Simran

******

On my toes, I traced a straight line like a swan, gliding effortlessly. It felt like a breath of fresh air. My arms unfurled as I sketched invisible patterns, tearing through the quiet air. The wooden floor listened curiously to each tap of my feet, guessing what the next glide would be. I made the final turn, letting the air pave the way for me, and then the rhythm stopped.

The moment the music stopped, so did my feet. Balanced on my toes, I opened myself toward the sky, my head facing the mirror. My peers from the academy around me clapped and cheered the moment I finished.

"It did not look like you were on a break." Arthur, my choreographer, said as he gave me a proud look and announced we should take a short break before resuming our practice.

"Yeah, if I had taken a break, I would be breaking my bones trying to do this dance," Dustin added.

I did not for a moment feel that I was on a break and was living a hectic, stressful life the past few days. It felt like I was on a relaxing vacation instead of the way I had finished the dance sequence without even stopping.

There was an event coming soon, and we were rehearsing for that. I was told to perform a sequence I had performed on before, just so Arthur could know where and how much practice I needed, but everything was so perfect as if I was practicing daily.

"Dancing comes like oxygen to me," I replied, smiling as I reached out for my sweat towel kept in my bag on a chair in the corner of the practice room.

"We could see it," remarked Sophie, my fellow dancer, with a smile.

"By the way, this was your first long break ever since you joined. What was the occasion?" Dustin appeared curious. At first, I was taken aback by the question. I had not prepared myself for what I would reply to before, and now, when he and others stared at me, I knew I had to reply. Sophie was busy stretching while others were sitting on the floor to relax, but they all waited for me to reply, as my taking that long break was a first-time occurrence since I joined the academy.

"I...had a family event to attend." I kept my response short and discreet. I put back the towel and grabbed my water bottle, gulping a few sips as I kept weaving stories of what I would tell if anyone asked what the event was about. I should have prepared that beforehand, but I did not give it much thought as I was too excited to be back in my arena and dance like a caged bird breathing freedom after a long.

I began stretching, avoiding eye contact with anyone. I was hoping for a miracle for them to let the topic go soon. For my wish fulfilment, Daisy turned out to be my miracle. She had just arrived and ran towards us after she had changed into her practice dress.

"Guys...guys, I have something to tell you all..." Daisy was panting, heaving for breath as she had run to us. I wondered what the reason was behind the urgency in her words and actions.

"Hear what?" Nathan asked.

"The CEO of Lampyris Estate got married."

Lampyris Estate?

They meant Kiaan. But how did they know about it? We weren't supposed to disclose it until the reception invites were sent out.

I thought Daisy had brought a piece of miracle; instead, she brought a piece of chaos.

"That real estate hotshot?" Patricia asked. Almost everyone had gotten closer to Daisy, surrounding her. Some were standing, some still sitting on the floor, tired from the practice. But they knew the gossip was worth it. And why would it not be? It involved the one and only Kiaan Chauhan.

Daisy nodded in response to Patricia's question.

"No fucking way!" Nathan exclaimed.

"I mean, looking at his reputation, no girl would leave the chance," Diana said.

"I wish I could be the one." It was Sophie this time, her eyes went all glittery with admiration, like a love-struck girl.

I felt like a fool standing there listening to women admiring my husband. I wondered what would happen when they would get to know I was his wife.

"But how are you so sure about it?" I asked, needing to know if that was from a genuine source or not. And if it was, then I needed to warn Kiaan about it because someone revealed it without our say in it. This wasn't right, nor was I prepared for the aftermath it would bring.

"Oh, my cousin is a lifetime business journalist. I was talking to her this morning, and she told me she would be busy for a month or so covering the life of someone famous, as there was a tip from the right source about his marriage. When I asked her who, she told me it was Kiaan Chauan," Daisy replied.

"Can't believe the most eligible bachelor doing this. I don't think it's completely true." Diana seemed so upset as if Kiaan was his boyfriend who dumped him to marry me.

God! My head was spinning. I put the bottle in my bag and thought of continuing to continue practicing instead.

"So you mean Daisy's cousin is lying?" Sophie asked Diana.

I began practicing the steps without the music to steer my mind clear of the gossip and everything, but I could not focus. Just then, I heard Diana reply to Shophie, "No. What I mean is that maybe the rumor is created to hide something scandalous...just like in the movies..."

I lost whatever rhythm I had caught. I mean, Scandal? Really? Our marriage, though, was to protect Di and Saavi, my father's company, and to clean Kiaan's image. In a way, it could sound like it was to hide something scandalous, but how did they get a whiff of it? And how dare they call it a scandal-hiding scheme? Kiaan and I might not be in love, and even though I hated him for the way he had hurt me, I had noticed sincere repentance in his eyes, felt his honesty through his actions and words. Things might have started rough for us, but he was trying to make it right. Or at least he was pretending well.

