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She stared at her reflection in the mirror with a blank expression on her face. Unlike a normal bride, she wasn't looking happy. Only sadness clouded her expressive eyes.
She glanced at her reflection, taking in the blood red color of her wedding lehnga that had bottle green border and sequin designs. The blood red colored reminded her of her bleeding heart. And that bottle green colored..that's his favorite color. He loved it when she wore something of that color. But now it reminded of her broken heart.
From head to toe she was decked up in different jewelries, her make-up, styling, everything was perfect. Only if they all knew that she hated perfect things. She was in love with imperfection after all.
Arjun Suryakant Raute
The man whom she had fallen in love with. The man who, though was arrogant and annoying, attracted her like fire attracts a moth.
Fire..he indeed was a raging fire who was burning for revenge. She hates him but she loves him more. And that was the thing that irked her the most.
Why!!? Why couldn't she forget that man? Now that she's getting married, she should concentrate on her would be husband, Subodh but Arjun's thoughts just never left her.
"Stop Riya, just stop thinking about him!!" she chided at herself and wiped the lone tear that had slipped out of her eye.
A knock after, the door slightly opened, " Chutki, come. Its time to go, pandit ji is calling the bride!" came her sister's chirpy voice. At times she hated her for bringing Subodh's proposal for her. If only she knew that she didn't want to marry Subodh. But she did and still didn't care because according to her there was no better man for Riya other than Subodh.
Slowly she stood up and walked outside,her sister accompanying her to where the mandap was set. Subodh was already there, dressed in a sherwani, his face was covered with sehra.
Her sister made her sit beside Subodh. Soon the chat of mantras and other rituals started. While everyone around her was happy, she was feeling dying as each second passed.
Dreams are really bubble like. She had dreamed her marriage to and with Arjun. But nothing such will happen now. Her dream bubble broke just like her heart.
"Now the pheras will start. Bride and groom should stand up now and take the seven pheras, the seven vows." said the pandit ji.
Arjun never thought of anything other than revenge.
She didn't realized when the pheras got completed. Soon they were declared husband and wife.
Nothing could happen now. Her fate was sealed, her life was with Subodh now. She belonged to him, his wife, but he heart even broken will always beat for Arjun and Arjun only.
She didn't cried a bit when the bidaai happened. Just blank as her life had nothing but was filled with darkness only. Darkness that Arjun had warned her of but she had countered it, saying that even in darkness she won't be alone, because he would be there with her.
She and Subodh were sitting at the backseat of the car that was driven by a driver who would take them to a hotel where a room was specially booked for them, the newlyweds.
Half way through the ride, Subodh made the driver stop the car. He got out of the car and the driver followed. All this made Riya curious. What was happening?, she thought.
She found it fishy that Subodh still hadn't removed that sehra and why the hell he was giving that driver some cash??!
Riya too came out of the car as she saw the driver leaving.
"Subodh..what's going on??" she questioned as she walked close to him. He took a step back and adjusted the sehra.
"Subodh...?" she trailed off. It was then when she noticed his left hand that he used to adjust the sehra.
As he adjusted his sehra, she caught a little glimpse of him. The man didn't looked like Subodh. He...he was..
"Arjun..." she murmured with a shocked but soft voice.
Nothing was said from his side. Riya stepped closer and hastily removed the sehra. She was right!! It wasn't Subodh.
"Arjun..." she fumbled with her steps but got the support of the car to maintain her balance.
"Arjun!!!" she cried as she saw the love of her life, her heart breaker standing right in front of her with misty eyes and a cheeky grin!!
What the hell!! Why the hell was he at Subodh's place. OMG!!! Arjun and Subodh's place, means that she got married to Arjun?!!!.
"Congratulations love! Finally we got married!" Arjun voiced out the answer to Riya's query.
"Aap??...where is Subodh??"
Arjun frowned and made a face, "Don't talk about that chicken!! Just few punches and kicks and he was over like a coward!"
Riya didn't knew how to react. She was earlier prepared to marry Subodh but now she got married to Arjun instead. And Arjun hit Subodh, he beat him!! God...why??!!
"Riya.." Arjun was interrupted by Riya who just said, " I want to go back home. I don't wanna talk about anything here, or lists to you at all!"
She snatched the car keys from Arjun and herself sat at the driver's seat.
Arjun groaned as he watched Riya go away from him. Heck he couldn't lose her now!
So Arjun decided to implement his plan B. He poured something on his handkerchief and placed it over Riya's nose as fast as he could.
Riya just had opened something door to the driver's seat but was attacked from behind. As she inhaled the contents that Arjun had poured over his handkerchief, she started feeling dizzy and just in 5 minutes she was unconscious and in Arjun's arms.
Arjun picked up Riya, his love, his life and now his wife in his arms and placed her on the front seat and buckled her seat belt. He then that on the driver's seat. Using his index finger he gently removed the dark tendrils and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"I know that I got late, I am sorry. It took me your absence to realize that you mean to me so much more than my revenge. I love you Riya, I had always and i promise to you that I will fulfill all my promises."
And then he turned the car and started driving on a different path.
Anupamaa
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