UNBOUNDED LOVE

Before I Die

WARNING: MENTION OF T#RTURE AND R#PE

Roop's POV

It was a quiet afternoon. Dadi and I had arranged the important things in the house and she was preparing lunch as I sat down to relax for a few minutes. The house was situated in the outskirts of the village near the fields making the view very beautiful and surroundings very peaceful. Her brother had visited us and told us to feel at home and ask his son if we needed something as he was going to visit his daughter in a different village. "I have spoken to my brother, Roop. He said that there is a handsome boy in this village who would be the perfect match for you", I tsked, "Understand my situation too, dear. I'm old. I don't know until when I will live. Your parents have given me your responsibility and I want to fulfil that before I die. You won't understand it now.....", I blocked out her words and stood up to draw some water from the well behind the house. 

I had filled a whole big vessel full of water that would be enough for a couple days for us when I heard a huge thud. "What happened, Dadi?", there was no response. I guessed she was angry at me for not listening to her and shouted, "Alright, Dadi, I will listen to you. Now stop with your silent treatment, please", there still was no response. I called out for her a few times but there was no reply. I got worried and walked to the front of the house while removing the pallu that I had stuck into the waistband of my lehenga. I opened the door of the house which was closed but I couldn't remember closing it. 

My steps halted and eyes widened as I screamed in shock and pain as I saw Dadi laying in a pool of blood with eyes rolled back. I felt my hands being held by some people and being pulled out of the house. I couldn't think of anything else other than Dadi and kept trying to escape from their holds. I kept yelling to let me go but it all went in vain. "See what your intelligence has done, girl. Our boss gets what he wants no matter what. It doesn't matter how brilliant you are at escaping. But he is always ahead of you", he said and the other men laughed. "Hey! Set the house on fire, men. Let us show what she did to herself", he ordered. "NO! NO!! PLEASE, I HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING TO YOU. PLEASE DON'T DO IT!! DADIII!!!!", I yelled but nothing stopped them. I moved my hands around to escape but they were stronger than me. I could do nothing but cry and beg them not to do it. 

I watched the men pour oil on the house and set it on fire. My throat burned as I screamed on the top of my lungs for my only family who was getting burnt in the house. The flames burned high and bright and soon, the house started to collapse. They didn't let me go until the whole house was destroyed and nothing but ash. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I collapsed on the ground and cried in pain while they laughed like animals. 

"Now it is your turn. Our boss has asked us to torture you until you pass out and then kill you slowly"

"Oh! I can't wait to see how she looks while she begs us to stop"

"Patience. I will have her first. Only then you get to use her"

I felt numb. There wasn't any chance I would win against them. I got up and tried to run away only to be caught by them and thrown to the ground. They grabbed my hands, I tried to kick them away making them hold my legs down away from each other. I screamed and yelled for help which never arrived. Another guy closed my mouth with his hands. My eyes were wide open as I tried to free myself from their hold. I saw a guy smirking as he sat in between my legs making me scream out loud. My wide eyes watched as his hands went to grab my veil and I closed my eyes in fear. I had accepted my defeat but I was still trying my best to break free and escape from them. I was sad that that was how I would meet death. But suddenly I felt the hold on my hands free and then on my legs making me open my eyes. I saw Mano swing his sword at a man making his head detach from the rest of his body. "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY GIRL, YOU SON OF A BITCH?!!", I turned around to look at the voice I was dying to hear.

In no time they killed most of them as the others had run away. I picked myself up and looked at the house which was still on fire. The roof had collapsed, the bricks of the walls were falling, the dried plants near it was also burnt. I felt a light touch on my shoulder making me turn to look at Mano. He pulled me to his chest and I sobbed, "I have no one left, Mano. She was my only family after you guys had to leave. What do I do now??!", he caressed my hair and cried with me as we watched the house burn. 

After a few hours....

"Help her freshen up. I don't want anyone else know about her", he said and his footsteps faded while I stared at the ground emptily. "Let's go to the bathing chamber, dear", an attendee said. I followed her and she helped me strip and wrap a white cloth around me. The bruises on my wrists and ankles had started to hurt. She rubbed my skin covered with dust with some paste but my mind was somewhere else. All I could think about was how I found Dadi dead and how I could do nothing but just see her burn inside the house. She was everything to me. After my parents, she was the only person I could trust until Asha and Mano moved in. She was my whole world. She was the one who took care of all my needs ever since I was a little girl. I was almost raped and if these two hadn't arrived on time, god knows what would have happened to me.

"You look sad. Do you want to talk about it?", the kind lady asked. I looked up at her and shook my head. "Ok. I won't force you to tell me anything. But all I want to know is if Dheer forced you to bring you here", I shook my head. He didn't force me. Mano had to get going because he didn't want any suspicions to rise about him saving me. I was sure they were making some plan that I did not know about. And I was left with Him. He told me that it would be unsafe to be there all alone as it would get dark soon and convinced me to go to the palace with him. I had nowhere to go. I had no one to be with. He felt like the only man I could trust. And I agreed. 

"He isn't the type to force anyone. He will just get what he wants by one small smile", she laughed. "You must know him well", I said trying to not be rude by ignoring her. "Yes!! I have seen him since he was a little boy", she said excitedly and helped me get out of the pool of water. She gave me a saree to drape as all my belongings were burnt with the house. I looked at the mirror as she braided my hair telling me what she does to keep her hair healthy even in her forties. She placed a Bindi in between my eyebrows and said, "Now you look perfect", as she smiled and continued, "I don't know what you think about Dheer. All I know is that you mean a lot to him. Except for his mother, his sister and me no other women has ever stepped inside his chamber before", I looked at her astonished, "You must be very special to him. Just don't break his heart", she said and caressed my hair when we heard approaching footsteps. 

"I have a lot of work in the kitchen tonight. I'll see you in the morning. OK?", she said and walked away. I looked at him through the mirror and saw him holding two plates in his hands. "I brought you some food", he said and placed it on the table in front of a couch. I stood up and turned around and walked to him. "I want to leave".

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