Kiaan

******

"So....guess what I did?"

"You left him..."

"No...."

"You slapped him?"

"No...no...no...Wrong again..."

"I burnt......" Before she spilled any more beans she shouldn't have, I put my palm over her mouth, took the mic from her, and handed it to Dhriti, who also had walked with me to the stage.

Simran was done telling everyone about that stupid skeleton, and the crowd enjoyed it. Not only did they listen intently, but they also believed her. Now I was really sure that the hideous skeleton would make it to the headlines of the newspaper. I thought she would be done now. But after that, she wanted to tell everyone how I upset her once and how she burned my car in response.

Thankfully, I reached her in time before she made herself a culprit in front of the world by telling everyone about the fire she started. I was fine with being a culprit myself, but not her. I would have gotten to her before that, but I was held back by my friends. Now, I didn't mind hitting my friends if I was trapped by my male friends, but I was being held by Shruti, Aditi, and Anvi. So, how would I have been able to stop my wife? But thankfully, Simran stumbled on a step, almost losing her balance, and didn't fall, though. That was how I freed myself, citing concern for my wife, otherwise Simran would have spilled so many secrets.

With my palm pressed over her mouth, she ran her mouth mumbling something, her eyes emanating her anger, her expression radiating irritation.

"....You look out of control, sweetheart..." I said. I removed my palm from her mouth, and she pouted. She wasn't drunk, which was very obvious, but she surely had consumed something to behave in that way.

"Come on, let's go..." I held her wrist to take her with me, but she shook her head as she said,"....No...not with you..."

She said she didn't want to go with me, clearly, but then clung to me only. She clasped her hands behind my back as she looked up at me, standing extremely close, grinning at me like she was really happy seeing me.

She looked so damn adorable that I just wanted to kiss her at that moment.

Generally, she would be shy about doing that, but she was being quite bold. It was the effect of whatever substance she was under the influence of. I just hoped it wasn't dangerous. I needed to find out about it and be sure she didn't take something harmful.

She was tenacious, not ready to leave the center stage. So I relied on the only way that could have made her do so. I picked her up. I didn't scoop her in my arms, but bent a little, grabbed her legs, lifted her up, holding her waist and legs, and put her entire feather weight on my shoulder with her head on my back.

"Okay, guys...that was enough fun from the bride, but we all haven't danced enough, now have we..." Dhriti distracted the crowd whose eyes were on me, holding my wife.

I thought of taking her to the private suite with me, but when did things go easy and predictable when my wife was involved? 

As I made my way to the suite, she whistled at three female guests who, by the way, whistled back. Then she called the woman a bitch who once desperately wanted to marry me and made a scene in front of my house by calling the cops. She also grabbed the hair of another woman who had once tried to defame me. I wasn't angry at all; they deserved it. I was just worried about my wife.

What she did next was worse, though.

She snatched the alcohol glass from Hredhaan and gulped whatever he was drinking. She raised the glass up in triumph, as if she had done something to be appreciated. Holding her like that, she created more of a scene than expected, so I had to put her down on her feet, holding her steady. 

She then pushed me slightly, laughing as she sauntered off where Arjun's parents were sitting. She sat beside Arjun's stepmother, Meenal Malhotra, who smiled at my wife's antiques. She then poked a tongue at me and began her chattering with Meenal Aunty like a chatter box. I gestured to Niti, who assured me with her eyes that she would make sure Simran was fine and not spilling something she shouldn't have. I had to make arrangements for my wife and me to leave the party now.

Then I cast a miffed look at Hredhaan. For how tough he was, he held his glass so loosely that my wife managed to snatch it from him.

"You couldn't keep a glass away from her," I said, my voice low and cold.

"I didn't see you complaining when she burnt your car," he said in an even lower voice.

My jaw clenched as he looked as unbothered as always. He stood there expressionless because that man was a mannequin. He wasn't always like that. He used to be the most expressive one, but that phase never lasted long for him.

Arjun was there too. Hearing Hredhaan, he raised his hands slightly and looked shocked as he cleared his name instantly. "Don't look at me. I didn't tell him anything."

Arjun was the only one, apart from me, who knew who had burnt my car. That news had made it to the headlines. If Simran had told anyone, things wouldn't have looked good.

