𝐔𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞: 𝐀 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐨 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲

Chapter 7

Pucchis for you all my cuties!🤭

Nikshant pov

As the tray slipped from her hand, it clattered to the floor, and a sharp yelp escaped her lips. She looked at me—Eyes wide, startled... searching mine for something.
For comfort. For care.
My heart clenched.

I watched her flinch, her eyes instantly brimming with tears, lips trembling in pain.

That one look-raw, broken-hit something inside me.

A pang. A tight clench in my chest.

But I didn't let it show because my eyes held all of it—longing, worry... pain, and my lips stayed sealed.

I didn't say a word. I just looked at her one last time—

I just stood up from the chair, trying to mask the storm swirling inside me.

"You will clean the entire house today," I said coldly. "I've given the staff a day off. So it's all on you. And make sure dinner is ready on time."

Without another glance, I walked out of the house-out of that suffocating space where pain hung in the air like smoke.

As I drove, my jaw clenched, fingers tightening around the steering wheel.

How long will you keep hiding, Aaravi Sachdeva?

Oops. Not Sachdeva anymore.

Now you're Aaravi Nikshant Roy Kapoor-my wife.

The title itself tastes bitter.

You'll have to tell me the truth one day. You can't run from it forever. But until then... keep enduring.

Torture.
It sounds cruel even in my head, but I can't help it.

I smirked at the thought of her suffering-of her kneeling, begging for forgiveness.

But here's the thing-she won't get it.

Because I'm not her savior.

I'm her punishment.

I feel bad for her... or maybe I'm just pretending I don't. She got married into the wrong house. To the wrong man. A man who's forgotten how to feel.

A man who chooses revenge over reason.

Poor little wife.

You'll have to survive in this cage. And this cage isn't made of bricks or bars-it's made of me.

"No, Aaravi," I muttered under my breath, the wind hitting my face as I drove faster.
"You can't escape. You're mine now. You live under my roof. In my world. And I'll make sure you never forget it."

And yet-beneath all that anger, deep down...

Why did her tears feel like acid on my skin?

Why did my own reflection look back at me with disgust?

A A R A V I

Tears wouldn't stop. They streamed endlessly as I stared at my blistered hand, red and burning, the skin swollen in angry welts. The pain was sharp, but the betrayal-so much worse. My fingers trembled, my soul screamed.

Why? Why did he do that?

It wasn't even my fault. He drank the coffee in a rush-I tried to warn him. But the punishment? It was brutal.

Since I was a child, I had heard stories-fairy tales, really-that a husband would be your protector, your biggest strength. He'd love you like no one ever had, treat you like his goddess, cherish your every breath.