Echoes Of Destiny | Multicouple ✓

8. WHISPERS OF PAST

Samaira

Bang bang bang.
Someone was banging on my bed room door.

I got up abruptly.
It's been two days since my father, Digvijay Aggarwal has told me about the Singhania's marriage proposal, which I vehemently declined.

I knew things were too peaceful to be true.

Opening my door, I saw my step mother, Riva in a completely disoriented state. Her hairs were a mess, angry red marks on her hands.

"Mother," I said, ushering her into the room. She stumbled slightly, her disarrayed appearance stirring a pang of concern within me. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Riva's eyes, usually sharp and commanding, now held a mixture of fear and desperation. "It's your father," she murmured, her voice trembling. "He's... he's not himself. He's been drinking again, and he's furious."

My heart clenched at the mention of my father's name. "What did he say?" I asked, bracing myself for the worst.

"He's demanding that you reconsider the Singhania proposal," Riva replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "He's thinks that it'll be beneficial for the company's growth."

I shook my head, frustration bubbling up inside me. "I won't marry for the sake of convenience," I declared, my tone firm. "Especially not to someone when I don't even know who they are."

Riva's eyes widened in alarm. "You mustn't defy him, Samaira," she urged, her voice tinged with desperation. "He's not thinking clearly, and when he's like this..."

I understood her implication all too well. My father's temper was legendary, and when fueled by alcohol, it could escalate into something far more dangerous. But I couldn't bring myself to yield to his demands, not when it meant sacrificing my own happiness and autonomy.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart as I looked at Riva, her tear-streaked face pleading with me. "I'll talk to him," I said firmly.

But Riva's desperate plea cut through the air like a knife. "Please, no, Samaira, please don't," she begged, her voice cracking with emotion.

I couldn't ignore the anguish in her eyes, the pain that seemed to radiate from her every pore. My frown deepened as I surveyed her state. She didn't deserve to be in this situation, caught between my father's decisions and her own heartache.

I had never been in favor of my father remarrying, especially not to a woman only a few years older than his own daughter. The very thought of it disgusted me, stirring up a whirlwind of emotions inside me.

"Samaira, please, do as he says," Riva pleaded, her voice trembling with fear. "Don't repeat what you did two years back. He won't tolerate it this time."

Her words hit me like a tidal wave, washing over me with memories of the past. Two years back, when everything had changed, when I had stood up against my father's wishes and faced the consequences. The pain of that time still lingered, a constant reminder of the price of defiance.

But as I looked into Riva's eyes, saw the fear and desperation reflected there, I knew I couldn't simply stand by and watch her suffer. I had to do something, anything.

"No, Riva, we can't go on like this," I insisted, my breaths coming out in uneven bursts. "Tolerating father's bullshit, is, sitting like mute dolls and obeying it's master's orders."

My frustration bubbled up inside me, threatening to boil over. I couldn't stand the thought of continuing to live under my father's thumb, suffocating under the weight of his control.