Hredhaan didn't need to be told anything. He always knew, just never pretended he did. So I guess he already knew when Simran burnt my car, but played along because he knew I didn't want anyone to know.

I checked with Enzo about how much time was left for us to reach the second last port. Simran and I were supposed to disembark the cruise there and head to our destination for the night.

"We will reach the port in five minutes."

Enzo's reply came.

I stared at my wife. She looked happy, peaceful, and was enjoying chatting with both Arjun and Nitya's mothers, and also mine. Mom was feeding her something in between. It was good, at least she was eating, except that I wasn't the one feeding her. I could feel the dark bile of envy inside of me. She was my woman, yet she wasn't with me. And whenever she would be with me, something or someone would just take her away. But not anymore.

I stared at her with the same ache she had been looking at me the entire night. The only difference was that she didn't know the reason behind that pain, but I did. The pain was uncontrollable, incomprehensible, but if just looking at her would make me feel it, I would rather keep watching her and feel the gruesome pain than feel numb my entire life.

Arjun excused himself as he got a call, and that's when Hredhaan commented, "You look at her the same way...."

His eyes were glued to his phone screen now. That was the problem with people who observed, who rarely talked because when they did talk, you knew you would hear something either you didn't want to, or you were hiding. It was the same way with him. It was better that his stupid fiancée kept him annoyed enough. Serves that asshole right. But not sure where the hell she was when she was actually needed.

"What way?" I eventually ended up asking because not asking would have filled his mind with something to dig. And right now, I didn't want anyone's involvement in my life, even my friends.

"The way you used to look at..." He stopped in the middle. His thumb halted scrolling on his phone. A flash of realization drifted through his mind as he mumbled, "Her..."

He raised his head up slowly, eyes stopping at my wife. Recognition passed through his gaze. His expression didn't change, but I knew that he had found out about her now. He didn't display shock, unlike a normal person would. And who was even normal among us aces? No one. Neither me, nor Arjun, Hredhaan, Dhruv, nor Namit. We all had different definitions of normalcy, which we processed.

"Only her," I said to him. I could not have married anyone if not her. There was only one woman for me, my saviour, my betrayer, my firefly. I could not see any woman the way I saw her. She saw my soul when no one could hardly see me as a person, and how do you let go of the person who celebrated your life like you deserved to be celebrated?

"She grew up well," Hredhaan said, still looking at her.

"I killed her mother." I reminded him.

That didn't change his expression, as expected. Hredhaan knew who I was talking about, and I could see his hand turning into a fist. If not me, he would have killed her.

"She seems fine with that," he said, eyeing Simran.

"She doesn't remember."

He nodded once.

"Of course, she doesn't; otherwise, she would have recognized me."

He wasn't bothered about what I did, but rather that she didn't remember him. Hredhaan and Simran had a chaotic bond once. Not sure it was friendly, but definitely lethal. It wasn't surprising or even shocking that he found out about her without me telling him, even in the slightest, as it was time he figured it out. Besides, hiring Obsidian Shield for the security was a big enough hint for him to decipher Simran's identity.

Dhriti and Namit joined us where we stood, and Arjun was back too.

"I hope she gets well soon." Dhriti was concerned for her, while the woman everyone was concerned about was so careless, having fun, giggling, playing with her hair, waving at everyone, giving flying kisses here and there. Thankfully, she was doing all of that to women only, otherwise it wouldn't have taken me a single second to kidnap her from our own reception.

"Don't worry, the alcohol will wear off fast," Namit assured Dhriti.

"And what about whatever she had before alcohol when she got on the stage?" She stressed that.

"That wasn't dangerous," Arjun said. My head snapped at him instantly.

Fuck! Why didn't I think that he might be behind it?

Because he and I; we were the only ones who started any chaos. And if it wasn't me this time, it had to be him.

"What did you do?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Uh..nothing..." He ruffled his hair, giving a playful smile.

"Arjun..." Dhriti made a concerned face. He gave up just because she looked worried and replied, "She ate a brownie."

"A brownie?" I asked, seething, wondering what exactly was in it.

"It had a double espresso shot in it. I got them for you, but she seemed upset and took it from my hand and ate it," he said to me.

