Journey of Hope

CHAPTER:- 3

Pratik and his mother came to the Bharadwaj mansion with the marriage proposal the next day. Raghav and Sunanda were totally impressed with Pratik's well-mannered behavior, and intellectual talks. The priest found out two auspicious days for marriage, one was after three weeks and another one was after eight months. A desperate Pratik interrupted in between elders to fix the marriage on the earlier date. Everyone busted into laughter. Pratik looked at Adyasha rubbing his nape, and she blushed listening to her cousin's teasing.

In the Sangeet ceremony, Pratik became possessive for Adyasha, when one of her cousins approached to dance with her, and himself danced with her. Then a romantic dance in front of all the guests, unbearable teasing, and loads of memory.

On the marriage day, Pratik put the vermillion on her hairline, tied the nuptial chain around her neck. Raghav's tears and Sunanda's sobs couldn't stop Adyasha to cross her door sill. Her red dupatta was tied with Pratik's blue shawl, and her parents' tears couldn't loosen its hold. She came to her new house, with her parents' blessings, loads of memories, and dreams.

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We often dreamt of our future with a lot of expectations and desires. Deep inside our hearts, we wanted to live for those beautiful moments, but after waking up, the harsh reality reminded us to hate our existence. Well, Adyasha was an exception here who dreamt about her beautiful past life. She wanted to travel back to those days when she was the beloved princess whose command was inevitable in her Baba's kingdom. What a beautiful dream yearned to be the reality!

Her lips were curved into a smile, appreciating the dream, expecting it to be true, but her fate didn't leave a single chance to remind her about the cruel destiny she had. Her eyes shut open, feeling the familiar hand, grabbing her hair in a tight grip.

"You bad omen! Are you going to sleep for the whole day like a princess and make us do your works as if we are your father's servant?" Pratik shouted loudly and dragged Adyasha out from the bed grabbing her hair breaking her dream. She screamed painfully, but he didn't pay any heed to her pleads and slapped on her cheek. The slap was hard enough to leave a red mark on the spot.

Adyasha looked up to match her husband's harsh gaze. Pratik Ahuja - the man whom the world adored for his excellent business tactics, being unaware of his inhumanity. A day after their second month's marriage anniversary, Pratik went to German for a three weeks business trip. As a newly wedded wife, Adyasha never marked the dates waiting for her husband's arrival, but she was more than glad about his departure. The night before he went to London was still fresh in her memory, not because of her two month marriage anniversary's celebration, but the reason was something else. She knew that the memory of that night was going to haunt her, whenever she would face him. As a conformist wife, Adyasha had prepared herself enough strong and promised herself to forgive and forget to start her life afresh, and deep inside her heart, all she had expected from Pratik was a small apology or a bit of love.

While, Pratik was no different from a typical egoist husband, who considered their wives as a material of pleasure to own. He loved to dominate, and liked Adyasha as a submissive wife.

Pratik had informed his mother about his early morning flight landing and asked her to inform Adyasha to prepare food for him, as he hated the food cooked inside flight. While Sirisha never informed Adyasha about Pratik's arrival. Returning from the three weeks trip, he came home to find his mother in the kitchen. Without seeing the glass of water in her right hand, he assumed that she was cooking food for him. He greeted her and asked about Adyasha. While his mother didn't leave the chance to cook up a false story. Faking some tears, she acted as a victim, who was scared of her daughter-in-law. Asking her to sleep, Pratik left the kitchen in anger, missing his mother's evil smirk.

Entering inside their room, Pratik saw Adyasha's sleeping figure. Seeing her lips were curving in a smile, Pratik lost his temper. Forgetting about his duty as a husband and vows as a protector, he became the Satan. Going near the bed, he grabbed her hair and awarded her face with a tight slap.

Adyasha looked up and tried to find a little bit of love for her in Pratik's bloodshot eyes, but they held the same emotion that she had witnessed in her baba's eyes for her mother that day. "No, how can I compare this monster with my baba! He is a man with a value where this man here lacks the basic manner to treat a girl." She murmured curses under her breath for herself.

"AHH" Adyasha winced in pain when Pratik grabbed her neck from the backside and made her look into his eyes. Still, she matched his eyes and directly looked into it in the hope that he will read her eyes' pleadings and the unending love stored inside it. Then he will love her unconditionally, just like she had imagined. But Pratik's venomous words again crushed her hope.

"You good-for-nothing-woman! You are sleeping here peacefully, and there Mom was doing all the house chores alone. What do you think of yourself? A queen?" Adyasha looked at Pratik in shock. His accusations broke her heart into pieces.

The hour clock was going to reach near 7. On normal days, everybody in the house was sleeping at that time including Pratik. It was Adyasha, who woke up at 6:30 AM to do all the household works. Generally, Pratik woke up at 9 O' clock. At that moment he wanted everything he needs to be placed at their accurate place. A perfect time freak he was! Exactly at 10:30 A.M., he went to his office.

Adyasha always prepared her best to please Pratik. From arranging his wardrobe to cooking breakfast, she did everything by herself only. She never let her mother-in-law to drink a glass of water by herself. The princess of Raghav Bharadwaj had no intention to be the queen. All she wanted in return was love and affection from her new family.

For others, Adyasha was the happiest woman in the earth. Her friend envied her for getting everything in privilege. From a rich parents to the most eligible bachelor as his husband, Adyasha always had 'The Best' in everything. Then life was not only about luxuries. People said that, 'It's better to cry in Dubai than a small village'. But in reality it hurts in Dubai, exactly same as a small village. Adyasha had lost herself, while faking her happiness in front of everyone. And she knew better that the reason for her lose was none other than herself who destroyed her career being blind in love.

