Double update - check the previous chapter if you missed it!

Trigger Warning⚠️

The next six months Pari had the toughest time adjusting to her life. She felt like life hated her and she was the only one targeted. Her father was hospitalized due to heart attack, Salem's growing alcohol problem and anger tantrums, life was serving her one problem after the other. Salem had paid the whole hospital bill and assured her family members that Pari's dad would be alright. He was a good son-in-law but then he would come home drunk after his shooting and Pari had to take him to their bedroom supporting him. She hated the stench of alcohol. In the morning, he would promise to drink less but at night, it was just the same story on rewind.

She just wanted a break.

The only good news? Priya was to become a mother. She would go out and buy new cute stuff for Priya and give it to her. Priya once told her to stop buying all these things for her as it puts her in an awkward place with her in-laws. So, Pari just visited Priya and spent time with her. They were already discussing names for the baby!

"Why are you so late?" Salem asked when he saw Pari coming home at 11 pm.

"I thought you had a shoot." She replied.

"So? Is that any reason to come home so late? Pari, I don't care how much time you want to stick to your sister but my wife won't stay out so late. It's unsafe, Pari." Salem told her.

"Isn't it a good night? You are finally not drunk and on the verge of losing conscious for once!" She commented.

"Why? Have I ever dissatisfied you? Even if I come home drunk, I have never given you a reason to complain..." He smirked.

"There is more to a marriage than just keeping each other satisfied on bed. But a jerk like you will never understand that." She said and turned her back walking towards the bathroom when she felt a hand gripping her hair tightly.

"A jerk? Babe, don't force me to show you what a real jerk I can be." He said and left her hair.

She turned to face him. "F*ck off, you bastard." She spit the words at him. She felt a stinging pain on her cheeks. He held her hair again and made her face him.

"Don't you disrespect me, Pari. I am not the one to tolerate it." Salem said in anger.

She held her cheeks and went straight to the washroom. She wanted to be alone.

She came back from the washroom with a red face and puffy eyes. She couldn't keep her crying to herself and loud sobs left her mouth.

"I have to get up early in the morning, keep quiet and let me sleep." He said with his eyes closed on the bed.

She tried to calm down but failed. "Pari. Quiet now." Pari kept her hand on the mouth and controlled her sobs.

*

The next evening Salem's parents had come over for dinner along with his sister, Aamna. They saw Pari being quieter than usual and asked her the matter but she didn't say anything. She didn't serve them nor did she eat anything.

"Pari, is something the matter with you? You can share it with us." Jenny asked again once they were done with dinner.

"Can you stop asking me the same thing again and again?" Pari said irritated.

"Bhabhi, how are you speaking to mom?" Aamna was shocked listening to Pari's tone. Pari had never spoken rudely to her parents. Jenny showed her hand to Aamna indicating not to talk.

"Aamna, at least I have better manners than your brother." Pari retorted.

"Pari, has Salem said anything to you?" Jenny enquired.

"Why don't you ask him? Anyway, I want to have my dinner in peace. I will get the desserts packed. I hope you had a good time." Jenny and Mr. Ahmed had nothing to say. They bid adieu to her. Pari had never behaved this odd to them. They understood that something had gone wrong. Aamna was angry at Pari but her parents stopped her from saying anything further and asked her not to mention anything to Salem.

A week later, when Salem was back in town from his outdoor shoot, he was called by his parents for dinner at their home. Pari accompanied him but didn't speak much to his parents. She would only answer in nod and a yes or no.

Asif, Salem's brother, was also present. He was talking about his new restro and club. Salem had invested in it and had gifted Asif his dream. He always wanted to own a restro and had big plans for it. The celebrities and the rich visited it, thanks to Salem. But Asif noticed Pari was not talking to him as she usually would.

"Bhabhi, why are you not saying anything? You must visit it once and see all that I have put into it. All thanks to Bhai, of course." Asif smiled at Salem.

Pari just nodded.

Once the dinner was over, the servants got in the ice cream. "Pari, see all your favourites, which one will you have?" Jenny asked.

"No, thanks." Pari responded. Salem had been noticing her detached behaviour but didn't say anything. He could see the look of surprise on his mom's face when Pari refused the ice cream and also how her face fell at the refusal.

"Mom, pass the blueberry one. She is just in one of her moods. Nothing me and the icecream can't fix, right love?" Salem said with a thinning smile to appear as the cute and loving husband. He fed her icecream with a threat in his eyes that said - dare to defy.

"Why don't you all stay here at the night? It's been too long since you both visited." The family insisted and Salem agreed when Aamna pleaded.

When Aamna, Asif and Salem planned for a movie night and a game of cards, Pari retired to her room citing that she wanted to sleep. Salem had a fun night with his siblings.

The next day at the breakfast day as Jenny was serving her kids along with the servants, Pari didn't help her like the other times.

"Pari, help mom." Salem instructed her.

"No, Pari. Enjoy! If you guys can sit and enjoy, why should Pari help me? She is also just like my child." Jenny said and continued serving the breakfast.

When both Aamna and Asif left to go out, Jenny and Mr. Ahmed made Salem and Pari sit. They asked them what's the matter with both of them when Salem denied having any issues.

"You think we are fools? You might be a big star but we have also seen the world, Salem. Every relationship has their fair share of problems. Only communication and love can make it better. So, you want to tell what is wrong?"

Salem sighed as a response. He didn't want to have this conversation with his parents.

"Okay, I understand you don't want to talk to us. But, please work on your relationship, it might be difficult but worth it. Love is a special thing." Jenny said with a smile.

