Vaidehi - His Second chance [On Hold]

7. Wedding Night

✿ Vaidehi✿

The car came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the highway. Swiftly, my husband opened his door and stepped out, his gaze fixed downwards.

 A pang of concern washed over me. Is he planning to jump off from this height? Stop these thoughts, Vaidehi.

How can I imagine such negative things?

What else will you imagine, if you will find a person looking downwards from a highway?

 Minutes stretched on, feeling like an eternity, as he stood outside. Against the backdrop of the desolate highway, his silhouette stood alone. Anxiety gnawed at me, and my mind conjured up worst-case scenarios. 

 Finally, he returned to the car. I averted my gaze, pretending not to notice his presence. He opened the door and closed it with a thud along with a deep sigh.

 As we drove away, I stole a quick glance at my husband through the mirror, only to find his eyes locked onto mine with unmistakable animosity.

 Hate.

 It emanated from him, filling the air with tension and foreboding. 

 Hate towards me.

Hate towards this marriage. 

 And then I realized that the journey ahead might be even more challenging and uncertain than I had anticipated.

Throughout the remainder of the journey, my mind was consumed by thoughts of the future. Every decision I made from this point onward would have far-reaching consequences, not only for myself but for both families intertwined in this union.

It's as if I'm trapped in the very situation I always dreaded. Everything has changed irrevocably. Every aspect of my life is now altered beyond recognition.

Shlok is no longer a possibility for me. He's forever out of reach, and perhaps it's best if I stop dwelling on him altogether. I'm bound to another now, my so-called husband.

Married. A wife. These labels now define me, regardless of whether I feel love or not. I'm tethered to him, and my loyalty must extend to him as well.

But can I truly erase someone from my heart so easily? Is it possible to simply tear out those pages of my life?

It will take time. A considerable amount of time.

Perhaps it will take an eternity. I'm uncertain if I'll ever manage to erase Shlok from my heart, from my very essence.

"The entire city is celebrating your wedding like a festival, sir," the driver remarked, and I peered through the window to see the sky adorned with bursts of fireworks.

How could anyone rejoice over the arrival of someone like me? Hell, my parents never even celebrated my birthdays, let alone my birth. So how can people go crazy for someone they don't even know?

"We have reached, ma'am," the driver's voice pulled me back from my thoughts, accompanied by the sound of firecrackers filling my ears. I glanced around and realized the car had stopped, but my husband wasn't inside. He didn't even bothered telling me to get out.

The driver hurriedly walked out and came to my side to open the door. Struggling with my heavy lehenga, I stepped out, pulling down my veil, but trying my best to look at the surroundings through it.

It was quite awkward to walk in the unknown surroundings with no one to show me the way, and I found myself holding my lehenga as if my life depended on it, fearing I might trip at any moment.