⟢⟢ 𝗞𝗮𝘃𝘆𝗮: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗶𝗳𝗲 (𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝟮) ⟣⟣

⟢⟢ 𝟒 ⟣⟣

Im sad...why is nobody commenting on this book like they did on my first? Pls if you read & vote then also leave at least one comment...pls!

Target: 10 comments

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Before Vedant could even formulate a plan, he was forced to go through the motions. The pheras were a blur of motion and terror, his body moving in a frantic, desperate rhythm. Kavya, a silent, sobbing figure under the veil, was a statue of her own despair.

The rituals continued. The pandit ji (priest) began to chant the sacred mantras (prayers), and Vedant knew, with a terrifying certainty, that he had no way out.

Then, a joyous, exuberant woman in the crowd, seeing his hesitation, gently pushed him forward. "Arre dulhe raja! Iss umar mein kya sharmana? It's time for the sindoor!"

Vedant, his mind a blur of fear and a profound, agonizing despair, reached for the sindoor. His hands were shaking, but he had no choice. Kavya, meanwhile, was trying to get up, a silent, terrified scream on her lips, but Amrita's mom was holding her down, a gentle, loving smile on her face. "Beta we talked about this! This is your life now!"

Vedant, with a trembling hand, applied the sindoor to her forehead, a final, brutal truth. He then, with a profound, agonizing reluctance, tied the mangalsutra (sacred necklace) around her neck. 

Just as the final mantra faded, a sudden gust of wind, as if on cue, whipped through the mandap. It caught the edge of Kavya's ghunghat and sent it flying, revealing her terrified, tear-streaked face to the entire village.

A stunned silence fell over the wedding. Dayashankar and Gauri were in shock as they saw her, "You!" Dayashankar roared, his voice a low, guttural growl. "You are not my daughter! Where is Amrita?!"

Kavya stood up, her gaze fixed on the angry faces in the crowd. "I will never let you ruin her life!" she declared, her voice a low, furious whisper. "I will never let you marry a child to an old man! This is not right!"

Just then, the distant roar of a tow truck reached their ears, a sound of hope in the sea of anger. Vedant, ripped off his sehra.

The crowd gasped again. "You? Dulha kaha hai?!" Dayashankar screamed, his voice filled with a desperate, heartbreaking rage.

Vedant didn't answer. He grabbed Kavya's hand, his grip like a vise, and started running. "Let's go!" he yelled, his voice a low, terrifying roar.

The villagers, their faces a chaotic mess of shock and anger, ran after them. Kavya, seeing a hunting rifle laying there, grabbed it and pointed it at the sky. "Stop! Don't come any closer!" she screamed, her voice a terrified, desperate sound. The villagers, seeing the gun, stopped in their tracks.

Vedant,  whispered in a low, panicked whisper, "Do you even know how to use that thing?"

Kavya's head, still filled with the raw, desperate fear of her own actions, shook. "No," she said, her voice a soft, pained whisper. "I don't."

Vedant just stared at her, his jaw slack in disbelief. "What?! Then what the f*ck do you think you're doing waving that thing around? Are you crazy?! Our lives are on the line!"

"What am I supposed to do?! Just let them catch us?! You weren't exactly coming up with a plan!" she yelled back, her voice a low, furious whisper.

Just then, a villager, a man with a furious, determined look on his face, moved to catch them. Kavya, in a moment of desperate, terrified panic, swung the rifle like a club, and with a loud, jarring thud, smacked him in the head. The man stumbled back, clutching his head & glaring at them.

"RUN!" Vedant yelled, and they did. They ran, their feet a frantic, desperate beat against the quiet village road.

 The shouts of the villagers echoed behind them. Kavya, her breath coming in ragged gasps, held the heavy bridal lehenga up to her knees. Just ahead, they saw their salvation: the tow truck, their wrecked cars already secured on its flatbed, was slowly pulling away.

"Come on!" Vedant yelled, his voice raw with exertion. He broke into a final, desperate sprint, reaching the truck just as it picked up speed. He grabbed the side rail and, with a powerful leap, hoisted himself onto the back. Without a moment's hesitation, he reached down, his hand finding Kavya's, and pulled her up with a fierce, desperate force.

She scrambled onto the truck bed just as the villagers, reached the spot where they had been. The tow truck driver, completely oblivious to the dramatic escape unfolding behind him, simply drove on, his vehicle a loud, jarring sound that faded into the distance, leaving the angry villagers in a cloud of dust.

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As the tow truck rumbled down the deserted road, leaving the angry villagers far behind, Kavya and Vedant finally let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief. They were safe.

Vedant, however, a man of logic and order, looked at Kavya, a worried frown on his face. "Are you sure this was a good idea, Kavya? We just... we just helped a girl run away from her wedding. They could say we kidnapped her."

Kavya, her face streaked with dirt and exhaustion, simply shook her head. "No, we didn't kidnap her. We saved her. And besides," she said, her voice a low, reassuring murmur, "Amrita has an aunt in the city. She'll be safe there. We'll take her to the police & explain everything."

Just then, a small, terrified voice came from inside Vedant's car. "Doctor Didi? Vedant Bhaiya?" Amrita called out, her face pale with fear. She slowly got out of the car, her gaze, filled with overwhelming innocence, landing on Kavya. "You... you got married?" she asked, her voice a low, confused whisper.

Kavya's eyes widened. She looked at Vedant, then slowly looked down, and there it was...dangling from her neck: the mangalsutra. A silent gasp escaped her lips.

Vedant looked at Kavya, then at the sindoor on her forehead. The pheras, the mantras, the sacred fire—it all came rushing back. They were married. They were actually, truly, legally married. And they were both completely, utterly horrified.

After a moment of staring at each other, Vedant let out a frustrated groan. "Oh god this cant be true....its a nightmare! A nightmare that I'm stuck in with you! It's all your fault! You and your stupid plan! You got us into this!"

"My fault?!" she shrieked, her voice a low, angry growl. "You're the one who hit me with your car! You're the one who got us stranded! And you're the one who agreed to this crazy, stupid plan! Also I never planned on actually GETTING MARRIED!!!"

"Hey if it wasnt for me you would have been married to that old guy!" he yelled back. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "What will I tell my family? They expect me to come back with a business deal not a WIFE!"

"And what am I supposed to tell MY family? Im the last daughter...My parents had big plans for my wedding!" Kavya replied. She then took a deep breath to control her anger. "Ok look," She muttered,  "We need to get an annulment. I'll talk to my dad, he knows a good lawyer. We can have this thing sorted out by next week."

Vedant stared at her, "An annulment? Tumhara dimaag kharab hai kya? I can't do that!"

"Why not?" she snapped, her voice a low, desperate hiss. "It's a mistake! We weren't even supposed to get married! It's not like... it's not like we're in love or something!"

"I know that!" he retorted, "But I can't get an annulment! Marriage... marriage is very important in my family. It's a sacred institution. We don't just throw away a marriage because it's 'inconvenient'! We don't just throw away our vows because it's not what we planned!"

Kavya just stared at him, her jaw slack in disbelief. 

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