Page 15 of Twisted Deceit
He didn’t have to look in the direction of his parents to know how happy they were with their sons’ marriages.
Moments passed before she slowly raised her eyes. From the way her veil was layered over her head, it shielded her face from anyone else but him. Her eyes met his briefly before she looked up at his turban.
He saw the bliss in her eyes be replaced with horror. Her eyes widened before she let out a loud gasp. A moment later, her eyes rolled shut, and she started to sway and fall backward. Her reaction was not something he had factored in the level of shock she would experience.
The women around them gasped when he briskly slid his arm around her, pulling her to him. He needed to get her some fresh air. They were surrounded by many people from various clans, present to witness two clans coming together, and he needed to move past all of them.
He scooped his bride into his arms and moved toward the temple's back entrance. Aadhya’s aunt and a few others followed closely as her aunt called out his wife’s name to wake her up. He knew Aadhya had been nervous about the ceremony, and added to that, the shock magnified her reaction to his real identity.
“Aadhya, what happened?” Her aunt looked distraught as Nakul lay her down on a bench and started tapping her on her cheeks. Even as his mind told him it was nothing, he felt a tug in his chest, guilty about putting her through the trauma.
A few seconds later, Aadhya’s eyes fluttered open and looked lost. Her eyes were only partially open as he helped her sip on some water. “Aadi, are you okay?” Her aunt was on the brink of tears.
“I-I want to go home,” Aadhya’s voice was a whisper. Nakul looked at his security head and signaled him to prepare the car. He scooped her back into his arms.
“Not yet, Aadi—”
Nakul interjected before her aunt could finish. “I’ll have a doctor check on her as soon as we reach.”
Her aunt placed her hand on him. “Nakul, the wedding ritual is complete, but you both need to meet the heads of the other clans. Aadhya seems to be doing okay. You must stay for a bit longer.”
“I understand. But I need to get her home. She is going to be miserable here in this state. Please join my family in greeting the guests here to attend the event.” Nakul held the almost limp body of his wife, guilt twisting the insides of his chest.
With those words, he left her aunt in shock, took her to the SUV, placed her in the back seat, and slid into the driver’s seat. He paused momentarily, thinking of his route to his destination and his security team followed him.
*****
Hours later, Aadhya woke up to whispers. She opened her eyes to a familiar space, her room. At the foot of her bed was the woman who raised her. Her heart started to beat rapidly at her last memory from the temple, and she hoped it was a bad dream she was waking up from. She was in her pajamas, ran her hand over the soft material, and was assured it was the morning of the wedding.
“Nani,” her voice was gruff when she spoke.
Meenabai looked up, startled. “Aadi, you are finally awake.” The elderly woman called out to a few other women who were part of the household staff before adding, “Let’s go. We have to get ready.”
Aadhya felt a ton of weight lift off of her. Good. It was all a nightmare that Nakul was a Thakvar.
Why the heck did she even have such a nightmare?
“What time do we need to leave?” Aadhya sat up slowly and planted her feet on the white marble floor, admiring the beautiful henna art on her feet.
“Soon,” Meenabai said, adding, “You should eat something first.”
Aadhya was already halfway to the bathroom. “I need to brush my teeth and take a bath.”
“You’ll need to be quick. Don’t keep playing with the water,” Meenabai teased like Aadhya was still the five-year-old who loved to play with running water.
“Yes, yes, I will.” She smiled.
A few minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom, a strange anxiety building up inside her. Meenabai was in her room as she walked to her closet where her wedding outfit was hung. To her surprise, the space was empty.
She heard the door click open. “Nani, where is my—” She lost her words when she saw the man who entered her bedroom. It was Nakul, dressed like he was in her horror scene but in a different outfit. He no longer carried the ceremonial sword or the turban.
As Meenabai exited the room, her eyes met his briefly before her eyes fell, yet again, on the medallion on his chest. She noticed he also wore a ring that was indeed the Thakvar heirloom.
A scream escaped her, but it was barely a gasp. “It-It can’t be.” Her body started to shake, and she grabbed the closet door for support. “Who are you?”
“Aadhya, please.” He gestured for her to sit on the bed.
Her body started to shiver again, and her legs threatened to give away. She stepped back as he got closer and held her hand up. “Who are you?” she repeated, her voice weak.
