chapter 10

Pari sat cross-legged on the bed, the dim glow of her mobile screen casting a soft light on her face. The reels kept playing — cheerful, carefree snippets of other people's lives but she wasn't watching anymore.The sounds from downstairs echoed through the silent corridors of Vikrant's mansion.Raised voices. Sharp words. A thud. A glass breaking, perhaps.Her heart thudded louder than the noise.Her gaze darted to the clock on her phone. 9:00 PM.Vikrant was home. But who was he fighting with?Through the cacophony of overlapping voices, she could pick out his — deep, commanding, unyielding. The other voices, though, were a blur of anger and disdain.She knew. She didn't need to hear the words to know the cause of the argument.It was her. It could only be her.Pari swallowed the lump in her throat, her fingers curling into the silk bedsheet as if it might anchor her trembling form. The thought of going downstairs, standing before his family, facing their accusing glares, hearing their words laced with disgust made her stomach twist.Her chest tightened.She wasn't a fool. She understood their hatred. Their son, the powerful, ruthless Vikrant had brought home a woman like her. A girl from a brothel. How could they accept her as their daughter-in-law?She bit her lower lip until it hurt.Stay here. Don't move. Don't breathe too loud.She told herself she would remain in this room until someone, maybe Vikrant himself came to fetch her.But the voices downstairs kept rising. Her heart beat raised and she looked around the room. Is it cowardly of her to think of hiding in the huge almirah, behind clothes so that his family never finds her.The clock struck 9:15 PM.The shouting downstairs hadn't stopped — if anything, it had grown more intense.Pari sat frozen on the edge of the bed, her fingers clutching the fabric of her simple saree, knuckles turning white. The air felt too heavy to breathe. She could almost taste the bitterness in the voices echoing up the grand staircase.She tried covering her ears but just then a loud voice of a lady entered her ear." VIKRANT!"She stood straight and hurriedly got down from the bed. Did something happen to him? Did someone raise their hand on him?The mere thought of Vikrant being hurt erased every trace of hesitation. The fear of his family's hatred, the weight of their cruel words — it all disappeared in an instant.Without a second thought, she flung the door open and stepped into the hallway, her bare feet quick against the cold marble floor. Her anklets chimed with every hurried step, a soft, desperate sound that announced her presence long before she reached the staircase.As she descended, the heavy silence of the living room slowly unraveled — thread by thread.The shouting had stopped. The only sound now was the delicate jingle of her bangles and the soft clink of her anklets.Her eyes fell straight on him.Vikrant.Seated on the couch, elbows resting on his knees, his broad frame slightly hunched. His shirt, crumpled and untucked, clung to him like a second skin, a dark lock of hair falling over his forehead.But his eyes...They were fixed on her.Not with anger. Not with defeat.With something raw, something so intense it sent a shiver down her spine. She gulped down her saliva and felt so many gazes on herself.Did she do something wrong? Shouldn't she have come here? What would his family think seeing her? Should she go back to her room?Many thoughts came and went but his steps did not move from their place. Her eyes caught the sight of his mother, sitting beside him. Only familiar face to her after Vikrant. But, she wonders how Akansha will react after knowing the truth? Will she look at her with the same affection?Beside her was sitting an old woman - must be his grandmother." Oh, so she's that bitch-"" Language, Kiara until you want me to shut your damn mouth and disclose your little secrets."Vikrant, interrupted his sister- not buying a bit of disrespect against his wife. Kiara scoffed.Vikrant's father, Angad jumped in the conversation," Oh, so now you are worried about bad and good language, Vikrant? "Who all will you shut up? The news has spread and these days, the media doesn't waste time digging into someone's background."The emphasis on someone's background was a direct jab at Pari, an unspoken reminder of who she used to be. Vikrant's jaw flexed, a muscle ticking just beneath his stubble. He leaned back on the couch, resting one arm lazily over the backrest, but there was nothing relaxed about him." Damn the media. I don't care," Vikrant replied nonchalantly.He didn't blink, didn't flinch — just stated the words as if the media, the world, and their opinions were mere dust beneath his feet." Aha! You don't care but we do, Vikrant. Have you made such a girl the daughter-in-law of the Agnihotri family?"Sugandha, his kaki spitted furiously. Pari felt the sting of those words like a slap across her face.Such a girl.Like she was less than human, a stain on their precious family name.Pari's throat tightened. She wanted to move, to stand beside Vikrant, but something kept her rooted in place. Fear, maybe... or the painful truth of what she was hearingBefore she could even process the hurt, another voice joined the assault.Sushmita- Vikrant's eldest sister stepped forward, her arms crossed, her expression twisted in disdain."You could have had anyone, any girl from a respectable family and yet you chose her?" She spat, the words laced with fury."Did you even think about what this means for us? For the Agnihotri name?"The room fell into a suffocating silence.Pari's fingers dug into the wooden banister, her heart pounding against her ribcage. The servants who were looking at her with love and respect till yesterday, are today looking at her as