Page 120 of One Hellish Wedlock
He finally spoke. “There’s another option. One where no one has to get hurt.”
Aanya froze as he moved closer.
“And it lies entirely in your hands, Aanya.”
She blinked. “My hands? How?”
“Give me one chance,” he whispered. “Let me set this right. Let me prove that I can be the man you deserve. Let me show you what love, what marriage, could really mean. Let me woo you.”
His voice struck her like a thunderclap.
“You can stay here,” he continued. “I don’t care about the keys. Give them to Nani if you want. Stay focused on your career too, I won’t interfere. I’ll respect your space, your goals. All I ask… is that you stay. Here.With me.”
Aanya shook her head. “What are you proposing to me again? Another deal? A performance to fool everyone into thinking we’re some picture-perfect couple?”
She stepped back. “No, Reyansh. I can’t live under that pressure. If I stay here, I’ll constantly feel your eyes on me,trying, hoping. And every time you’re kind to me, I’ll question your motives. I can’t live like that. I can’t focus on my career.”
He scowled. “Aanya, marriage and career are two separate things. They can coexist.”
“Not in our case,” she countered. “My only focus now is standing on my own feet. That’s it.”
His expression hardened and then without warning, and before she could react, he wiped the vermillion from her hairline partition with a swift, stinging motion.
“Fine,” he said, voice like ice. “You’re free now. Do whatever you like. You have my best wishes.”
And just like that, he walked away, leaving her shaken. She reached up and touched her now-bare forehead, the ghost of the sindoor still tingling on her skin. How could one man be so calm and yet so volatile in the same breath? He was clearly wounded, and she had no power or right to soothe that kind of pain.
*******************
The next day at work, Aanya couldn’t focus for even a moment. A dull, persistent headache from the night before throbbed behind her eyes. Reyansh hadn’t returned to their room after their argument, and though she hadn’t seen him, one of the house help had mentioned he’d slept in the drawing room. Alone. Angry.
She had stood her ground but had she been too harsh? Too self-centred?Was she being selfish again, prioritizingherdreams and boundaries over the man who, for once, might truly want her?
But then... when had anyone truly prioritized her? Her father hadn’t. Reyansh hadn’t either, not when it mattered the most. They claimed to care, they claimed to love her, but neither could shield her from the crushing loneliness that had shaped her for years.
So no, this wasn’t selfishness. This was self-preservation. It was finally time they tasted the consequences of leaving her alone in a world they claimed to share.
“Aanya?” Prem’s voice snapped her out of her daze.
She looked up.
“I have something important to share.”
She immediately sensed it was something big.
And when he told her, her eyes lit up.
“What? Really? This is happening?”
“It’s confirmed,” Prem replied with a smile. “You’ll get the official email soon. If you accept, we’ll begin your work visa process.”
“I accept,” she said without hesitation, her voice rising with disbelief and excitement. “Of course, I do.”
Prem looked at her carefully. “Don’t you want to discuss this with your family first?”
Family. The word caught her off guard. She had one now. A husband. A home. And yet, decision-making still felt like a solo endeavour, just like it always had.
“I mean…I’ll talk to them tonight. When do you need confirmation?”
