Her Only Saviour

11. shopping

We stepped into the mansion and saw everyone already gathered in the hall—including Mr. Helper. Figures.

“Mrs. Shah, is everything alright? How did this even happen?” Dad asked, quickly making his way towards the commotion.
SK, Vishal, and I followed close behind.

Dadu and Raj bhai couldn’t make it—Dadu had an urgent matter at the NGO, and Raj bhai was stuck in back-to-back meetings.

“Dekhiye na bhaisaab, kya ho gaya mere bache ko! Main chhodungi nahi jisne bhi mere Parth ki yeh halat ki hai!” Parth’s mom cried out, practically clinging to Dad’s arm.

I barely managed to suppress an eye-roll.
There was a time when I thought I loved Parth… or maybe I was just drawn to him when everything else in my life was falling apart. Call it selfish, call it foolish—but he was a distraction.
A temporary illusion.

But let’s not sugarcoat it. He’s no innocent saint either.

He tried to cross limits more than once.
He’s after my money, my status—I know that.
And yet… I’m marrying him. Because my father wants it.
And honestly? I’ve stopped resisting fate.

“Nandini beta, go sit with Parth,” Dad said gently.

I nodded and walked over, reluctantly taking the seat beside him.
His hands were wrapped up and swollen—badly bruised and stitched.
It genuinely looked painful.

I don't know who did this, but… whoever it was… is terrifying.
I felt a chill run down my spine.

Parth noticed me looking and smirked. “What?”

“I can see my sweetheart is concerned for me,” he chuckled. “Damn, that’s a good sight to watch.”

I forced a small smile, mostly out of politeness, and asked calmly, “What were you doing at the club last night?”

His smirk faltered for a second. “Nandini woh… um…”

“You lied to me, Parth. I called you yesterday and you told me you were in your study. You could’ve just told me the truth.”

“Oh, come on, Nandini,” he scoffed. “For God’s sake, we’re not even married yet. I’m still a bachelor—I don’t need to give you a report of my whereabouts. Don’t start acting like a typical wife.”

Liar. Bloody liar.

I bit the inside of my cheek to hold back my words.
How did I ever fall for this man?
Why did I give him even a sliver of my trust?

I’m already regretting every second of it.
But now that I’ve made this choice, I’ll have to suffer through it. No turning back.

Just then, Anika aunty entered, speaking into her phone.

“Maa, woh Panditji ka call aaya tha. Aaj hi sagai ki ring laane jana padega.”

Parth’s mom looked horrified. “Par… Parth ki yeh halat ka kya?”

Parth cut in, ever the dramatic hero, “No worries, Nani. Please go buy the rings today. I can’t wait to marry my Nandini.”
He looked at me with that same smug expression.

How clichéd. How forced.
I didn’t even bother reacting.

“But—” his mother began again, about to object once more.

Thankfully, Anika aunty gave her a glare and said sharply, “Bas didi. Ab zyada mat bolo.”

God… she’s hot when she’s commanding.

“Nandini beta,” Anika aunty turned to me, voice soft again, “you all can leave now. We’ll be heading out at 4:30, so just meet us directly at the mall.”