My Nepenthe

Chapter 23

Sorry for the delay....🙃🙃 since I promised a few that I would update early.... here you go...

Enjoy reading:)

Caution: not edited

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It took a few minutes to sink the words in but once she did, Gauri asked warily, "What?"

"The wedding should take place Gauri. Otherwise this family will have to face the consequences. Things are not as easy as you thought."

"The hell I would let that happen," Omkara growled making them glare at him.

"Why would you not?"

"Have you gone mad? How can you even ask that?"

"Who compelled us to do so? It is your wife," Subhadra retorted.

"Exactly. She is my wife why will I allow her to marry someone else?" he shouted again making them gasp.

"Shankarji, Kalyani ka pota pagal ho gaya hai. What are you saying?" Sarita screamed in outrage.

"Omie why will we ask her to marry anyone? I was asking her to marry you," Taadaka clarified making him relax for the timebeing.

"What are you saying daadi ji. How will our marriage change things?" it was Gauri who asked next.

"You and Om will get married in their child's place. Omkara will wear a sehra and you wear a ghunghat. The rest can be looked into later. I will talk with the groom's parents to keep their silence until matters settle down."

"But for the villagers, the groom will be married to Shalini? How will he marry later on?"

"What is the name of Shalini's lover?"

"Praveen."

"Announce it to the guests, tell them you agreed at the last minute. Anything is better than a bride running away from her wedding. We will think of some believable story afterwards. Now there is no time to waste."

Gauri blankly stared at the group, fear clawing at her insides. Can she go through it again? A marriage in which he doesn't have his consent.

But do you have any other choice?... her brain argued.

"I think this is not necessary. Just say something like the bride got ill and we cancelled the wedding," Omkara offered and Taadaka glared at him.

"When you lie, it should be believable atleast," she countered.

"But you are going overboard. This does not give the reason for us to get married Daadi," Omkara rebuked.

"I don't understand your argument Omkara sir. You are already married. Aren't you? Why are you making this into an issue?" Kamlesh asked in confusion.

Oh right! They are married.. why didn't he think of it.

Omkara knew that there was no way he could avoid the drama if he disagreed. But he didn't want to bind Gauri to him for another baseless reason.

Are you even ready for marriage in the first place? His mind asked and he tried to think in the chaos surrounding him.

Slowly, he turned his head to see how she was taking it and found her looking at him anxiously.

"This is the limit. I don't see any other better plan now. Tum dono aise muuh mein ghee jamake khade nahi reh sakte," Subhadra scolded.

"They must be in shock. Otherwise Omkara will not have a problem marrying her for any number of times. Will you Omie?" Taadaka played her final card.