Arranged Marriage to Kill Him

Chapter 2 : Arranged Marriage to the Mysterious Man

In her red and golden bridal gown, Naina looked like a Christmas tree overly decked. It wasn't as if she had been showered with jewels and draperies, but her figure was so thin that anything more than two layers would outweigh her. She had been saved from the shame of adorning fake jewellery as her would-be-husband had sent over their ancestral necklaces, bangles and jhumkas. They sat shimmering over her dupatta that she couldn't take her eyes away from them. Everyone mistook her downcast eyes as a virgin bride's shyness.

She struggled to walk in those clothes and her mother and the neighbourhood girl each helped her by the arm. She was too enamoured by the jewels to pluck their gripping fingers off her as they reached the altar. Gone were thoughts of her would-be-husband or the people flocking around her, gemstones and gold were a better company to her. She flushed in rapture at them and her mother smiled uncertainly, confused (but relieved) that her daughter was happy marrying a stranger.

The stranger entered the hall then, so smooth and elegant that drew everyone's eyes except for Naina's. Naina was blinded by the light flashing from the jewellery to even look up and see her would-be-husband. All she knew and hoped for was to spend some days with the old pervert, choke him with some poison or smother him with a pillow and blame it on his old age. In front of the mirror, she had practiced weeping like a widow all these weeks. A little pinch here or there helped squeeze out some fake tears as simply as turning on tap water, even to a headstrong girl like Naina.

Amidst the applause and showering petals at the entrance of the groom, Naina was asked to walk towards the sacred fire. Even the brightest flames of the fire couldn't kindle an interest in her for her own marriage. She walked with her eyes glued to the jewellery, calculating their value with a sharp mind that was otherwise mathematically weak (especially during her board exams).

"Watch where you're going!" her mother's shouted, her warning coming late like the thundering sound during a lightning strike. First Naina tripped right over the fire that lapped and licked its flames as if opening its greedy mouth to swallow her alive. A mute scream was stuck at the base of her throat, her jewels jingled, distracting her eyes and bringing them back to reality. She was going to die right before her wedding, right before her one opportunity to get rich. At that thought, her mute scream turned into a high-pitched wail that tore through the hall, invoking the handsomest Gods and angels above.

One such God (or so she thought after meeting his eyes) gripped her naked waist firmly, his hard fingers digging into her soft flesh. That sudden, sizzling contact caused her heart to leap out of her breast as she was crushed against pure, male hardness. That mysterious scent engulfed her senses, smudging the boundaries between reality and fantasy.

"Oho they're meant to be!" someone cooed, breaking the unreal silence and making Naina look at him.

There he was, tall and upright with his broad shoulders and chest filling out every inch of his navy blue kurta. He didn't bother to throw as much as a glance towards her, all she could see from her little height was his strong jaw. That jaw dotted with his perfectly shaved beard made her want to rub her cheeks against his stubble. To feel the coarseness, perhaps as prickly as scotch brite. But who was he?

"Your husband is already promising to protect you," someone else cooed and at that, he pressed his fingers hard on last time in her soft flesh before leaving her waist, conscious of their closeness.

"My husband?" She fully looked up now, registering his strong nose, sharp eyebrows and keen, darkest brown eyes. His eyebrows dug deep trenches in between, but he didn't look at her, it was visible that he was also confused and brooding. It was Naina's mother who pulled her hand to stop her from ogling at this drool worthy guy in front of her.