His Unwilling Bride | COMPLETED ✓

✿⁠ PAINTING ✿

RABYA

Taking a deep breath, I get out of the car. Finally reaching my house.

Fear clung to me as I was reminded of the day when this house lost all it's spark. I looked up and saw the lights and flowers decorated over the terrace and walls. All my relatives gathered at the door to welcome Adhrit. We stepped inside and after completing the rituals, I was taken to another room. My room.

"Why you're covering your face with a veil?" My sister, Reha snickered.

I looked up and found her leaning against the cupboard in the corner. For a second, my ears didn't believe that she was talking to me but then I realised the bitterness in her voice and replied. "I'm the wife of Adhrit Singh Chauhan, what else can you expect from me?" I laughed, dryly.

"Karma is a bitch, isn't it?" She rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Reha. I know my apology doesn't mean anything to you but-"

"Oh, fuck no, Rabya, your apology means shit to me." She cut me in middle.

My heart sank into the bottom of my chest. I used to be her favourite person.

"I'm sorry."

"Why? Is your sorry going to bring Baba back to us? Or is it going to make everything alright in my life? I'm not allowed to work anymore. I lost my job, for God's sake. You're away from this house, probably busy with fucking your husband but I've to live here. I've to deal with all the taunts and shame." She screamed at me.

"And you think that I'm happy with my marriage? I also had dreams, Reha. That place, that place is hell. Women laugh at themselves after getting both sexually and physically assaulted by their husband, I'm not supposed to breathe freely without this stupid veil, I'm married to a man who's ten years older than me. Yet you think you're the only one to suffer?" I spat back.

"Then you should've thought before spreading your legs open to your boyfriend and getting pregnant. You fucking killed Baba, stop playing the victim here because you're not." She screamed again, turning her face to the side.

After hearing her words, I nodded. Bending my head low, I held back my tears. My heart broke all over again. Of course, she isn't wrong. It's all my fault.

"Reha, stop your drama. Your sister's husband is here, do you want him to know everything?" Maa came but didn't even bother to look at me.

"Oh right, if he gets to know then who knows what will happen, no?" Reha then turned to me. "Tell me Rabya, is he going to hit you? Well, then you can join the women of your village, no?"

I blinked my tears away.

My mother dragged her out from the room. I looked back at my hands and remembered how much Reha used to love me. This one time, our parents went to someplace for couple of days and we were alone at home. I had a high fever and my sister literally took a sprint of two miles to buy me medicines in the late summer's noon because all the shops were closed. We used to be so close that Baba often used to say that no matter what happens, Reha will never be able to live without Rabya.

But today, that little girl despises me.

"Rabya, everything's okay at your husband's place?" My Aunt came to me followed by couple of more relatives whom I don't even know before the death of my father.