Simran

******

I pulled the quilt over my head and covered my face completely, trying to eliminate whatever noise was coming from outside. It seemed as though everyone was on a mission to not let me sleep. And by everyone, I meant even Biscuit and Popcorn. Popcorn was making that whistle sound he makes whenever he is hungry, and Biscuit did not make a sound; rather, she showed how self-dependent she was. She was running to and fro on the bed and was trying to peek inside the quilt. I could feel her soft feet touching my covered face. Surely, she was trying to either get a peek inside or over the headboard. Both my kids were polar opposites in most things.

"Let me sleep, Biscuit."

Shit! I should not have said that.

Popcorn's whistling tune was soft, but now it escalated to the pitch of the highest frequency after hearing me. If he wanted, he could wake the neighbors too. Earlier, he had no clue if anyone was in the room, but my voice gave him confirmation to scream at the top of his lungs. I wanted to sleep, but they would not let me, especially the people who were laughing. I could hear a lot of people laughing and talking loudly.

God! Why was everyone out of their minds, and what was so blissful going on for them to laugh?

Biscuit began scratching the quilt while Popcorn was whistling constantly, making me give up my sleep.

"Fine, fine, I am getting food for you both." I sat up straight in annoyance, pulled Biscuit up, and held her closer to my chest before she could run away. I put Biscuit back into the big basket and then pulled out the small pack of pellets I had stuffed in my handbag. As I was feeding them both, I heard a familiar voice.

It was Samaira Di's voice. It meant they were here, she and her family. It also meant he was here too. Even the thought of him being closer to me quickened my heartbeats.

It was weird. Earlier, I used to meet my sister's in-laws as her family, and now they would be mine too, my in-laws. Everything was going to be too awkward. I recalled how many times I had bad-mouthed Kiaan in front of his mother. Though not in a terrible way, I had still done it. I was surely doomed in multiple ways. This wedding was only a way of ruination, which was why I had to stop it.

After Di's voice, I heard others too—Nitya's, Dhruv Bhaiya and everyone except for him.

Is he not here yet? I wondered.

Even though him not being there was a good thing for me, for some reason, it prickled my heart. I did not like how I felt, and the worst thing was nothing was in my control. My curiosity, along with my anxiousness, got the better of me, and I rushed to the window to take a peek outside.

There were a lot of people there—his family, mine, and even our close relatives. Everyone was elated, hugging each other, talking excitedly like they were all gathered for the union of two reunited lovers. If only they knew it was simply a forced marriage of convenience, not one of long-lost lovers. I scoffed internally. My father, whose kindness for me was bereft of him, seemed genuinely happy, and the reason behind it was my sister, whom he was holding closer to him. The scene was everything I ever wanted, except I wanted me and my mother to be there too. The pang in my heart increased, and I averted my gaze away from them.

I looked around some more, but as far as my eyes went, there was no six-feet-two-inches brooding figure lurking or giving me dangerous glares.

Everyone was there except him. 

That should have made me overjoyed with happiness, right? But it did not. 

I would have wished to celebrate the small, silly win, wouldn't I? But I did not.

Instead, I felt the pain from three years back, the one he inflicted on me intentionally, the one where he turned out to be a cruel man to me. I could feel my eyes getting watery, and I was clueless as to why I was feeling that way. I chose not to dwell on all those thoughts and rather focus on my plan. I shut the window and heard rushed footsteps coming closer. It had to be of my sister and friends, so I took a deep breath, blinked away my tears, and plastered the fakest smile on my face. It was time to pretend.

******

Kiaan

******

Blood was splattered all over the floor. The man tied to the chair in front of me was barely conscious, his eyes swollen, some of his teeth lying on the floor, and his blue tee torn and completely painted with red. He had not spoken a word like I had expected him to, except that he was only a contractor who had no clue about the child trafficking. Neither did he have any idea who he was working for nor any information on the people involved, apart from himself. Except for a good amount of money in cash, he received nothing, nor did he have any idea who was running the entire thing. He was not lying, I was sure of it, but forgiveness and letting go for even a small sin were never in my dictionary. So, here I was, dealing with him in the way he was supposed to be dealt with. I was not my calm brother who had selective outrage; I was born this way, created this way, the wiring of my brain was twisted this way. I could not simply let this matter slide out of my hand, so I had this asshole transported to Italy with me, and now he sat here, half-dead, in my warehouse of torture.

All of a sudden, my phone rang, disturbing my way of quenching the thirst of my beast. I dropped the bloody knife on the floor, cleaned the blood off my hand on my shirt, before I pulled out my phone from my pocket. It was Namit, and the moment I picked it up, the expected question came my way.

"Where are you?"

Of course, it had to be Namit asking me that.

