Finally the most awaited prologue is here. Enjoy reading......
Aasha's Pov
"Come with me Ms. Aasha sharma" he said in an ordering tone. His cold stare and cold tone sent a shiver down to my body.
"I am not coming with you" i said.
"I am not asking you Ms. Sharma. I am ordering you" he whispered in my ears.
"No..No, Dev" I said in my trembling voice.
"I have my own ways Ms. Sharma. If you don't come with me, then i will carry you to the car not in a bridal style but in a caveman style" he said whlie sending me his death glare. His eyes is now red with rage. He looks lika a monster now.
"The choice is yours" he said folding his arms on his chest leaving my shoulders.
"Ok!" I said not wanting to face his wrath. Then he grabbed my wrist tightly, dragging me towards his car and pushed me inside the car. Then he sat beside me and started to work on his laptop. He didn't even looked at my side.
I can see the bruise that forming on my wrist. Because he held it very tightly which shows his mood clearly. I build up some courage in me to break the silence.
"Where we are going?" i asked him in my shaky voice. No response.
"Dev?" i called him. Again no response.
"Dev, i am asking you something. Answer me" i asked him, raising my voice a little bit, not feeling good of the cold silence.
"YOU ARE NOT IN THE PLACE TO QUESTION ME Ms. Aasha Sharma. YOU LOST THAT RIGHT ONE YEAR AGO" he said in his calm yet threatening tone after closing his laptop.
I gulped looking at his behaviour. He is completely a different person now. I don't know what he is going to do with me. Suddenly the car stopped in front of the Five Star hotel.
We got off from the car and we entered the hotel. I followed him to the elavator. The way he is treating me now is really scaring me. His this calm demeanor is something feels not good. Its feels like calm before storm. He then closed the door when we entered in his suite. Now he turned to face me with a complete cold glare which frightens me to the core now. My heart started to race heavily.
"How dare you to do this to me? How dare you Ms. Aasha Sharma?" Dev shouted in rage while taking predatory steps towards me.
"Listen Dev, I..I am sorry. Please let me explain" I pleaded while taking my steps back.
"Sorry? Really? Ms. Sharma" he asked me with a smirk. Now my back hit the wall. I gasped. His face is in a few inches away from mine. Suddenly he held my waist tightly.
"You know very well that i can't live without you, right? You know that without you i will be like a lifeless body. Then why you left me?" He shouted in rage. I looked at him with my tear filled eyes.
What he saying is true. Yes i left him. I know he will be hurt if i leave him. But my fate left no options for me. I love him a lot. I can't live without him too. I even know that he also can't live without me. But if i stay with him, i will spoil his life. l will destroy his life. l can't give him any happiness. I can't tell him the truth.
"Tell me damn it why you did this to me?" he shouted. I shivered.
"I..I" no words came out from my mouth.
"Tell me" he again shouted at me while tightening his hold on my waist painfully.
"I left you because for your own good" I said closing my eyes tightly.
"Oh! My own good?" Saying this he crashed his lips on mine. His kiss was not a passionate one but a punishable. I struggled in his arms. I tried to push him away. But he was so strong. I flinched in pain when he bited my lower lip.
"You are going to endure more than this Ms. Aasha Sharma. You are going to face the consequences for leaving me" he said while wiping the blood from my lips. I gulped, looking at him.
"Get ready to face this New Dev Malhotra!" saying this he left the place not before locking the suite door. I fell on the floor with a thud. I buried my face in my knees crying hard. I don't know what to do now. I never expect that this day would come. What am I going to do now? I stopped crying when the door opened. I eyes went wide when I saw Ramesh. I got up from my place when I saw him coming towards me.
"Ramesh?" I said while wiping my tears. He smiled at me gently handing me the tissue.
"Thank you" I said taking this tissue from him.
"How are you Aasha?" he asked me with a smile.
"Ramesh, can you please help me to leave this place?" I asked him with a hope that he will help me. But my hope shattered when I saw him sighing in disbelief.
"Seriously, Aasha? You still want to run away from him? Let me tell you, boss is very angry at you. If he hear this then he will sure loss his temper. Just keep quiet and listen to him. Don't provoke him and it will not end well" he said with a serious expression on his face. I looked at him not knowing what to say further.
"Ramesh, please help me" I pleaded him.
"Check your luggage. Tell me if you're missing anything" he said placing my duffle bag in front of me. I frowned when I saw my bag. No…. This can't happen.
"Why my bag is here? What he is up to?" I asked him feeling panic.
