2

Mature and sensitive content ahead. Reader's discretion is advised.

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Khushi

Terrified of what he might do, I sit on the bed and try to climb down, but he walks to me and holds my arms.

"You will remain on the bed, Khushi," he says, tightening his hold on my arm.

"It... huu...rrrtsss," I hiss due to pain and try to take his hand off my arm, but his clutch tightens as he brings his face closer to mine.

"This is only the beginning, my not-so-innocent wife. You will have to endure so much more. You deserve this punishment, after all. Your evil deeds are responsible for the situation you are in." He holds the strap on my dress and pulls it forcefully, ripping it.

"Nn..oo, please, I... I didn't dd..oo anything. I..it was bee..ccau...ssee of Anjali--" I try to explain to him but stop talking when he leaves my arm and grabs my hair tightly, yanking it backward with such force that I feel sharp pain over my scalp.

"Don't you dare, Khushi. Don't you dare take my sister's name with your filthy mouth. That night, all the pieces of evidence showed us what a complete filth you are. Do you know what the girls like you are called? They are called dirty whore," he says to me, and I look at him in disbelief.

"Arnav, pl.lleaasse lis..listen to me," I whisper and see his hard eyes soften momentarily.

Gaining strength from his soft eyes looking at me with something I cannot decipher, I start speaking, wanting to tell him everything.

"I did not do anything, Arnav. Nothing was my fault. That man manipulated me. I did not want to cause trouble in Priya's marriage and this household, so I kept quiet.

"That night, when Anjali came to my room, she--" I abruptly stopped speaking because the sharp sting in my cheek due to his slap rendered me speechless.

Looking at him, I can only see fury itched all over his face, and his eyes are the darkest I have ever seen.

"I told you not to take my sister's name, didn't I? And from this moment on, you will not take my name too. You will call me Sir starting this very second. Do you understand?" He looks at me sternly.

The next moment, a painful hiss escapes my mouth as he clutches my neck, squeezing it tightly.

He continues squeezing until I start to struggle, unable to breathe.

I tap on his hand several times and plead with my teary eyes for him to leave my neck, but he does not relent.

Finally, when I think I am about to pass out, he lets me go, and I fall to the floor, coughing and taking gulps of breaths.

"When I ask you a question, I expect a verbal answer. If you repeat this same mistake the next time, your punishment will be harsher. Do you understand?" He asks me.

"Yy..eesss, I... I understand," I reply immediately, not wanting to get any punishment.

"Good. Now stand up, strip, and sit on the bed. I will take a shower and join you in a few minutes," Arnav says, and I feel chilled to the bones as I realize his intention.

"Arna--" I start but stop as he glares at me.

Understanding why he is looking at me that way, I correct my mistake.

"Ss..Sir, ppll..easse, it...it still pains down there. I... I won't bb..ee able to--" I stop, hoping he will understand.

He smiles at me, and for a moment, I feel that he really understood me and my pain.

"When I come out of the shower, I should see you naked on the bed. If not, I will strip you naked and take away all the clothes from the cupboard. Not only that, but I will also take away the bedsheet and blanket. You will not have a stitch of clothing in here to cover yourself.

"And everyone who comes here, from the maids who come to clean the room to the servants, who come to give you food, will see your naked body. So, it's your choice," he says to me and walks toward the bathroom.

But he stops midway and turns to me. "Also, know that no matter your choice, I will take what I want tonight. Be it by force or not."

I am rooted to my spot, stunned by what he just said.

Would he really keep me naked for everyone to see? Would he actually do that?

Based on everything that has happened until now, I have no doubt.

He will do it. After all, he has vowed to make my life hell.

So, with sobs racking my body, I start taking off my dress.

I do not want to, but I have no choice. I cannot let others see me in such a vulnerable state.

Once I undress, with a stark-naked body, I walk toward the big mirror beside the cupboard in the room and look at myself.

There are many bruises covering my breasts, my chest, my thighs, my arms, everywhere. Some are still red and purple, while some are starting to fade.

I touch the bruises, my eyes welling up as I remember how Arnav gave me these bruises on the wedding night.

He was a monster that night and will be the same tonight too. He will take me repeatedly against my wish, and I will be unable to do anything to stop it.

I stop looking immediately as I hear the shower being turned off in the bathroom.

Knowing Arnav can come out any second, I quickly walk to the bed and sit there.

I move to the far corner of the bed and bring my knees closer to my chest in a feeble attempt to cover my modesty.

The bathroom door opens, and my heart races, dreading what will happen.

I feel goosebumps lining my whole body due to the fear as I see him walking toward me with only a towel around his waist.

"I see you have obeyed, and I am pleased. Now be a good girl and lie down on the bed, hands on your side," he says to me, sitting on the foot of the bed.

I try to follow his order, but my whole body is frozen in fear. I cannot move my limbs, no matter how much I will myself to do it and get this over with.

I can still feel the pain of that night, and I am unsure if I can handle that kind of pain again.

"My patience is running out, Khushi," I hear his voice and see his severe expression, but I cannot move. I just cannot.

"I had told you never to disobey me. But you did. So, now, I will have to punish you." Saying that, he climbs onto the bed, taking the towel off his body.

He then grabs my ankle and harshly moves me to the center of the bed.

Roughly, he extracts my hands from over the knees and keeps them above my head.

"Your hands will remain here. It is already going to be hard for you. Don't make it more difficult by further disobeying me," he says as he makes me lie down on the bed.

I can only stare at him, my mind screaming at me to run, fight, do something, anything to stop him, but my body is too scared to even move.

But the moment he spreads my legs and puts his hand on my core, I finally find strength to move back.

Not wanting him to get closer, I put my hands on his chest, trying to push him away.

I try to close my legs, but he is too strong for me.

My hands cannot push him away, and his strong hands on my thighs do not allow me to close my legs.

"I had told you not to make it more difficult for yourself, but you did not listen. Now you will bear the consequences of disobeying me," he says to me in such a way that I struggle more due to his fear.

I try to hit him, punch him, kick him, push him away, but nothing works. I cannot get him off my body.

And when he has had enough, he clasps my hands and moves them above my head to tie them to the headboard.

He then climbs down the bed while I struggle to free my hands.

"Keep trying to free yourself all you want, but you won't be able to. Now, let's see what more I can do." He looks at my naked struggling body for a few seconds before walking to the cupboard and bringing the ropes.

My eyes widen as I see them. I did not know there were ropes in the cupboard.

He must have seen the confusion on my face because he starts speaking then. "I had staff put them in the cupboard because I knew it would come in handy in taming you."

He walks to the bed, then spreads my legs, tying each ankle to the foot of the bed.

"No, please, NOOOOOO," I shout and wail as he ties me naked to the bed, my legs spread for him to do whatever he wishes with me.

But he climbs up on the bed, hovering his body over mine, and the next moment, a blood-curdling scream escapes my mouth as he suddenly slams inside me.