"Well, a scandal could be a reason. But I have one more piece of information that almost confirms his marriage rumour." Daisy did not refute the scandalous statement. What kind of shitty movies do they watch to conclude that our wedding was to cover a scandal?

"One more piece of information? What is it?" Dustin asked, intrigued.

That was the last straw. Even the thought of ignoring whatever they were talking about vanished.

"His company name," She whispered. Glint of excitement was apparent in Daisy's voice, as if she held a key truth I, as Kiaan's wife, should have been holding.

"What about it?" I asked without a pause. I walked closer to Daisy to finally hear that secret she was holding like a prize.

"As we all know, his real estate organization is named Lampyris, and no matter how many times he was asked by the press, he never revealed the reason behind its name, right?" Everyone nodded, waiting with bated breath for Daisy to drop whatever bomb of information she was holding.

"Word is, he named it after the woman he married," Daisy whispered, but loud enough for all of us to hear.

"Aww...." Patricia said softly.

"That's so freaking cute!" Sophie exclaimed with her eyes still shining.

"His wife's name is Lampyris?" Dustin made a confused face. To be honest, anyone would. It did not make any sense what Daisy said.

Lampyris Chauhan?

Even the thought of it gave me the ick. And what does Lampyris even mean?

If Kiaan had to tell the world about that girl, he would name the organization right after her. But since nothing was apparent from Lampyris, it was obvious he had kept it hidden. Or maybe this rumor wasn't true. Or maybe he had kept it so discreet that no one would know about it until he himself revealed it, or until the girl found out.

There could be multiple possibilities, and in my opinion, that rumor was just a rage bait created by the press for Kiaan to talk about his marriage. The media wanted to get through to him, but I knew Kiaan was that strong wall you can't even drill into.

"Dustin, if he had to announce to the world about that girl, why would he directly name his organization after her? Maybe it's hidden in the company's name." Patricia articulated my thoughts exactly.

"But what about him being a Playboy? He had a girl, and yet he was fucking other girls?" Nathan asked so casually as if it were a fact.

"Did you see him fucking other girls?" I asked. A flicker of annoyance crossed my face.

"No."

"Then, how are you so sure about it?" My voice stayed calm, but my anger did not.

"A grown man is not seen with multiple women frequently just for a chit-chat."

Wow! As per that logic, everyone out there would be whores and sluts.

"If he were actually that shady, he wouldn't be doing it in broad daylight like it's a meet-and-greet. He is rich, has sources, could have called girls at home discreetly and fucked them."

"Yeah, but what about those allegations?"

There were never concrete allegations against Kiaan; rather, baseless rumors were created by the girls he stopped meeting for whatever reason.

"This man, I say, is someone shady who married an innocent woman to clear his name."

The more Nathan talked about Kiaan like he was some kind of disgrace, the more I lost my mind.

"Oh, please. That's what happens when you take a shiny toy away from a spoiled kid. People never saw him as a person, just a rich accessory they wanted to hang off their arm. And when that 'accessory' talks back and says no? Suddenly, he's the villain. It's not his fault his personality is that likable."

Kiaan might have been linked with multiple women, but the women who claimed him to be a terrible person had reputations of their own. I had met some of them at a few parties and could easily say they were after him, not the other way around.

"Chill, babe, people might start to think you are the wife." Nathan took a jibe at me, smiling playfully. I looked around and noticed everyone was noticing me. I could feel heat crawling up my cheeks. This was because of anger, and I knew I had turned red, surprising everyone. I never once took that strong stand for anyone in front of them, but eventually I did.

"You okay?" Sophie seemed concerned. Some were curious too, wondering what put me off. Nathan, for sure, was thinking of me as another crazy woman in love with the hotshot of town.

"Yeah...I just don't believe rumours or anything without proof. It not only creates trouble for the person the rumor is about, but also their families." I lied and gave a small, polite smile. 

The group began with the discussion while I excused myself, heading to the nearby open window to breathe some fresh air. I had my phone with me and thought to text Kiaan about the rumor circulating. But the moment I opened the chat box I found a message from him already waiting there. He texted me the name of a popular cafe, which was mostly visited by kids, and told me to be there sharp at five for the next part of the story. The place wasn't too far from my academy, so I could definitely reach there on time after my practice was over. I decided not to text him about the rumour yet and talk to him about it in person. Though one thing did niggle my mind a lot. The name 'Lampyris Estate'.