And he couldn't keep those brownies away from her either, just like how Hredhaan couldn't keep hold of his alcohol glass. Now, if she needed poison, would they give it to her?

"It wouldn't have affected her if she had food at the right time, which she did," I said, but then it struck me. Did she really have food the entire day?

"She did, right?" I asked Dhriti.

"I remember leaving food in her room," she mumbled. We both realized what had happened and why those brownies affected her when they shouldn't have.

Of course, she didn't eat her food. She must have been nervous about the night, so she skipped meals. And I was too busy to check on that. I should have checked it, shouldn't have trusted her with that. It was my fault entirely because I didn't pay enough attention. I should have paid more attention. I should have fed her myself instead. Even right then, she didn't eat much when Mom was trying to feed her. But I would do it, so I didn't meddle then.

Enzo informed me about the cruise's arrival at the port. I instructed her on what to do with Rhea and the man he captured, and that I would deal with them once I got back. Then I walked to my wife, so that I could take her away for the surprise I had prepared for her.

I had planned a surprise getaway for her. I had bought a yacht for her and thought I would actually teach her how to sail one. Besides, it didn't need much handling because it had autopilot. I knew she would get really excited.

However, she wasn't in her senses, so I decided not to tell her it was her gift. I simply told her we had to leave because the reception was over. She got excited because, apparently, she thought everyone would jump into the sea now. I had no idea why she would think that. But I guess I was fine with whatever she thought as long as she agreed to go with me.

She hugged everyone, taking her own sweet time, making me lose my patience, and when she was finally done, she grabbed my arm and scolded me for making her late.

Yeah, right! As if I was the one hugging everyone before leaving.

Finally, at last, we settled on the yacht. I had to start it now to take it farther from the cruise, away from the crowd and chaos, and into the stillness, which was very much needed for both of us. Sitting on the captain's deck beside me, she started messing with every control button.

This night was going to be a tough one, I had realized already.

"Don't touch them..." I said, holding her hands from pressing more buttons, which might cause the yacht to malfunction. Her face fell, and she punched my back with her small fist. The punch felt like a cotton ball and definitely not like a punch.

"Do you want us to drown?" I asked because she was quite adamant about playing with the control buttons.

She nodded.

I raised my brows in amusement.

"You said we would drown together," she mumbled as she made a sad face. I was confused for a moment, and then I recalled what she meant. I had said exactly that when she was dealing with that panic attack. I had said we would drown together if she ever was drowning because of the ghosts of her past, nightmares, and monsters.

The realization brought a smile to my face, and then I laughed. I couldn't help but laugh at what she just said. She said it so innocently that my heart warmed enough. I hadn't felt human in years, but that woman was doing things that made me feel like I could be a human again, that the world wasn't as cruel as I always considered it to be. It felt like the light of her would always be there to brighten my darkness.

She giggled watching me laugh, like she was excited about it. And that ... that made me feel so much alive I hadn't felt ever since that night twelve years ago.

I wanted to touch her, but I didn't. I wanted her closer than she was, but I did nothing. It felt as if I did any of that, I would lose her priceless smile, that incomparable laugh. I didn't want to be the one who would steal her joy, but I more than ever wanted to be the reason behind it.

"Want to see something?" She gave me a curious, drowsy look and nodded.

I pressed the blue button on the control panel, and the fireworks started outside in the sky. She was startled for a moment,  but then her eyes glittered as she stared at them from behind the glass window of the deck. She looked like the same nine-year-old I had met once, like the same girl who always wanted to make me her husband, the same girl who made me feel seen. Now that girl had turned into a beautiful, young, confident, successful woman. She had everything except her memory of me and that...that hurt...that actually hurt.

******

The yacht moved, not tearing through the sea but gliding softly. I put it on autopilot after manually steering it for a few minutes. Simran, by the way, had been watching me curiously, the way I steered, the way I pressed buttons, the way I navigated; she was noticing everything. I would have loved to teach her how to do all of that if she had been in a stable state. But in that state of hers, if I had tried to teach her, she would have surely made the yacht dive straight into the sea and reach the seabed with both of us still on it.

So I just walked out of the captain's deck and held her hand. Once we were out, she started pulling me like a kid towards the center of the yacht, where there was a decorated table placed along with some burning candles.

