Married But Why?

Chapter 11

Ananya’s POV

Sometimes I feel life is beautiful, and sometimes I feel like life is in a competition with me and wants me to give up. But that is not going to happen anytime soon. I have been fighting for years to reach where I am today, but I don’t know who played this dirty trick that I can’t find any way to get out of this mess. While driving back home, there were tons of thoughts running through my mind until I was 1 km away from my house.

As soon as our home came into view, I remembered Saket telling me to take help from Rudra. But the thing is, I don’t want to because I know that he will not help me that easily. What happened this morning was making it even more difficult for me to ask for help.

With all these thoughts running through my mind, I entered my room. I placed the laptop bag on the table and stood in front of the mirror to make a bun with my hair.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I murmured, “Do you really think only your professional life is messy? Look at your face, Ananya.”

With that thought in mind, I started my skincare routine and chose to apply a mask to my face. It was so soothing and relaxing with my favorite music in the background. I was enjoying my time until I heard someone, “Oh s**t!”

Listening to the voice, I opened my eyes in fear and kept a hand on my racing heart. I asked him, “Rudra, are you out of your mind? Why the hell are you yelling?”

“First, you tell me, what is this black, black stuff on your face?” He questioned, entering the room, making me shocked by his statement.

He placed his file on the side table, and I stood in front of him, replying, “This is called a charcoal mask. Dare you to call it ‘stuff’ again. It’s the secret of my beauty.”

He nodded and grabbed the towel to freshen up when I heard, “Secret of beauty or a plan to give me a heart attack?”

“Did you say something?” I asked from behind, to which I heard him reply, “No, I didn’t.”

“Good for you,” I warned him and sat on my chair again to dry my mask. My mask had already dried, and I was waiting for Rudra to come out. However, before that, I heard my cellphone ringing.

I picked it up without seeing the caller ID and said, “Hello?”

I heard Akshat from the other end, and he asked me to meet him as he had some evidence, “Babe, let’s meet tomorrow.”

“Sure, Akshat,” I said and disconnected the call. At the same time, I heard from behind, “What were you doing?”

I turned around to find Rudra there and replied, “Are you blind or what? I was talking on the phone.”

I was about to walk past him when he said, “Ananya, you should not—” but I interrupted him, saying, “Rudra, I need your help.”

He was silent for a few seconds, as if he couldn’t believe his ears. Soon I heard him, “Help from me? The sun must have risen from the west today.”

To which he received an angry glare with a silent warning. Finally, giving up on his taunts, he asked, “Okay, tell me.”

“I want you to arrange a press conference and clear the air about our marriage,” I told him in one go and waited for his reply. But he didn’t say anything.

I was afraid he would say no, so I held his hand, saying, “My company needs your help, and I am damn sure you must have an idea about it.”

He smiled and asked, “What will I get in return?”

See, I told you.

He won’t help easily.

Cursing him for the millionth time in my mind, I asked, “What do you want?”

He started thinking, and seeing that he was taking too much time, I planned to clean my face, but before I could move, he held me by my waist, making me look into his eyes. He said, “I want you to come on a date with me.”

“I am not your girlfriend,” I replied bluntly, and he argued, “Is there a rule that only boyfriends and girlfriends can go on dates?”

“I am busy tomorrow,” I tried to avoid the topic, but he was not ready to give up.

“We can go the day after tomorrow,” he suggested.

“I have meetings lined up,” I denied, and he finally said, “How about Sunday?”

Seeing that he wouldn’t give up, I nodded and said, “Okay, I will try for Sunday.”

Soon, I saw a sweet smile on his lips, and trust me, for the first time, I wanted to see that smile again and again. Otherwise, he always has that sinister smile on his face.

He asked, showing his tiny finger to me, “Pinky promise?”

I promised him, holding his pinky finger with mine and saying, “Pinky promise.”

After that, I turned to the washroom, looking at my pinky finger, which made me feel like I had lived this moment before.

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Rudra’s POV

Once Ananya went into the washroom, I checked her phone and saw that she was planning to meet Akshat. I don’t know how a girl can meet her ex like they were never in a relationship. Seems like Ananya is an exception.

Anyway, she won’t give up on meeting him, so I decided to deal with him on my own. I dialed a number on my cellphone and waited for the person to pick up.

Soon I heard, “Hello,” and without indulging in greetings, I ordered, “Make sure Akshat doesn’t reach Ananya tomorrow. No matter what. Just do it.”

With that, I disconnected the call. I looked at Ananya’s photo frame that was beside the bed on the table and said, “Sorry, wifey. But I am not going to lose you again.”

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Third Person’s POV

Sampada, Akshat’s mother, is sitting in her room, looking at a photo album in which she is holding a child in her arms. She caresses the picture as if the baby could come out of it. She is so lost in the moment that she doesn’t notice her husband entering the room.

He places his hand on her shoulder and asks, “Sam, what are you doing?”

She looks at her husband and hugs him while sitting on the bed. Through her hiccups, she says, “Hriday, I miss him so much.”

Her husband gently caresses her hair and replies, “Sam, he’s not coming back. Please accept it.”

“Why did this have to happen to us?” she asks, grief-stricken.

Hriday, also in pain, still manages to respond, “Destiny always has its plans, and we can’t avoid that. We have to face what God has written for us.”

“I wish he were still with us. Then Akshat would have had an elder brother,” Sampada says, starting to cry as she remembers her elder son, Daksh.