Page 13 of Forbidden

Jhanvi

Few Hours Later

I am making the biggest mistake of my life today. Life!! I had just started loving it, but what I am about to do in a few minutes makes me believe this is the end of my happiness. All my dreams shattered the moment I signed the legal marriage papers. All my desires to marry a man who loves me burned down in vain. I was supposed to get married to my childhood friend, in the most beautiful mansion, in the utmost traditional way, with blessings showered from every relative and guest but, here I am, in a deserted temple, sitting before the holy fire, with the priest chanting the hymns, and tying a knot with the man I loathe, to save a life.Jaya. I hope she’s fine. Wherever she is, I know she will be fine once I marry Aarav Raichand. I don’t trust Aarav, but I feel he will leave her once he gets what he wants –me.

I had demanded Aarav let me see Jaya before I sat for the rituals, but he didn’t give me an ear. I had no choice as Jaya was not the only one whose life was at stake. Mohit and Daadi could be the casualties too if I made a wrong decision. I am baffled how Aarav had planned all of this so perfectly and cornered me. I had the choice to leave this place if I didn’t want to marry him, but keeping Jaya, Daadi and Mohit’s lives at risk, how could I free myself? I wasn’t that selfish, but now that the rituals of our wedding begin, I feel like a fool for not being able to do anything to save myself from these imposed vows I am taking with Aarav Raichand.

“You may now stand up for the seven pheras.”

The priest’s command brings me out of my stupor. Pheras? I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realize when Aarav tied me the Mangalsutra and applied the Sindoor on my forehead. I rise on my feet, with the red veil that I carried with me from home, securely pinned on my head to cover it. Aarav had arranged a bridal dress and jewelry for me in the Vanity van, which I rejected changing into, so he dragged me to the temple in this same yellow-red salwar suit I wore since I left the Raichand Mansion.

I stand up to take the seven pheras with jelly legs and lose my balance, but Aarav grabs my arm and supports my body from tumbling. It’s strange to be saved by the man who has doomed my future, but before I can do anything about it, Aarav leans down and carries me in his arms. My heart thuds frantically. No one has ever carried me like that, not even Mohit, whom I was supposed to marry. I wriggle in his hold to get down, only tightening his grip further.

“This is more romantic, I suppose,” he taunts and begins to circle the holy fire.

It’s hard to keep my balance though he is carrying me in arms, forcing me to clutch Aarav’s shoulders.

“Put me down,” I mutter, clenching my jaw hard.

“Not even my wife yet, and you are ordering me?”

“Shut up, Aarav, and put me down. You are creating a scene.”

“Am I?” He mocks, but keeps circling the holy fire. I think we have taken three pheras already.

There’s no one here so far except the Priest and us, but I still don’t like him playing with me like I am his personal toy to mess with. He keeps his eyes locked with mine. There is something in that gaze that scares me the most. Aarav is obsessed with his revenge and I am his pawn. How easily he manipulated everything and brought victory to himself.

His grip on my body tightens as Aarav draws my delicate body closer to his. I have lost count of the pheras, and I don’t really care. All I am afraid of is his possessive hold on me. I am not sure how I am holding up my control right now when all I want to do is cry and yell at God for putting me in such a situation where I had to marry this man here.

Once the pheras are complete, Aarav puts me down. I immediately create some distance between us though I still feel his touch clinging to my body everywhere. This feeling will never go away.

“The marriage vidhi (rituals) is completed. You are now husband and wife,” the priest declares.

Husband-wife? I am Aarav Raichand’s wife now? The sudden dread fills my heart. What after this?

CHAPTER 7

Aarav

I married Jhanvi Sikand. My first victory towards avenging Durga Raichand.

Just as promised, I have begun to test every feeling pent up in Jhanvi so far. I am talking about the emotions and connections she feels for the other Raichands being deeply attached to them. In my race to avenge them, all these feelings of hers are going to be challenged.

I recall during the wedding rituals when the Priest asked me to place my palm below Jhanvi’s, my eyes had locked on her face and I’d even desired to wipe that lone tear from the corner of her eye. She was so lost that she didn’t even pay attention when I applied the Sindoor. But something transpired, and she’d finally turned to me, fixing her gaze with mine. Any woman would have dreams from a day and a moment like this. I ruined it for her. My vengeful need took precedence over every sane thought I ever had in me. If only we didn’t have to meet like this. If only she knew she was meant to be mine and mine alone. I had pressed her hand to assure her she was safe with me, but Jhanvi cringed, and the next instant she had withdrawn her hand from mine, ignoring the priest’s commands. The evil side of me took over my soft side, and I had grabbed her hand again asking the priest to continue. Jhanvi had given up after that moment.

But in all this, I admit I haven’t stopped thinking about her ever since we have met. Though I never showed interest in any other woman the way I shower upon her, I didn’t realize in a matter of a few days, this alien feeling I have for her will be tenfold than what I felt for her when I saw her picture the first time.

After Dad died and I challenged Durga Raichand that I would make sure she bows down before my mother, I had always monitored every move of the Raichands. That’s when I got to know Jhanvi Sikand was taken into their shelter after her father passed away in that same accident. Dad had introduced me to Lalit Uncle once. What a great man!! I was too young those days and snooped around my father whenever he took me out. That was the only way I could spend more time with him. I had proudly introduced myself when Dad presented me to his best friend, Lalit Sikand. The latter patted my back and told my father I had a long way to go, and I would be more successful in life than he was. It made me proud. I even heard him advising my father to coax Durga Raichand to accept me and my mother in their mansion so that we all could stay as one happy family and though I loved that idea, my father didn’t. It was that day when I realized my father was over dominated by his mother and her desires and that would never change. For anyone!!

My trance breaks as I see Jhanvi trying hard to untie the knot between her veil and the silk cloth hanging around my shoulder. I stop her at once and grab her wrists.

“Easy, Jaan.”

“Shut up,” she scowls. “Free Jaya now. Where is she? I want to see her right away.”

A faint smile creeps on my lips but there’s a bit of concern too, knowing how Jhanvi would react after I tell her this little secret.

“Where is she?” she shouts again and I finally tell her.

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