Unwanted [COMPLETED]

Chapter 24

Nandini

Waking up, I open my eyes and immediately press on my forehead when I feel a pounding headache.

Unable to sleep after talking with Vikrant last night, I had tossed and turned the whole night, only falling asleep in the wee hours of the morning.

Even Vikrant didn't come to the room the whole night last night.

"I wonder why he didn't come."

I shake my head the moment that sentence escapes my lips.

I don't care why he didn't come. I don't want to wonder anything about him.

Sighing, I climb down from the sofa, about to get the first aid box so I can take a pill for my headache.

But I gasp out loud when Vikrant suddenly appears before me.

"What the hell are you doing?" I ask, startled.

"Hmm, you are antsy this morning." He looks at me with an amused expression on his face.

Deciding to ignore him, I start to walk toward the bathroom to freshen up, but he stops me, forwarding a cup toward me.

"What's this?" I ask, not taking the cup from him.

"A cup of coffee for my lovely wife," he answers, and my eyes widen to such an extent that I feel them about to pop out of my socket.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Well, I made a cup of coffee for you and brought it for you. That's the only meaning of this," he replies with a smile on his face.

I narrow my eyes at him. "I neither have the time nor the energy for your games this early in the morning," I tell him. "I have a headache, and I also need to get ready so I can get to the office in time."

"Oh, it's great you have a headache," he says.

"You think me having a headache is great?"

"Oh, no, no." He shakes his head. "I didn't mean it that way. I meant coffee is great for curing headaches. Try it?"

He forwards the cup toward me, but I walk to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready, completely ignoring Vikrant and the coffee he made for me.

Vikrant

Seeing Nandini entering the bathroom, I take a sip of coffee I brought for her.

I'll not be deterred by her anger because, after everything that has gone down between us, I know it will take some time to make things normal between us.

I thought hard about the things that Nandini told me last night. In fact, I thought about it the whole night and concluded that she was right about everything she said.

It was me who had decided to marry her to take my revenge against Myra and Raghav. On our wedding night, I even told her this marriage was unwanted for me.

Then, after I was done taking my revenge, it was again me who decided to give our marriage another chance.

It has always been me who has been deciding everything in our marriage, never giving her the chance to express her feelings about those decisions.

So, I have decided that I won't force her to give me a second chance this time.

I'll show her that I have changed for the better and want to try to make our marriage work.

It would be then her decision whether or not to stay married to me.

Well, I'll be so charming that she'll definitely choose to stay married to me.

I smirk at that thought, taking another sip of the coffee.

*****

Nandini

"Vikrant told us that you would be going to the ball with Samrat," Mom tells me as I sit beside her on the couch opposite her in the living room after returning from the office.

Although she doesn't look angry while saying that, I still feel uneasy as she peers at me.

"Umm, yes, Mom," I reply. "Since no one in the office knows about Vikrant and I being married, Samrat asked me if I would like to go to the party with him. I said yes because he has become my good friend since I joined the office. I hope it's okay with you?" I reticently ask her.

Although Vikrant's parents have been good to me, I wonder if they would be disappointed if their daughter-in-law went to the party with someone else rather than their son.

"Of course, Nandini. It's okay." Mom warmly smiles at me. "We have known Samrat for a few years, and he is a good man. Since you can't go to the party with Vikrant, it's good that you are going with Samrat, someone we know and trust."

"Thank you, Mom." I smile back at her, sighing in relief.

"Since only sixteen days are left for the party, you should start shopping for the gown you will be wearing for the ball," she tells me, and my relief suddenly vanishes.

"Gown?"

"Vikrant told me you would need to go shopping because you don't have a gown that you can wear to the ball," she says, which surprises me.

Why is Vikrant worrying about whether or not I have a gown to wear to the ball?

I don't get time to ponder on it because Mom speaks again.

"I can't believe I totally forgot about you needing a gown, but I'm glad that Vikrant thought about it," she says. "It is good that he is so thoughtful toward you."

I resist my urge to scoff when I hear her.

Vikrant and thoughtful? That is so not true.

Since I can't voice that thought to my mother-in-law, I only smile and nod at her. "It's really nice that Vikrant thought about it. But I was thinking of going to my tailor to have the gown custom-made."

That way, it will be cheaper and won't cause any dent in my savings.

"No. That won't do," Mom says, making me frown. "This is the first big event you are going to after your marriage with Vikrant. Although you won't be attending that party with him, and no one there will know about you being our daughter-in-law, I still want you to look your best. That's why I have called my friend, Latika, tomorrow at our house. She owns a boutique and will be designing a gown for you."

"But, Mom—" I begin to deny when she interrupts me.

"No buts, Nandini. It's already decided. I have also told Vikrant to let you come home from the office early tomorrow so you can give your measurements and talk with Latika about the type of design and color you would want in the gown. Okay?"

Looking at her firm demeanor, I understand there is no use trying to persuade her otherwise.

So, I only nod at her, hoping I'll be able to pay for the gown from my savings when I leave this house after divorcing Vikrant.