FORTUNATE BRIDE?

/7/ NO ESCAPE

(Niti’s P.O.V.)

I walked down the stairs, hoping he wasn’t done with washing his hands. 

Though he is my husband, there’s this unsettling feeling that I feel whenever he comes near me. Nonetheless, I needed to reach the orphanage by the afternoon since I felt in Joanne's voice that something certainly transpired in my absence. 

I was getting a hunch that Xander might not allow me to leave, but I had to try. 

Step by step, holding my breath, I dared to move towards the main exit. As I pushed the door little, an unexpected hoarse voice interrupted the serene atmosphere of the villa. 

"Where are we going? You didn't even inform me, Niti?" His voice was a little harsh and his gaze a little stern. I looked at his face. He had a significant smile and a knife which almost caught my attention. The sheen on the edged knife made it appear almost new. Since I clearly remembered what he did with the knife a few moments ago, watching him smile with it was definitely alarming.

Even he ended up noticing that I was glaring at the knife. Without wasting even a second, he precisely clarified, "I actually rear and butcher the animals I eat. This knife is for the same." I couldn't clearly tell but I think he had a pretty solid expression of self-content on his face when he said that.

Accordingly, he was looking at me, I guess for a response for what he had just said. Consequently, I smiled awkwardly while I thought, 'I didn't need to know that.'

"That's g … great!" I let out while stuttering scared that he might kill me if he'd know what I was thinking.  I was so afraid of him that even I had no clue of what I was saying, or rather how meaningless my response was. Hence, I condemned myself in my head for the horrible response, 'Seriously, you couldn't think of something else?'

While he glared at me for answers, 

I began to think carefully about our first night, he was different then. Everything seemed to have changed since then. If I remembered correctly, it was since the morning, his attitude towards me had altered drastically. I wondered hard if it was something I did.

His smile soon dissolved into a frown as he leapt back to the same topic he had spoken of earlier, "Yes?... I guess we were discussing whether we were going somewhere, Niti?"

His displeased expression made it hard for me to respond, but the sheen on the knife somehow intimidated me to. I tried to look into his eyes as I confessed, "I … actually need to visit the orphanage. I am getting this unsettling feeling that something isn't right there. When I called..." I got jitters from the way he looked intensely at me, and I couldn't say anymore.

He too didn't say anything at first but glared quietly at my dress. I didn't quite understand what it was in that dress that grasped his attention. But, I definitely grew comparatively more uneasy because of his gaze. 

"Umm, so … Can I leave?" I spoke in a relatively faint voice, scared that I might meet the same fate as Pucker (the hen). While I was engaged in my thoughts, he began to move towards me at a slow pace. My heart palpitated harder with every step he took towards me. As he was extremely tall, he had to lean down a little while asking me, "That wasn't audible, Niti. What is it that you wanted to say?" 

I remembered he heard me clearly. But maybe he wished for me to beg this time, and that's why he lied.

As I looked forward, I saw him gazing directly into my eyes. Therefore, I stepped back a little as his face was directly in front of me. While struggling to group the words together to make a comprehensible sentence, I stood before him with a blank face and an open mouth. 

"We don't have the whole day to ourselves," he spoke in an intimidating tone. The knife he had in his hand already made it hard for me to be comfortable around him.

Then, I remembered the slap from the morning, so I pushed myself to speak as I didn't want to go through the same thing again, “I … ugh… wanted to … ummm.. leave if you won't mind.” The closeness that grew between him and I was too much to take. When he got closer while still carrying the knife in his hand, my poor heart couldn’t take it anymore and a few tears escaped my weary eyes.  

After noticing my pitiful face, Xander placed his hand upon my face and I trembled a little, feeling the warmth of his hand on the same spot where he had slapped me earlier. 

The comfort I felt in that moment bewildered me to the resentment I was subjected to in the morning. 

What is it about him? He's so comforting and warm in one moment, and then the complete opposite in the other. As he observed that I clearly couldn’t stop crying, he moved away and placed the knife back on the dining table. 

Since I snivelled while rubbing my eyes with the knuckles, he came back to me and held me in the comfort of his big arms. His touch was gentle and his voice was pleasing. 

“My lifeline, why are you crying?” His lips were so close to my ear that I could feel him breathing on my skin.

There probably wasn't much I could say as I was overwhelmed with the anxiousness and fear that I felt. "I am sorry for everything that I did. Though we have been married, I haven't been able to serve you properly as your wife."

He smiled as his hand travelled down to my bottom. While I was still being held, he caressed my butt and spoke, "You are doing well, my lifeline. It's just that I am a demanding man." 

He slapped my butt harshly and a screech escaped my mouth while he proclaimed, "I will teach you everything, right from the scratch." Maybe, I expected too much when I thought he was being gentle. He certainly went back to being his shrewd self.

 He was such a complicated man to comprehend. Nevertheless, I didn't dare to say anymore. It was clear that I didn't want to receive any more of his atrocious punishment. 

