Naira kept glaring at the now empty street with her hands over her hips as her drove away to get something to eat.

She turned around cursing and got inside the house. Naira felt the bubble of enthusiasm burst when she stared at the empty kitchen. It was strange but his only presence was enough to feel that the rooms were thronging with people. She seemed for the first time in her life not exactly wanting anyone else’s company. It disturbed her, the thought and the sudden emptiness filling around her mind made her anxious and jumpy.

She took the glass container and chewed the almonds lost in thought. A sudden sense of uneasiness clawed at her now. Goodness, she felt unsafe somehow. Till now, it did not even come into her mind such a thing, even though she didn’t know him that much and he had kidnapped her to and got married to her forcefully, but still she didn’t want at all to leave this place. Naira squirmed on the bar stool still thinking crazily over and over why she was feeling like this.

It seemed like an hour passed, but it was only thirty minutes that he had gone. Naira grew restless.

She thought in irritation, but sudden abrupt sound of footsteps from the front hall made her jump in enthusiasm. Naira swiveled around and hopped off the bar stool. She grinned suddenly and chirped her way to the hallway. Wow !! he was fast. How did he return so early ?!! She thought frowning and walked fast.

But her feet glued to the floor and sheer plain fear struck her like a thunder all over. It wasn’t him !!

Her heart failed and sweat shined on her body. Everything of what was secure melted away as she breathed hard. Her eyes rounded in complete terror looking at the two frightening big men walking towards her, but they did not terrorize her mind, in sheer panic as much as she stared into her father’s brutal emotionless eyes standing five feet across at her.

“No !! No !!” She whispered.

The men, her father’s body guards that she knew so well grabbed her hands. They had regret in their eyes for her as she pleaded them to leave her, but she knew they were helpless. Naira understood it, but she determined her will and struggled from their hold. She wanted Karthik to come back. She suddenly didn’t want to go home and face her father.

“No !!” She cried out, and refused to move her feet.

Her father with a very ominous look charged at her suddenly, and before she could react , a straight out slap came like painful hard whiplash on her right cheek. It was so sudden, stinging , hurting and forceful that she fell to the ground because of it. It vibrated and rang her ears in a shock wave of hit, and instantly sudden black dots appeared in her vision. Naira lost consciousness then and there itself…..

Karthik parked his car into the drive way of the mansion. He slid out of the car carrying a take away lunch. His lips quirked up looking at Chocolate boxes he had brought for her. He froze when he saw the wide opened front door. His eyes brows furrowed and he walked inside the house. He looked around waiting for her to come around. He frowned, didn’t she hear the car horn.

He walked forward and into his bedrooms. He pushed open the door and found it empty.

She ran away again. He shook his head and a smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

He moved into the living room and suddenly his eyes fell on the floor. There was a broken glass container and the almonds were strewn around everywhere. Their was a broken vase too. His blood curdled suddenly. It clearly looked like a struggle. His wild eyes caught something silver. He sat on his hunches and caught a string of a ‘Payal’. It was hers. Karthik got up looking at it, and took a deep breath in.

“f**k.” He let out a curse, and ran outside. He opened the car and slid inside and started it.

He slid out his phone and dialed a number but it came as battery low and switched itself off. Damn, how did he forget to charge his phone ?!!

The only thing vibrating in his mind was a suspicion, why did she struggle ?!! She could have easily gone with them and her father ?!!

His jaw hardened and he drove faster. Whatever it was, he was going to get his wife back at any cost.

After hours of a drive while the day darkened into a night and suspicions clouding his mind, Karthik got out of the car while looking at the house. His eyes suddenly drew up to the left side room and the balcony. Something pulled at his mind. He glared at the light coming out of the sliding windows. He could feel her now.

He walked faster inside the house as it wasn’t locked. There wasn’t a soul around. He moved up the stairs hard on his feet.

His heart thudded somehow thinking that this might be the room of hers. He hesitated but opened the room. It was dark inside except the yellow light of the table lamp.

But, his eyes fell on the figure sitting on the corner of the bed. He sighed taking a relieved breath looking at her long dark locks and her bent head.

He walked in and made sure to creak his feet on the floor to draw her attention to his presence. Her eyes wary in the dim light caught his, but nothing changed in her face. She looked passive silent, and closed up into a shell. All day, it was since he last saw her, his jaw grinded looking at her unmovable figure.

Had she been expecting him at all ?!! His mind clawed a question. This is how she greets him ?!! With all the hours thinking nonsensical shit that something had happened to her, this is what he gets.

Karthik’s eyes became cold as they drew to the cupboard. He moved towards it angrily.

“You’re coming with me.” He growled.

He opened the cupboard and found it empty. He frowned, his head turned around and his eyes caught hers in irritation.

“Where are your clothes ?!!” He asked her.

Naira still looked back in passive gaze. The light that twinkled around just dimmed out completely. It unsettled him, her sudden silence. He thought, she would be happy here. In her dear father’s house.

“I already packed them.” She murmured in whisper.

