Seher

I ran as swiftly as I can and finally reached downstairs only to meet my mother in law at downstairs on the sofa...my tear stricken eyes scrutinizingly watched her.. she is sitting leisurely on the sofa , sipping her drink...

Oh ! so like mother like son..both are drunkards..oh shit!!

Without paying much attention to the lady,I tried to find the way to the room where I stayed till yesterday, but her voice made me cease on my tracks...

" Wait...where are you going... from today,you are supposed to share the room with my son.."
She said in a stern voice and the mere thought escalated the temperature of my blood... I'm not bound to answer her queries, but still since it's her house, I'm...
I pivoted on my heels and was about to reveal about her son's werid behaviour , I saw him swiftly descending the stairs and running towards his mother...she immediately got up...he hugged her like a toddler and started sobbing, startling me literally...

" Swayam...shh... don't cry dear..what happened.."
His mother cooed at him as if he is a baby and her baby monster son whispered something leaning onto her shoulders... and at the next jiffy, I saw her fierce eyes turning glassy...she fondled his hairs and took him to the garden area leaving me alone inside that grandiose hall...

I sat on the chaise lounge behind me and glanced at the dupatta that I had on my hands...I held it closer to my chest and hot trails of tears cascaded down through my cheeks...
Today, somehow I've been saved....but will not everyday...i know it....

•||•••••••••*•••••••••||•

I squeezed my eyes as the scintillating beams of sun kissed my visage...I strove to open my eyes which was heavy ... I didn't know when the goddess of sleep graced me...
I got up from the lounge where I was laying... I sat on the lounge itself as I didn't know what to do...
I'll never ever step into his room again ..but unfortunately, the servants arranged my necessary things in his room yesterday itself... now I've no option left...I imprecated my own cruel destiny again and again.But seems like almighty has heed my prayers...
I saw shraddha advancing towards me, escalating her eyebrows in an inquisitive manner...
Obviously she'll be inquisitive... because a bride is supposed to spend her night inside her husband's room...

Like a dew drop on the scorching desert, I saw little shehzad giggling inside her arms...
As soon as Shraddha approached near me , I scooped up that Little munchkin inside my arms and kissed him continuously to ease my inner anguish... shraddha faintly smiled at me and fondled my unravelled tresses...

" Seher!!"
Unexpectedly,I heard her gasping in and I glanced at her interrogatively...

" What happened yesternight?"
She asked fastening her gaze on my arms , elbow and neck... I followed her gaze and it stopped on the blood sheathed bruises on my elbow and arms...

His bestowal for his new bride...

" What else... he's punishing... punishing me for becoming his wife..."
I divulged...but not even a single drop of water permeated from my eyes as I said it ..I'm used to it now. I know must have to get accustomed to it because it's not going to conclude...

Just then, I saw bhavani shekhawat entering into the hall with two maids following her ..the maids held some boxes and I handed over shehzad back to shraddha...

" Hey girl... Today starts your post marital rituals...first one is obviously mukh dikhayi...it's the custom of shekhawat family to wear our hereditary jewelleries and saree for this ritual..here it is...you should wear this.. shraddha Bahu, help her..."
Bhawani shekhawat said to me and i rolled my eyes..this family , their people and rituals...all are wierd!!!

Even though I was raging inside, I nodded my head positively... because my parents taught me to always respect elders not matter whom they were and what they were...
I again came back to that dreadful room and I felt suffocated....

This room!!! But where's Mr monster shekhawat ...

My eyes aimlessly roamed around the room to make sure that he is not here and much to my relief , he wasn't here... shraddha asked me to take a hot bath and relax myself... I nodded positively, entered inside the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror...
My visage was all fine..but the bruises...Especially the bruise I got when he sucked my neck harshly...this one is definitely gonna get misunderstood by others... I have to cover it somehow... thanks to Goodness as jewelleries was there .. I sighed and closed the door to get a long relaxing shower...

•||•••••••••••*••••••••••||•

Swayam made his entry into the room... yesternight was excruciating for him...the bitter memories which was haunting him from the past 23 years again rejuvenated his agony...he didn't even realised when he slept on the garden bench after his mom left him alone as per his implore...
He felt very much tired and agitated...he felt a fresh warm bath is essential for him to compose himself back to his self... without thinking much , swayam got devoid of his kurta and was about to enter into the wash room,he found it locked from inside...
He knocked on the door a bit harshly and at the next moment,he heard the voice which his ears never wanted to heed ..

" Coming shraddha..just 2 min"
He heard her and he closed his eyes in exasperation...he imprecated his stars to make him heed her voice on this fresh morning itself...

" Who the hell gave you the permission to enter into my washroom..."
Swayam shouted from outside and this time, it was seher's chance to get exasperated...

