Spoiled • 18+ • Arranged Marriage Story

Nineteen

Sakshi watched him stand up and pace the room. Was her one question so hard for him to answer? She realized that she waited and she was scared. What if Myra had been correct? Did he marry her for revenge?

"Myra told me you married me for revenge. That you orchestrated the whole thing so that you could hurt me. Was she telling the truth?"

He then sat on the other side of the bed. "Yes. Kind of."

She pulled her knees to her chest. Her chest ached. "Why? What did I do?"

"It's a long story."

"We have all night."

"Okay. I should indulge you. No point in keeping it from you. So..."

"My parents died when I was five. And I have no recollection of them. I tried very hard to remember them but still, I can't. My dad's business and property were passed on to my uncle and along with that, I was passed on too. Uncle was...."

Sakshi imagined a tiny boy who was orphaned at such a young age and coming to live with his uncle and aunt.

"Uncle was not cruel. Aunt wasn't too. She often spoke of my parents. Uncle just disliked me, I guess. Priya was a one-year-old baby. She used to always find me and she used to crawl all over me. She was such a lovely baby. Chubby and with rosy cheeks. She loved me. I used to detest her but eventually that imp chiseled her way into my heart. Even though she's just a cousin, I started thinking of her as my real sister. I always have had it since then. "

He smiled at her and she smiled at him back.

"Which is why when she called me last year. Her voice was so faint and she sounded so broken...."

"She told me about her and Alec...also about how you introduced them..."

He knotted his fists. "It was that day. We met at the airport. Do you remember? I was planning to settle in Mumbai but she called me and I had to go to her."

Understanding dawned on Sakshi. That's why he hadn't kept his promise.

"Like, Priya told you. I did introduce them. If I could turn back time, I wouldn't have done that. She was engaged to Veer at that time. Uncle had somehow pulled it off. I was surprised that your baba had agreed. But...I didn't want her to marry into your family."

"Why?"

"Well, I didn't have a good impression of your family back then. But mostly it was because of you."

"What? Me?"

He smiled at her and looked up at the ceiling. "If Priya had married Veer. Priya would've withered under your father. But the idea of seeing you at every family gathering was overwhelming. And you have to agree, you did have a bit of a reputation of an ice queen back then" He chuckled.

"It's the pot calling the kettle back. When we first met at Priya and Veer's engagement you wouldn't even look at me and shunned me. You iced me out."

"That'd not when we first met." He slumped on the bed beside her and turned to the side and propped his elbow up and rested his head on it casually.

"Well, then when did we first meet?"

"I was 17. I was an orphan. A poor orphan at that. My Uncle made sure to provide me with the best education but nothing was for free. I had to be an outstanding student or else there were consequences. He would only pay for the bare necessities. All the boys my age had their play stations and game boys and whatnot. I was veryyyyy unpopular at that boarding school. But Ooty is a nice place. I met Myra there."