He kicked the door shut behind him and threw her on the bed. She scrambled up with admirable speed and stood glaring at him. After days of melancholy, a mischievous grin cracked on his face when she raised her hand to slap him again.

"Oh no, darling. You don't get to do that again."

He grabbed her wrist in a flash and twisted it behind her to pull her closer. Their bodies collided with a thud, a startled squeak left her lips.

"How dare you! Let me go!"

His lip curled as he tightened his grip.

"Never."

He dipped his head in her hair, nuzzling against her soft cheek. How convenient that she'd already removed her dupatta. He could now reach her slender neck, feel every gentle dip, every delicate swell. His lips traced her creamy skin, every inch of it, drinking its dewy radiance.

"Darsh...Let me go!" Her protest sounded feeble as she struggled in his grasp. Her breath was haggard, he could hear her heart thumping loudly.

He smiled. This was a good time to teach her some manners. How he would love to have her begging but only for more, not less.

"Say the magic word."

Her eyes flashed.

"Never, you brute, you...rascal!" her irritation hiked as her fingers tugged at his collar to claw at his neck. Grimacing, he grabbed her hand to tuck it behind her safely.

"That will not help you, Aditi. Has no one ever taught you to be polite to your husband?"

"I'll be polite to you when I'm dead."

Uhh...that mouth. His eyes descended to her luscious lips and lingered there thoughtfully. If it weren't so dirty he would have kissed it.

Her eyes widened in panic.

"Don't you dare..."

He smirked.

"Oh, but I do dare wifey. We have been married for so long. Did you think I'll wait for you forever?"

His arms tightened, pressing her to him even harder. Her skin flushed redder, she turned her head to keep some distance. Their lips would have touched if she had made the mistake of looking at him. As it was, he was nuzzling into her neck, his nose inhaling into her hair as if he was smoking pot. The silken touch, the seductive scent were driving him to distraction. His brain fogged with wild jasmines mixed with the smoky stink of fuel and dust from their travel. Add to that the salty tang of her sweat and he was completely undone.

"Mmm...I love this."

"Shut up!"

He raised an amused eyebrow. He had no problem shutting up. In fact, he was bored of talking. All he wanted now was some action.

"Come on, princess. One kiss. It's been so long."

"Go to hell Darsh. How shameless can you be?"

Apparently not enough. He could see she was not relenting. Her lips were pinched in a thin line, her nostrils flared with agitation. Her body was stiff as opposed to the willing submission he'd gotten so used to. The honey in her eyes was frozen in icy shards, it was not budging, try as he might there was not even a single crack in it. How he wished she would let it go, but that was not to be.

He sighed.

"Listen Aditi. Enough is enough. This craziness must stop. We have a life to live, this cannot go on."

She stopped struggling as she met his eyes properly. The ice cracked a tiny fraction only to reveal a muddied pool of sadness. Startled, he stared as something wet glistened in there. But it must be a trick of the light as it vanished the next moment.

"That's right, Darsh. Enough is enough. I cannot take this anymore. I cannot bear being touched by a hateful scheming bastard. Why can't you just get the damn thing in your head and let me be?"

Her words scalded him like hot coals. His body stiffened in shock as he took an involuntary step back, his face falling into a chasm.

"That's better. Keep the distance. Remember your place and you'd do well."

She straightened her clothes, her face full of a contemptuous disdain that slashed his heart with one fell swoop. She pursed her lips and moved to the door, then stopped to turn back.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"And remember, if I am to live in this house, it will be in the guest room. Do not try to overstep your boundary again."

He stared at her ashen-faced as a void exploded in his heart. Such crippling emptiness, such absolute nothingness, such a consuming dark where he was left scrambling without hope of light. His heart yearned desperately to hold on to her, to beg her to reconsider, to let him in. But his brain had other ideas. His anger built itself into a simmering volcano, the tip of which was about to burst open. Frustration was not good for his male ego. He would not be thwarted a second time by an arrogant girl, especially this girl who was his last chance, his only hope. On second thought, he didn't even know why he wanted her so badly. It was not like she was Ananya. She was a muse, a want, a desperation, an addiction. He just needed to feel good, to get high in his otherwise mundane life.

An insane pain shot in his head obscuring all reason. He shot forward and pulled her towards him, winding her in an iron grip. His hand grabbed a fistful of her hair as his lips smashed into hers with the ferocity of a hungry beast. He kissed like there was no tomorrow. Punishing was not the word, nor was devouring. He was claiming her, stamping her with his mark, telling her for once and all who was the boss.

