Unwanted [COMPLETED]

Chapter 3

Third Person's POV

Nandini walks inside the kitchen to make breakfast. She feels hesitant because she is unsure whether she has the right to do so.

She had thought there would be a ritual of her making a sweet dish in the house as per the tradition, and her mother-in-law would show her how to do it and what to make for the first time in the kitchen.

But nothing of that sort has happened yet.

No one is in the house and the kitchen, and no one seems to care that she is a newly wedded bride who came to this house just last night.

"What did you expect, Nandini? Your husband doesn't want you, so it's obvious that your in-laws also wouldn't be fond of you," she says to herself, opening the refrigerator to get the milk to make a cup of tea for herself.

She is about to light the gas when she hears someone gasp.

Turning around, she sees her mother-in-law, Nishitha Sisodiya, entering the kitchen. "What are you doing?" She asks. "Today is your first day in this house and kitchen. We must first do the proper ritual before you can cook anything here," she says, pleasantly surprising Nandini.

"Umm, aunty, I didn't see anyone when I came downstairs. So, I thought to make tea," she replies, twirling the shawl of her salwar suit to curb her nervousness.

"Ok, first thing first. After you married Vikrant, you became the daughter of this house. So, you will call me mom and Siddharth dad," Nishitha says, pleasantly surprising Nandini. "And the second thing. Since today is your first day in this house, we will do a worship ritual first, and after that, as per the ritual, you will make a sweet dish for us today. So, you can't do anything here until we finish the ritual. Go out and let me make breakfast."

Hearing that, Nandini feels overwhelmed. Vikrant had told her last night that he would never consider her his wife, and they would only pretend to be a married couple in front of his parents.

Since then, she has had no expectations from anyone in this house.

That's why she is pleasantly surprised by the welcoming gesture of her mother-in-law.

"Why are you still here, Nandini? Go out and wait for me. I'll instruct our cook on what to make for breakfast today, and we'll then do the ritual. Also, please go to your room and call Vikrant down for the ritual. He also needs to be present for it."

Nodding at her mother-in-law, Nandini heads out of the kitchen and climbs the stairs to go to Vikrant's room.

Not my room. She notes, deciding that if Vikrant can't accept her, she, too, can't accept anything that is his.

She enters the room and sees him wearing his tie in front of the mirror.

"Umm, Mom has called you downstairs for the Puja," she tells him.

He frowns at her. "I told you last night that this marriage means nothing to me. So, why are you calling my mother mom?"

"She said—"

"Oh, shut it!" He interrupts, glaring at her. "For a moment, I assumed you to be different because you didn't cry or make a fuss after I told you the reality of our marriage. But you are also like the other girls. I know you are from a middle-class family, so your eyes must have shone seeing this grand mansion. You must have decided to make a good relationship with my parents, trying to pave the way for yourself to stay here forever."

He steps closer to her, intently staring into her eyes. "Before you start dreaming about living a rich and extravagant life, mark my words, Nandini. You'll never get the status of being my wife. You'll be out of here once I'm done achieving what I want to achieve by marrying you."