His body locked tight and he moved a little to her side. His eyes fell on the suitcase and a bag beside to the bed, closer to her leg. Something pained hit him hard in the chest. She was waiting for him ?!! Doubts started swirling in his mind about everything now.

He moved towards the bed and he caught hold of the suitcase, but her constant silence and lost eagerness annoyed his nerves. She was sitting there like a sacrificed lamb. As if going with him would be the death of her.

“Why are you so silent ?!! Why aren’t you throwing attitude in my face ?!!” He asked.

She blinked down and he could see a sheen of wet in her eyes. A look of pure silent desperation came into her light brown eyes.

What ?!! His breath stuck in his throat. Her eyed were so red. Like she had been crying. The dried trickle of tears on her cheeks proved it that she had cried hard. His fingers automatically slid on her right cheek, but she flinched back.

His fingers froze mid air and he immediately pushed back the heavy curtain of her hair off her face and he held her head to his view. His eyes narrowed at the four angry red finger print marks covered on her whole right cheek. He released a deep hiss of breath. His eyes slid to her hands. There were finger print marks there too, on her arms.

The thundering of his eyes came back to the mark on her cheek. It hurt too much to look. He slid his wounded gaze back to her wary eyes. They swarm and sparkled now with unshed tears. He didn’t realize, he was breathing harshly now. His chest pained with the effort to take in a breath. He was shaking with it. Extreme hate and a deep anger spread and flowed into his veins.

“When ?!!” He asked her slowly .

She stared into his eyes looking for something, but he was sure she only could find a hurt that strangulated his neck.

“When I refused to leave the house.” She whispered quietly.

His hold slackened on her hair with the sweet punch of her words to his very chest. He sucked in a breath.

She didn’t want to leave him ?!! Why ?!!

Her hand caught his in a tight grip.

“I don’t want to stay here.” Naira murmured in a despair filled voice.

It was a sweet call to his senses again, but a doubt still clawed at his mind, but the violent marks on her skin seem to clear the suspicious cloud. Poisonous guilt attacked his heart and plunged a knife deep in his heart.

He trolleyed the suitcase and caught hold of her cold hand and entwined their fingers. She got up and moved closer to his side clutching onto his bicep. He walked them down.

He was wrong. Very very wrong. There was a doubt still, but it vitiated his spirit. He went back in a restrospect and closed his eyes. He acted on impulse and unheard the sane mind’s persistence that it was wrong, but the roar of the hurt that she could betray him grabbled out his control and something snapped thinking about the innocent mask.

He moved forward but felt her draw back in a stop as he felt a tug at his hand. He frowned and turned around, but his eyes locked on her face. It was twisted and scrunched up in a pain looking across the room.

Karthik followed her gaze and froze too. He looked back at her watering eyes and understood well. It was her mother, standing near the stair case, she looked fore lone and thin, but she held a knowing eyes at their joined hands. She seemed exactly like Naira in her appearance. He dropped Naira’s hand abruptly and moved forward.

She had an aura of a loving mother. Her eyes were earnest and swimming. When he moved towards her, she looked up into his eyes surprised. She reminded him of his mother suddenly. Karthik tentatively and slowly bent down to the floor and touched his hand to her feet. She moved back in a surprise but a second or two later, her hand lay over his head in a caress.

Karthik closed his eyes, as his eyes swimmed and a lone tear escaped his eyes and fell on the floor. He wiped it away and got up. Naira’s mother’s face now contorted in a smile.

“Don’t worry. I will always take care of her.” Karthik murmured in a whisper.

“I know.” She smiled in a broken whisper.

Karthik nodded his head and turned around but feeling very uneasy he turned back around.

“You can always come and stay with us.” He said sliding his gaze to her.

Her eyes widened a little in surprise at his understanding, but she still only nodded her head. Karthik moved to turn around but she called him out.

“Wait.” Naira’s mom called out.

He turned around, but saw that she was moving back.

“Don’t go you two. I’ll just come.” She said smiling and wiping her eyes, and hurried inside a room.

Karthik glanced across at his wife’s wide stare at his face. Naira was looking at him in that search of a penetrating gaze. Karthik slid away his gaze. He straightened when his wife’s mother ran back inside the hall. She was carrying something in her hands. She moved towards her daughter and put the large rectangular box in Naira’s hand.

She took both of his hand and her daughter’s hand together and made them stand opposite to each other. Karthik froze and stared at the small silver box filled with red colour. His eyes looked back up into the loving motherly expectant gaze and his resolve broke like damn. He gulped hard and glanced across uneasily at Naira. Her eyes, surprised and pained, grabbed his in a stare.

Naira couldn’t believe her eyes. The red colour glared back at her in a mock, he glanced down her at her in a look of pure loath. She knew he didn’t want to do the ritual. That was visibly apparent. Her mother already connected with him in first glance, and she was surprised by his respect towards her mother and she kept thinking about his life. About his parents. About how he was all alone. It blamed her wary mind looking at him get a loving affection from her mother and she felt her eyes water and flow at how he touched her feet without much thinking.