if she is an alien. Akansha, on the other hand, is silent. So much must be running in her mind. She's surely feeling betrayed." Do you want to tarnish our family's name with filth and garbage? You have already organized a procession by spreading the news in the media."Anubhav- Vikrant's Kaka said furiously, glaring at Pari from time to time. Vikrant glanced around the room, his gaze hard as steel." If the Agnihotri name is so fragile that it shatters because of the woman I love..." He let out a cold laugh."Then maybe it was never that strong to begin with."" Vikrant!"Angad's voice thundered through the grand living room, his face dark with rage. The veins in his neck strained, his hand clenched into a tight fist at his side."First you committed the crime," Angad seethed, "and on top of that, you dare to be arrogant?"The word crime echoed like a gunshot in the silence that followed.Pari's breath caught in her throat. A crime. Was that what their marriage was to them? An unforgivable sin?Vikrant felt his mother placing her hand on his thigh. Her hand trembling ever so slightly, tried to anchor him, a silent plea for restraint. Keep your voice down. Respect your father.But respect was a luxury Vikrant couldn't afford right now." Gunaah nahi, baba. Shadi kari hai."( Not a crime, father. I have married her.)Vikrant said, his voice steady but burning with quiet intensity. Pari's eyes enlarged hearing the confession from his mouth." If it's a crime in your language, I'll commit it a thousand times," he said while looking at his wife standing at the stairs and fighting with her tears. Oh, how badly he wants to hide her in his embrace.Just a little more, Pari. Wait a little more.He hoped she read his expression."You call this love?" Sugandha's voice dripped with disgust. "It's a stain on this family!"" I want you to divorce this woman as soon as possible because we do not allow such women in our family? Who will introduce her to people?"Angad blasted with fury. A wrinkle formed on Vikrant's forehead as he stared at her." And you!"His frown deepened as he saw Sushmita going to Pari. She shifted uncomfortably in her place." Stop right there, di!"Vikrant's voice echoed and he added, " do not go close to my wife. Aap sab ki gandi nazre meri paawan Pari par daag laga degi."( Your dirty gazes will stain my pure wife.)The audacity of a man who stood in front of his own family, not to protect their so-called honor... but to defend the woman they sought to tear down." Stain her?" she scoffed, turning slightly to point a manicured finger at Pari. "You think we will stain her?"Pari shrank back an inch, her hands trembling at her sides." You're walking around with a stain like her," Sushmita hissed, her words dripping with poison, "and you have the nerve to call us dirty? Such women spread their filth wherever they go."She sneered. "Can you even trust her, Vikrant? Do you really think she won't go whoring ar-""DI!"The roar that ripped from Vikrant's chest shook the room.It wasn't just anger, it was wrath.Sushmita flinched, her hand snapping back to her side like she'd been burned.And she wasn't the only one.The entire family recoiled at the sheer force behind Vikrant's voice. A long tear slipped free and traced a silent path down to Pari's cheek. She bit her lower lip, as if trying to stop the wave of pain from breaking her completely.And then, Vikrant moved.His steps were steady but deliberate, each one echoing in the suffocating silence until he was right there, standing before Pari.He didn't speak right away.He just looked at her, his wife, broken, beautiful Pari.His hand lifted slowly, his fingers brushing away the tear trailing down her cheek. The touch of his finger lingered on her cheeks.And when he finally spoke, his voice was no longer thunderous.It was quiet.Deadly quiet."Say one more word about my wife,"Vikrant said, not looking at Sushmita but keeping his gaze locked on Pari like she was the only person that mattered in the room."Just one more word..." His voice dropped even lower. "And I'll make sure you all regret it."Another tear escaped Pari's eye, but this time.She wasn't crying from the insults.She was crying because, for the first time in her life, someone wasn't just protecting her, he was shielding her like she was the most precious thing in the world.The silence in the living room was deafening, a thick, suffocating weight that clung to every corner of the grand Agnihotri mansion. Pari's tear-streaked face rested against Vikrant's hand, his thumb gently wiping away the pain his family had tried to etch into her soul.His dark gaze lifted- cold, sharp, merciless and landed on his family , each of them." Listen carefully," Vikrant said, his voice dangerously calm, a storm wrapped in stillness." I didn't ask for your permission when I married Pari, and I'm not asking for your approval now. Do whatever the hell you want but try laying your finger on my woman, I'll make sure I show the hell to you."He stepped forward, slightly pulling Pari with him, not away from his family, but in front of them. A bold move. A statement.His father chuckled sarcastically, " so you will go against your own family for this useless woman? I believe you married her for 60% shares in the company my father signed for you."Pari glanced at him confusedly and felt him tightening his hold on her hand." Too bad, until you divorce this woman and clear the matter off we won't give the shares to you, my dear good-for-nothing son."Angad taunted him but he stayed rooted in his place.The sudden break in tension came not from silence but from his grandmother's trembling voice."Enough everyone! Enough!"Her words, though cracked with age, sliced through the venom in the room. The echo of her pain was far louder than