Shattered (Book #1 In Heart Series)✔️

Chapter 33: Aditya kisses Kritika

As Kritika brushed her hair, her phone began to ring. Annoyed, she picked it up, muttering, "Who the hell is calling me this early in the morning?"

"Hello?" she answered.

"So, Miss Kritika Rai is finally married, huh?" The voice of her enemy sent a shiver down her spine.

"You!" Kritika shouted.

"Yes, it's me. Anirudh Pratap Singh Rathore," he said with a smirk evident in his tone.

"Why the hell did you call me?" Kritika asked, clearly annoyed.

"Baby, don't talk to me like that. And how could you marry him?" Anirudh questioned.

"Mr. Rathore, it's my right to decide whether to marry or not, not yours."

"You'll regret this, Kritika."

"Let's see," she retorted.

"Listen, today you should meet me at Paradise Hotel, and there are no excuses. Goodbye," he said, hanging up abruptly.

"Asshole," Kritika cursed, staring at her phone in frustration.---Kritika entered the Paradise Hotel and spotted Anirudh waving at her. Rolling her eyes, she walked over to him.

"You know, you look hot in a saree," Anirudh said, his eyes lustfully scanning her body.

"Fuck off, mister. I didn't come here to listen to your dirty talks," Kritika whispered dangerously, sitting down across from him. Anirudh glared at her but took his seat.

"Sir, ma'am, what would you like to have?" a waiter asked.

"A bottle of poison," Kritika muttered under her breath.

"Pardon, ma'am?"

"Nothing. A cappuccino for me," Kritika replied with a fake smile.

"And for you, sir?"

"The same for me," Anirudh said, dismissing the waiter.

Meanwhile, Aditya, who had come to the hotel to finalize a deal with foreign delegates, spotted Kritika with Anirudh. His initial shock quickly turned to rage as he watched them.

"So this is her secret lover," Aditya muttered, gripping his phone tightly. He donned his sunglasses and stormed out of the hotel, seething with anger.

"What do you want to talk about?" Kritika asked, her patience wearing thin.

"About us."

"There is no 'us,' Mr. Rathore. And if you don't have anything else to say, I'm leaving," Kritika declared, standing up. Anirudh grabbed her wrist tightly.

"Kritika, I won't let you live peacefully with your husband. You are mine, and you will always be mine," Anirudh said, his grip tightening as she whimpered in pain.

"Leave me, you asshole," Kritika shouted, drawing the attention of nearby patrons. Reluctantly, Anirudh released her and slunk away, not wanting to cause a scene.

Kritika returned to the Singhania mansion, cursing Anirudh under her breath. She saw Priya and Swetha talking and approached them.

"Areey, Kritika beta, come here," Swetha called lovingly. Kritika sat down opposite her.

"Did you see your friend?" Priya asked.

"Yeah, I saw her," Kritika replied. Swetha noticed the bruises on Kritika's wrist.

"Beta, what happened to your hand?" Swetha asked, worried.

"Yes, Kritika, how did this happen?" Priya added, inspecting the wound.

"Um... I accidentally cut my wrist while putting on bangles," Kritika lied.

"Don't leave it like that. Go and apply some cream," Swetha advised. Kritika nodded and went to get the first aid box.

"It was close," Kritika mumbled as she treated her wound.---It was 7 PM, and Swetha hadn't allowed Kritika to do any kitchen work due to her injury.

 Relieved, Kritika rushed to her room. She was peacefully reading a novel on the couch when the door burst open with a loud bang. She jumped up, startled, to see Aditya glaring at her.

"Where were you today?" Aditya demanded, his voice dangerously low.

"I... I was here," Kritika stammered, swallowing hard.

"Then how the hell did I see you at Paradise Hotel?" Aditya asked harshly, his eyes burning with anger.

Kritika stood in shock, unable to answer. "Why are you silent? Cat got your tongue?" Aditya continued, gripping her arm tightly.

"Mr. Singhania, you're hurting me," Kritika said softly.

"You're hurting me, Kritika. Do you know what I felt seeing you with that man?" Aditya asked, his voice suddenly calm. Kritika frowned in confusion.

"What did you say?" she asked, but Aditya snapped back to his senses.

"Nothing. Now tell me, is he your boyfriend?" Aditya interrogated.

"He's not my boyfriend. He's no one to me," Kritika replied.

"Then why were you with him?"

"Because he called me there."

"Why did he call you? To kiss you or fuck you?" Aditya yelled in frustration, stunning her.

"You jerk!" Kritika screamed, attempting to slap him, but Aditya caught her wrist, causing her to hiss in pain. He examined the wound carefully, his anger flaring up again.

"Who did this?" Aditya demanded.

"Why? To congratulate him? I know you would be happy to see me hurt. I never thought you would behave like this. You're a heartless jerk, rude, arrogant, and a monster. You don't consider me your wife, fine, but can't you treat me like a human being?" Kritika's words poured out in a torrent, each one hitting Aditya hard.

"Kritika, stop," Aditya said.

"No. Why should I? Don't I have the right to speak—" she continued, but Aditya, out of options, yanked her close and crashed his lips onto hers. Kritika's eyes widened in shock. Aditya's kiss was fierce and desperate. She tried to push him away, but he held her tight, kissing her deeply until she was breathless. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she started hitting him with her small fists. Eventually, Aditya pulled back, wiping his lips.

Kritika licked her lips, tasting the metallic tang of blood. She looked at him with disgust. "I hate you, Mr. Singhania. You and that Anirudh are the same," she screamed, collapsing onto the couch in tears.

Aditya stared at her crying figure, cursing himself. "Damn, how could I do that to her? Who hurt her wrist? Whoever it is, I won't leave him." Frustrated, he stormed out of the room.

Kritika continued crying. "He took my first kiss, and he did it like an animal."---The next day, Kritika avoided Aditya, which irked him. The family noticed the tension between them, and breakfast was unusually quiet. Kritika ate silently, while Aditya furiously dug into his plate.

After Aditya left for the office, Kritika went to their room and decided to take a nap, having no other tasks to distract her.

In the evening, as Kritika was helping Swetha and Priya prepare dinner, Abhimanyu called everyone to the living room.

"What happened, Abhi?" Priya asked.

"Look at the news."

"Breaking news: Famous politician Pratap Singh Rathore's son, Anirudh Pratap Singh Rathore, has been admitted to the hospital in critical condition."

Kritika was shocked. She glanced at the entrance and saw Aditya entering with his blazer and bag. Her eyes fell on his knuckles, which were red and wounded. She looked up to see him staring at her intently.