"We are leaving for Mumbai. So check your things. If you find anything missing then I will go and bring the stuffs from your house. Because we have very less time" he said making my heart to pound rapidly. I can't go with him. No… No…
"Atleast give me your phone, please" I begged him.
"Don't be like this Aasha. You already made him suffer for a whole year. Is this not enough for you?" he asked me with a drown.
"Why he wants to take me to Mumbai? Don't he already has a girlfriend? Then why he is doing this to me?" I asked looking at Ramesh. He looked at me with a shocking expression.
"He don't have any girlfriend, Aasha" he said with an annoying face. I looked at him shocked.
"But he said in the University…." before I could say anything he cut me off.
"Yes. He said that he has a girlfriend and that girlfriend is you" he said. I stumbled backwards when i heard his words. So…. he don't have any girlfriend? Does he still loves me? Tears fell from my eyes.
"How can you think that boss will have another girlfriend?" he asked with a sigh.
"Thank God, boss is not here. If he heard you saying this, I don't know what he will do to you" he said shaking his head and turned to leave but stopped in his spot. I frowned and looked at Ramesh. Then only I saw Dev standing near the door way. I shivered when I saw him. He heard everything? No…
"Take her bag and wait in the car" Dev said to Ramesh. Then Ramesh left the room immediately. I looked down biting my lips. Dev came near me. I didn't dare to look at his face because of my guilt. So I looked down. I noticed his black shoe when he stood in front of me. He gripped my jaw painfully raising my face to meet his.
"I thought you know me very well. But I was wrong. You don't know about me like how I know about you" saying this he pushed me away making me stumble a few steps back.
"Dev" I called him with my horse voice. Suddenly without saying anything he grabbed me by my wrist and dragged me with him out of the presidential suit. I tried to struggle from his grip. But the more I struggled the more his grip on my wrist tightened.
"Don't push my limits" he said sternly when we reached inside the elavator. I stopped protesting when I saw the anger in his eyes. He left my wrist with a jerk.
I was about to take a step back from him but he was quick to wrap his arm around my waist pulling me close to him. I winced when he squeezed my waist painfully. He dragged me out when the elevator door opened.
Ramesh and Daniel was already waiting for us near the car. I looked down when I saw Daniel looking at me with a disappointing expression. Dev opened the car door and pushed me inside ad sat beside me. Ramesh sat in the passenger seat while Daniel started the car. I looked at Dev. He is looking outside the window.
"Boss, our pilot informed that our private jet is ready now" Ramesh said making my heart thump loudly against my chest.
I looked at Dev.
"Lets go" he said with a curt nod to Ramesh.
"Dev, please don't do this. I don't want to come with you" I said while wiping my tears. He just sat there like he didn't hear any of my words. I even asked Ramesh and Daniel to help me. But they also acted like a Deaf to my words.
Why he is doing this? I can't be with him. I can't….. I muffled my sob by burying my face in my plams. Suddenly the car came to a halt. I looked outside through the window. It's an airport. I didn't notice Dev leaving the car. He opened the door for me to come out. I shook my head while moving back in my seat away from him. I saw his dark face in my blury eyes. He dragged me out of the car with my forearm. I winced because of the pain. Then he dragged me inside the airport not minding my struggle.
The sequrity measures were not very tight as we are going in Dev's private jet. My eyes widened in astonishment when I saw his private jet. I never saw his private jet before. He didn't leave my hand no matter what. He made me sit on the window seat and buckled my seat belts. Through this all time I didn't struggle against him. Because I lost all my energy by crying. I heard the pilot announcing that the flight is going to take off. I felt my eyes heavy. I closed my eyes and soon blackness consumed me.
"Aasha, wake up" I heard someone calling me. I stirred in my sleep. But again someone called me. I frowned and opened my eyes. I rubbed my eyes to wipe the sleep away. When I saw the person who is sitting beside me, my breath hitched.
"Neha?" I said looking at her shocked. Then only I noticed my surroundings. This….. This is the same room when I used to stay in the Malhotra Mansion. But….. How did I end up here? I was in the flight with Dev.
"You fainted in the flight. Dev bhai carried you here. You had fever. So doctor gave you injection to reduce your fever. It's already 3 pm. Go and freshen up. I will bring you something to eat" she said monotonously, trying to get up from the bed. I grabbed her hands.
"Neha, how are you?" I asked her with a smile.
"Why do you care?" she asked me with her raised eyebrows. I don't like the way she is talking to me. She is talking to me like I am a stranger.