Before their marriage, Pratik was insecure about Adyasha for completing her masters in business administration. As he was only a graduate, he preferred her not to study more. Being a topper, it was hard for Adyasha to leave her masters incomplete, but she was more than a delight to please Pratik. When he hugged her appreciating her effort, all her sadness vanished away. At that time Pratik promised her to cage in the bars of love, and it was when Adyasha started to dream of him as her prince-charm. After marriage, Adyasha had nothing to do. So she prepared everything as per Pratik's taste and waited for him to appreciate her effort. But it never happened according to her wish.

Pratik's mother, Sirisha Ahuja was a cunning money-minded woman who pretended to be an open-minded person in front of the society. She knew Pratik's time schedule better. Exactly before five minutes of Pratik's arrival, Sirisha came running to the dining hall and pretended to do every work. She faked about her back pain to gain her son's sympathy. Even she always succeeded in her every attempt to prove Adyasha wrong in front of Pratik.

Adyasha was sure that now it was again her new drama to manipulate her son. She must be informed about Pratik's arrival beforehand to show her extraordinary acting skills. But then Adyasha never blamed her mother-in-law for all these misunderstandings in her marital life. She considered it as her ill fate that had connected her with a heartless husband who never trusted her, Love is another thing to consider later.

"What is cooking now in this cunning brain of yours?" Pratik asked clicking the tip of his index finger on her left side forehead. Adyasha shivered and shook her head continuously. Her dry lips were unable to form any words. "Let me guess... How to torture my mother, right? After all your mother taught you only this, didn't she? You will live like a queen as if you own this place and treat my family as your father's servant?" When he forwarded his steps towards her, she moved back in fear, until the wall prevented her to move further. "Let me teach the consequences of your spoiled attitude?" Pratik said, coming dangerously close to her. He pressed his hold on her chin.

"I was definitely a princess of my baba but never a queen because my husband is not a king. Even it would be my mistake to compare you as a human being." Adyasha wanted to say this thought of hers' in a loud voice, enough for him and the world to hear but couldn't form a single word seeing the leather belt in his hand. Before she could do something in her favor, he started to hit her mercilessly. She tightened her lips to stop the painful screams. Then the pain became unbearable for her. She held his legs and begged him to forgive her.

“I am sorry for all the mistakes I have committed. Please forgive me. I won't repeat those mistakes ever in my life. Please, forgive me for the last time.” A scared Adyasha, begging on his feet was what Pratik desired for. Finally, after satisfying his manly ego, he stopped his torture and again grabbed her hair. For Adyasha, the pain was too less, or at least less than the previous one to scream.

“Now you are sounding like my perfect wife. So I am going to give you a reward for this.” In a click, Pratik's mood switched on. After all man ego and manly desire were his priority in front of his wife who was crying profusely in unbearable pain.

Adyasha was well aware of her husband's intention. She was very well known to his rewards, which were just a way to satisfy his needs. So she tried to avoid these talks. She survived the physical pain, but to be touched by the same man, who gave her the scars was unbearable. So she tried to form an excuse, as a direct no would have harmed his ego, and she had already suffered due to this.

“Pratik! Mom is doing the house chores alone. I should help her.” Adyasha said in a low voice as she didn't want him to take this as a rejection of his ego.

“Here your husband wanted to love you and you were diverting his attention. Bad manners!” Pratik mumbled huskily, nuzzling his face near her neckline while she held his shoulder for support.

“But mom…” Her sentence left incomplete by the sudden slam of his lips on hers'. He bit her lips harshly and being breathless, she gasped for air. Taking the chance he entered inside and continued his torture. For Pratik, it was a pleasure, while Adyasha was tasting the slow poison waiting for the death to grasp her soon. Pratik detached himself from her, after satisfying his desire.

“Your parents didn't teach you any manners, still I accepted you with all your flaws. At least satisfy my needs using this good-for-nothing-body of yours.” He said while holding her shoulder. Adyasha stood like a statue as she knew that It's better not to argue with him. He unwrapped her body with an appreciating look, but her scared soul was invisible to him. The reason might be his eyes, which were filled with lust.

“Let me have you first. Then you can go and complete the your works like a good wife. For now, I already told Mom to take rest.” Pratik said before starting his tortures on her body. It continued for hours till he satisfied his needs which were unfulfilled from three weeks. Then he left her and slept comfortably on his bed. Not for once, he asked about her wish. Not for once, he complimented her in words of love. Not for once, he said that he missed her in these three weeks of separation. Not for once, he confessed his love for her.

Adyasha collected her scattered clothes and moved inside the bathroom to wipe his lusty touches from her body. She didn't stop him there because she had already witnessed the consequences of hurting his ego. Even She didn't defended herself when he was accusing her of torturing his mom when the case was actually the opposite. It was his Mom, who tortured her physically and verbally. She stayed silent because she knew that no matter who said the truth, he will always believe his mother, who should be in the film industry for her great acting skills.

Turning on the shower, she let the water to flow all over her body. She rubbed every part of her body to clean his dirty touch. But what about those black marks that were imprinted permanently on the soul? Closing her eyes, she let the tears flow over her wet face.

Memories traveled to the bitter past that she had experienced after stepping inside this house as a new bride with a lot of hope, unknown to the future where her hope was going to be crushed. That day for the first time, she had realized that fairytales were a myth. The reality was different and complicated. There were layers of evil hidden under the mask of goodness.

The day she hoped, would be a new turn in her life, threw her the slap of realization - that destruction had started in her life.