Fragile Hearts

Chapter 1

Her big doe eyes were swollen due to the constant crying. She was sitting lifelessly on the well decorated bed wearing her beautiful red lehenga. She was now Pallavi Raghav Rao. Wife of the Don of Hyderabad. She clutched her lehenga and let out a whimper as she let her tears flow free recalling the events of the past few hours. Her only family was her in-laws who forced her to remarry. Living as a widow was hard but she had loved Mandaar and could not imagine marrying someone else. 'You are now Raghav's responsibility' they had said. 'Do not come back here' their words rang in the back of her mind.

Somehow, Pallavi still believed they were right at their part. How long would they keep her with them? She was just a burden after all. It was her mistake that she misunderstood their care for love but still she chose to blame Raghav for why the Deshmukhs's didn't want anything to do with her. Her train of thoughts halted when the bedroom door swung open with a loud thud. Her groom walked into the room. Pallavi sent a silent prayer to her gods. She had heard things about her new husband, people said he was ruthless and dangerous.

He looked tensed and nervous. He brushed his hand through his hair and pulled them back. She looked so pretty that it almost made his heart stop. Raghav took a deep breath as all the courage he had mustered vanished into thin air. He walked upto her and held her hand.

"Please leave me" She begged to him. Raghav had never expected her to be weak, she was a strong headed women, perhaps he had caught her off guard. He backed away and looked at the crying figure. What had he done? His heart pained upon seeing her like that. "Pallavi" he spoke softly as he sat near her feet on the edge of the bed, "I know you are not happy with this marriage", he looked at her to examine any facial expression but her face was numb. He wanted her know that he understood her. "But you are now my wife. I want you to forget whatever has happened in your past and I just wanted to assure you that however evil you may think I am I would never molest my own wife... " Raghav told her. "Don't be afraid of me" Concern was evident in his voice.
She looked at him through her tears, "I cannot forgive you Raghav Rao. For what you did to me, snatching my family from me was the worst thing you could do."

"They are not your family Pallavi. I am. Only me. Those people don't deserve you so forget about them." He stood up and spewed at her angrily which further made her cry. "Pallavi...shhh" he wanted her to stop crying. He hated that he was the reason for her tears.

"Go to sleep" he ordered and left her alone. He couldn't stand in that room anymore and see her cry. She cried herself to sleep thinking of the ordeal she will have to face further whereas he drowned himself in liquor for the pain he had bought to his dearest.
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Pallavi woke up really late, it was already 2 p.m. She realised she had slept in her wedding attire. After freshening up and switching into a comfortable saree she went downstairs. The huge house seemed empty. There was barely any furniture or pictures in the house. Raghav was nowhere to be seen and it seemed like a golden opportunity to escape. Pallavi didn't realise why but she had a strange urge to to see what would happen if she tried to run away. He wouldn't allow her to leave, she knew. The door to the mansion was locked and all windows were too. Luckily she found a window open in the kitchen. Without any second thought she jumped out of it. Her heart started beating against her ribcage due to the adrenaline and the fear of being caught.
She was panting heavily when she hid behind the wall near the outhouse trying to not get seen by the guard. His house was huge and the garden was even bigger. When she was about to sprint again her hand was pulled back and she was pushed into the wall. "Where are you going sweetheart?" Raghav trapped her small wrists in his harsh hands. Pallavi was scared to her core, her knees went weak and she was unable to speak anything. "Don't even think about leaving" he tightened his hold on her wrist as she whimpered in pain. "It's hurting!" She spoke and he left her hands.

Raghav stepped back and pushed his hands inside his pockets,"Go back to your room!"
"I don't want to" Pallavi was brave enough to say. Raghav was happy to see a glimpse of the real Pallavi back. This was why he had fallen in love with her. She was strong and confident but most of all he knew she could challenge him. He sighed and said again, "Go. To. Your. Room."

She didn't respond to his request and stood in front of him. Raghav was now frustrated, he bent down and picked her up on his shoulder and started walking. "Put me down...." Pallavi screamed and punched him on his back. "Leave me" she shouted. "I will hit you!"

"Do it!" He said without a care and continued walking. Unknown to him she picked up a glass bottle which probably he had left discarded near the window from where he passed. Without giving it a second thought, she swung the bottle and hit his head. "Ah!" He winced in pain and let her down. She tried to run away again but he held her with his arm while his other hand held his head to stop the blood from oozing. It was then that she realised how deeply she had hurt him.

His vision was getting dizzy and his grip on her was becoming weak. As he fell on the ground Pallavi walked away. As she took a few steps she heard his voice, "Pallavi... don't...go". She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, she knew she was going to regret this but she stopped in her tracks. She couldn't leave him like that. She went back. 'What was it about this man that made her stay? Why is he so adamant to keep me with him even after I hurt him?' She wondered.

She screamed to the guard for help and carried him inside. All the while he held her hand tightly, not agreeing to leave it even when the doctor was called to dress up his wound. She sat beside him looking his sleeping figure and then at their hands entwined together. He was so strong even under the influence of drugs that he didn't leave her hand. For the first time in her entire being Pallavi felt as if someone wanted her. He wanted her. Was that what was written in her fate?