𝟒.𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐞 𝐎𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞?

I was still sitting in the same dark room, crying, when the door creaked open and the room was suddenly flooded with light. Two men in three-piece blue suits walked in, followed by two women carrying large bags.

"Get her ready," one of the men said, looking directly at me. The women nodded and the men left the room.

One of the women handed me a lehenga and said, "Go and change."

I didn't want to go. I didn't want to marry a man I didn't even know. But if it weren't for the lives of my friends being at stake, I would never have agreed to this.

I took the lehenga, my hands trembling, and went to the other room to change. When I returned, the other woman started working on my hair and makeup. They adorned me with bangles on my wrists, a necklace around my neck, and earrings in my ears.

My heart was screaming to rip everything off and throw it away, but I couldn't. I felt more helpless than I ever had in my life.

I had never hated anyone as much as I hated the man I was about to marry.

I was being dressed as a bride today, but none of it mattered to me. All I could think about was escaping from there. But what would happen if I ran away? My friends' lives would be taken.

I was trapped in the web of a monster, and escaping seemed not just difficult but impossible.

I sat there like a puppet, letting them do whatever they wanted. All I had were my tears, silently telling the story of my shattered dreams and fears. I was about to become the wife of a man I didn't know, a man who was nothing sort of a beast to me. The thought of marrying such a person was worse than death.

As I sat there, adorned as a bride, my mind raced with thoughts of despair and hopelessness.

I stood in my room, wearing my black-colored sherwani, staring at myself in the mirror.

Caden, standing behind me, handed me the turban. "Caden, is everything ready?" I asked, taking the turban and putting it on.

"Yes, boss, everything is under control," Caden replied.

"So, let's go, Caden," I said as I stepped out of the room.

It was already seven in the evening. I exited my room and took the lift down to the hall where the mandap was set up. On the sofa in front of the mandap sat Ahuja and Khanna. On my left sat Mahira's sisters and Roshni. Behind me, Khanna's wife and Sharda were seated. On the sofa next to mine were Mahira's brothers.

The priest began performing the rituals. He applied a tilak on my forehead, handed me some rice grains, and completed all the groom's rituals.

I really don't like these rituals and customs.

The priest, chanting mantras, then said, "Bring in the bride."

I signaled to Caden, who went to fetch the bride.

As she descended the stairs, I turned to look at her. That day in the dark, I couldn't see her face, and today, I still couldn't because of her veil. But I could see her red lips through the veil. Her milky white waist, adorned with a kamarband, was visible. She wore a red bridal outfit and carried a garland of red roses in her hands.

Is this the girl I'll have to live with now?

She descended the stairs slowly, accompanied by Raj, Rahul, and Caden. She walked towards the mandap with shaky steps. The priest asked me to stand, and I did.

"Bride, place the garland around the groom's neck," the priest instructed. With trembling hands, she put the garland around my neck.

"Now, groom, place the garland around the bride's neck," the priest said to me. I did as told, and we both sat down.

The priest began chanting and performing the rest of the rituals. Khanna stepped forward to perform his daughter's kanyadaan. I saw a smile on Indra's lips, which was soon going to disappear.

The remaining rituals continued.

After fifteen minutes rituals were finally complete.

"Place the mangalsutra around the bride's neck," the priest said, handing me the mangalsutra. I placed it around her neck.

"Now apply the sindoor," the priest said, offering the sindoor tray. I took a pinch of sindoor and gently lifted her veil to apply it to her hairline.

That's when I finally saw her face.

I had seen this face somewhere before, but I couldn't remember where.

"The wedding is complete. You are now husband and wife," the priest declared.

Finally, this charade was over. I stood up, took off my garland, and started walking towards the lift when I heard someone call out my name.

"Vivian you basterd "

That was Mahira's voice, who was supposed to be my bride.

I didn't mentioned it before. My men kidnapped Mahira on my orders when she went to her room to get ready. I knew she would come here once she regained consciousness. But I didn't expect her to wake up so soon; that wasn't part of my plan.

With a sly smile on my lips, I turned and saw the surprise on everyone's faces as they saw Mahira on the stairs. Mahira ran towards me, eagerly reaching out to grab my collar.

How dare she try to grab my collar?

I don't like it when anyone puts their hands on my collar. No one has ever dared to try this.

Before she could grab my collar, I grabbed her throat and said, "Don't dare to touch my collar, Mahira Khanna, or I'll kill you right now." Hearing my words, everyone was now scared.

With my firm grip, Mahira started to struggle for breath.