Her eyes became widened suddenly when his right hand hesitantly drew up and as he pinched the red colour. What is the point of it, when he doesn’t even trust her. It was a mock and an insult. She drew back a little when his hand raised to her head, his eyes turned cold at her step back. He glared down at her and his other hand grabbed her waist tight.

She stayed locked in a freeze when he glared down at her and spread the colour over her parted hair of her forehead.

Her mother smiled at both of them. Blessed and hugged them together and walked them out.

As they walked out, Naira wondered, How did Karthik manage to charm her intelligent mother, it was a wonder.

He wasn’t like anything that she thought. He wasn’t like her father, she finally understood that. If her father and he had a cut throat rivalry, and when he mistrusted her too, then in a vengeful spirit he could have done anything to her while she was with him but he didn’t and maintained a distance. He might have stolen a kiss or two but he never forced her.

Karthik finally took Naira’s hand in his and led her to the car. She did not anymore belong of this lonely painful house. She was now the wife of a stranger, but he wasn’t that anymore. He was her husband. She knew nothing about him, except that, he cooked well, he loved his kitchen, he stayed ever silent, he didn’t like her blubbering, and he liked to glower and get angry at her for no reason at all.

At one point she was frightened that he wouldn’t come for her. He was beside her now, wasn’t he and she was glad that he cared.

Karthik stared down, and glowered at her silence. He walked up to the car and moved back, but her hand still stayed locks with his, he looked down into her face and caught her enquiring eyes. She did not let go still as he tried to free his hand entwined with both of their fingers.

Pleasure shot through his veins at her reluctance to let him go. He hid the the little spark of happiness. She looked like a lost and frightened kitten in her own house. That did not set well in his gut. He opened the car door for her.

“You get in. I forgot my phone on your bed.” Karthik lied and pushed gently on the small of her back.

She stared into his eyes suspiciously, but nodded her head tiredly and got in. He slid his eyes back to the finger print marks on her cheek. He turned around and he rubbed the back of his neck as he walked inside the house.

His right hand fisted up as he walked faster inside the hall. His feet took him to the study. He flung open the door.

The old man was sitting on the study chair, with glasses on, he was reading a document from the file. When he looked up at the door, his eyes immediately turned smug as he smiled across at Karthik’s thunderous face.

“Well, well, if it isn’t my son-in-law ?!!” Mr. Singhania taunted him.

Karthik didn’t wait to respond and strided fast. He grabbed the old man’s collar and pulled in a straight out punch to his face.

“How dare you hit her ?!!”Karthik roared.

Mr. Singhania groaned hard and fell to the floor immediately. Karthik slid down and grabbed his collar again.

“That should be a reminder for the future. Hit her or her mother again and I’ll tear you apart limb to limb.” Karthik warned the disgusting old man in a cut edge voice, for consequences if such a thing happens again.

Karthik moved back ending the sentence in a threatening and turned around to leave.

He drew closer to the car. Saw her figure huddled in the seat with eyes closed. His mind harangued as he opened the car door and settled on the driver’s seat. Naira jumped up suddenly in a surprise, but she sagged back relieved looking at his face.

“What took you so long ?!!” She scowled suddenly.

Something red appeared and she looked down at his hand.

“What happened ?!!” She peered and tried to touch the blood on his knuckles, but he flinched away and slid his hand inside his coat.

“Nothing.” He grunted.

He switched on the AC, and Naira’s eyebrows drew up, and she switched it off. His eyes snapped back to hers.

“You don’t like cold air.” She countered in a thought.

He just ignored her and started the car in silence. Naira frowned suddenly at his lack of angry words and an intimate glare of his on her. The drive was of a strained silence.

“Where do you want to go ?!!” He asked her suddenly.

Her heart thudded at his bland nature of enquiring. There was something else in his tone. Like he was asking her to be sure of her answer. This was it, right ?!! This was where she could run fast or stay put, but her will determined.

“To your house.”She said hesitantly.

He stopped suddenly. His eyes snapped back to hers in a heated stare.

“This is not a joke. One no and Swayam would drop you to the place of your choice. You’re free to leave. He is right back behind us in another car.” He said fiercely.

Naira looked back at a black tinted car behind them. She glanced back into his shuttered eyes. How can he just slid away their marriage carelessly like it was nothing ?!! He had no remorse at all.

Let her go and that’s it. That’s what it is right ?!! That’s how he does the business, Marry her, abduct her and then throw her away when time cames. Her head hurt at his unfeeling attitude.

“To your house then.” She decided tilting her chin in determination, and turned her head to the front gulping down the rising pain.

Idiotic, arrogant, rude, jerk, her mind started on the curses. She heard a deep suffering sigh.

“Fine, suit yourself.” He muttered.

She fell silent and switched on the radio hastily.

He started cursing again in heavy displeasure when all her favorite songs played again and she started singing along, but something changed in his tone, it wasn’t there the vexation.

His lips quirked up in the corners in a light smile. She saw it before he averted his face.

Precap : The chocolate walli apology !!He is her dream catcher !!
Cuddling!!The contract !!