Out of every friend of ours, he was the only one who was more suspicious of the wedding. Others were doubtful too, as the man who always declared he would never marry someone was eventually doing the contrary, that too with someone they could never think of. But Dhruv, Arjun, and Hredhaan had different ways of showing their suspicion compared to Namit, who was surely digging into the matter. Dhruv was calm throughout, in his words, "Happy for me." Not sure what was running inside his head, but I did not have to think much about it yet. Arjun, as always, was supporting me, but I knew he would not sit idle, and Hredhaan was as unhinged as me, so there was no way he would question my decision, even if he was doubtful.

"Heaven," I replied.

"Shut up, asshole. This is no time for games. I called you because, in no time, your sister will start asking me questions about your whereabouts. And here I have no clue where you are."

He brought Dhriti into the question only because he thought that would make me spill the beans. But he was getting nothing from me, not even the breadcrumbs.

"You're really in a rush, huh? You and Dhri have something to share?" I tricked him into his own game. He surely had to share the pregnancy news, and he knew if he extended the conversation in order to get me to respond to his query, I would make him spill his secret. I was not simple-minded like Dhruv, the only reason anyone rarely fucked up with my head.

"Be back before dinner, Kiaan." He gave up soon.

"I will." I was in no way in the world going to miss the official dinner between the two families, not when I was going to stake my claim on her.

Namit hung up after a brief pause, unasked questions certainly lingering in his thoughts. Our conversation the night Dad announced my wedding swirled in my head.

"Why her, Kiaan?"

"None of your fucking business, Khanna. Now don't you fucking start with some crap about protecting her and shit..."

"Are you gonna hurt her?"

I did not reply to this specific question, and he did not even pester.

Was I gonna hurt her? Maybe.

Did I need to hurt her? Yes.

My phone lit up with Arjun's text next that read: Don't make your bride wait too long. It's the first official dinner between the families tonight.

I was going to be at the dinner on time. Instead, I was going to pay my beautiful bride a visit right before the dinner.

With her thoughts roaming in my head, I kept tormenting the sinner in front of me until there was no beating of his heart, no pulse, and until his body lay lifeless on the chair. For some reason, by the end of it, there was no contentment left—whatever there was before had vanished like I repelled it. I instructed Enzo to discard the body before I headed back to the inception of my wedding festivities. It was time to pretend.

******

Simran

******

"I still can't believe it's happening," Di said before she nudged Adya Bhabhi and added, "Pinch me."

Adya Bhabhi playfully pinched her, causing her to squeal, "Ouch. That was harsh."

"You are being dramatic," Bhabhi replied teasingly.

"Why? Only Simi owns the right to be dramatic?"

"I am not that into drama," I retorted and crossed my arms.

"Shut up!" Adya Bhabhi, Di, Nitya, and surprisingly even Sonia shouted in unison. I had not talked to Sonia in like, three years, but I was happy that she was getting involved because of Di's and everyone else's presence.

Everyone was gathered in the room I was allotted, having the time of their lives, trying to annoy me. Even Biscuit and Popcorn were having fun with Snow and Abby. Snow and Abby were two adorable tiny dogs owned by Samaira Di and Saavi, Samaira Di's sister-in-law and Dhruv Bhaiya's wife.

"Are you happy with this arranged marriage setup?" The first one to actually ask me that was Saavi. She was the sweetest girl I had ever met, who always radiated warmth and comfort. She genuinely wanted to know how I was feeling about the entire thing.

Was I really happy? No, I was not.

I was not feeling even close to what one calls being happy. However, I simply gave her my pretend bright smile and nodded.

"Simi, do you really want to do this?" Adya Bhabhi asked this time.

"You don't have to do it for the sake of others, you know that, right? Back then, no one cared for my consent, but things are different now, and no way would I let anyone put you through the same misery." Di was stern about it, and I knew she would go to great lengths if I said I did not want that wedding. But I knew the end result was going to be in his favor despite anyone's efforts. Besides, I did not want Samaira Di to hate her brother—not when he loved her and cared for her enormously. It was better if only I fueled my heart with resentment towards him.

My sister's situation was somewhat similar to mine when she got married. The only difference was that Namit Jiju loved her before they even got married, and he still does—to the moon and back. His love for her is unfathomable, and I have witnessed that firsthand. If not for him, she would not have had this glittering smile on her face.

Di was not presented with a choice and was stripped of her consent but, in return, handed a diamond as a husband. Here I was, being presented with a choice, but that was insignificant, as only one person's say was important here, and he seemed really adamant about marrying me. The only say was that of the beast, and in reality, no one had a say. But I was not going to let my sister feel the burden of it. I had to come out of this whole mess myself, and I had hoped I would.

"There is no misery involved, Di. Sure, it's an arranged marriage, contrary to what I have always wanted. But, being busy with my career there is hardly any time for dating, so, this is good. And... I am bagging the most handsome man in the world. You think I would leave this chance?"

