PUNARVIVAAH - ARRANGED TO LOVE (L&M #3) [COMPLETED]

SHOT 76

Target : 500 votes , 150 comments!

Third person's pov!

The next week passed by very quickly. It was the last day of the cultural event, and the clock neared eight in the evening. Vaiga was ready in her classical dance costume.

She smiled as she took out the silk pouch from her bag. In there was her new set of ghunghroo. Her mind wandered back to that night a week ago.

Abhay had been late to reach home that night. He had informed in advance that he would be late, so nobody had waited for his arrival except Vaiga. Kriti was fast asleep when Abhay reached. After having a quick dinner, they retired to their bedroom. Vaiga had come out after using the washroom and found Abhay sitting on the bed, with a silk pouch in his hand.

"What is it, Dev ji?" Vaiga asked curiously.

"Come here..." He waved her over, and she went and sat next to him. When she got seated there, he kneeled in front of her and took out the brand new ghunghroo set. Vaiga gasped at the sheer beauty of it. Her hands shook as she reached for it. She took it from his hand and brought it to her eyes in reverence. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she smiled.

"Ah! The waterworks began. What is this? Mullaperiyar dam? Always ready to spill?" Abhay asked sarcastically, and Vaiga glared at him.

"Now, don't waste your time. Begin your practice tomorrow morning. There is no compromise on that. Do I make myself clear, Mrs. Agnihotri?" Abhay asked, and Vaiga nodded happily.

Vaiga came back to the present as Laya shook her.

"Bhabhi, it's your program, next. Are you ready?" Laya asked.

"Did Dev ji reach?" Vaiga asked.

"I haven't seen him yet. But he will come. He promised, right? He never goes back on his promises." Laya said, and Vaiga smiled.

Soon it was her performance. The curtains rose, and the spotlight illuminated Vaiga, standing gracefully in the centre of the stage.

The soft strains of classical music filled the auditorium, and she began to move. Her feet struck the ground with precision, the bells of her ghunghroo echoing in harmony with the rhythm of the music. Each movement of her hands, each expression on her face, told a story. She danced with an elegance that mesmerised the audience, her body flowing like a river, each gesture perfectly synchronised with the beat of the music.

The auditorium was entranced by the beauty of her performance. Her dance created a magical atmosphere, the audience unable to look away. Vaiga's expressions conveyed deep emotions, her eyes reflecting the passion and grace of her soul. Her movements were fluid, her body bending and turning with the grace of a swan, each step a testament to her years of rigorous training and innate talent.

As the final notes of the music played, Vaiga struck her final pose, her eyes closed in a serene expression. The audience erupted into applause, the sound of clapping filling the auditorium. Vaiga opened her eyes and saw Abhay looking straight into her eyes, clapping his hands along with the entire audience.

As the curtains came down, Vaiga hurried down the stage, impatient to reach her Dev ji. But she was blocked by Shiva on the way. Shiva pulled her into an empty classroom, much to her chagrin.

"What are you doing, Prof Iyer?" Vaiga asked furiously.

"Arghh! Stop calling me that. It's Shiva. Your Shiva..." Shiva said furiously, shaking Vaiga.

"Let me go..." Vaiga squirmed in his hold, wanting to get away from him.

"No! No! I will never let you go. You are mine..." Shiva said angrily, and Vaiga let out a humourless chuckle and pushed him off with surprising strength.

"You let me go when I needed you the most, Shiva. Now, I am in no need of you..." Vaiga said angrily.

"How can you say that? You loved me..." Shiva said, trying to remind her of the love she felt for him. The love they had for each other.

"And you killed that love.." Vaiga said coldly.

"I was manipulated by Amma. You know that, Vaiga. But I promise you, she won't be there in our life anymore. It would be just us. You and me. We can live in a separate house, without Amma looming over us." Shiva said desperately.

"I don't care what your mother did, Shiva. It was clear as a day that she hated me. I had no expectations from her. And don't put all the blame on your mother. The relationship, the marriage, it was between you and me. It was only our responsibility to safeguard it. No third person could do that. Your mother played a foul game. But it is you who ruined our marriage. Because you refused to trust me.." Vaiga said, pointing her finger at him.

"I know. I accept it. Just give me a chance. I will never mistrust you ever again." Shiva vowed. He was desperate to get through.

"I don't care.. I want nothing to do with you anymore." Vaiga said..

"I love you, Vaiga. I have only ever loved you.." Shiva cried and it only made Vaiga more angry.

"Maybe you did. But love alone isn't enough to survive a marriage. There are more important things than love. I had no voice in our relationship. I had no respect in our marriage. Only you existed. You made decisions according to your mother's wishes and I had to obey. I had to drop out of college to appease your mother. I had to give up my passion for dancing to satisfy your mother's ego. I only had losses in that marriage, Shiva. And that was toxic for me. It took me a while, but I realised that you weren't good for me." Vaiga said.

"I understand. I do. I will change myself. I promise. Why are you with him? He has a child. Why do you have to play nanny for a random kid? Come with me, Vaiga. We can have a family of our own. A baby of our own." Shiva said desperately as he pulled her closer. Vaiga froze, listening to his words. It reminded her of the baby she lost.

Seeing her lost in thoughts, Shiva thought he was winning. He pulled her closer, and at exactly the same time, Abhay walked into the room.

Abhay's face became red in fury and Shiva smirked...

A/n

Here goes the next shot..

Let's see how Abhay is going to react. Will he live upto his words? Or were they simply empty words? Stay tuned to know..

Last two chapters, I didn't set a target, that's why I updated even when the comments and votes hadn't reached my margin. But I won't update tomorrow if the target isn't met today. The update will be on Wednesday only...

Love,

SF❤️