any insult that had been thrown so far.All eyes shifted to the Agnihotri matriarch, standing at the edge of the room—small in frame but mighty in presence. The weight of her words silenced even Angad, who pressed his lips into a thin line.Vikrant's jaw tightened, his hand still locked with Pari's."You did wrong, Vikrant," she said, her voice breaking. "You married this girl without thinking of your family. Without thinking about the name you carry."His grandmother's eyes watered, though whether from sadness or anger remained unclear. "You're blinded, Vikrant. Blinded by this woman's face, her games."Pari's heart stung.Games?Was that all they thought of her? Again, she can't blame them.A coldness swept over the room, harsher than the insults thrown earlier.Vikrant's grandmother, with her back straight and her hand gripping the stick, spoke with a finality that made Pari's chest ache."You've married her, fine. Be happy," she said, her voice steady but devoid of warmth. "We will introduce her to society, craft whatever stories we must to protect the Agnihotri name."Pari's heart pounded."...but don't you dare expect us to love her like the other daughters-in-law of this family."Silence.Pari blinked slowly, her throat burning as the words settled in her mind like thorns."She will be forever deprived of our love," the old woman added, each word cutting deeper than the last.A tear slipped from Pari's eye.Not because she wanted their love, she didn't expect it.But the cruel reminder of how unwanted she was in this household... it stung.Vikrant's jaw flexed, his hand tightening around Pari's so much that her bangles clinked softly. His entire body went still.Vikrant parted his lips, ready to retaliate, to strike back with words as sharp as knives but before he could, his grandmother lifted a hand, silencing him with a simple gesture.Her gaze shifted to Angad, stern and unwavering."Angad," she said, her voice heavy with finality. "We're leaving."Angad's head snapped toward her. "But Maa-""I said we're leaving," she repeated, her voice harder this time. "This is Vikrant's house, his mansion and we have no right to stand here any longer if we can't accept his wife."A stunned silence blanketed the room.Kiara's face twisted in shock. "Dadi, you can't be serious! You're just going to let her-""Enough, Kiara."Angad's fists clenched at his sides. "Maa, this is absurd-""Absurd?" His mother's voice cracked like thunder. "What's absurd is turning a son's home into a battlefield over his wife.""We're going back,"she ordered.His family wasn't welcoming her. They were retreating, not out of love, but out of bitter acceptance.Akansha requested to stay but didn't talk to Vikrant right away. She asked a servant to show her a room.As they started moving, Angad gave Vikrant a cold stare. "This isn't over."Kiara whispered something to Sugandha, casting one last venomous glance at Pari, before storming off.And then, just like that one by one, they all left.The heavy doors of the mansion closed behind them, and the silence that followed was deafening.Pari blinked.Once.Twice.Before realizing they were alone.Just her.And Vikrant.He didn't speak right away.He turned to her, cupped her cheeks in a soft grip." They are gone, Pari."She blinked slowly. The silence of the mansion wrapped around them, but the echoes of what had just happened, the cruel accusations, the venom-laced words still rang in her mind.Stain.Whore.She will be forever deprived of our love.Her throat burned as the weight of their hatred settled deeper into her chest, suffocating her like a cruel hand pressing against her heart. A long tear escaped her eyes." Hey," he whispered lovingly and pulled her into his embrace.The first hug.The first comforting hug.It wasn't planned. It wasn't delicate. It wasn't something Vikrant had thought about.One hand cradled the back of her head, his long fingers tangling into her hair, while the other rested firmly against the small of her back, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.Pari stiffened at first. Not because she didn't want the comfort, but because she didn't know how to receive it.She wasn't used to this, this feeling of being held like she mattered, of being embraced.But then, she crumbled like a leaf fell from the branch and he held her tightly- enough to keep her stable.A sob escaped her mouth- soft and heartbreaking. She pressed her forehead into the curve of his shoulder, her tears soaking the expensive fabric of his shirt.She trembled, her fingers curling his shirt in a fist." I.. I.. am sorry," she whispered, her words broke out in another quiet sob.Whatever happened, some minutes weren't good. She knows wherever she'll go, her past will follow her like a shadow which won't even leave her alone in the darkness.A permanent stain has taken home in her life. He fought with his family for her, took a stand for her but she didn't want this. She does not want to separate him with his family and be the reason for the home-breaker.Her sobs softened into quiet sniffles, and after what felt like an eternity, her voice broke the silence again. He pulled back and tenderly wiped her tears." Go to your room. Wait for me. I'll go and meet my mother, hmm?"She nodded, tilting her head side by side. She stepped back and without sparing a look at him, she made her way upstairs. The soft jingle of her anklets echoed through the empty hall, growing fainter with each step she took.She didn't look back.Not once.He let out a deep sigh and went to his mother's bedroom. She surely has many questions ready for him. His steps were steady, calm on the surface but his mind was a storm, swirling with every cruel word his family had hurled at Pari.⋆༺✷༻⋆Read more chapters in scrollstack ( early access) id- SSneha7