Her Dangerous Obsession

Chap 33 - The Bond of Forced Marriage

Author’s POV

Adhrit was looking at Anaisha dumbfounded, and Anaisha was looking at him intensely, her lips curled into an evil smile, that only deepened with every passing second.

Everyone else stood frozen, staring at her with pure shock, as if their bodies had turned into stone, and their voices had abandoned them.

Jeet opened his mouth to say something, perhaps to ask her any question, but his words died in his throat the moment, his eyes fell on entrance, and widened.

From the entrance, one of Anaisha’s men entered, and beside him, walked a trembling priest. The poor man’s face was pale, his hands clutching the edge of his shawl, as though, it were his last shield against the horrors around him. Fear dripped from every inch of his body.

Anaisha’s smile widened further, as she watched them walk in, her expression resembling a queen, who had planned every move of her game perfectly.

For Pranay and the others, it didn’t take long to understand, what was going on in her mind. Of course, Anaisha had come prepared. Why wouldn’t she? This had been her plan all along, every detail woven into her web of madness and obsession.

The priest looked like, he wanted to vanish into the ground. His body trembled so violently, that even his lips quivered.

Anaisha tilted her head at him, and spoke authoritatively, her voice sharp as a blade cutting through silence. "So, shall we start the wedding, Pandit ji…?"

Her tone sent a shiver down the poor priest’s spine. He immediately nodded his head meekly, afraid to even breathe too loudly.

Seeing his reaction, Anaisha laughed softly, a chilling sound, that mocked his fear, before turning her gaze to the man, who had escorted the priest inside.

The man caught her signal instantly. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, grabbed a heavy wooden chair from nearby, and smashed it to the floor with all his force. The chair broke into pieces with a deafening crack.

Adhrit and his family flinched, their eyes shutting momentarily against the sudden loud noise. Their hearts pounded in their chests, but on the faces of the Mehrotra family, not a flicker of emotion was visible. It was as if, they already knew, what was about to come next.

The man picked up the broken pieces, arranged them together, poured some liquid over them, and then, struck a lighter.

Within seconds, flames roared to life, consuming the wood with a fiery intensity. The smell of burning wood and kerosene filled the room, smoke curling upwards, as the fire crackled viciously.

Anaisha’s smile grew darker, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. She grabbed Adhrit’s trembling hand tightly, and dragged him forward, until they stood before the burning makeshift pyre. Then she cast a sharp warning glance at the priest.

Her eyes alone were enough to make him understand. The priest’s fear grew tenfold. He hurriedly stepped into his place, sat down, and with a trembling voice, began chanting the holy mantras.

Adhrit’s mind was a storm of numbness. He couldn’t process, what was happening. His ears registered the mantras, but his brain couldn’t translate them. His body was frozen, yet moved whenever pushed, like a puppet, whose strings were controlled by someone else.

When the priest asked the couple to rise for the holy rounds, Anaisha stood gracefully, her eyes shining with triumph. But Adhrit remained seated, his body refusing to move, his mind stuck between shock and resistance.

Anaisha’s smile faltered into anger, but then she closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and exhaled with calculated calm. She turned her head slightly toward one of her men, who was holding a gun, pointed towards Adhrit’s family. With just the lift of her brow, her message was clear.