Sindoor | The Devotion Duet Book 1

꧁Chapter 3: Important Questions꧂

Chapter 3

KETHAKI

I sat in my room, frustration gripping me like a vice. I sat there, hands clutching my hair and nails digging into my scalp with painful intensity. Dev Uncle's words revolved in my mind and the images of him saying something as offensive as arranging a marriage with his god-awful son refused to leave my mind. It echoed behind the constant curses my mind conjured.

My own father's voice haunted me.

'It's done, Shiv. She is getting married to Aryan.'

'She is getting married to Aryan.'

'She is getting married.'

Married. Marriage.

Bound to a man.

For the next seven lives.

Forever.

Nope.

No. Never.

I thought I had made that clear to my father. Or the entire family for that matter.

Marriage was out of the question. I was not getting married. Not now. Not ever.

Then why this?

And why him?

Nothing made sense. Until yesterday, everything was going exactly how I liked it.

I was twenty-nine, had a job, was loved and did not have to worry about any man. I was living the perfect life. It wasn't even as though I was longing for someone, or hoped to find love sometime in the future.

I had no plans involving a man whatsoever.

I did not want a boyfriend, or a lover or a husband. I wanted men to stay away from me.

In fact, I so detested the idea of men, that it just became another reason to hate that Peasant.

Because he was a man. A man, so very manly, around him, my already short stature of five feet, three inches, becomes even smaller when around his five feet, eleven inches. It was absurd. I have been with men of six feet and above. Multiple times. And yet, only around him, I feel smaller. I hate him. I hate him for being a man.

All my exes have made me feel like how I wanted them to make me feel. A sensual woman, who oozes grace and sexuality. Back in school, I was, by no means, the most beautiful girl. I was pretty, but I wasn't the girl whom men took a double look at or the one who had many admirers just because I looked like their dream manifested before them. I wasn't the most gorgeous girl in the room.

I was wanted because I was the girl who looked men in their eyes, held it, and smirked. I was the one who walked like a melody, talked like lyrics and was music personified. Like Beethoven's symphony.

Those boys made me feel like that sensual woman. A woman to be conquered, because the walls were always there and everyone could see them. The music that was hidden in those walls, was what they wanted to win. Only a few did. To be exact, just three.

Those three boys made me feel like a prize.

So, I hate him for being a man who makes me feel like a woman.

I hate him for being a man.

I hate him.

The door swung open and in came Shivansh. The one true pillar of my life.

"Di?" He called from the doorway. "You haven't eaten anything."

With that, a domestic help entered my room, with the food, and set the coffee table in my room with it.