"You're talking to me like I am a stranger" I said looking down at my lap.
"It's you who think me as a stranger. Not me. So don't act like a pitiful girl in front of me. You hurted me a lot. You insulted our friendship. Not only me but the entire family who showered you with a lot of love. Do you know how worried they were all? Do you know how Dev bhai and Sameer bhai searched for you?" she said in a tone that she never used on me in the past.
"I had my reasons to do that" I said biting my lips to control my tears.
"I just don't want to waste my energy on you. Dev bhai asked me here to take care of you. So I came. Now go and take a shower" she said leaving the room. I sighed and went to the bathroom. I took a hot shower and I saw a salwar placed near the sink. It's a peach color salwar. I wore it and dried my hair with the hair dryer. Then I left the bathroom. I saw Neha waiting for me with the food placed on the bed. I sat on the bed and started to eat the food. She didn't say anything the entire time. She just sat on the couch not even looking at my side. I finished the food and washed my hand in the bathroom.
"Neha" I called her when I saw her getting up from the bed.
"Now what?" she asked me with an annoying expression.
"Can you please help me to escape from this place? I can't stay here. I want to leave this place. Atleast give me your phone. I have a friend in Manali. I can ask him…." before I could finish my words I felt a sharp stinging sensation on my right cheek. I looked at her shocked while placing my hand on my cheek.
"You still have the intention to run away from here? How can you Aasha? Have you ever loved Dev bhai truly? If Dev bhai would have heard what you said now, I don't know what he will do to you. He gave you everything. But what you gave him in return? Only pain by leaving him. You even made this family hurt. You never cared about Dev bhai. You also never cared about the family members" she hissed in anger.
"Stop it Neha. Stop it. Don't speak nonsense" I said furiously looking at her angry face. How dare she question my love for Dev and the family members? I love him and I love everyone in the family.
"Nonsense? I am not talking nonsense, Aasha. I am just stating the truth. If you love Dev bhai then why you left him? You wouldn't have hurtled him if you ever loved him truly" she said wrapping her arms across her chest.
"Don't you dare, Neha. I am warning you. Why do you think that he is the only one who suffered in this whole year? You're my friend. Don't you know about me? Don't you know what kind of person I am? Is this how you know about me? How can you think so lowly of me, Neha? Don't you know how my life was before meeting Dev? There was no one in my life. A lonely life where I had no one to ask about my well being. I was an orphan even though I had a family. A family who don't even remember me in their busy life. I didn't have any hope, expectations or wishes in my life until I met Dev.
He filled my colorless world with a lot of colors. He fulfilled all my desires. Actually it was only after meeting him I learned to dream. I started to Dream about My future with him. It's because of him I got a caring sweet mother, a doting father, a cute sister, a friendly Chachu and Chachi. Tell me Neha, why would I leave this life where I got everything that i missed in my life? Tell me……. " I yelled at her in pure anger. My chest tightened when I poured all of my agony out. She looked at me with a guilty evidence in her eyes. I wiped my tear stained cheeks looking away from her.
"Aasha, what's the reason behind your that decision? At least tell that to me" she said in her soft tone coming near me. I looked here and there not looking into her eyes. Suddenly I heard some one knocking the door.
"Come in" Neha said. Two girls who dressed fashionably came inside. One of the girl is carrying an Emerald green lehenga. I frowned at them. That girl placed the lehenga on the bed.
"Hello Mam. I am Sakshi, a stylist and this is my Assistant Priya. Please change into this dress. Then we can start with your make up and hair style. We are already running out of time" the girl who introduced herself as Sakshi said with a bright smile on her face. I stood there confused. Then I looked at Neha.
"Whats happening here, Neha?" I asked her. She sighed looking at me.
"You go and wear the dress" she said casually.
"But why?" I asked her feeling totally confused.
"Don't waste the time. Just go and wear the dress" she said.
"I am asking you why I should wear this dress? Why can't you answer my question?" I raised my tone at her. She looked at me with a frown.
"Aasha, listen to me carefully. Dev bahi is very furious right now. So don't make things critical. He will get mad if he finds out that you are not wearing the dress. So go and change into this dress then they Will do your make up" she said looking at me.
"I am not going to wear this dress. You heard me? Now please leave me alone. You all just leave" I said feeling frustrated. The girls went out of the room but not Neha. She rubbed her forehead with her palm.
