarked in my Dark romance book?"

Rudra raised a brow, walking toward me like a panther stalking his prey. "The one where the professor—" he paused, voice dipping low, "—commands his student to strip?"

I nodded slowly, cheeks already heating.

He smirked. "You're giving me dangerous ideas, Mrs. Khadoos."

I shrugged, feigning innocence. "Well, I am married to a dangerous man, aren't I?"

In a blink, he was in front of me. Close. Too close.

"Strip," he commanded, voice gravelly, eyes darkening with heat and something deeper—possession.

My heart leapt. The air thickened. I didn't expect him to actually say it.

"P-Professor..." I whispered, partly playing along, partly because my brain had forgotten how to function.

His finger touched my lips, silencing me.

"Rudra," he corrected in that same deep tone. "I'm not your professor here. I'm your husband. And a good wife listens to her husband."

I swallowed hard as his lips trailed down my neck, his warm breath making goosebumps rise across my skin. Every kiss he planted left a brand on my soul. Then suddenly—he bit me.

I gasped, gripping his shoulders as my knees went weak.

"You belong to me," he murmured against my skin.

"Possessive much?" I teased breathlessly, my voice betraying how badly I was affected.

He chuckled, cocky and sinful. "You started this."

And then he really started unbuttoning my blouse. Slowly. One. Button. At. A. Time.

I let out a dramatic gasp. "We just got married! This is moving so fast!"

He growled playfully and pulled me onto the bed, but as soon as I fell into his arms, I grabbed a pillow and smacked him.

THWUMP!

"What the hell—Maya!" he laughed, dodging another pillow. "You're such a menace!"

"And you're a Khadoos with wandering hands!" I yelled, giggling as I launched another pillow.

Soon enough, we were in a full-blown pillow war. Feathers flying, laughter echoing, clothes half-tugged, and neither of us caring about the chaos.

Then—

CRACK!

The bed creaked violently under us and in the very next second—CRASH!

We were on the floor.

"WHAT THE—" Rudra groaned, half beneath me, half trying not to laugh. "Did we just break the damn bed?!"

I burst into uncontrollable laughter. "OH MY GOD, this is your fault! With all your 'strip for me' nonsense!"

Before we could even recover—

BANG BANG BANG

Veer's voice echoed from outside.

"brO?! Bhabhi?! The bed—did you two—"

"SHUT UP, VEER!" we both shouted in unison.

From behind the door came more voices. Rudra's mom. His dad. Laughter. CACKLING.

"Oh ho ho! Arre, control kar lo beta! Pehli raat thi!" his mother shouted between fits of giggles.

My face turned every shade of red known to mankind while Rudra covered his face with a pillow.

"Maya," he groaned. "We are never living this down."

I fell on top of him, breathless from laughing. "Well, on the bright side..."

"What?"

"We really are living the book scene now."

He smirked, flipping us over. "Then we might as well finish it."

And we didn't sleep a wink that night. Not because of wild wedding night things (okay, maybe a little)—but because we were too busy laughing, fixing the bed, and plotting revenge on Veer and every family member who teased us the next morning.

I stood in the Singhania mansion's sprawling, intimidatingly polished kitchen, wearing a pastel pink saree with my hair tied in a neat braid. My bangles clinked softly as I chopped vegetables with the kind of focus only a newlywed bride on her pehli rasoi could have.

And of course, there he was—leaning against the kitchen counter like he owned the world.

"You're not supposed to be here," I snapped, throwing him a glare over my shoulder.

"Yeh ghar mera bhi hai, Mrs. Khadoos," Rudra said with a smirk.

(This house is mine too, Mrs. Khadoos.)

"I'm talking about right now. This is my first rasoi. Your mother clearly said no boys allowed in the kitchen today!"

He took a lazy sip of his coffee, looking entirely too amused. "Main ladka nahi hoon, pati hoon."

(I'm not a boy, I'm your husband.)

I rolled my eyes and went back to stirring the kheer. "If you don't leave in the next five seconds, you'll be eating toast for a week."

"Tum kuch keh rahi thi, ya tumhare lips bas Mr. Khadoos is so hot bol rahe the?" he teased.

(Did you say something, or were your lips just saying Mr. Khadoos is so hot?)

I stared at him. "I said Mr. Khadoos is annoying and needs to leave before I poison his food."

He smirked. "Aww, same thing."

I picked up a small piece of carrot and threw it at him. He caught it mid-air and popped it into his mouth. "Delicious. Just like my wife."

I tried to hide my blush and focus on the kheer.

"Tum sach mein sundar lag rahi ho, waise," he murmured, suddenly closer than before.

(You look really beautiful, by the way.)

"Focus," I muttered, aware of how his arm brushed against mine.

He reached for the ladle. "Let me help."

"No—"

But his fingers wrapped around mine, his other hand slipping around my waist. I froze. My back met his chest, and I could feel his heartbeat. The kitchen felt suddenly... warmer.

"Domestic Maya is a dangerous kind of cute," he whispered in my ear.

I leaned slightly into him and whispered back, "Flirty Rudra is going to get us caught."

Too late.

Footsteps.

We instantly jumped apart just as his mother peeked in. Her knowing smile said everything.

"Kheer ki mithaas toh tum dono mein hi hai," she said with a chuckle.

(The sweetness of the kheer is already between you two.)

I wanted the earth to swallow me whole.

She left us both red-faced.

I smacked Rudra lightly. "Tum na, disaster ho."

(You are such a disaster.)

He grinned. "Aur tum mujhe pyaar se jhelti ho."

(And you lovingly tolerate me.)

Unfortunately?

I really, really did.

*Target vote 70