I instantly googled it even though I wasn't sure if I would find anything. At the top of the search result, it was mentioned that it referred to the scientific genus of beetles, and that definitely made no sense until I saw it. I saw what it actually meant. Fireflies.

Lampyris is the scientific name of 'firefly'.

This time, the head spin was in a literal sense, and I did feel dizzy. I held the wall for support and sat on the bench kept closer. As I kept staring at my phone, I recalled all the times he had called me by that nickname. When he called me that for the first time, it felt like he owned that name, like it was some kind of jewel he was giving me. And every time he had called me that, there was always a little distance in his eyes, some kind of restraint, like he was holding himself back. I used to think it was his hatred he was trying to contain, but perhaps I was wrong. I still could not make out how he could name his organization after me when we met only a few years back. It just did not make any sense.

Just when I thought that finally I was getting to know my husband, the very moment a new piece of the puzzle appeared on the board. I did not know what to trust, whom to trust, only felt like I was being played.

The break was over, and Arthur gathered us around for the practice. For the rest of the day, I kept practicing, but my head was messed up terribly by the end of the day. After the session, I found Enzo already waiting for me outside. I told him about the cafe Kiaan asked me to meet at, and he dropped me there. As soon as I got out of the vehicle, I found the small cafe resting in the heart of the city, glowing like a candy. To be honest, it felt familiar, like I had been there before. The surprising fact was that I had never been there before, even once.

My husband stood there at the entrance, hands in the pockets of his overcoat, looking like he was waiting for someone. Oh, wait, that was me. He was waiting for me. He did not look annoyed or pissed, even in the slightest, but rather curious like a kid waiting for someone he cared about. He looked in my direction, though his eyes were covered with glasses I could feel the jitters. I took a deep breath and sped up. As I got closer, he opened the gate for me, leading me inside to a table near a hidden staircase spot.

"Hello, Gracy!" He greeted the old lady sitting at the reception. She seemed like the owner. I smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"Who is this beautiful lady here?" She asked.

"Someone special," my husband replied.

Sometimes it was difficult to comprehend whether he was being genuine or sarcastic.

"And for your someone special, should I get you both your special?"

"Please do that..."

"On it..."

We headed to a corner table. He pulled my chair like a gentleman and made me sit before he took his seat opposite me.

"You seem lost." He pointed out my distraction. I could not forget what others had been talking about him or that I found what Lampyris meant. I still chose not to tell him anything.

"It's nothing," I replied.

"You sure, it's nothing?" He did not look convinced at all, and to quiet this interrogatory session I simply lied again.

"I am tired because of the practice."

I averted my gaze, scanning my surroundings. The entire cafe had only three older people: me, my husband, and Gracy. There was a hollow space under the staircase that felt cozy and a good place to hide for the kids. Sitting in the cafe made me feel like I was experiencing deja vu. Whenever someone entered the cafe, a bell chime,d which was hung right at the door. It sounded unique yet so familiar. I did not like the kind of familiarity that place brought with it, because it did not make me feel safe and secure, but rather scared and alarmed, as if someone would just barge in and take me with them.

I kept looking at the door as if someone would just step in, my senses heightened, alarmed.

"Simran...." Kiaan called me.

"This is a safe place." 

His words were so assuring that even if it was a lie, I would have believed it anyway. He sometimes behaved in a way that also scared me, because how would he know I was scared? Could he read my thoughts? And if he could read my thoughts did he know his hold on me or that the sentiments I harbored for him? Could he also see past the wall I created to hide some of my emotions?

There were so many questions, yet none were answered.

"Something is bothering you, though. Either you tell me what it is, or I tell Enzo to find out. Did something happen at the academy?"

Why did he always have to play detective?

There was no point in hiding what was bothering me because he was tenacious enough to keep pestering about it. Though I decided to only reveal half of what was bothering me.

"There is a rumor circulating. That's what's bothering me."

"About?"

"Our marriage."

"I know. I started it."

Wait! What?

I stared at him incredulously.

"So you know everyone is more concerned about your Playboy image and not the marriage exactly. And of course, they had caught on that the marriage was to hide a scandal, probably to whitewash your Playboy image."

"I don't care what others think. Everyone has free will; they are free to think whatever they want to."

Wow! Just wow!

He was acting non chalant when he should have been furious. Everything I do infuriates him, but he does not give a shit when some random people talk shit about his character.

"What kind of sick attitude is this? You can't be fine with what others think of you. You have created your name with sheer hard work, and others are putting filth on it. Can't you see how it will impact you on a larger level?"