I asked smugly but my statement was honest.

"Yeah, well, he is handsome..." Saavi added playfully.

She was not lying. He definitely was the most bewitching man I had ever laid eyes on—perfect illusion, enchanting one, to be honest. The worst part was that no man could ever come close to his allure.

Everyone in the room was joking around, having fun, smiling, trying to make me feel better, but for some reason, I was getting overwhelmed. The more they tried to make me feel better and teased me with his name, the more I got reminded of the wedding approaching. I could feel knots in my stomach, and it was getting hard to plaster a fake smile on my face.

Nitya, opposite to her nature, was not saying much. On any other occasion, she would have been prattling like a baby, but she was simply nodding along, smiling, giving me weird, curious glances. She was the only one who knew how much I hated Kiaan, so surely it was going to be tough for me to hide the truth from her.

"By the way, I already saw your outfits. They are gorgeous," I heard Di say.

"Outfits?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah, your wedding dress, silly. The one you bought with Kiaan and left behind for it to be altered."

This was something new. I had a wedding dress too? And he had a fake story prepared for it already.

I knew my future in-laws were getting me the dress but I was clueless that Kiaan was the one getting me the same.

"It's really gorgeous," Saavi added, her eyes shone while she described it.

"You are gonna love it, Simi." Nitya finally spoke up. And no, her words were not a taunt or any sarcasm but the truth. I could not understand what to make of the whole thing. He hated me but got me a wedding dress everyone loved. 

How far was he willing to go for everyone to believe this wedding was real?

I could not take it anymore. The overwhelming feeling kept growing and growing, and I knew I had to get away—farther, where no one was talking about him, where I did not have to think of him. The wedding jitters caught up to me in a terrible way, and I felt I would choke if I did not go out. Right at that moment, my phone rang. It was a spam call, but I picked it up anyway.

I excused myself, lying that I could not hear the voice of whoever was on the call because of a poor connection. I told them I would be back in a jiffy, but I was not going to be.

I hurriedly descended the stairs, only for the overwhelming feeling to crawl inside me again when I caught sight of the entire house—beautifully decorated, the place filled with the chattering and laughter of people who were not there when I needed them most, but now. No one paid attention to me because they were busy basking in the happiness of my ruination, but even if anyone had noticed me, I would not have stopped.

I just needed to be alone for a while so that I could breathe. I was asphyxiating. I ran right into the woods, not caring about anything until I was far, far away from all the laughing sounds, all the pretty flowers, all that decoration. When the sounds from before stopped catching up to me, I stopped. My feet were aching terribly because of all the running I did barefoot. I was panting for breath now, my heartbeat skyrocketing like never before. The grip on my phone began to loosen, and it slipped out of my hand as I stood in the dark woods. Tall black pine trees surrounded me as I tried to take a breath, supporting my body on the nearest tree. I was still not breathing properly. It felt as though my breath was stuck somewhere inside me, not finding the route to pass through. My eyes filled with unshed tears, and I began rubbing my chest.

Everything around me was eerily quiet, as if it was the calmness of death, but that quietness did not last long. I disrupted the peace when I began to sob, looking up at the sky. I was struggling so hard just for one breath—just one fucking breath.

Suddenly, the quietness from before increased to a dangerous level, making me realize I could hear two breaths now—mine, struggling, and another, calming. I was not alone anymore. Fear got the better of me as I stood deep inside the woods, all alone. Being the mother of two little fur babies, I did not want to be killed by animals, at least. Scared, still rubbing my chest slightly, I turned around slowly, my dupatta slipping off one shoulder. The moment I completely turned around, my heart thudded louder than anything.

He was standing right in front of me.

The beast, looking like he had just had his bloody meal, was standing tall, looking more dangerous than those mammoth trees around.

He stood cross-armed, leaning on one of the trees, watching me intently as if he were transfixed. His shirt was soaked in blood, his hair wet as if he had just run a marathon. The bloody shirt clung to his body like a second skin. His demeanor was calmly dangerous. Even with all that blood on him, he looked insanely gorgeous.

My heartbeat raced as if it were running for its life. The view in front of me was one of absolute horror for anyone but me. He looked like the beautiful nightmare I had always yearned to see. He was enchanting and dangerous, and the way his eyes were glued to me churned my insides.

Instinctively, I took a step back, and then another. As if that triggered him, he pushed himself away from the tree and closed the distance between us in two long strides. Holding my wrist, he pulled me to him and had my back plastered to a tree. He wrapped one hand around my wrist and the other held my chin, softly.

Everything happened too fast, too swiftly—I did not even have time to blink or think.

I struggled to move, but he did not loosen his grip. I felt the soft touch of his hand rising up on my face, from my chin to my nose, cheeks, until he was palming my face. His thumb began to stroke my cheekbone. His eyes entrapped mine. I could not sway my gaze away even if I wanted to.

