Her Nightmare | 18+

|| Chapter 87 ||

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MUKUL

For the past half hour, I had paced in front of Kusum's room, hesitating repeatedly. Each time I raised my hand to knock, the sting of that slap replayed in my mind, paralyzing me with guilt.

"Damn it, I have to do this," I muttered under my breath. Summoning every ounce of courage, I finally stepped out of my room and went straight to hers. As soon as I knocked, I could almost feel the weight of my previous misstep pressing down on me.

Kusum opened the door almost immediately, her gaze searing with anger as she looked at me.

Clearing my throat, I forced out, "Did you know I was coming?"

Without a word, she stormed back into the room. I followed, locked the door behind me to ensure our conversation stayed private, and stood by it, wary of approaching her.

Her anger was palpable, and I knew getting too close might only inflame the situation further.

Standing by the bed, Kusum's posture made it clear she resented my intrusion. With her arms crossed defiantly, she snapped, "Just get on with it."

My lips twitched into a sad smile. The pain I had caused her weighed heavily on me, but I couldn't afford to dwell on my feelings. My mother's safety was at stake, and that had to come first. Setting aside my emotions, I said, "I need to discuss something crucial with you."

Kusum remained silent, so I continued, "I forced you to come here, and I am deeply ashamed of my actions."

Her hollow chuckle cut through the air, and she sneered, "Ashamed?"

"Please, just hear me out," I pleaded. "After that, you can do whatever you think is right. If you want to leave, I won't stop you." The words flowed out without my full control. I saw the hurt and anger in Kusum's eyes and knew I had to be careful with what I said next.

I went blank for a moment, unable to find the right words to continue.

She glared at me, and I quickly resumed, "I brought you here because my father threatened me."

Her expression shifted from anger to confusion, and her curiosity began to show.

Taking a deep breath, I continued, "Actually, my father threatened my mother's life. If I marry you, he won't harm her. But if I disobey him, he could take my mother's life and ruin yours too," I said in one breath, feeling the weight of my confession.

She looked at me as if I'd just said something outlandish and then asked, "Why am I involved in all this?"

I awkwardly scratched my brow and replied, "My father found out that I liked you, and he saw it as a way to control me through you."

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, but she quickly lowered her gaze. Her reaction made me smile despite everything we were going through.

I moved a few steps closer and stood right in front of her. She slowly raised her eyes to meet mine and asked, "So, you want me to help you until you find your mother?"

I nodded, thinking to myself how smart she was to understand the situation so quickly.

"And why should I help you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Honestly, I had no answer. Why would Kusum risk her life for my mother, especially when we were still strangers? It was understandable, given that risking one's life for someone they barely knew seemed foolish. Still, I needed her help and didn't want to cause her any more pain.