She made some protesting sounds, perhaps some whimpers, perhaps some choked cries but they did not reach his ears. They drowned in his chaos so thoroughly he did not even hear them.

He forced his way open as his tongue invaded her delicious mouth. Soft, fragrant, full of life juices that he needed for himself desperately. He had kissed her before but this was different. His brain fogged with her aphrodisiac; his heart ran amok. His body demanded its due with such ferocity he didn't know when he pushed her to the bed crushing her under his weight.

His hands roamed her body, caressing her supple curves, as his teeth stamped his mark on her pearly skin. A trail of red marks followed in their wake from her swollen lips to her neck, then below it to the alluring swells of her breasts. His fingers scrambled to pull her sleeve down in order to gain more access, ripping the sleeve in the process. His eyes glazed as his brain completely zoned out at the site of supple radiance exposed to him.

The delirium was delicious, so chaotic, yet so restful, full of peace. He wanted to sink in it, deep, so deep he would never see the light of day again.

Greed, lust, want, need. Call it whatever, it was beyond words. What did it matter anyway now that it was within his reach?

How wonderful it was, to have this treasure as his own! It was denied to him for so long, he had craved for it for so long, but no more. He would claim what was his. The girl had no right to deny him his due.

He felt himself hardening as he lifted his head from her soft bosom to look at her face. Her half-closed eyes were glassy staring over his head somewhere in the void. Her face was frozen, not even a muscle twitched. The only sign of life was a tear that escaped from her left eye to the bedsheet below.

"Aditi?" He frowned as his haze faded a little. "Are you okay?"

She didn't answer, or rather she couldn't. Maybe she didn't hear his voice. Her heart barely beat, she didn't even fight for a breath.

She was still beautiful, so beautiful and pristine - like a sleeping marble statue. Or more like a lifeless ragdoll.

*****

Over his shoulder, she stared into a distance to the bare ceiling, to the stark walls. A heavy weight pressed on her pinning her down. She couldn't do anything, so she'd stopped trying. Moving, breathing, blinking, everything felt a chore. Neither did she have the strength, not the courage. There was no point struggling.

Was he done? she wondered somewhere subconsciously. How much longer did she have to wait? There was no pain this time, which was a blessing, but that might be because she had willed herself to block it.

This time it was not dark, she could see things. A familiar face hovered over her, slapping her haphazardly, calling her name as if he was calling her from the brink.

Why was he so worried? She was not sure. She was not even there. She couldn't feel anything, neither his touch nor his scent. Her eyes focussed on his face for a moment and something tugged at her heart.

Yes, this was the man she loved, she remembered it clearly. For some reason, he didn't love her, she remembered that little detail too. She didn't understand what went wrong, what she could have done better. One thing was clear though, that it was too late to fix it.

Tears prickled her eyes as a piteous whimper escaped her throat. He pulled her closer and rocked her in his arms.

"I'm sorry," he kept repeating as his gentle fingers ran through her hair. Her heart filled with contentment as her mind began to lose itself in a chasm of unconsciousness.

*****

Later that night she woke up to find herself alone in bed. The curtains were drawn, and a soft night lamp burnt to illuminate the tiny room. This was a different room, she could see her luggage stacked in a corner. Her dupatta sat neatly folded on the side table with a jug of water that had somehow appeared by magic.

The door was shut but for a tiny creek that let in a sliver of light. Someone paced outside, a shadow that looked familiar, too familiar to pass unnoticed. A lump gathered at her throat as she walked to the door and opened it a fraction. The person paused to look in her direction - her husband, the love of her life. It was too dark for them to see each other's expressions, but a minute of silence was enough to say the unsaid things.

Tired, she shut the door and went back to bed. Whatever had happened, it was for the best. Finally, there was a closure - he won't go that way again, and neither would she.

*****

The morning came as any other morning. Aditi found herself at a gurdwara a few miles away from her husband's home. It was early morning, the birds had not even left their nests yet. It suited her best, she had left the house before the servants arrived or her husband woke up.

She dipped her feet in the cool water of the Sarovar and folded her hands in prayer. Then took a mop from a nearby cleaning lady and started her Seva.

Hours passed in peace. She felt herself calming - nothing was more soothing than the hard grind of manual work. Once the cleaning was done, she moved to the kitchens, helping in whatever little way possible. She was no expert cook, but the people were accommodating. They welcomed her with an easy smile and ignored her silly mistakes.

Noon passed, and so did the afternoon. Nearing the evening she came out again for the second round of cleaning when someone tapped on her shoulder.

She turned to find a tall man grinning at her.

"Hey Junior!" he said as his eyes crinkled with genuine surprise. "Remember me?"

***** *****