Ch6 A Bride Against Her Will #2
I wiped my tears, stood up silently, and walked toward Maa's chamber, my steps heavy with destiny.
Though it was a full moon night, the moon itself had not yet appeared.
The groom's procession of lights and fireworks had veiled the silvery glow of the sky.
And far away, in Kashi, a storm raged with pounding rain and thunderous lightning, as though nature itself was warning that something grave was about to happen.
Inside one house, Sandeep paced restlessly in his room, dialing Rivanya's number again and again, but the storm had killed all networks. His frustration grew with every failed attempt.
Meanwhile, in the family temple, Nani Maa and Dhara sat cross-legged before the idols, chanting prayers. Their hearts were uneasy, weighed down by an unknown fear. Strange as it seemed, everyone's mind that night was disturbed only for one person Rivanya.
Far away in Mumbai, rain clouds gathered as well.
In the midst of this atmosphere, the groom sat regally inside his decorated car.
Rudraksh his tilak had been performed, and now, dressed in a royal sherwani, he looked no less than a king.
The sharp cut of his jawline, his piercing eyes, and the weight of the turban on his head only made him more dangerously handsome an image of a groom who looked destined to rule.
Rudraksh looked every bit the prince he was born to be.
Dressed in a deep maroon sherwani embroidered with golden zari, paired with a regal saafa crowned by a single emerald brooch, he exuded an aura of untamed royalty.
The heavy pearl mala resting across his broad chest only amplified his commanding presence.
His gray-black eyes, sharp and piercing, shone beneath the dim lights, holding the arrogance of a king and the mystery of a storm.
Every step he took radiated power handsome, dangerous, and breathtakingly majestic, a groom who could make the world stop and stare.
The Vardhan family left for the wedding like a moving kingdom itself.
Rows of luxury cars rolled out in a perfect line, each draped with lights and flowers, while guards and attendants marched in black-and-gold uniforms to escort them.
The sound of dhols and shehnais filled the air as the procession moved forward, fireworks bursting across the night sky in celebration.
It wasn't just a baraat it was a royal spectacle.
Wherever the caravan passed, crowds gathered to watch in awe, whispering the name of the Vardhans as if witnessing the arrival of an empire.
Rudraksh sat inside the grand vintage car, the centerpiece of the procession, draped in velvet and gold.
Leaning back against the seat, one hand resting on the hilt of his bejeweled sword, he looked like a monarch setting out for conquest rather than a groom heading to his bride.
The golden lights reflected against his sharp features, casting shadows that made his gaze appear even darker, more commanding.
He didn't smile, nor did he wave his silence itself was intimidating, a reminder that he was not an ordinary man but Rudraksh Vardhan, heir of power, fire, and danger.
Every glance from him could silence a crowd, every breath carried the weight of untold stories and a legacy drenched in both fear and fascination.
I stood before the idol of Devi Maa, hands folded, tears spilling down my face. Fear had gripped me; my thoughts were a hollow silence that gnawed from the inside.
Was I doing the right thing? I couldn't tell. Should I pull back now? It was already too late.
With trembling palms pressed together, I looked up and whispered, "Maa, what has happened? The man I once thought of only as my brother-in-law today I must call him my husband. Why has this been laid on me, Maa? Why?"
The words dissolved into sobs and I sank to the floor, crying until my chest ached.
How could I call him my husband? How could I accept a life with a man who didn't even know my name? What would become of me in this strange, forced union?
I lifted my eyes to the goddess again. "Maa, I place everything in your hands now. If anything is to happen, let it be by your will."
Then I rose, went to the bathroom, and changed into the bridal attire.
Each piece of jewelry felt like a heavy stitch in a new identity: a necklace settled against my throat, the maang tika on my forehead, red bangles sliding onto my wrists, anklets around my ankles, a kamarband around my waist.
I was becoming a bride the kind of bride whose groom had neither seen her face nor wished to.
Memories of the last few hours replayed: how Alisha had run away when she learned of the curse that haunts Rudraksh abandoning family, ignoring our father's pleas. She had called her love true, and then fled. Was that love so shallow?
I sat before the dressing table and finished dressing. Tears rose again, but I wiped them away and completed my preparations. Standing before the mirror, I saw the bride I had become and my heart broke.
I returned to my mother's room and fell to my knees before Mata Rani's idol, weeping. "Maa, am I doing the right thing?" I begged, hands folded. "Show me the way, please show me the way."
