Could This Be Love

Chapter 2❤

The marriage was a haste affair. Hritika refused to conduct the pre-marital rituals but the wedding night rituals had to be done, what seemed to Hritika, all for the paparazzi.

There were lights everywhere and it was dazzling. The lights were so strong it made her feel light headed. She missed her parents, she missed being supported. She missed the feeling of having someone to at least stand up for everything that was happening.

The varmala, pheras, everything felt so quick and meaningless to Hritika. She didn't know the face of her husband, hell, she didn't even know the name of her husband. The sindoor was conducted to her forehead and she felt helpless. For a moment she wanted to get up and run away but the constant retrieval of her aunt's words made her feel absolutely defenseless.

A stubborn rage, a burning fire of betrayal panged in her heart. It was as if the sindoor ritual has instilled a stone to her heart. She pledged to the fire she would help herself out of the situation. She pledged to free herself from this marriage as soon as possible.

As soon as the pandit declared the completion of the marriage she further pulled down her veil to cover her distressed emotions and her hands curled up into a fist. Anxiety peaked inside her. She thought to herself, whatever has she let happen to her!? Why didn't she protest harder? Why didn't she runaway?

As the anxiety built in, she felt dizzy and lost her balance for a while until she steadied herself holding one of the mandap's pillar.

She was soon greeted by large number of people. She couldn't even see their faces due to her veil.

As rituals of vidaai started, she was held in an embrace by her aunt.

"Oh my lovely, congratulations on your marriage" she cooed.

"Enjoy all you want on the grave of my happiness. Enjoy all you want with every pennies you've tricked out of people. That is, while you can. 'Cause do not take me for women who tolerate, I will come back for what belongs to me"

"Oh let's see let's see whatever you can do. Please take care of your husband, darling" She said before pulling out of the embrace.

As Hritika sat in the car with her 'husband', a complete stranger, she felt extremely uncomfortable. She asked the driver "Excuse me, could you share the car's registered number?"

The driver gave a strange confused look as he told her the number. She noted it down and posted it to some Derek and wrote "If I die, this is the car I am in. Hunt it down"

She hid her phone under the veil before she received and texted back more to the person until she fall asleep.

When she woke up, she was still enroute to what is normally addressed as in-law's.

She heard her phone ringing, she received it "Hello, this is taiji"

"Um...who?"

"Taiji!"

"I'm sorry, I can't remem-"

"Is Aarav there?"

"Who?"

"Aarav!!"

"I am sorry, I don't know someone as such"

"You are??" She asked again.

"But who do you want?"

"I am taiji" she repeated.

"Wrong number" she ended the call as she sighed "what a crazy world"

But it kept ringing again and again but she ignored.

When they reached their destination, the groom's house, might it be added it was based on a huge land and definitely  screamed of money. Aunt did not just deal with them for nothing.