"How much money will you give me for napping me... .mapping me...." She opened her mouth to correct herself, but couldn't; she was slurring too much, very much to her disliking. It was all the alcohol talking. How terribly I wished I had kissed her on the stage, because if I had done that, she wouldn't have been in the state to snatch someone's alcohol and gulp it in one go.

"...paping me...mapping me.." She was still fumbling with her words, getting annoyed like a kid.

"Kidnapping?" I finished for her, instantly causing her annoyed expression to ease out. She nodded rapidly, and then she giggled, holding my hand in both of hers.

"Why would I give you money?" I asked, amusement very much apparent in my voice.

"Because...cause...coz...I joined you willily...willinly...lingly..." Before she got annoyed again, I finished for her, "Willingly..."

"Yup...."

"Depends on how much your worth is," I murmured.

Leaving my hands, she extended her arm, saying, "Millions..."

Then she got confused, like she didn't like the sound of what she said, so she extended her arms a little more and this time said, "Nooo..... Billions..."

I shook my head as I smiled again. With both of my hands, I grabbed her waist as I pulled her closer. I picked her up slightly as I placed her on that round table decorated with a white piece of cloth, some petals of roses, tulips, and candles.

"Not any amount ever existed to define your worth. You are priceless, firefly...." I said determinedly as I kissed her nose. Her smile faltered as her cheeks turned scarlet.

"Don't make my heat beat....fas" She mumbled, but failed to finish her sentence appropriately.

"Don't make your heart beat faster?" I completed it for her. She didn't reply, nor did she nod.
"Why?" I murmured as I kissed her nose again. She held my arms, holding them tighter as if she was floating, and if she didn't hold me, she wouldn't feel grounded, as if I was her anchor.

"It runs so fast...I...I will get a heat ack..." she struggled to speak now.

"Heart attack..." I whispered as I brushed my lips over hers.

She dangled her legs then, making her payals speak for her, singing a melody I loved to hear. Every time I tried to say something, she would just dangle her legs. I glared at her playfully, and she glared back defiantly. She was playing the game I was a master of. She was lucky I didn't wish to do anything to her in that drunk state.

With one hand holding her steady on her waist, the other grabbed the nape of her neck as I bent her head backward, hovering my face over hers. Her eyes widened, lips parted, but the defiance didn't leave her.

"One day, I will tie those payals around your wrist, and fuck you so hard....You wouldn't stop screaming my name...." I said.

"You are not my saviour or God...I won't scream your name," she replied. Her words were coming out clearly now. A sneer appeared on my face because of her delusion.
"I am the worst baby ....I might not be some God but definitely your tormentor, your beast."

"I don't worship beasts..."

"Yes, you do. Every morning in the temple." 

I reminded her how she would worship me every morning and chant a fake prayer for me. Even if it was to annoy me, she chose the path of worshiping me. Fake or real didn't matter as long as it was me she worshipped.

"From now on, you will worship me on the bed instead and not in the temple...not anywhere else." Her eyes widened, and she gulped in nervousness.

Now, that was what I was dying to see. I wanted her to feel every word before I turn that all into her reality.

"You will kneel, but in our room, for me..."

"You will pray...but for my mercy..."

"You will wither in pain...but I will make sure you crave for that pain every day...the one you wouldn't wish to be taken away at all..."

I eyed her lips now, plumped, pink, ready to be ravished. But the moment I brought my lips to hers, she turned her face, making my lips touch her cheeks instead. And then she pushed me, taking me aback. She got off the table laughing, and then she began running around, checking each and every corner of the yacht like an excited kid.

I didn't know what to feel. Should I feel angry because she just pushed me away while I was trying to kiss her, laugh at her antics, or smile because she was behaving just like my firefly would do? But one emotion was certain in every case: I felt happy.

She checked every room and then came back running to me.

"There is no one here," she complained.

"That's exactly the point. There is no one else here."

"You should be scared..." She said to me, arms crossed as she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Yeah?"

She bobbed her head up and down like an Indian wooden doll.

"Why?"

"Becos...cause..." She fumbled again.

Smiling, I corrected her, "Because...."

"Because what?" I asked.

