Mumbai
Jannat Villa
Haya had curled up in bed, trying to shield herself from the cold. Suddenly, her eyes opened as she felt raindrops hitting her skin. The chill made her tighten her posture even more. It was then that she realized the water was dangerously close. Fear gripped her as she quickly sat up, her heart racing. The rain was coming down harder and faster.
Meanwhile, Rudraksh was lying comfortably in bed, his lights switched off, oblivious to the storm outside. Haya, her frustration rising, began pounding on the door, shouting angrily, "Rudraksh! Open the door! I'm freezing! The rain is getting heavier! Please, Rudraksh, open the door! Can you hear me? What is wrong with you?"
Despite her loud cries, Rudraksh was unfazed. With a calm, almost indifferent tone, he replied, "Go to sleep and let me sleep. This is your punishment for slapping me earlier." He was deep in slumber, barely awake.
Haya, now even angrier, shouted again, "It's raining heavily outside! Open the door, Rudraksh! Or the slap I gave you today will be nothing compared to what you'll get tomorrow from the entire house!"
Her angry shouts had no effect on him. Rudraksh, completely ignoring her, wrapped his pillow around his ears, trying to block out the noise. Meanwhile, Haya's head began to throb with pain. She screamed until her voice became hoarse, but this man wouldn't even listen to her.
After about an hour, Rudraksh lazily opened his eyes and said in a sleepy tone, "What happened? Out of energy already? Keep shouting if you want." Haya didn't respond to him. Then, suddenly, Rudraksh opened his eyes fully and glanced out of the balcony. He was shocked to find Haya lying unconscious on the ground.
In an instant, Rudraksh's drowsiness and the effect of the alcohol he had consumed vanished. He rushed to the balcony, opened the door, and as soon as he did, Haya collapsed at his feet. He quickly scooped her up into his arms and carried her inside. Her sari was drenched, and for the second time that night, she was soaking wet.
Rudraksh gently slapped her cheeks, trying to wake her up, "Haya, open your eyes! Wake up! Are you playing some drama again? I know your tricks. Get up quietly."
Even though he scolded her harshly, Haya didn't respond. She was shivering uncontrollably from the cold. Unable to speak, she simply trembled in his arms. Rudraksh let out an exasperated sigh and laid her down on the bed, his tone now cold and indifferent. "You're fine. I know very well you did all of this just to embarrass me," he muttered under his breath.
He looked at her with frustration, his voice rising in anger, "God, what all do I have to do?" After saying this, he switched off the lights, then suddenly and roughly, he began to remove her sari from her body. As he did, his hands brushed against her figure, but Rudraksh exerted considerable control over himself. After a few moments, he changed her clothes and turned the lights back on.
"I thought doing this would clear things up for me, but this forced wife of mine..." Rudraksh muttered angrily. He glared at her and sat down beside her, still upset. Haya was still shivering, but Rudraksh was unmoved. He simply left her there and went to the couch, where he lay down to sleep. Haya's face flushed deeper from the fever, but Rudraksh showed no concern.
The Next Morning
Around 10 AM, someone knocked on Rudraksh's room door. Rudraksh, irritated, shouted, "Who's death has come so early in the morning?" Despite his angry outburst, the knocking continued. Rudraksh angrily threw his pillow on the ground and walked toward the door, still not paying any attention to Haya. When he opened the door, he found Arina standing outside.
Rudraksh snapped at her, "You know I don't like anyone disturbing my sleep this early in the morning, right?"
Arina, speaking gently but with concern, replied, "Rudraksh, where is Haya? I've tried calling her multiple times, but she's not answering. She said she would go shopping with me, and I'm free now. I thought I'd go with her, but where is she?"
Hearing this, Rudraksh snapped out of his grogginess and replied, "She... she's still sleeping."
Arina, knowing her brother-in-law well, frowned and asked sharply, "Rudraksh, did you do something to her? Move aside, I need to see her. I have to talk to her."
Rudraksh, with little concern, stepped aside slowly, replying, "As you wish." He began to get dressed and muttered, "The queen is sleeping peacefully in her own home. She never gets this peace here."
As he put on his clothes, Arina, clearly irritated, said, "What kind of person are you, Rudraksh? If you can't be a good husband, at least be a decent human being. She's suffering from fever, and you don't care at all?"
Rudraksh, looking uninterested, responded nonchalantly, "What? Fever's not a big deal. She'll get better, everyone gets it. You're overreacting, Bhabi."
Arina, now frustrated, snapped, "Stop your nonsense, Rudraksh!" But Rudraksh, unaffected, just grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom.
As he walked out of the bathroom, he said, "I have a very important meeting to attend. I'm leaving now. You stay with her." With that, he left the room.
Arina was left bewildered. What had happened to Rudraksh? Why had he suddenly become so hateful towards Haya? Haya hadn't even done anything to him. She was still in such a terrible state, and yet, Rudraksh had left her like that. Thinking all this, Arina quickly made a call to the rest of the family.
Five minutes later, everyone gathered in Rudraksh's room: Mannat, Shivay, and Falak. Shivay gently said, "Arina, the doctor will be here soon. In the meantime, keep a cold compress on Haya's head."
Arina nodded and did as she was told. Mannat, seeing Arina's worry, spoke softly, "Rudraksh?"
Arina, thinking for a moment, shook her head. Tears welled up in Mannat's eyes. Falak kept her hand on Haya's forehead, soothing her. In just two days, Haya had become the soul of the house. And yet, the person who should have cherished her had become her enemy. But what could she do? Perhaps this was her fate. A little later, the doctor checked on Haya and said, "Mrs. Shekhawat, your daughter-in-law seems to have been soaked in water all night. She has a fever due to the cold. I've given her an injection, and her fever will subside in a little while. After that, please give her the prescribed medicines and keep an eye on her. She is quite weak as well." With that, the doctor left.
Mannat, in a soft voice, said, "Shivay, Rudraksh has turned into stone, a heartless stone that doesn't care about anyone. How could he leave his own wife like this?"
Shivay, gently holding Mannat, replied, "Please, control yourself, Mannat. Right now, we need to focus on Haya. She needs us more than anything. Arina, you stay with Haya, and Falak, you make sure there's no problem for your sister-in-law."
With that, Shivay and Mannat left the room.
Shekhawat Industries
Rudraksh was sitting in his car, his fingers gliding over the laptop, but no matter how much he tried, his mind couldn't focus on work. His thoughts kept drifting back to Haya. Somewhere deep inside, he felt guilty, knowing that he was the one responsible for her condition. Lost in his thoughts, his phone rang.
It was Max on the other line. Rudraksh put the call on speaker and said, "What's up?"
Max spoke quietly, "Boss, tonight there's a drug deal happening at Hotel Moonlight. Some people from America are coming, and they want you to handle the deal this time."
Rudraksh closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Okay, tell them I'm ready. And you stay ready too. We need to secure this deal tonight, and make sure no one gets wind of it."
With that, Rudraksh ended the call, running his hand through his hair. He started dialing someone else's number on his phone but couldn't summon the strength to speak.
Will Rudraksh's heart awaken to love for Haya? Can Haya's innocence cast a spell on him? To find out, read "The Devil's Sweet Sin."