Unwanted [COMPLETED]

Chapter 9

Third Person's POV

Entering Vikrant's room, Nandini places all her shopping bags on the recliner and slumps on the bed, too tired after a whole day of shopping.

Although exhausted, she is satisfied with the dresses and shoes she bought.

Yes, the dresses in that mall were too pretty, but she would not have been able to afford even one of them.

But from the market she went to, she bought five decent dresses and three shoes. She had to bargain extensively for each of them, but it had been worth it.

I even saved one thousand rupees. She smiles at that thought.

But her smile dims when she sees Vikrant entering the room.

"It seems your shopping went well," He says, looking at the shopping bags on the recliner.

"It did. I got what I needed at a reasonable price," Nandini tells him. Standing up from the bed, she picks up the shopping bags from the recliner.

She sighs, not knowing where to place them. Most of her clothes are still in her suitcase, and these new dresses will not fit in it.

"I guess I will have to buy a new suitcase," she says aloud.

"There is no need to do it. I will empty one of my cupboards for it. You can place your things there," Vikrant tells her, continuing when he notices her surprised look, "Don't look so surprised. I'm only giving you some space in my cupboard. Never make a mistake of even expecting any space in my heart and life."

Even though feeling a pinch on her heart due to his words, Nandini keeps a stoic face. "Don't worry, Mr. Sisodiya. I have many years of experience in not expecting anything from anyone. So, rest assured, I would never expect anything from you. Not a space in your heart, life, home, or property."

She is about to turn and walk to her suitcase to get a change of clothes to wear after freshening up when Vikrant stops her.

"What the hell is your game, Nandini? How can you stay so calm even after I told you this marriage is nothing but a sham to me, and I'll never give you the status of being my wife?" He thunders, feeling confused about her behavior. "You also don't want anything from me—no money, no property, nothing."

Stepping closer to her, he narrows his eyes at her. "For some time, I had been baffled by you and had begun thinking you are really one of a kind. But the more you remain unaffected by everything, the more I doubt you," he says, looking thoughtfully at her.

"Are you thinking if you pretend to be a pure, innocent soul, I would forget about this marriage being nothing to me and accept you as my wife?" He scoffs, twisting his lips in a wry smile. "If you think that way, you can drop your act now because I'll never want you in my life. You'll always remain an unwanted wife to me."

He didn't realize when he clutched Nandini's arms in anger, but when she hissed in pain, he immediately left her arms.

Rubbing her arms to soothe the pain and blinking back her tears, Nandini glares at him. "What do you know about me, Vikrant? How do you know what I think? How do you know if I'm pretending?" She snaps at him, not caring how loud her voice has gotten. "Did you say all that because you want me to explain why it isn't so? Do you want me to request you to believe in my purity and innocence? Do you want me to fold my hands in front of you and plead with you to believe in my kindness?"

She pauses for a few seconds, waiting for his reply, but she resumes speaking when he doesn't say anything.

"If that's what you want, then let me make one thing very clear to you," Nandini says, walking toward Vikrant in anger, and he starts moving backward. "I don't care what you think of me. I don't care if you think of me as a pure, innocent girl or a cunning, greedy girl. I don't give a damn. You can believe whatever you want of me."

She stops walking when Vikrant's leg hits the foot of the couch, and he falls over it. Looking at him sprawled on the couch, she says, "And about accepting this marriage and giving me the rights of being your wife. Well, even if you, Vikrant Sisodiya, came crawling to me one day and begged me to remain in this house as your wife, I will walk away as soon as you achieve what you want to achieve from this sham of a marriage."

When Vikrant stands up from the couch, Nandini turns away and starts walking to the bathroom to freshen up. As she is about to enter, she halts and swivels toward him.

"I'm tolerating you because I don't have any other place to go. So, this marriage is nothing but a deal of convenience for me. We'll continue this sham until you get what you want, and I save enough money to move out. Once that happens, the deal will be over. And with that, this unwanted marriage will come to an end, too," she tells him. "So, please, don't give so much importance to yourself by thinking I'm pretending to be nice to get your love and the status of being your wife. Because while you, your love, or the status of being your wife may mean priceless to you, it means worthless to me now."

With that said, she enters the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her.

Vikrant stands in the middle of the room, stunned for a while, before slowly coming out of his stupor.

"What the hell is this girl?" He mutters.

Girls have been falling for his charm his whole life, doing everything they can to get his attention.

But Nandini—she doesn't care about it at all.

She even called me worthless. That thought angers him.

No one has ever insulted him this way. No one has had the guts to open their mouth before him, let alone insult him.

It's my fault. I'm the one who has been going easy on her because of my guilt. But now, it is the time to show her how ruthless I can be.

With that thought in mind, Vikrant dials a number, smirking as he sets the perfect welcome for Nandini in his office.

*****

Standing beneath the showerhead, Nandini lets the hot water flow over her shivering body.

Her tears intermingle with water as she continues getting soaked.

Although she always shows a brave front to those who try to belittle her, only she knows how nervous she gets on the inside.

She has never liked confrontations. It always makes her restless. A strange fear rises in her heart after every conflict, and the restlessness remains for a few hours before slowly fading away.

Now, too, with her hands and body trembling, she takes a few deep breaths to calm herself.

She doesn't want to keep crying and moping about her dead marriage. She doesn't want to regard herself as a victim and ask 'why me' whenever something happens between her and Vikrant. In fact, she tries to remain strong after each confrontation.

But there are times when she can't help it. There are times when she feels just too tired of being strong.

Even a strong person sometimes needs someone to lean on, but she has no one to rely upon. Not a single person who she can call her own.

Slumping on the floor, she folds her knees to her chest and takes deep breaths while rocking herself back and forth.

"It's ok, Nandini. This will pass. Be strong until then. Please, be strong," she whispers to herself, taking care not to be loud because she doesn't want Vikrant to know that she isn't as unaffected by him as she shows him.

All I have left is my self-respect, and I won't compromise it by showing my weakness to him. She decides, knowing exactly how Vikrant will trample all over her once he sees her vulnerable side.