Shadowed Desires

Chapter-5

Note: This book is not about green flags who are perfect from the beginning. Both leads are red flags in their own ways. Their character development will come, but I repeat—I'm not writing flawless characters here. Both of them are vocal enough to give reality checks to each other, and at times, that may sound rude. They are emotionally extreme, even bipolar to an extent.

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Time skips…

The party had come to an end, and the guests had left. The chaos in the house had subsided, along with the function. Everything had gone smoothly, and the elders were pleased.

Just then, Kritika entered Atharv’s room, with Palak walking her to the door. The moment her gaze fell on the decorated bed, her breath hitched.

Palak left after a few moments, and Kritika stood silently, taking in the room—every corner filled with flower petals, while she and her husband were hell-bent on throwing thorns into each other’s lives.

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Kritika’s P.O.V.

Another great day in my life. Sharing a room with my father’s rival after all the drama. I know what got me here, but I have no idea where this will all lead. After all, I pulled this stunt on myself. The girl who spiritually hates men is now married to someone who hates her guts. Dumb ways to die, right? But let’s discuss that another day. For now, let’s meet my not-so-loving husband.

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Atharv entered the room, his eyes scanning the beautifully decorated space before settling on Kritika—draped in a saree and looking breathtaking.

After a pause, he said, “I want to say something.”

Kritika replied, “I know. You want to tell me this marriage is just for public show, that you had no choice because of the curse on your family, and that we’ll never have a normal husband-wife relationship.”

Smirking, Atharv said, “Wrong assumption. I don’t play double-faced games. If we’re together, we should be together in this room too, right?”

Her face paled at his words, realizing what he implied. Atharv began walking toward her. She stepped back instinctively.

She kept moving backward until her back hit the wall. He leaned in and said, “Don’t you think we should make this night special?”

Her hands turned cold, her mind went numb. She could feel his breath on her neck as her breathing became heavy. She had no idea what was going on.

“What are you talking about?” she stammered and gulped.

He grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. Their proximity made her hate him more. Maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe he was like the rest—men who promise protection in public but destroy you in private.

Leaning toward her ear, he whispered, “Why don’t we recreate those pictures you made viral to force this marriage? This time, we’ll make them real.”

Kritika stared at him in disbelief.

With a mocking smile, he said, “Too early to expose you, right? But I don’t like playing hide and seek, wife. Nice gameplay. I appreciate it.”

Kritika snapped, “Why would I do that? Are you mad? I was in those pictures too! Why would I ruin my own dignity just to marry you?”

Atharv said coldly, “I know your family are experts in deception. I thought you'd be smarter. But you’re the worst of them. I can’t believe you stooped so low—to pretend to sleep with a stranger just so you could become my wife and the daughter-in-law of this family. Because you knew… if it looked real, I’d have to marry you because of the family curse.”