Page 73 of One Hellish Wedlock
After everyone dispersed, Reyansh returned to the bedroom. But the bed was empty.
There was no sign of her in the room. He recalled when Radhika had knocked on the door earlier, Aanya had locked herself in the bathroom. Was she still in there? He walked over and knocked.
“Aanya? You in there?” he called.
Silence.
“Aanya, answer me, dammit,” he said louder, knocking again, this time with more urgency. “Fine. I’m coming in. I have the master key.”
Reyansh strode to the closet, retrieved the key, and unlocked the bathroom door.
She was there, curled up in the dry empty tub, asleep. Her face was stained with tears, her eyes visibly swollen. Guilt clawed at his chest. He hadn’t meant to break her like this. God, he truly was a fool. Every time his anger flared, he ended up causing irreparable damage.
Loosening his tie, he knelt beside the tub and gently scooped her into his arms. She felt featherlight, and she didn’t even stir. She wasn’t acting this time. He knew that and it worried him. Aanya was unconscious.
He laid her on the bed and patted her cheeks softly.
“Aanya? Wake up.”
Nothing.
He sprinkled water on her face and patted her again. “Aanya... please.”
Her eyelids finally fluttered open. Relief surged through him until she shoved him away with sudden fury.
“Get away from me!” she shouted, striking his chest with both fists as he tried to stay near.
Reyansh understood she had every right to be furious. He caught her wrists mid-blow, pinning them down on either side of her body. She struggled beneath him, her breath ragged.
“Ssh... listen to me,” he said softly.
“Just get off me, Reyansh,” she yelled again. Neither of them noticed how closely he hovered over her until the tension thickened around them. He used one hand to restrain both her wrists, and the other to tilt her chin up.
“Lookat me,” he growled.
Aanya clenched her jaw, her defiance shining through her red, tear-swollen eyes. But she stopped resisting. She had no strength left.
“I was cruel,” he admitted, voice low. “I was angry and I said things I shouldn’t have. That doesn’t mean I wanted to humiliate you.”
She averted her eyes, her head still fixed in his grip.
“I don’t want your explanations,” she murmured coldly. “Just get off me.”
“I will,” he replied. “But you should know I didn’t enjoy hurting you. You just… didn’t leave me with a choice.”
Her heart twisted at that.Thatwas his excuse?
“You’re hurting my wrists, Reyansh,” she finally cried, her voice breaking.
He immediately released her and rolled off, sitting at the edge of the bed. Aanya sat up, rubbing her sore wrists in silence.
“Let me see,” he offered, almost in a whisper.
She ignored him and switched off the bedside lamp. Climbing back under the covers, she pulled the quilt over her head, effectively shutting him out.
Reyansh sat still. She wasn’t ready to listen. And for the first time in his life, he’d actually tried to apologize. That aloneshould’ve told him something about how far she’d gotten under his skin.
But she hadn’t accepted it.