As I prayed, something unexpected fell into my hands from somewhere behind the idol a Rudraksh bead, and beside it a red hibiscus flower.
The hibiscus was fitting an offering to the goddess but the bead, Rudraksh's bead, arriving at Mata's feet felt like fate itself taking the reins.
I closed my eyes and surrendered. "Do with me as you will, Mata," I whispered, leaving my fate in Parvati's hands.
Suddenly, there was a soft knock at the door. I turned and whispered, "Come in."
Papa stepped in, his gaze fixed downward, his face heavy with sorrow and exhaustion. There was a weight in his shoulders, a silence that spoke of years of regrets.
"Papa..." I breathed, my own voice trembling.
He spoke slowly, each word breaking through the ache in his chest, "Forgive me, beta... forgive me. All these years, life has been unfair to you, and I... I have been a helpless father, unable to protect you, unable to shield you from pain."
Tears streamed freely down his cheeks, and my heart ached at the sight.
Without thinking, I rushed to him, holding him tightly, whispering through my own tears, "No, Papa... this is not your fault. Perhaps Maa wanted this... perhaps destiny chose this path for me. I will bear it, Papa. I will uphold your honor."
Papa pulled me close, burying his face into my shoulder, and his sobs grew heavier. "Rivanya beta... I always dreamed of this day, your wedding day, but never like this. I never imagined it would come to this. Forgive me, beta... I have failed you as a father."
I looked up into his eyes, my own shining with unshed tears, and said with quiet strength, "No, Papa... this is my destiny. No one is to blame. No one."
He shook his head, a small, sorrowful smile breaking through, his voice barely above a whisper, "What kind of daughter are you...? You take the weight of your sister's betrayal upon yourself and carry the burden meant for her... You have such a heart, Rivanya beta. Such a heart."
Just then, the sharp crack of gunshots echoed from outside.
Papa and I froze instantly, our hearts pounding.
We rushed to the balcony, and my worst fears were confirmed.
The Vardhan family had found out that my sister had run away.
Standing behind Papa, I peered down and saw them...
Two piercing, intoxicating eyes black-grey, deep and mesmerizing locked onto mine.
Eyes so intense, they could capture anyone's heart.
I had never seen anything like them before.
Papa nodded subtly toward the tall, imposing man standing below and said in a low, measured voice,
"That is Rudraksh... Rana Rudraksh Vardhan."
My heart skipped a beat.
If just meeting his gaze could shake me so...
What would happen when I saw the man in full?
Papa descended the stairs, hands folded, head bowed, and stood humbly before Rudraksh's father, speaking with quiet respect.
I knew, as everyone did, that the Vardhans must have already learned about Alisha's escape.
Still, a thought raced through my mind would they agree to make me their daughter-in-law?
There was a 90% chance they would, to protect their family's reputation... yet a 10% chance remained that they might refuse.
After all, who would willingly marry a girl whose name they didn't even know?
I watched as my father pressed his palms together in a traditional gesture of respect and lowered his head before Rudraksh's father.
"I know, Vardhan Sahab, that my younger daughter has committed a grave mistake," he said solemnly.
"The honor of both our families has been tarnished... and the consequences may be severe."
Seeing Papa like this filled me with pain... but what could I do?
It was all because of Alisha's foolishness.
Then, I heard my father continue, his voice steady despite the tension,
"Yet, if my eldest daughter is willing to bear the responsibility of her younger sister's actions... and if you are willing to accept it...
then Rudraksh's bride will be my eldest daughter, Rivanya."
I watched as Rudraksh's father's face remained completely unreadable.
He paused for a moment, then gestured to a guard, whispering instructions.
The guard immediately went to Rudraksh and conveyed everything quietly into his ear.
In an instant, Rudraksh's expression hardened, sharp and commanding.
He lifted his gaze straight toward me.
Our eyes met for a fleeting moment. I instinctively lowered mine...
yet I had already seen it his gaze had softened, just slightly, when it fell upon me.
My heart began to race uncontrollably.
Even though I knew he couldn't see me fully from where I stood,
those eyes of his spoke more than words ever could an unspoken understanding, a storm of emotion contained within their depths.
Rudraksh addressed my father for a few moments, his voice steady, authoritative.
Then, finally, he looked up at me again and said,
"So... she will be my wife."
His voice was firm, commanding, yet there was something in it that sent a shiver down my spine.