Bound by Hearts

39. Bittersweet Punishment

Abhimanyu's Pov

(Past in italics)

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The soft glow of fairy lights draped around the beachside canopy danced in the gentle evening breeze.

The ocean's waves lapped softly against the shore, a soothing soundtrack to the otherwise tense atmosphere.

I had gone to great lengths to set up this private dinner date, hoping to create a space where Amara would feel comfortable enough to open up to me. I knew that our marriage had been... something I didn't want. Because I was terrified by the idea of marriage. And when Amara created circumstances that forced me into a marriage I couldn't help but feel betrayed that she would resort to such means to make me do something I didn't like.

That made me question her motives and at times even question her intentions. I could not trust her as much as I did when we were dating or she moved into my apartment with me.

Love can make you do many things. But it alone can't justify the actions done by someone who you believe more than yourself. After our marriage I tried avoiding Amara as much as possible.

I tried to distance myself, thinking that space would help me process everything and come to terms with what had happened. But the more I pulled away, the more I felt the weight of our strained relationship pressing down on me. The woman I once promised to never doubt again pushed me into a spot where I knew I could mentally not recover from easily. While I loved her too dearly to ever hurt her. So I stayed quite. I watched in the sideline as she tried to follow the misogynistic rules my father made. To try to over power her. Because he knew she was a potentially powerful threat to him. So, he tried to break her.

But, I had been noticing how she started looking more tired. And how she would sleep on our couch. Paralysed in the memories that started pouring back one by one. I remember clutching on to her quietly in my arms on the couch of our bedroom. While I knew she couldn't even feel me.

I loved her too deeply to see her suffer alone. I wanted to help her. But she never spoke about her deepest darkest fears. She never once told me why she trembled the way she did every night in my arms. Especially after our marriage.

She didn't tell me anything. And Ignorance is a bliss until you see the person whom you love the most suffering every day becuase you don't know why they are in pain. I kept waiting for her to speak. Even forgave her the day she bought my last sculpture. I loved her the way I always had. And still she didn't open up.

And that hurt me more than anything.

Was I that incapable of knowing her truth.

I watched her as she walked barefoot along the sand, her white chiffon saree fluttering slightly. She looked ethereal under the soft lighting, but there was a heaviness in her steps that mirrored the weight in my heart.

"Do you like it?" I asked, gesturing to the setup around us.

Amara glanced around, her expression unreadable. "It's beautiful," she replied softly, her voice barely audible over the sound of the waves.

She walked closer to the canopy, reaching out to touch one of the fairy lights. Her fingers lingered on the delicate bulbs, and for a moment, I thought I saw a hint of a smile. But it was fleeting, replaced by the same distant look that had haunted her eyes for weeks.

The silence between us was thick with unspoken words, and I needed to know what was going on in her mind.

I couldn't take it anymore... I couldn't see her like this. If I needed to be an asshole so that she will reveal what truely hurt her. Then so be it.