The Game of Fate

Chapter 13

Arjun

I cannot be more mad at Devraj for touching my wife and being disrespectful like that. He is my uncle's son. I have never really liked him because of his womaniser behaviour but I haven't really bothered to say much to him ever before but if I see him around my wife again, I may have talk to him and maybe not just with words. 

We walk silently back towards our chambers. She is so close to me yet I fell like she is mountains away from me. I have done some bad damage and I don't know how to repair our relationship now. She looks so drained and tired.

One thing that I know is that I have to get the fiery woman I fell in love with back.

"Rukhsat, you should get ready for breakfast, everyone will be waiting for us to join them", I say softly.

I watch her go to her trousseau that came after we arrived at the place. Her father had sent a lot of her clothes and jewellery and other things as gift. She picked up a white suit to go get ready for breakfast. I know she would have looked ethereal in it but she cannot be wearing white and a suit now, she is my wife and the princess consort of our kingdom and she needs to dress like that. Also I remember the comment mother made the yesterday while blessing us, I do not want to give her a reason to get mad at Rukhsat for anything more. 

The thing with mother is that she is being unreasonable at this point. I know she does not approve of my and Bhai's marriage outside of our religion but it is done now and she should be more accepting of her daughter in laws. 

Bhai is a great leader who commands authority when he enters the room but when it comes to our mother, Bhai becomes a little oblivious. He trusts her more than anyone and respects and loves her more than any son ever can and while I respect him everything, I wish he understood how things have changed. I am a little tensed that my mother would try to stir something up with Hayat Bhabhi and Rukhsat. 

Before Rukhsat disappears to go and change in the other room, I call out to her," Rukhsat, please do not take this the wrong way but you cannot wear that to breakfast, white is not a colour that a new bride should be wearing and I also think that you should be wearing a saree". 

She turns around a looking a little confused and says, " I understand but I do not have a saree". 

Obviously, I should have known that, given our cultural differences but I also had the solution for it. "Come with me". 

She follows me wordlessly around the room and I stop near a huge box, that my sisters helped prepare in the 2 days that they had before our wedding. I picked out a pink saree for her and handed it to her. 

"Here, take this, and I think your jewellery is in that box over there".  I swiftly go to the bath area to take a bath and get ready and also give space to Rukhsat to dress up. 

.....

Ruksat

In the last week my life has changed completely. There has been just so much that is happening and I feel really overwhelmed. Yesterday, what happened really hurt me and I know I told Rajkumar Arjun that I have forgiven him but it is easier said than done. My mind keeps going back to what happened every 5 mins and there is just a lot of disappointment and distrust in my heart at this point. 

He broke his promises just like that, what guarantee is there that he would not do that again? Last night, I defended myself from him but he is so much stronger than I am and what if this happens again and I cannot save myself. What if he raises his hand on me again? Will I always be tainted with this fear of him in our marriage? 

So many thoughts run across my mind while we walk back to his chambers and I barely realise when we get to the room. 

"Rukhsat, you should get ready for breakfast, everyone will be waiting for us to join them", I heard him say and that brought me out of my chain of thoughts.