Thereafter, he cupped my face with his hands, and asked, “Why are you so scared of me? I am your husband, not an enemy. Chill. Lifeline.”

There were apparently a lot of things that I wanted to say to explain it to him why he scared me, but his daunting aura made it impossible for me to even look into his eyes.

“I ... want to … leave.” Before I could complete my sentence, he grabbed my arm and began to drag me to the stairs. I wanted to object but my own body betrayed me. The fear I felt was strong enough to numb down any resistance I felt in that moment. So, I followed him quietly as I was scared that he might hit me again. After taking the stairs, we got into our bedroom.  

I thought he might punish me again for something I did, but to my surprise, he made me stand in front of the dressing table while he grabbed a beautiful saree (traditional Indian women wear) for me.

As I eyed the beautiful piece of cloth, he instructed, “This will look much better than what you’re wearing right now. Furthermore, I only want to see you in traditional wear. My mother was an Indian, but I couldn't get to see her in saree since she died at my birth. Hence, the least you can do for me is to wear this traditional wear to honour the memories of my mother.” 

‘I need to be at the orphanage as soon as possible. I don’t have time for this,’ I thought but dared not to speak.

As I gaped at the cloth and couldn't say anything in response to what he had just told me, he got irritated. While whirling the saree by the hanger in front of my eyes, he remarked, "Why are you racking your brain off thinking again? Wear it just because I told you." 

After looking at my anxious state, he probably knew that I wanted to talk about something, but he insisted for me to change my clothes right there and then. 

"Okay, let me go to the bathroom to change," I uttered as I moved away. He grabbed my arm from behind and pulled me towards him. My meek body collided with his chest. His face was directly next to mine and I could feel his gaze on my face. I lowered my eyes while he tucked my hairs back with his fingers.

"You're just too shy, my lifeline. But, that's what I admired about you since the beginning." His fingers slowly moved over to the back of my dress, towards the zip.

I pulled away from a little and said meekly, "I will change soon. You can wait for me here till then." He shook his head and pulled me back and instructed, "You're not going anywhere." 

Unsure of what he meant, I mustered up some courage and spoke, "... But, you wanted me to…" 

He again interrupted me, "Shut up! … Talk only when you're being talked to." I quieted down while he wrapped his arms around me and began to pull my dress downwards. 

I moved away from a little as I interrupted, "What are you doing? … I can change on my own." 

"On your own? Yes, you can. I don't doubt it either but is that what I want? No. Hence, I will undress you." He made it clear as he braced me again and continued to pull down the dress.

Since the morning, I had been maltreated but I didn't complain. But, this certainly was going too far.

"Please, I can manage it on my own," I begged while holding his hands. Xander smiled as he spoke, "I didn't think you were deaf when I married you. Remove your hands at once if you don't want them chopped down by the same knife that I killed Pucker with."

I shivered while my hands fell back on their own. 

"Good girl!" He exclaimed as he succeeded in removing my dress. His eyes were fixated on my body while I tried to cover myself with the saree as fast as possible.

Thereafter, I looked away and wore a blouse. His stare was so vexatious that I couldn't focus on anything correctly. 

Likewise. I picked up the saree and began draping it. 

He snickered to see me struggle while I tried to figure out how to fasten the saree perfectly around my waist. Defeated, I stared into his direction while he spoke, "Didn't your Joanne teach you this?"

I looked at him while completely taken aback by his words, "My Joanne? He's just my childhood friend. That's it."

"Oh? Is it normal for a married woman to call another man through her husband's phone in his absence?" Xander asked with a daunting gaze.

'That's why he was mad at me the whole time. I called Joanne in his absence, but he took away my phone and threw away my sim card. Lending his phone to me was the least he could do.' I muttered in my head. 

In response to what he had asked, I shook my head as I tried to explain, "No. Since I couldn't reach Miss Lorraine, I…"  

He didn't let me talk and began to push me towards the bed. I uttered slowly, "I can't tonight. My lady part is sore from what we did yesterday. It will hurt if we do it now."

Xander's smile widened as he spoke, "No, you don't get to decide that." 

I shook my head constantly as I let out, "No, it will hurt. Try to understand. Please. Not now!"

Xander didn't seem to comprehend anything that she uttered out. It was as if he was possessed or something. 

"That's what I want. I want to hurt you as you did by calling him behind my back." His words echoed in the vacant bedroom while I fell on the bed harshly. Observing him approach me, I crawled backwards while begging and screaming, "No! Please!"

It wasn't his intention to scare me initially, but later through his smile, it became evident that it was fascinating for him to see me pleading with tears gushing down my cheeks. 

As he removed his blazer, my heart began to palpitate even harder as I screamed for help, "Help me, somebody! Please!"

Xander took off his belt and made a harsh sound by whacking it on the floor. Then, he made it clear to me, "Nobody is going to help you, my lifeline. Now be a dutiful wife and lay quietly to pleasure your husband."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

AUTHOR'S NOTE

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Show your love and support to your author by adding this book to your library. 

Thank you.