2?

                                        

                                              

The silence of the night stayed long after Aaryan’s footsteps had vanished.
Eshani didn’t move for a while. She sat where he had left her—on the edge of the bed, fingers clutching the hem of her bridal lehenga, heart pounding like it had been punished for dreaming. The ornate jewellery felt heavier now, not because of the metal, but the weight of what it signified—a marriage without meaning.
She had looked into his eyes and seen nothing. No warmth. No resentment. Just ice-cold indifference.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Slowly, she stood and walked to the window. Outside, the city glittered with celebration. The lights, the chaos, the fireworks in the sky—everything was loud, alive. And here she stood, newly married, in a room filled with silence and unfamiliarity.
She unclasped her necklace first. Then the earrings. Each piece dropped onto the dresser with a soft clink. When she reached the mangalsutra, her fingers trembled. It was beautiful—delicate gold with tiny black beads. But to her, it felt like chains.
She didn’t cry. She didn’t let herself.
Not tonight.
The Next Morning
Eshani woke up with stiff limbs and a heavier heart. She had barely slept. Her wedding lehenga was still draped on a chair, the sindoor had faded slightly from her parting.
Her phone had several unread messages—from friends, from cousins, even her makeup artist who had posted their pictures on social media with heart emojis. Everyone thought she must be glowing with post-wedding bliss.
But they didn’t know.
They didn’t know she had married a man who hadn’t looked at her once during the ceremony. Who hadn’t sat beside her at the reception. Who had called it a deal.
There was a soft knock on the door. A maid entered, eyes cast down.
“Ma’am, breakfast?”
Eshani looked up blankly. “I’ll have it here.”
Because dining tables were for families. And she didn’t belong to one anymore.
She sipped her tea slowly, gaze lost through the window. Her thoughts wandered back to last night. How he had looked at her—not with disgust, but with distance. Like she reminded him of something painful.
She didn't know the full 온라인카지노게임. Only that something about her father had made Aaryan Vashisht hate her by default. And she had been too naïve to question why.
Across the City – Vashisht Towers
Aaryan stood in his office, dressed sharply in a three-piece grey suit, eyes fixed on the skyline. His coffee had long gone cold.
He hadn’t slept.
There was something about her silence that unsettled him. She hadn’t protested. Hadn’t begged. Hadn’t tried to explain.
She had simply accepted his cruelty with a grace that irritated him.
She wasn’t supposed to be like that.
He had imagined his father-in-law’s daughter to be entitled, manipulative, attention-seeking. Instead, she was quiet. Reserved. Composed.
But he didn’t trust it.
This marriage was necessary, he reminded himself. For business. For control. For revenge.
Not for love.
Definitely not for love.
He opened a file, forcing himself to focus. Numbers didn’t lie. Unlike people.
But even as he worked, her face hovered in the back of his mind. Not because it was beautiful—but because it was unreadable.
And that… bothered him.
Later That Evening – Vashisht Mansion Garden
Eshani wandered into the garden after the staff told her dinner was ready. She needed air more than food.
The roses were in full bloom. White, soft, untouched.
An old gardener noticed her lingering near them. “These were his mother’s favourites,” he said kindly.
She looked up. “She loved white?”
“Peaceful colour,” he nodded. “She used to sit here every morning.”
“Does he… visit this place often?”
The gardener hesitated. “Rarely. After she passed, sir stopped coming here.”
Eshani’s eyes lingered on the swing in the corner, half-covered in vines. A small cushion still rested on it. Forgotten, like her.
The man she had married was broken. Maybe beyond repair.
And still, some part of her—foolishly—wanted to understand that brokenness.
She sat down on the swing gently, hands folded on her lap, staring at the white roses. They didn’t answer questions. But they held silence better than she could.
Elsewhere – Dinner at Vashisht Mansion
By the time she returned, the dining hall was empty. A silver cloche sat on the table with untouched food.
She sat and ate alone. Not because she was hungry, but because her body needed strength.
Halfway through, a servant approached timidly. “Sir won’t be returning tonight. He’ll stay at the penthouse.”
Eshani nodded.
Another night alone in a marriage she hadn’t chosen. Or maybe she had. Out of obedience. Out of duty. Out of love for a family who used her silence like currency.
As she climbed into bed, she glanced once at her reflection in the mirror.
A bride. A stranger. A pawn.
The city lights continued to glitter outside.
But the darkness inside her had just begun to settle.