A melodic hum rang in the air as Khusi patted Yuti's forehead gently, her eyes almost dropping down due to day's fatigue. It was past midnight and Yuti was falling in and out of sleep for the last couple of hours, making it impossible for Khusi to rest.
"Mmm, mmm ... stop ... "
"Shh, go to sleep sweetie. No one will hurt you," Khusi cooed, dropping a peck on Yuti's forehead, caressing her hair.
A terrible incident had happened a few days ago. After the school hours, Yuti had decided to visit her father at the police station to give him a surprise. She didn't even let Khusi know, and had slipped past her guards only to get the biggest shock of her life.
When she had walked inside the police station, the place which had been a place of merry for her since the day she had learned to walk, had resembled a desert, except the grunting of a few men.
There were no guards or cops present in the out office to stop Yuti from walking inside as she had witnessed her father beating the crap out of a man, behind the bars, black and blue.
That man had several bruises on his face and body, along with blood dripping down from his cuts and whipped blisters on his back.
What had made Yuti sick was the wild and dishevelled look on Abhay's face when he was beating the shit out of that criminal, who had a sickening smile on his face.
"Yuti!?" A roar rang outside her room and Khusi's limbs sprang back to life, as she sat up and strolled towards the door. The moment she was about to twist the knob, it bursted open, the door colliding with Khusi's forehead, a yelp escaping past her lips.
"FUCK! Madam ji!?" Abhay's eyes expanded as his gaze fell upon Khusi.
"Shh, keep quiet," Khusi mumbled, rubbing her forehead, her vision turning starry and black.
"Shit, I'm such an idiot. Are you okay? Have you seen ... "
Abhay was practically shouting when Khusi slapped her palm on top of his mouth to stop him from blabbering and waking Yuti up.
"Shut up," she grumbled and pointed in the direction of her bed, when Yuti was lying, tucked beneath her blanket, a peaceful look on her face and snoring lightly.
Abhay's face morphed into relief as soon as his eyes fell on his daughter. The last few days had been pure torture for him, when Yuti had flinched away from him, or had felt uncomfortable in his presence. He couldn't even scold her that day for arriving at the police station unannounced, cause that would have lead to more fear in Yuti for Abhay.
Khusi could feel Abhay's sadness and distress in his eyes. His face was emotionless, but boy if his eyes ever lied.
Shaking her head at how mesmerizing Abhay's gray eyes were, Khusi looked away and tried to push herself on her feet only to stumble back, her gaze hazy.
"Hey, I am so sorry. Let me check." Abhay's strong calloused hands grabbed Khusi's arms to steady her and checked the wound on her forehead. A small bruise was forming along with a slight scratch from the rough edges of the door.
She blinked several times to adjust her vision, but couldn't due to the lack of light in the room. Abhay didn't hesitate a single second before bending down and hoisting her up in his arms in bridal style and strode out of the room, shutting the door close.
"Mr. Mathur! Put me down right now!?" Khusi shrieked, not expecting him to do that.
"I would rather own up to my mistakes," he rumbled, Khusi's palm lying just above his heart.
When he reached the kitchen, he dropped Khusi on the island and swiftly grabbed some ice from the refrigerator, putting it inside a zip lock plastic bag.
YOU ARE READING
Not Her
Romance"I don't want to become a mother." This line is a taboo for women in some parts of the world, and so was for Khusi Mukherjee. At the age of 25, independent and single, she wanted to live her life according to her rules. But everything changed when...
