Anguish & Affection

Part 8

Atharv Singh Chauhan's mind was a shattered kaleidoscope of emotions, each shard piercing him with souvenirs of his dark past. His thoughts tumbled chaotically like the scattered sketches strewn around him, failing to calm his mind. As he drowned in a tempestuous sea of confusion and helplessness, the turmoil tormenting him worsened until it felt like his very soul was being ripped apart.

The sight of Aditi's suffering caused his conscience to writhe in pain, and for a moment, he wanted to exact revenge on those who had wronged her. But then a wave of affection and concern surged through him as he remembered all the times Diya had helped him and taken care of him in the past. He still felt anger bubbling below the surface, but it was slowly being replaced by feelings of compassion and kindness.

Diya Singh Shekhawat.

His family friend, an acquaintance.

His childhood playmate.

His secret-keeper.

His first crush.

His joy was boundless when he overheard his parents talking about their upcoming marriage ceremony, which was a unique ritual typical only to the Chauhans. This practice was unfamiliar to him since it diverged from the traditional wedding rituals.

He had expected the daughter of his sworn enemy to remember that he had bound her to him in an alliance, or at least recall some shred of their unholy marriage. Yet as rage melted away his sanity, it seemed reasonable that she would show a glimmer of recognition for their joined fate. He remembered every second of their fateful night like a haunting memory, much like the morning after the death of his parents due to her family's treacherous actions.

He had decided to take matters into his own hands in order to exact justice for the deaths of his parents and Aditi's troubles, even if it cost him his soul. But he realized that his inner-self was searching for something more than vengeance.

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Diya trudged towards the wardrobe, hoping to find something suitable to wear and berating herself internally for not thinking about her attire before she had taken a shower. To her amazement and luck, she discovered the wardrobe was filled with fancy clothing and women's essentials.

Muttering to herself, she took out a cream-colored sundress with intricate lace patterns from her wardrobe. "So much thought in selection yet no consideration for the consequences," she commented.

The unmistakable voice of Pranav calling her name from the floor below caused Diya to hasten her dressing and rush downstairs. She bounded down the stairs three at a time, finding both Pranav and her father awaiting her. Without hesitation, she ran straight into her father's open arms for a warm embrace that would help erase all her worries.

The sight of her reddened eyes and tear-streaked cheeks tugged at their hearts. Sujith tried to calm her, his voice laced with compassion as he reassured her: "Diya Bitiya! Don't worry, Pranav and I are here to make it all better!" He put a gentle hand on her back in an attempt to console her.

Pranav smiled at the exchange of affection between the father and daughter, and he heaved a sigh of relief to note her abductor did not tie his friend up. 


"Yeah Diya! We will take you away from here and we will punish the one who kidnapped you," said Pranav, rubbing her back to stop the sobs, which intensified as she let her barriers down in front of the two men she loved and felt safe with. 


"Ah, Pranav Singhania!"

At the sound of her friend's name, Diya's tears abruptly halted. She gathered herself and slowly turned around to face him. Her stern expression revealed her defiance when she spoke. "How dare you kidnap my betrothed, Atharv Singh Chauhan?" Pranav demanded, his intensifying gaze mirroring that of the father-daughter pair.

"No, Singhania wasn't your fiance. I mean, let's face it, she couldn't be anyone's fiance, right Mr. Shekhawat... I mean Papaji?" Atharv asked, his hands bunched into fists in his pockets as he tried to remain composed in front of the man who had taken so much away from him.

Diya's eyebrows furrowed as she asked her father, "What is he trying to say?" She crossed her arms defensively across her chest.

"Let your daughter know," Atharv began, a subtle smirk playing on his lips as he raised one eyebrow at the surprised Pranav. "That I had been married to her for more than ten years

"What?! That can't be true!"

Diya's mouth agape in shock, her disbelieving eyes darted between the man claiming to be her husband and her father who had remained mute in the face of the accusation. She felt an ache in her chest as she realized the truth that was sinking into her heart. Clutching Sujith's hand tightly, she stammered out her plea for understanding, "What...What is the truth? Is that the truth, Papa?". Never before had Diya seen such a look on her father's face; a look of resigned despondency that only fanned the flames of doubt simmering in her head.

Sujith Singh Shekhawat took a deep breath, steeling himself for the truth he had to admit. The impish smirk on the other man's face told him that any untruths would be sniffed out in an instant and only serve to further degrade his own credibility in his daughter's eyes.

"Yes, Bitiya. We married you off as a part of our ruthless business dealings. We had nothing else to give, and they saw our desperation and used it against us. It was because of this mistake that we fled India -- we could not allow our foolishness to tarnish your future."

Atharv's face curled with scorn as he shook his head at his father-in-law. His nose wrinkled in contempt at the efforts to redeem himself from Diya's judgmental gaze. Diya staggered, her feet unable to hold her ground as she gawked in horror. Pranav and Atharv moved to catch her as she stumbled, but she shoved Atharv away with a force that sent him a few steps back.

Fury boiling in her veins, she spat out her words with an acidic bitterness. "Do you think I'm some piece of property that can be bought and sold? Who in their right mind arranges a marriage between children? How could I not remember such a thing? Someone arranged the marriage, someone tore it apart, and now someone is trying to control my life by kidnapping me - what happened to my opinion and consent?"

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