Dev must be planning something. Why he wants me to wear this dress? Something is fishy. And Neha is also not telling me anything. I should find some way to escape from here. Suddenly the door burst opened revealing a furious Dev. He looked at me with an icy galre. I felt a lump in my throat.
"You can leave now Neha. I will take care of her" he said not looking at Neha but sending death glares to me.
"Okay" saying this she left the room. He walked towards me slowly. I took a step back when he stood so closely to me. He suddenly grabbed my wrist.
"What's your problem? Why you didn't wear the dress?" he asked me while checking his watch. I didn't said anything as I was already trying to control my tears.
"You didn't like the dress?" he asked looking at me.
"Why do i have to wear the dress? " I asked him softly.
"Today is Mehandi and Sangeet. Tomorrow morning is haldi and evening is our Marriage. Any problem?" he said calmly shocking me to the core. I looked at him horrified. My heart nearly stopped when I finally processed his words.
"Wha… What did you say?" I asked him in my trembling voice still not believing his words.
"Did I stutter?" he said gripping my jaw looking at me fiercely.
"Now go and wear the dress" he said leaving my jaw. I shook my head at him.
"No, Dev. Please" I pleaded him.
"I said go and change. Don't make me repeat my words. We are going to marry tomorrow and that's final" he said in his cold tone.
"I don't want to marry you. You can't force me, Dev" I said while wiping my tears. His eyes turned more cold when I said this. I thought he will punch me in his anger but suddenly he laughed. His laugh was a mocking one which sent chills to my body.
"You don't want to marry me? Then why in the hell you're wearing this" he asked me grabbing my right wrist. I looked at my wrist. I was stunned when he pointed at the bracelet.
"I myself made you wear this bracelet when I proposed marriage to you, right?" he said tugging me close to him where my body pressed against him. Biting my lips I looked down. While having me in his arms, he fished something in his pocket.
"You're even keeping this ring safe in this whole year, haa?" he said showing the ring which he made me wear after confessing his love to me. When… When did he get this ring?
"Let me tell you again. We are going to marry tomorrow. No one.. I said no one can stop me from making you as my wife. Not even you. If you still have any thoughts about running away from me, then hear my advice, erase all that thoughts. If you try anything stupid then I won't even hesitate to chain you to the bed in my room. So get prepared to become my wife. Now go and wear this dress" he said putting the ring on my ring finger in a harsh manner that made me hiss in pain. I gulped hearing his words.
"Dev…please" I called him softly in the hope that his behavior towards me will soften. But no… Instead he looked at me like he is seeing his enemy.
"You won't change into the dress, right? Fine then. I will myself help you to change. However I am going to be your husband by tomorrow. So it's not a big deal to see my soon to be wife's body today" saying this he suddenly tugged my stole down. My stole fell on the floor. I looked at him horrified. I was about to pick up my stole from the floor but he already wrapped his arm around my waist pressing my body against him tightly. I tried to pushed him but he didn't bulge.
"Dev, what are you doing? Leave me" I said while struggling in his arms. My body went still when his hand touched the zipper of my salwar. I looked at him frightened. His face remained blank without showing any emotions which made me shiver in fear.
"Please stop, Dev. I will go and change into the lehenga. Please don't do this to me" I cried burying my face in his warm chest. His hand still didn't move away from my back. I felt relieved when he rubbed my back up and down soothingly. I sighed and my sobs turned into sniffles. He moved me away from his embrace and wiped my tears from my cheeks. I didn't dare to look into his eyes.
"Be obedient. Now go and change. Then the stylist will help you with your make up and hairstyle" he said moving away from me and left the room without even turning back. I looked at his retreating back. His tone didn't carry any emotions. This is the tone which he use to order others. How did he turn into an emotionless person? Is it because of me? Of course it's me. This man, he once used to talk to me in a warm, doting tone and his eyes always filled with love and adoration for me. But today there is no warm, no love in his tone. His eyes is now carrying a coldness which I never witnessed before. The way he calmed me by rubbing my back up and down when I was crying clearly shows that he is masking his emotions from me. He still loves me. He still cares for me. But I am not worth of his love and care. I sighed and looked at the beautiful dress on the bed. But he didn't left me any options.
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Total word count : 3994
So my dear readers, Did you all enjoy this chapter? I hope I didn't made any mistakes in this chapter. If you find any mistakes or you have any confusions just let me know. I have an announcement, guys. My exams are going to start from 28th Feb to 5th March. So I will be busy with my exams and won't be able to update. I will update the next chapter after completing my exams. So please don't get mad at me. Wish me good luck, guys.