Taken As Reward (The war of politics and love BOOK 2 )

10. Iztiraar

He is a scary man. But not a bad one. I turned to look at his face, his side profile visible, his sharp jawline with his stubble, his eyes fixated on his mother,

"Then why did you stop her from saying salam and asked her to touch my feet rather?" she asked him, and he smiled a little, a small play of lios or my mere delusion,

"Because when I meet her family, I will say salam." He said it, and she signed, shaking her head.

She just shrugged it away, leaving Dev. "You have already married her, nothing that I can do about it." She said disappointed,

Dev spoke, "So where are you guys going to stay?" He asked her, and his mother narrowed her eyes, "Where else. At my son and daughter-in-law's house." Dev laughed, doing it on purpose, and Daiwik glared at him, shunning him away.

He can't say no to his mother, after just hurting her so extremely, or ever for that matter. And I support this care and respect. But does that mean we will have to pretend to be in a fake marriage?

For how long? He will never agree to me going back given his wrath earlier.

What is he going to do? He turned to meet my eyes, my gripping fear unleashed and I stepped backward.

"Whatever! I got myself a sister-in-law!" Divya jumped and came to me, hugging me and I too kept my hand slightly on her back.

I was still not okay with the human attraction. The mess house, the mess kitchen. The different bedrooms and different clothes. We have too big of a hole to fill.

"Devakshaya, take Mother and Divya with you, show her around your house and city while we clean the house." Daiwik understood before me and already settled in the actions.

He nodded, both the women shared a look, and denied, "We are not going anywhere. We will be sitting and won't trouble you." They said, a phrase individually. And walked towards the room. Divya counted the room,

There is the kitchen, store room, television room, his room, and my room. And then there is the roof, she pointed at mine, "That room is spare. Keep our things there." Divya asked, more like ordered Daiwik. Who gave her the dead look, but caught the bags and walked towards my room.

I haven't set foot in it after that night, I was just in Daiwik's room, because it was the darkest in the house. Its window was sealed completely. I felt relieved on the floor of that dark room when I shut the door.

I caught the other smaller bag but Dev took it from my hand, "Women shouldn't do this." He took it inside the room, coming back took another one. While I stood there in a complete daze.

I should bring them water, I walked inside the kitchen, when I saw how dirty it had gotten once again because Dev had been eating and staying there for a week now. I started to pick the containers pushing them inside the dustbin, I brought whatever sweet snack Daiwik had brought by his own will that day in the things because I didn't write any cookies or munches in the list.

And brother the water outside, finding her mother standing in the television room. Divya inside too, I stepped up to them. And offered them the water and cookies, as a side, when she stared at it,

"I won't lie, I dislike you. Even if he did the marriage, why did you not ask him to talk to his mother? You could have changed his mind. But you chose not to. It's not your blame. But equally your fault." She said and picked up the glass and drank the water keeping it down.

"Divya, help your bhabhi to clean the house." She said, I felt a presence on my back, close, as I was at the threshold of the door, and he was at the entrance.

"No need, I will do it myself," he said, his breath hitting part of my hair that crossed through the under of my ears.
I flinched with little anxiety,

"No, Divya, go and help!" She like an authority said, and she walked outside, asking me for some garbage bag, I went inside the kitchen and handed her.

~

I came back inside his room after cleaning the house with Divya and Daiwik, he kept urging me to not whenever I tried to pick something he was already sitting and pushing the glass pieces into the bag. I cleaned the kitchen before his mother could see, that I wasn't even cooking for her son, and dumped the things in the pile of shatters.

I was worried about my clothes in the other room, I turned around, and walked outside, finding all four sitting in the television room and reminiscing, smiling and laughing, even if I was standing afar, only visible with the partial looks. I smiled, thinking about how happy they were.

Yet the euphoria didn't last long on my face, as my misery curved in my chest. This is the time. I went inside my room with dabbing steps, and picked a bag, from the pile under the drawer of one of the cabinets in the corner that I kept the day I received the clothes, I filled them back inside and hid them, I walked back inside his room.

Throwing the bags under the bed cavity, so they do not see it.

Successfully.

I gulped down, sitting on the bed edge. It's been a week, I haven't bathed, and I have barely eaten since I was threatened by Devakshaya, but he did give me his phone every day to call Mother every morning. So she wouldn't worry.

I looked at the room, this little dump has been my comfort zone for a while now.
Too much happened tonight, I want it to end soon as possible.

I have been getting raped for a year now, and even though it hasn't become constant, it pains the same every time

I closed my eyes when I heard everyone dismissing outside, I heard the main door and then I heard the second door but suddenly the loud clanking and creek of this room's door made me jerk my head up.

I found him standing, right? We are supposed to...

"I am sorry, about what I did. But I can't tell them where you came from. It will kill them." He clarified the first thing, "And you don't need to be scared of whatever you saw today. Just know that this happens often. And every time it does. With no second thought just hide yourself in a room. I will intentionally or unintentionally never hurt you. Even when I am having my episode. So bare this with me. We got to fake our marriage."