She opened the door of the washroom in a swift ...taking a momentary glance of her, swayam got froze on his composure...the girl whom he got married yesterday,looked not less than a princess in her scarlet banarasi silk saree...the red tinct of the saree perfectly complemented her fair complexion...her damp locks rested on her left shoulders , from which droplets of water dripped...
His eyes travelled from her hair to toe and vice versa making her extremely quizzical...she snapped her fingers infront of his face... swayam corrugated his brows and glanced at her exasperatedly...

" Who gave you the permission to use my washroom.."
He shrieked arousing rage inside her...she gathered her courage and glanced at him ..

" You mom...happy now...will you get aside so that I can go ? "
She said in a haughty manner making him gritting his teeth...

" This should be the last time you are using it...if I see you again here, you won't see the next day"
He said, advancing towards seher who was desiccating her soggy locks...she stood near his bed and was about to grab the jewelry boxes that shraddha left there ,swayam advanced towards her to haul her out of the room...
But just he was about to shove her, he skidded stepping on the small pool of water that left from her locks...
To prevent himself from a fall,Swayam firmly held her forearm , resulting the both falling over the bed together...seher closed her eyes anticipating a painful fall but it never came ...she slowly opened her eyes to behold herself resting over swayam's robust torso and her hands grasping firmly over his shoulders...
For the first time, their gaze intertwined...seher gazed directly into his hazels and felt his fervent gaze over her brownish orbs....but unfortunately, that moments were ephemeral as seher pulled herself away from him and glanced disgustingly at him...she arranged her supplant saree properly... swayam got up from the bed like a tempest and immediately seher felt his hot palms over her right cheek succeeding by a loud thump making her go bewildered...

She touched her cheek as hot stream of brines cascaded down through her orbs...she glanced at him incredibly..he just slapped her and she stood their like a stone, unable to comprehend what just happened...

Was it really that much offensive to get slapped?

" Don't you dare to repeat it again"
He spat and left to bathroom leaving a bewildered seher behind...

•||•••••••••••*•••••••••••||•

Shivam

" Sir the news was right.. seher madam got married to that swayam yesternight.."
I heard my PA and I felt the world around me was quashing down ..

" No..this wasn't true... she won't..may be she was forced to..."
I said ..my voice quivered..i can't even imagine my girl with him...No...

" May be sir..i don't know the precise matter but it's true that they got married.."
He again said and this time, i heard a roar from behind...i saw Sanjeev uncle standing with his eyes blazing with wrath...

" What !!! That bastard forced my child to marry him? Is that true Shivam?"
He interrogated and I strove to form a sentence...no words left from my mouth...i was too dumbstruck to answer his queries.. I felt my tears trailing down through my cheeks unknowingly and he noticed it..he immediately engulfed me into a hug...

" Shivam... please don't cry dear...we will bring our seher back... I'll bring her back... it's still not late...we will bring her.."
Sanjeev uncle said to tranquilize me even though he himself is striving hard to not broke down... I hugged him tight and let my eyes shed the tears that my eyes have been holding back...

" No uncle.. we can't do anything...now it's out of our control...I don't think they'll send seher with us.."
I said .i glanced at him and saw his expression again changing into grave...

" What made you think like that Shivam ..? I'm her parent ofcourse and who the hell are they to restrict me from meeting my daughter..I'll go there and will bring my daughter back..."
He said and a heaved a sharp breathe..

I know swayam...he won't allow that to happen at any cost...

" Ok uncle..I'll come with you...you won't go alone.."
I said , despite I know that that's not possible...

•||••••••••••*•••••••••••||•

Seher

After half an hour, shraddha helped me to get ready for the rituals...as per my mother in law 's behest,she tried her maximum to make me look like a
' happy bride ' . She adorned my neck with a heavy piece of golden chocker and my hands with two piece of golden bangles along with the red and white bangles to conceal my bruises... As a final touch, she extended the box filled with vermillion infront of me and I stared at her reflection on the mirror in daze...

I couldn't comprehend the events that happening in my life...I inhaled a sharp breathe and dipped my forefinger and thumb into the box to take a nip of vermillion...
I trailed my fingers through the central partition and tinged it with vermillion...I glanced at my reflection on the mirror...indeed by adornments,i look like a happy bride..but mentally....

A lone tear escaped from my eyes but shraddha placed her hands over my shoulders... I nodded positively and she sheathed my face with a red translucent veil...

" What the shit..."
Suddenly, alerting us both, we heard the door opening wide succeeding with a shriek and i know who it was...

