Unwanted [COMPLETED]

Chapter 2

Nandini

I wake with a start, my neck feeling stiff and a dull ache pounding at the back of my skull. My eyes struggle to adjust, darting over the soft glow of dawn filtering through the heavy curtains.

This is not my room.

The disorientation of my half-asleep state deepens for a moment as I slowly sit up, but then the sharp realization hits me, fully waking me.

I'm married now, and I'm sitting on the recliner in the corner of my husband's room.

A husband who has made it clear that he won't accept me as his wife.

My fingers grip the armrest, steadying myself against the surge of angst threatening to pull me under. I close my eyes, and Vikrant's words from last night slam into me with renewed force.

"I will never accept you as my wife."

I inhale sharply, my chest tightening as though I have been struck. The sharp sting of those words burns anew, making me want to scream, shout, and ask why this keeps happening to me.

Last night, after Vikrant declared our marriage meaning nothing to him, I had felt raw pain first, but then, anger had risen. I'd wanted to confront him the moment he stepped out of the bathroom. My lips had parted, the words sitting heavy on my tongue, but the moment his eyes met mine, something inside me faltered, rendering me unable to utter even one word. The only thing I could do was watch as he slumped on the bed and promptly fell asleep.

For a moment, I was even tempted to leave this house. I didn't want to stay here for a second longer after what Vikrant said to me.

But the harsh reality had quickly followed, dousing that thought.

I had nowhere else to go.

My parents would never take me back after finally getting rid of me, and as for leaving on my own... I had no money, no job, no safety net to catch me.

I tear up when I glance toward the bed, the sight of Vikrant's sleeping form igniting another wave of pain. He sleeps so easily, completely unbothered, while I unravel mere feet away with the cognizance that I have entered another relationship in my life where I'm unwanted as I have always been.

With a shaky exhale, I get down from the recliner and head to the bathroom. The ache in my back and the stiffness over my arms and legs a dull reminder of the restless hours I spent curled up in the recliner last night.

Stepping inside, I close the door with a soft click, sealing myself off from the world outside.

For a brief moment, I stand there, just stand, staring at nothing, doing nothing. And then, I let go.

I slump against the door, sliding down until I'm sitting on the cold tiles. My arms wrap around my knees, and the first sob escapes, a broken sound that cuts through the silence. The tears come fast, hot and relentless, streaking down my cheeks like the release of a dam I've held back for far too long.

Pain pours out of me-pain of being an unwanted wife added to the pain of being an unwanted daughter. The sobs wrack my body, loud cries escaping my mouth, and I bury my face in my hands to muffle to the noise.

Minutes pass, though they feel like hours, and the storm inside me begins to subside. My tears run dry, leaving only the sticky trail of salt on my skin and the hollow ache in my chest. My head feels heavy, a dull throb at my temples.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I uncurl myself and get up from the cold floor.

I stand on unsteady legs and move to the sink. The mirror above it catches my reflection, and I almost don't recognize the woman staring back at me. Her eyes are red and swollen, her face pale and blotchy. She looks fragile, breakable, like a porcelain doll with cracks spreading across its surface.