"I know how to scratch...." she said as she took one step closer to me. She held my right hand and dipped her nails in the back of my palm, sharply, drawing out blood from my skin. I let her do whatever she wanted, as long as it kept her happy, I was fine with that.

And then she ran inside the master cabin. I followed her this time. The moment I reached there, she poked her tongue at me. I took a step towards her, but then all of a sudden I felt dizzy. I took another step, and I stumbled, feeling dizzy.

"Kiaan..." Her concerned voice reached me as she walked to me hurriedly, holding me steady.

She looked worried, her eyes filled with concern for me.

"I am fine," I said with a small smile. But I didn't feel fine.

I grabbed the arm of the two-seater couch there and sat on it, rubbing my temples as they ached terribly.

"Kiaan..." She called me softly. I held her hand, brought her closer to my lips as I pressed a kiss on it.

"I am okay...I am fine..." I assured her.

Something was going on with me, but I didn't know what. I was dizzy, my legs felt weak, and my breathing had become uneven. I never got motion sickness because of the sea, and didn't even eat or drink anything to make me feel that way. I loosened my tie as I rested my head on the back of the couch. Each and every sound began to become louder, even my breath sounded shrill like an alarm tone

"What's wrong?" Simran cupped my cheeks. Her eyes softened at me.

"Kiaan..." She called me with the same innocence she used to call me monster prince. I wanted to reply, but I couldn't say anything as if someone had their clasp on my throat. Her face began to get blurry now. I could see the little Simran now instead of my grown-up woman.

She brought her face closer, her eyes pooled with tears of concern. I wanted to hold her, pacify her, that I was fine, but I felt too weak to move.

And then her face began to mould; it was turning into something else. My wife vanished from there, and then I saw her. I could see her face instead of Simran's. No. No. This wasn't true. She wasn't there. How could she be? I...I killed her. She was dead.

'There isn't a life for you without me.' She said with that smile that never left her face. Her sensuous laugh prickled my skin, burned every inch. My reflexes slowed down. She put both of her hands on my arms. I tried fighting back, but I failed.

No, this wasn't happening. This wasn't.

I wanted to roar, shout, show her her right fucking place, or better, drag her to hell with me, where I had sent her, but nothing seemed to work. Her face got closer and closer, my breathing almost stopped, and her hold on my arms grew stronger. But she didn't know the beast I had turned into. She had only witnessed a glimpse once.

I mustered every strength in me, unchained the beast, and then I pushed her. I pushed her hard and heard something crash. I didn't care what it was, didn't bother, as I could still see her laughing face while she lay on the floor now, looking as powerful as she used to, but a little scared too.

Struggling to breathe or see properly, I stood up. I took staggering steps, managing to eventually get myself out of that room. It felt like the ground beneath me was shaking. My head throbbed like someone was hitting it with a hammer. I grunted as I held my head. My eyes burned, and everything in my vision was still blurry.

I knew I couldn't rely on my eyes, so I decided to rely on my training. I had trained hard for days like these because my enemies were more than the friends I had ever made. So I shut my eyes once I was outside the room. I steadied myself and lurched in the direction I remembered. 

Seven steps to my right, and there would be a door that would lead me to a small open space. From there, I had to take five steps straight, and there would be the kitchen. I kept the needed essentials there, like some drugs.

I followed the steps even when I stumbled multiple times because of the impact of whatever substance was in my system, but I didn't stop. Just as I had expected, within a few minutes I stood in front of the kitchen. Twisting the doorknob, I pushed the door open. I walked in with my eyes still closed. I didn't want to lose my calm, but my legs were giving up. My arms started to feel so weak that I knew I wouldn't be able to hold a spoon soon.

Then the cold realization crawled inside my system. I wasn't drugged so that I could find its cure. I wasn't under the influence of alcohol either.

It was poison.

I was poisoned.

******

Hi Lovelies,

Kaise ho aap sab? 🤔

I hope you guys are great!! 🥹❤️

Your author isn't. I am sick and am flooded with workload. But I can't complain. 🥹

Pyaare pyaare comments kar dena, I might start feeling better. 🥹❤️

I might give the next update on Wednesday, as I am thinking of changing the update schedule from Tuesday and Friday to Wednesday and Saturday. 🎊

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

Thanks,

Shrishtee