Ishq Zeher Tera • Poisonous Love Of Yours

Chapter 20

NOT EDITED

Laila was in a deep sleep when she felt the icy shock of water hitting her face and body. She jolted awake, gasping and her eyes blinking rapidly as she tried to comprehend what was happening. The room was dimly lit and it took a moment for her consciousness to hit for her to focus on the figure standing over her. Parth stood by the bed holding an empty Jug in his hand, his expression a mixture of annoyance and his cold self. She remembered their first night which was an exact copy of the current event, Her dreams broken by the flood of water caused by Parth.

 "Get up" he commanded which made Laila flinch. "Parth What are you doing?" she whispered, her voice trembling in fear. "You're not here to laze around all day" he snapped at her and continued in his cold tone, "Get up and get back to your duties, I've let you rest long enough". She stared at him in disbelief, her mind struggling to process the sudden shift in his demeanour. Just the day before, he had been more gentle and making sure that she was eating and resting. Now, he was back to his monstrous self and she couldn't understand why.

"But Parth, I'm still recovering" she protested in her weak voice but was silenced. "Don't make excuses" he retorted in a harsh tone and threw the jug aside where it shattered on the floor. "You're well enough to work, I expect the house to be spotless and dinner ready on time" Commanded Parth. Laila's heart sank but she knew better than to argue with him, especially when he was back to his cold self. She slowly pushed herself up, "Yes, Parth," she murmured. Parth's eyes narrowed as he watched her struggle, "You've been given enough time to recover. Now get to work" His tone laced with venom

She quickly changed into dry clothes but her mind racing. The brief moments of kindness he had shown her were gone and got replaced by the familiar cruelty. She knew she had to be careful, to do everything perfectly or she would face even worse punishment. Laila spent the rest of the day cleaning the house, her body aching with each movement. She scrubbed the floors, dusted the furniture and made sure everything was in its place. Her crumbling yet recovering body couldn't afford any mistakes.

As she stood in the kitchen preparing lunch, Her mind wandered back to her goal of finding the reason of her pain. She knew Parth was always waiting for her to slip up. She couldn't afford to make any mistakes, not when She's still very vulnerable. Parth had left for a meeting in the morning but Laila knew he would be back soon. She hurried to finish preparing the meal, her hands shaking with exhaustion and fear. She glanced at the clock and realized she had less than twenty minutes before he returned. She had to make sure everything was perfect.

The soup on the stove started to boil over and in her haste to move the pot, Laila accidentally knocked over a bottle of olive oil. The bottle shattered on the floor into small pieces of glass shards and the oil spread quickly, creating a slippery mess. "Fuck" She exclaimed and her face twitched in panic. Panic surged through her as she scrambled to clean up the mess knowing that Parth would be home any minute. As she frantically wiped the oil off the floor, she heard the front door open. Her heart raced and she worked faster, her hands trembling. 

Parth's footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing louder as he approached the kitchen and so did her heartbeats. She could feel his presence, the air growing heavier and cold with each step. "Laila" Parth's voice was cold and menacing, "What happened here?" her heat sunk hearing his voice.  Laila looked up while her eyes wide with fear, "I'm so sorry, Parth" she stammered in pure fear. "I-I knocked over the bottle by accident, I'm cleaning it up now" She continued. Parth's eyes narrowed and he took a step closer, his expression darkening. "You knocked it over by accident? How clumsy and careless can you be?" he taunted.

Laila continued to clean and her heart was pounding in her chest being well aware that she'll face his wrath, "I'm really sorry It won't happen again" She pleaded. Parth watched her for a moment, his eyes cold and calculating. "Sorry isn't good enough, You need to learn that your actions have consequences" Said Parth in a menacing tone, She knew his words were not referring to the current events but something from the past. Before Laila could react, Parth grabbed her wrist, She stumbled trying to keep her balance but his grip was too strong. He dragged her to the stove, where the pot of soup was still simmering.