It was shocking how unnerved he seemed. Rumors have a way to make or break someone's image. They work as a catalyst. Sometimes his hypocrisy astonished me.

"Does it bother you?" He asked.

"Of course." I was taken aback by the instant reply I gave. His eyes froze at me, and then he gave me a half-smug smile.

Instantly, to cover the damage I added,"....no..."

I could not let him know that anything about him bothered me on a greater level. Though it was already late. Still, I tried.

"Of course not...why would it bother me?"

Anyone could see through my lie. It troubled me, it genuinely did. God! I had to pull my shit together and give a hard time to my husband, and there I was confessing how even a rumor about him worried me.

"Then why get riled up about it if it does not concern you?"

"Because you are my husband."

"So it does bother you."

"Ughhh...you are aggravating."

I wish he could just leave that topic. See, so tenacious, not leaving the twig of information he found on how I felt about him.

I could not let him unravel me or my thoughts anymore, so I just diverted the topic to the reason we had met there.

"If you don't start telling me the story for which you have called me, I will leave."

"No, you won't. You are too invested in it now," He stated confidently.

"Moreover...."

He took a pause.

"Moreover, what?"

"You are worried about my image so much that you won't leave me alone now, making sure no past connection of mine reaches out to me, or even the media does not approach me until it's revealed you are my wife."

He was right. I might even drag anyone by their hair away from my man if I needed to. That does not mean I was going to forgive him easily, but that definitely meant I was not going to be easy with the women he was ever connected to, women who started baseless rumors about him. I opened my mouth to give that man a befitting reply, but he beat me to it and focused on the story he started to tell me a day ago.

"How much do you remember about the story?" He asked.

"I remember everything. You told me about two best friends, Leena and Sara, and how Sara's childhood was terrible. Though Leena's childhood was not that pleasant either, as she did not have her parents, but her brother, who used to be busy, really loved her. Sara made sure Leena had no friends apart from her, was isolated, and she was the only one Leena gave attention to. In college, they started dating two friends. Leena started spending more time with her boyfriend, and Sara did not like it a bit. See, I remember everything."

I rehashed the story in one breath as I did not want him to waste my time with the recap.

"Thanks for the recap, Firefly."

My heart skipped several beats this time. He called me by that nickname again with the same distance in his eyes, but a little remembrance too. My skin flushed as if I loved that only he called me that. It never happened before. Maybe it was the Lampyris rumor that had me feel that way, or maybe it was the familiar cafe I had never visited before. Whatever it was, it made me scared, actually, because this feeling was quite new and foreign to me.

Trying to ignore whatever I was feeling, I focused on the story, pretending everything was fine when there was so much chaos burning up inside of me.

"Moving ahead with the story....Sara had an amazing man by her side, but she could not tolerate the amount of love Leena was receiving from someone else. She did not like it. Leena was like the light she found at the end of her dark tunnel like life, and she wanted to be the same light for Leena. But Leena did not need any such light; there was no darkness to be lightened. Sara could not take it well, and she did something only someone who hates you from the bottom of the heart would do, and not a friend."

I knew what Sara did. It was very obvious.

"She slept with her boyfriend..." I said.

Kiaan's expression darkened. He shook his head once and then continued.

"Sara did not sleep with Leena's boyfriend, but raped him."

My mind went blank, my thoughts refusing to line up. Goosebumps of disgust crawled over my entire body. I couldn't even find my voice. I just sat there, mute with shock, as he went on with the atrocious story.

"Sara weaved a lie so immaculate that it appeared it happened otherwise. She made it look like Leena's boyfriend molested her. Because of this, Leena broke up with her then-boyfriend. Sara pretended to be a victim and broke up with her boyfriend too, citing she was too traumatized to be in any relationship and also that she could not be with someone who is a friend of a rapist. Now, Sara got what she wanted. Leena always felt guilty for what happened to Sara, and she started to be around her more than usual. They would now spend almost every day together. Their bond had become unbreakable, but it did not last long because someone was on their way to break it off."

He got quiet for a moment, and I with difficulty, managed to find my voice, though it was weak, like a murmur.

"What...what happened to him?"

"Leena's boyfriend?" He confirmed, and I nodded.

"Should I consider this your first question?" I nodded again.

"Sara's boyfriend did not trust Sara when she claimed she was raped by Leena's boyfriend. Not because she blamed his best friend, but because Leena's boyfriend was planning to propose to Leena for marriage. He had everything planned and had even bought a ring. Sara's boyfriend knew how serious his friend was about Leena. But when it comes to men, sadly, such incidents only tarnish their image and question their masculinity. That's why both of them stayed silent about it and did not even report. They went on with their lives, hiding the dark secret from their world."