"Yeah right, but before working on this relationship, someone will have to work on their manners." Pari said a sentence for the first time since yesterday and it didn't go well with Salem.

Salem looked at her.

"What! Don't stare at me. Am I saying something wrong?" Pari asked.

"I'd prefer you not saying anything right now." Salem commented.

"Why? Afraid of what your parents will think?"

"Shut up." Salem muttered to Pari.

"Beta, calm down both of you." Mr. Ahmed said. He was not interested in his son's marital problem discussion but Jenny forced him to be a part of this. He believed that speaking in between the matter of husband and wife would only increase the problem.

"I don't have anything to say. At this point, I am just regretting my decision of being with him." Pari stated bluntly.

Salem banged his fist hard on the table. "This. This is exactly her problem. She doesn't know when to say what and when to shut it up."

"And shall we speak about your problems? Then, we will have to sit here for hours!" Pari retorted.

Salem smirked at her words. How much he loves that fiery mouth of hers but he would love it more when he tames her.

"It's good that you want to address your problems." Jenny, always the optimistic in the room.

"Mom, we would like to go home. I don't want to discuss anything here." Salem said.

Mr. Ahmed signed Jenny not to force kids and let them be.

"Okay, let us know if you want us to help with anything." Jenny smiled.

"It's too late. May be, you could start with teaching your son some manners, that'd help a lot." Pari said with a sarcastic smile on her face.

"Enough!" Salem's voice boomed.

"Say sorry to my mother, right now." Salem yelled in anger.

Pari was terrified of his raised voice but she concealed her fear.

"Salem, it's okay. We understand." Jenny tried to calm her son down.

"Pari, say sorry" Salem insisted but Pari's ego was hurt.

"You keep on insulting and humiliating me and you want me to take it like some animal. I have emotions and respect, Salem. Don't you try to treat me like a slave." Pari pointed her finger at him.

Salem walked closer to her and put her finger down. "When you talk to me, have some respect." He warned her.

Salem had a reputation of being the angry young man on set. He had a successful track record for a hero, with many hits and few flop movies. The directors and producers knew Salem was necessary nowadays for the movie to become a hit. Salem had a lot of say in the movie, he was more than a hero. He could dictate who would be on the set and who wouldn't be. The directors spoke to him with caution and nobody wanted to cross him.

"Enough you two. Salem, you can talk to her without getting angry." Mr. Ahmed said and walked away.

Aamna had come back but Jenny took her in the kitchen with her letting Salem and Pari be alone.

"Done with the drama? Shall we leave for home?" Salem asked but Pari didn't reply. He went to kitchen when he heard Aamna's conversation with Jenny.

"She is behaving the same way she did that day. Why don't you tell Bhai how -"

"Tell me what?" Salem asked.

Jenny tried to hide the matter but he asked Aamna to tell the truth.

"Nothing Bhai. Bhabhi behaved very oddly with us when we'd come for dinner. She asked us to leave after the dinner saying she will pack the desserts. And she also replied rudely to mom, something about manners." Aamna vomited like a parrot without realising that she added to Salem's anger.

"Salem, listen to me. Don't do anything wrong ...." Salem didn't listen to Jenny's words and took Pari's arm in his hand.

"Bohot shock hai na dusron ki tameez nikalne ka." (Please translate)
He took her home with her.

Jenny shouted at Aamna, "Who told you  to blabber all that to your brother?"

"But I didn't say anything wrong. She can't treat us the way she did!" Aamna retorted. Aamna was now in her last year of college. She had a princess treatment from both her brothers and immense popularity in college due to Salem's fame.

"Aamna, he was in so much anger already and now because of you they will have a fight. You don't know your brother's anger?" Jenny was annoyed. Salem was a great kid but he was always the short tempered one, getting into fights for his friends was a common thing for him. When Pari came into his life, they thought the anger had disappeared from his personality but it seems like the success in his career got his anger back.

*

"Salem, I didn't do anything." Pari said in a low voice as he dragged her from their living room to the bedroom.

"What happened that day when my parents and Aamna were here?" Salem asked furious.

"Did you ask them to leave?" Salem asked when he didn't hear anything from Pari.

"I want to know from you, Pari." Salem was getting impatient.

"I didn't." Salem was dissatisfied with the answer, she continued, "I just said I will pack desserts for you. It doesn't mean I was asking them to leave." Pari justified.

"Pari, I married you five years ago, known you before it..." His hand swung in the air and hit her cheeks, "you take me for a fool, you lying minx."

"You get it straight, Pari - no disrespect, no lies." He told her. He knew the meaning behind her words.

"You don't deserve respect." She smirked.

"Oh yeah baby? Well, too bad, I know how to take it." He banged her head on the wall.

"I love love your mouth - so daring, so fiery. I love your audacity." He said with a smile. "And I would love it more when I get to tame it." Gone was his anger. It was now a game for him and he plays to win.

She was on the ground holding her bleeding head when she felt a kick on her stomach. She screamed in pain and curled up when he kicked her twice more.

"You don't get to tell my parents to leave, do you get it?" He yelled and kicked her.

She crawled towards the door but he caught hold of her ankle and pulled her.

Her eyes still looked at the door and her hands stretched in its direction, hoping to escape. He made her stand and again banged her head at the wall when she screamed for help. She knew the servants were out and even Wajid and Tiger.

She hoped for the door to open.

"Help me." She screamed in pain.

"Baby, I'll tell you a secret," Salem said and he whispered the next part, "nobody is coming to save you, my love."

-----

DOUBLE UPDATE!

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NOV 22'24

I hate writing such chapters but unfortunately that's the nature of the story.

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