Chapter Nine
Author's POV
Back at the Rathore Mansion, Pratap Rathore paced slowly in the living room, his hand tightly gripping his cane. A storm brewed in his chest - not of rage, but of worry.
He had called his grandson over ten times, but there was no answer.
"Where are you, Aansh..." he whispered.
He knew him too well. After the way he'd left the hospital - furious, burning with rage - Pratap feared the worst. He hadn't just forced a marriage... he had possibly unleashed destruction.
All he ever wanted was to fill the void of loneliness in his grandson's soul. To give him a companion. A reason to come home.
But now, a helpless girl was caught in the fire.
---
Ria's POV
I didn't know where they were taking me.
Tears rolled freely down my cheeks. My body was numb, my spirit even more so. My wrists were still sore, and my heart? Shattered beyond words.
"Please... let this be a dream..."
But no dream lasted this long.
The car finally stopped.
I opened my swollen eyes to see a gigantic golden gate slowly opening before us. Behind it stood a palace - not a home - with towering pillars, massive windows, and an air of wealth I had never known.
But... it didn't feel warm.
It felt like a grave dressed in gold.
As I stepped out, the silence around me was louder than any scream.
Guards lined up like statues, emotionless.
I wiped my tears with the back of my hand.
My yellow kurti felt wrinkled and heavy.
My jhumkas didn't swing anymore. My feet dragged me forward.
.. not toward a future, but into my own personal hell.
The heavy double doors opened.
I was greeted not by smiles, or garlands, or warmth.
But silence.
Then footsteps.
"Beta."
I looked up, startled.
A familiar old man was walking down the staircase - slowly, but steadily. His eyes - sad, tired - looked at me with something I hadn't seen since the wedding: kindness.
It was the same man from the temple.
"He's a Rathore too?" I thought. Of course. It made sense now.
"Come in," he said gently.
Just as I raised my foot to step in, a voice cut through the room.
"Rukiye!" ("Wait!")
I turned. A woman was walking toward us. Her saree was rich emerald green, her diamonds heavy, her eyes cold.
Gayatri Rathore.
"Who are you?" she snapped.
Who am I? I wanted to scream.
Just a girl whose life was destroyed in one night. Just a girl who didn't choose this.
But I kept quiet.
Before I could answer, the old man beside me straightened his shoulders.
"She is Aansh Rathore's wife," he said clearly.
"The second daughter-in-law of this house."
"Hamari bahu hai yeh." ("She is our daughter-in-law.")
Gasps echoed in the grand hall.
Devraj Rathore entered from the side hallway, his expression twisted in disdain.
"Aansh shouldn't have done this. He's ruined our name by marrying a middle-class girl," he scoffed, turning away.
Then came Aavyan, visibly stunned.
"He actually... got married?"
Others followed. Their eyes pierced through me like knives.
Damini Rathore stepped forward, a wicked smile playing on her lips.
"She must've trapped him. Girls like her... always looking for rich prey."
My breath caught.
But I couldn't keep quiet anymore.
"I'm sorry, aunty ji," I said, my voice shaking but firm, "but I will not let you insult me like this."
"I never trapped anyone. I never even wanted to be involved with Aansh Rathore. I didn't ask for this marriage. So please, before you accuse me - know the truth."
Silence.
Damini's expression darkened.
"Tum-" she began, but Pratap raised his cane.
"Enough," he said. "She is the daughter-in-law of this house. Whether you accept her or not."
He turned to me again, his eyes softening.
"Beta, I'm sorry for what my grandson did to you. But from today... you are part of this family. Please, come in."
I hesitated.
But I couldn't go back. My family... they'd be in danger. He said it himself. If I resisted, he would hurt them.
So I stepped in.
The moment I crossed the threshold, the elders turned away, annoyed and disgusted. One by one, they walked off.
Only three stayed behind.
A boy - kind eyes, soft voice.
"Bhabhi," he said gently. "I'm sorry for what my brother did. But... welcome to the family."
Rahul Rathore. I remembered his name from the media.
Bhabhi... the word made me uncomfortable. But I gave him a faint smile. It was all I could manage.
"Beta," Pratap said again, "you must be tired. Avantika will show you to your room."
I turned and finally noticed her. But I couldn't recognise her at all like the others. She was wearing a nuptial chain and sindoor, so she must be the eldest daughter-in-law.
She had been standing in the corner, quiet, watching everything.
Her face was unreadable.
I couldn't tell if she hated me... or pitied me.
She nodded once, and I followed.
---
Later
After walking through endless corridors of gold and silence, we reached a door.
"This is your room," Avantika said.
That's all.
She turned and left.
I stepped in.
Lavish. Enormous. Grand.
But to me... it was a prison.
I looked around - the soft bed, the curtains, the vanity.
Then my eyes fell on the mirror.
And I saw myself.
Red, swollen eyes. Hair a mess. Kurti wrinkled. My lips were bruised. My hands shook.
Who was this girl?
Not Ria Malhotra.
Not anymore.
I slowly reached up and touched the nuptial chain around my neck - a sleek black-beaded mangalsutra with a single diamond in the center.
I looked at the sindoor at my hairline.
Then whispered:
"Sapne shaadi ke dekhe the, sazaa ban gayi meri zindagi."
"I dreamed of a wedding... but it became the punishment of my life."
Tears streamed down my cheeks.
I sat on the floor, curled into myself.
In that grand, silent room... I finally broke feeling alone for the first time in my life.
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Ria is feeling lonely, in that mansion what will happen. Comment and vote????