Mahira put her hand on mine and said in a strained voice, "Why did you do this to me? Why did your men knock me out, Vivian? This was all your planning, wasn't it?" My grip on her throat wasn't too tight, so she was able to speak.

Releasing her throat abruptly, I pushed her back and said, "Who are you to demand answers from me? So just get lost from here." With that, Mahira stumbled and fell to the floor.

The shock and confusion were evident on everyone's faces in the hall, and now everyone was eager to know who the girl in the veil was if Mahira was here.

With this eagerness, Inder stepped forward and asked, "Vivian, what is all this? And who is this girl?"

"Your daughter-in-law," I answered directly, causing Inder's fists to clench.

"My daughter-in-law? I didn't tell you to marry this girl," Inder said sternly.

"Yes, you didn't tell me to marry this girl. You only said that I must get married, so I did, and now I don't want to waste any more time in this drama." I said, removing the wedding garland from around my neck and throwing it on the floor.

And with that, I threw my turban on the floor as well.

"Raj, Rahul, come with me," I said to my managers, and walked towards my room via the elevator. Raj and Rahul followed behind me.

What was happening?

Just moments ago, he had callously thrown that girl to the ground like trash. His words had filled me with terror. How could anyone be so heartless? Didn't he have any emotions?

I was lost in my thoughts when suddenly someone approached me, lifting my veil and delivering a harsh slap to my cheek.

"Is this all for the property? Did you do this? You must have instigated my son." The slap stung, echoing through the room.

I stood there, stunned, as I looked at the man standing before me, perhaps his father. I instinctively placed my hand on my cheek, tears welling up in my eyes.

When suddenly another woman came forward and slapped my other cheek, saying, "How dare you marry my son?"

Then, a familiar voice came from behind me, "Aarini ma'am, the boss has called for you.' I was shocked to hear the voice.

I turned around to see Kedan, The same person I had sought help from.

So, did he have a hand in my kidnapping?

Kedan gestured towards the elevator. With bewildered eyes, I looked at Kedan and followed him into the lift.

As the lift opened on another floor, Kedan stepped out and motioned for me to follow him towards the lawn. I followed him hesitantly, still reeling from the shock.

I had reached the limit of my patience. I needed to know why Kedan had done this to me. I stopped in my tracks.

"Why did you do this to me?" I asked, desperately needing an answer to this crucial question.

Kedan stopped and turned to face me.

"I can't tell you anything. Just understand that I had no other option," he said.

"Did your option have to be bigger than my life?" I questioned, locking eyes with him.

Kedan had no response to my question; perhaps he knew what he had done. He turned away without giving an answer and headed back towards the lawn. I saw him leaving, and I followed behind.

As I entered the lawn, I noticed he sitting in a chair, talking to a man sitting in front of him with crossed legs. He wore a black-colored sherwani, and his hair was slightly disheveled today.

But today, he didn't look handsome to me at all; instead, I felt irritated by him.

There was a man in a black coat sitting behind him, indicating he was a lawyer.

He gestured for me to sit in the chair in front of him. With unsteady steps, I managed to sit, holding onto my swaying lehenga. He threw a file onto the table in front of me and commanded, "Sign it."

"What's this?" I questioned, looking towards the file.

With an expressionless face, He replied, "Marriage contract. Now sign it."

"Can I see this?" I asked softly.

"Yes, you can," He replied harshly.

I reached out, picked up the file, and began to read it. With each line, my eyes widened in disbelief.

The file stated that "our marriage was a contractual agreement. Both parties couldn't interfere in each other's lives, and after six months, either party could initiate a divorce, obligating the other party to comply, with no coercion allowed."

After reading the file, I picked up the pen, signed the marriage contract, and placed the file back on the table. He also signed it after a cursory glance.

"Okay, Mr. Vivan Ahuja, I'll send you a copy soon," the lawyer said, taking the file from the table.

"Ravat, no one should know about this Contract, understood?" Vivian said, shaking hands with the lawyer.

To which Ravat nodded and said, "Don't worry, sir, this matter will remain confidential."

With a simple "Hmm," Vivian promptly left for his room. Both men and Kedan also left from there.

After they all left, I held onto my lehenga tightly, and tears welled up in my eyes. Now everything was clear to me.

With tears streaming down my face, I lifted my swollen eyes towards the sky and muttered to myself, "How long will fate continue to test me? I wonder who has written the pages of my fate with such an unlucky pen."

