Oberoi's Ardhangini

CH | 39

"What happened to you?" He asked in a gentle tone as if he understood that it was a sensitive topic for her, while one hand brushed her hair strands softly and the other nudged her slim waist.

Looking at her in this vulnerable state, his heart perceived unknown emotions as if someone was crushing his heart. "It's none of your business!" She stated sharply, but her tone agonized.

Hearing her words, his face stiffened. "Is that so?" He asked while turning her to make her sit on his lap in an abrupt movement.

Eyeing him, she gave a nod, "You don't like me, and I know that. Then why do you want to know?"

He's not the one who tolerates throwing questions at him. But his wife was too stubborn to bend to his wishes. Grasping the situation, he suppressed the coldness in him and opened his mouth.

"You're my wife. I have complete rights on you, and my love or hate for you don't weigh when it comes to your safety." He said, looking into her eyes while tears were falling from her eyes though she was trying to suppress her muffles.

Hearing him, she bit her lips hard and dropped her head, unable to face him. She knows he's not the type to let it slide, and he'll go to any lengths to find the answers if he wants to.

"I'm safe now. It happened long ago." She said without any emotion in her tone.

Perceiving her rejection, his firm chest hardened. His muscles bulged out as if he were on the verge of losing his cool.

Seeing her inner turmoil, he added, "It's better to be cautious in advance."

His hands rubbed her sides gently, "Moreover, your secrets will be safe with me. Though we weren't good, I won't allow anyone to harm you." He gazed at her and added with intensity, "As I said, it should be only me to either love you or break you."

"How can I trust you when the word doesn't exist in my dictionary?" She asked self-deprecatingly without meeting his eyes while her clutch on the quilt tightened.

He was bewildered for a second listening to her but masked it quickly. "How can she be this lifeless? What did she face to become like this?" He pondered as he comprehended that her life wasn't easy.

"Why?" He queried with curiosity while his brows knitted together.

She gave a dry chuckle which was a bit alarming to him, as if he never truly knew who Pranavi was!

"Why should I trust anyone when in return it'll only break me more? People will leave eventually, so is there any point in trusting them and hoping they will be with you till the end?"

He squinted, she was the first woman he saw with such clarity in life. He used to think that women were clingy and only threw themselves at men for their fame, money, power, and handsome bodies.

But looking at the woman lying on him, his wife, he felt she was different. Her every word is complex as if she saw the depths of this world, the darkness, and the reality of life.

His eyes twinkled, "I may be an as*hole to you, Pranavi. But I'm a man of responsibility. So, if my wife has trouble, it's my duty to take care of them."

"Will you?" She asked, raising her head while her hand instinctively held his, and he closed her hands in his protectively, to give her the assurance she needed.

"I may not be in love with you now, and there may be many things for which you could hate me, but I'll never leave you, and you'll be my wife for the rest of your life." Glancing at her quivering lips, "I'll always try to be a reasonable husband to you. Isn't that enough?" His voice rang like a melody to her.