A tear betrayed me and escaped when he told me what happened after. How could someone be that cruel, especially a woman?

"Firefly..." Kiaan reached out for my hand on the table and clasped my hand in his. Another tear escaped, and I looked down.

"Look at me," he said gently. His voice tried to become a soothing ointment. But I could not bring myself to look at him. I could not let him see how vulnerable someone else's story made me feel. I felt nauseated. I knew I would throw up. After knowing what Sara did to Leena's ex, I did not have it in me to even take a sip of water.

How was Leena's boyfriend now?

Was he okay?

Did he get justice?

Did Leena ever get to know about it?

There were so many questions running in my head, but I did not have a limit to ask. I could only ask one more question, and I wanted the next question to be about my husband. 

Is that what Kiaan wanted? To make me choose between knowing about him or some other man who was hurt. Why was he putting me in such a situation? The real question was, why did I even allow him to do that?

I freed my hand from Kiaan's hold and sat there staring at my hands on my lap, not meeting his eye. Kiaan broke his odd silence and continued.

"Sara had mentioned how she won't get married to anyone after this incident, and Leena out of guilt made a pact with her that she won't marry either. However, things changed two months later."

My mind was foggy. I was listening to him, yet I was not there completely.

"Leena had joined her brother on a work trip for a week, and there she found out she was pregnant. This baby was the one going to tear the two best friends apart."

Kiaan abruptly stopped. I knew he would stop now. It was a cliffhanger just like yesterday, and to be honest, I did not mind at all. I could not fathom what I had heard till now. I looked away, trying to blink away the tears, but they anyway streamed down. This was a real-life story about a real person who suffered at the hands of another human, no, hot human but a vile monster. Not only was I hurting, but I was angry too.

How could someone do that? Just out of jealousy?

"It's time for your question. You wanna ask any?"

I wiped my tears from the back of my palm and stared at him with anger simmering in my eyes and in my bones.

"How does it feel to have control over me? Is that what you have wanted all along? To fool me with some sick story of someone I still cannot understand how we are related to? You never wanted our relationship to work, did you? You just wanted to manipulate me and exercise your sick control over me."

My heart broke with every word I said. The realization of his truth was a slap to me. He did not look dazed by my allegations. I wanted him to shout out loudly that my allegations were not true, but he just stared at me like I was right, and it had me choke on a sob.

"Fine...you...you wanted me to ask my second question, right?" I took a deep breath, wiped my tears again, and asked, "From those women you have been linked with, how many women have you slept with?"

"I haven't slept with anyone I was ever linked with." He replied like an emotionless being.

"Then who did you sleep with?"

"You ran out of your question limit."

Of course, that fucking rule about 2 question limit had to come in between. Everything was so convenient for him. Too convenient.

I sighed, but in irritation. I could feel the anger growing and growing inside of me. He had been toying with me, and even while he was trying to open up about some kind of truth, it felt like he was only playing. He was not clarifying why he kept talking about some random women and not him. He was not telling me how he was going to justify what he did to me. I was done being his pawn. I did not want any stupid story but only the truth.

"To hell with your rule, Kiaan. Is our marriage some kind of twisted game to you? You want me to forgive you and trust you, but you want to play games by telling a cruel story to me instead of telling me about what you really have been hiding, about you, or rather about Lampyris."

"You think this stupid story is how you will gain my trust?

Was he that dense, or was he pretending to be one?

This was our marriage we were discussing, about how I will forgive him, but he seemed more interested in some stupid rules about question limit and two women, one of whom was a monster who raped men.

I got off the seat. I was done abiding by his rules. If he needed me to forgive him or even consider forgiving him, he had to come clean to me, he had to be honest with me, he had to tell me everything about him and not some gut-wrenching story that had neither him nor me in it.

"Simran, Sit down."

"You know what, fuck you! You keep sitting here for as long as you want, but I am done taking your orders."

I turned to the door but then back at him as I said, "Come to me when you consider me your wife and not one of your whores you can fool around with."

I bolted out of the cafe in anger and did not look back. It was time he crawled to me; kneeling was no longer enough.

******

Hi Lovelies,

Apologies for such a long break. I had too much work, hence I couldn't find the time to update the book.

Coming to the chapter:

Who do you think Leena and Sara are exactly? 🤔

What do you think Simran will do now? 🤔

Will Kiaan tell Simran the truth now or not? 🤔

Well, whether Kiaan will be honest with Simran or not is not a matter of concern right now, but what's going to happen in the next update definitely is. Stay tuned.🥹

Do share your views about the chapter. It would mean a lot. ❤️

Thanks,

Shrishtee