"Oh Bhabhi... you here..I'm sorry.."
Suddenly watching shraddha with me, he got alarmed and behaved like an obedient brother in law...i looked away from that monster...the warmth of his slap still didn't left my cheeks... shraddha was striving hard to conceal his finger imprints from my cheeks..

I won't forgive you monster..

"No no...swayam..it's completely Alright...you are here to summon us downstairs aren't you..?
She asked and i saw him nodding positively in exasperation... Unlike the last two days, he's formally dressed in his blazer...I think he won't be here for this drama and will leave for office...
Thank God

" Ok come let's go .. "
Shradhha said and I slowly got up from the chair...he glanced at me once and I left the room with Shraddha by my side..he followed us like a gentleman...
Hain?! What the hell is happening

We descended the stairs and I could see a large group of women standing at the grand living room, chatting and laughing through my veil...they were dressed like traditional villagers yet in a Grandeur manner...

As I reached the hall, I saw everybody glancing at me inquisitively as if I'm some thing for display...
What an awkward moment..
Soon I felt shraddha leaving me and I saw Mr monster standing at my left side with an arrogant smirk plastering on his face...

I saw some women falling over him in the name of blessings and he's literally getting exasperated by each passing second...
Waah.. I loved it..let him know how it feels when be become helpless.. mentally this vision is giving me a lot of delight...

He is addressing all of them like maasi..maami..didi..Nani.. etc..
Oh i never knew that Mr monster is this much kind to everyone..

I felt like laughing...but i composed myself and stood silently beside him...some of them were blessing me too and I just nodded...just then I heard Mr monster muttering..

" I told her that there is no need to call her whole family..shit"
I heard him and comprehended that this women are none other than his mom's family..his relatives...

" Are bhavani...Lets see your bride too..how much will you wait us.."
I heard some random lady saying succeeding with a group laugh of others...
My mother in law immediately made me sit on the decorated chaise lounge and a woman probably the elder one among the group came forward and uplifted my veil .
I tired to smile at her and a wide smile bloomed on her visage..

" Are..yeh toh Lakshmi hai bhavani... tumhara chora ne toh swayam mata Lakshmi ko ghar le aaya hai.."
( Oh god.. she's is lakshmi bhavani.. your son has brought goddess Lakshmi herself to the house...)
l heard her saying and my gaze unintentionally got locked with Mr shekhawat...he glanced at me without any specific expression...
Weird!!!

Soon those women came one by one and gifted me so many gifts and I took blessings from each and every one...but this ritual is incomplete without mentioning their unbelievable compliments...how can they say such words.. like I'm an ordinary girl and they are comparing me to goddesses...
That's too much...
Even a aunty said that me and Mr shekhawat looks like shiv and Parvati together..
Oh god...god knows how much I strove hard not to laugh ..me and him..like...
I wish I could say her that don't compare him with God because even god will feel ashamed...

Finally I got a bit relaxed...not really as again as rituals are left... I saw Mr monster sitting beside of me and I imprecated my fate again and again to made me sit beside this moron ...just then, shraddha came with a large Bowl of kheer and placed it infront of us ..

She then whispered to him..
" Swayam..it's a bit hot...be careful ok?"
And I saw ab evil smirk forming on his lips ..my heart pondered under my chest...
I know... I know this was coming...

" No problem bhabhi.. she'll manage.."
I heard him saying and I glanced at shradhha...but seems like she didn't saw me...

" Swayam dear...feed her the sweet.."
I heard his mother sweetly enjoining him and I prayed lords to help me...
I reluctantly opened the mouth and at the next moment,my tongue felt a sharp severe pain...
My tongue got burned !!!!
He fed me that hot kheer intentionally into my mouth...i felt my whole mouth blazing and eyes rolling up out out excruciating anguish...tears started cascading down my eyes like waterfall and he, like a caring husband,wiped my tears earning an "aww" from the people around us...

Poor people assumed that I'm crying out of happiness and he is wiping it ...

He fed me and didn't cease..he felt almost half bowl of that hot kheer, completely burning my tongue and mouth... I felt like my head is spinning... I unintentionally grabbed his hand for a support as I felt my eyes are getting so heavy to open ...

" Excuse me ."
I heard him faintly saying and he dragged me along with him into an empty room beside...
Immediately he pinned me to the wall beside and splashed a palm full of water over my face from the nearby jug and roared...

" Enjoyed the kheer darling...this is only a start... there's lot more to come.."
He said and I glanced at him with my eyes filled with tears ...

I know..i know there's lot more to come Mr..but I won't live till then ..i know what to do... I won't let you kill me...but I'll kill..kill myself...
I took an oath on myself...

•||•••••••••••*•••••••••••||•

...................................................................
So what's seher upto..?
Any idea...
Please vote and comment your opinion...
Stay happy
Stay safe 🙏