"Breathe." It was a command, but a gentle one. It had no rough edge to it, and I gave in just like that. I surrendered, like I was waiting for him to say it. Shockingly, I was able to breathe properly without any struggle, with no difficulty.

"Do it again." I did it again.

"Breathe, for me." I did what he asked me to repeatedly, like that was how we both were going to survive. My tears began to glide out of my eyes.

How could someone who hurt me so terribly be the only one who could see the storm inside of me and calm it down? 

His thumb kept caressing my cheekbone softly, and another sob left me. I suddenly remembered all the things he had done to me. After everything, he was so gentle, like everything was a hoax. But I knew better. I knew his gentle side was an illusion, but my heart—my stupid heart—was not ready to believe it. For a moment, just one moment, I wanted to believe the illusion was my reality—the one where he held me tight, closer to him, eliminating every pain I suffered.

But I knew better. I knew him. I was not going to fall for him again. My breathing began to return to normal eventually, and I was finally able to speak.

"I hate you."

My words did not match my sentiment. I hated how he had so much power over me, yet I felt I did not hate him. I abhorred how I was so helpless because of him, yet his touch did not make me feel disgusted.

"I know." He replied, his knuckles brushing my cheek, gliding towards my lower lip and stopping on my chin. My insides screamed for me to give in. Goosebumps erupted all over me, and I shuddered. His eyes darkened, his fingertips glided to the hem of my dupatta, and then I felt him holding it tight. I gulped in fear, my eyes for sure displaying my fear, but then I felt him settling my dupatta back on my right shoulder, completely covering me.

What are you doing, Kiaan? Why are you doing it?

I had so many questions to ask, so many answers to seek, but I knew it was pointless. He would tell me nothing.

"I will always hate you." I gritted my teeth, displaying the anger I felt—not at him, but at myself for being a puddle of mess in front of him.

"Good." He brought his face closer to mine, so very close that I could see it took exactly 0.03 seconds for his pupils to dilate. His fresh minty breath covered my face, and I inhaled it like it was a much-needed drug.

His lips brushed over my nose, his lashes fluttered on my cheeks. I began to feel lightheaded. If not for his grip, I would have fallen by now. My breathing became erratic.

"I will... will... make sure you suffer," I whispered. My senses were leaving my body, but with my words, I was reminding us both that we were not supposed to do what we were doing.

To my shock, he replied with, "You must," and then his lips glided over my cheekbone. He was going down, slowly. I struggled again, but his hold on my wrist was tighter.

"Don't make this hard for us, firefly." I stopped scuffling the moment his lips found the base of my ear. The throaty, whispery voice I had been holding back for so long left my mouth, causing his body to be completely glued to mine. I gasped, feeling him hard against my lower abdomen.

He is playing with you, Simran. 

The voice in the back of my head came out as a warning, but it kept fading the more we stood that close, stuck to each other, his lips brushing over my ear, teasing me. It was torturous. Not sure what I wanted, but I could feel heat rushing to every tip of my skin, every edge of me, and then down my core. That was the moment I realized how wrong this was. I had to make him stop.

"Leave me. Let me go." He pulled his face back slightly but kept me in place. He conjoined his forehead with mine, and his fiery eyes glared at me.

He was doing things to me I could not understand. He was messing with my head again, and I would have been a fool to let him get away with it—not after what he had done last time. I decided to scream next time and so I did.

"LET. ME. GO."

It was a slight brush, a small whisper, a weird feeling when I heard him say, "Never." I felt his hold loosening on me and his stature almost becoming blurry. I stood there, still in a daze, until I heard someone calling me.

"Simran?"

I turned to my right and found Namit Jiju standing there, looking concerned.

"What are you doing here? That too, alone?"

Alone?

In panic I turned to my left, and Kiaan was gone.

How did he vanish like that into thin air? 

Was I imagining him and everything he said and did?

"Simran, are you alright?" I turned to Jiju again and could see the concern deepening on his features. I stood there dumbfounded, weaving a web of lies to get out of that awkward situation.

"I... I got lost. I came here talking over the phone and lost my way," I fumbled, obviously.

How was I supposed to reply sanely to that question? 

Everything that happened a few minutes ago appeared like a breath of fresh air, a breeze of illusion.

I wasn't sure if Namit Jiju was convinced, but he did not ask me anything. He then glanced at my phone, which was lying a foot away from me, and gave me a curiously worried glance.

"When I found out I was lost, my phone dropped. I am really clumsy," I blabbered, let out a nervous laugh, and then picked up the phone instantly.

"Come, let's go. Everyone is looking for you," Jiju said. I nodded, turned around, but there was no trace of that perfect illusion who made me feel things I had never felt in my entire life.

We walked together back to the mansion while I kept hearing the soft whisper in my ear.

"Never."