With a heavy heart, I lowered my eyelids and continued to cry. After crying for about an hour, I wiped away my tears and began to look around. I couldn't figure out where to go in this unfamiliar house. Then my eyes fell on a female servant near the lift.

Slowly, I lifted my lehenga and approached her. "Can you tell me which room belongs to Mr. Ahuja?" I asked the servant.

The servant nodded and said, "Yes ma'am, please come with me." Saying this, the servant started walking towards Vivian's room, and I followed behind her.

The servant unlocked Vivian's room door and said, "Ma'am, this room belongs to Vivian Sir." With that, the servant walked away.

I peered into the room with my moist eyes. Vivian's room looked incredibly beautiful, resembling a prince's chamber. Every inch of it was adorned in a pristine white theme, exuding an air of sophistication and elegance. There was a canopy bed, with white curtains hanging around it. The bed was draped with a white sheet, flanked by white side tables. A large casement window adorned the right side of the bed, covered with white curtains.

In front of the bed stood a large mirror, with a big wooden shelf beside it. Next to the shelf were two doors, one leading to the bathroom and the other to a closet. Vivian's room was quite spacious, with glass tables placed in every corner, adorned with vases filled with black roses, and white soft carpet covering the floor, adding to the room's allure.

I settled on the couch and heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom, indicating that Vivian was still in there.

As I struggled to untangle my bangles, the bathroom door opened. I lifted my head and saw Vivian emerging, wiping his damp hair with a white towel.

His gaze met mine. His expression turned cold as he saw me in his room. He tossed the towel onto the bed and strode towards me. Grabbing my arm firmly, he pulled me up from the couch. Vivian's actions were so swift that I was initially bewildered, and by the time I understood, I had regained my composure.

"How dare you enter my room?" Vivian said, twisting my wrist as he ground his teeth.

His grip was so tight that my bangles began to break, causing me pain.

While his room appeared pristine white like light, his presence exuded darkness.

Crying out in pain, I asked, "Where should I go then?"

"Anywhere, but never dare to step into my room again," Vivian said, releasing my hand.

His voice echoed throughout the floor, sending shivers down my spine. I stood frozen, unable to move. Vivian's anger only escalated as he stood there, glaring at me.

"Get out of my room right now," Vivian's voice pierced through the air, his finger pointing towards the exit. The urgency and intensity in his tone struck fear into my heart, paralyzing me with dread. I couldn't muster the courage to move from where I stood, feeling trapped in his wrath.

"I said get out of my room," his voice thundered, echoing down the entire floor, intensifying my fear. As Vivian advanced towards me with rapid steps, he grabbed my hand and forcefully pulled me towards the door, pushing me out of the room.

"Lucy," Vivian shouted, prompting Lucy to rush towards us from the lift. "Yes sir," Lucy replied timidly, her fear evident as she addressed Vivian.

"Clean one of the closed rooms on this floor and give it to this girl," Vivian commanded, pointing towards me with disdain. And slamming the door shut in my face.

"Ma'am, please wait in the lawn. I'll have the room ready in 10 minutes," Lucy said to me, With a heavy heart, I made my way to the lawn, while Lucy went the other way.

"Mam, your room is ready. Please come with me," Lucy said to me as I sat sobbing on a chair in the lawn.

Hearing her words, I nodded silently and followed her, my room located next to Vivian's.

"Ma'am, if you need anything for your room, please call me," Lucy said, opening the door to the room before leaving.

I entered the room and took a quick glance around. It resembled Vivian's room, decorated in a white theme like the others on the floor. After closing the door behind me, I sank to the floor, clutching my lehenga tightly as tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. The pain of the situation overwhelmed me, and I let out a gut-wrenching scream, my body trembling with emotion. Though my movements were limited, my tears spoke volumes, expressing the depth of my anguish and despair.

Vivian was sitting on the couch in his room, smoking a cigarette and lost in deep thought.

Flashback

In a hospital, a woman lay on a bed with an IV drip in her hand. A boy, around eight years old, sat on a stool beside her.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Mom," the boy said, tears streaming down his face.

Hearing this, the woman placed her hand on the boy's cheek and said, "Let me go, Vivian."

Taking deep breaths, she continued, "Vivian, I've left that property in your name for only 28 years. You must get married before you turn 29. If you don't marry within these 28 years, all the property will go to the government after your 29th birthday. And if you marry before then, all the property will be transferred to your wife's name. You have to protect that property, Vivian."

Flashback ends

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Vivian opened his eyes, now red with emotion. He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, rose from the couch, and went to bed.

To Be Continued. . .