âStupid! I am stupid! How can I be so stupid? How can I forgetâ¦.?â Imara muttered to herself, only to be interrupted by a few surprising words, âYouâve got some great skills... acceptance!âThis man was the new definition of headache for Imara. He should know better than to mess with her while she was battling the notorious mood swings that came with her periods. Oh, no! Periods! How on earth was she supposed to survive in this shared bathroom situation, without giving away her intimate secret through discarded pads in the bin?And then, in a sudden burst of spontaneity, she felt a warm liquid trickling down from her core. Without a second thought, she snatched whatever clothes she could, including the pad she had secured earlier, and bolted out of the wardrobe room, leaving Adhiraj with a puzzled brow. The lady also forgot to shut the damn wardrobe door. And right there, on the floor, lay a precious little pad for him to conveniently stumble upon. Oops!With an amused grin, he muttered, âShe can call names, kick asses, but is shy to say she is on periods! What are you, Imara?â As he picked up the pad, tucked it back in its packet before closing her wardrobe.Inside the washroom, Imara yearned to break the wall, make a hole, and flee from this house immediately. First, she forgot about her date, then she wasted ages searching for padsâonly to stain her clothesâand to top it off, she accidentally grabbed the most seductive nightgown known to humankind. This whole scenario was getting under her skin. In this very moment, she seriously contemplated banging her head against the wall. How in the world was she supposed to step outside now?In addition to that, the pain was so excruciating that she had to clutch her stomach and plop down on the porcelain throne. She took deep breaths, even more breaths, but alas, the agony only intensified. This is precisely why she detested them, those dreadful periods. Her cramps were beyond unbearable, and the mere thought of showing up in front of Adhiraj in this pitiful state made her weep in silence. All she yearned for was to go back to her apartment, grab a medicine, snuggle up to her pillow, and sleep. Alas, she couldnât, so she silently wept within the confines of the washroom.A bit later, her head pounding from all the tears, she mustered up the courage to change, used the pad, and timidly glanced outside the room, only to find it empty. She embraced herself, desperately trying to conceal her considerably revealing cleavage, only to let out a yelp as another cramp assaulted her poor stomach.But then, her eyes caught sight of a sassy pink note stuck on the side table. It read, âI will be in the home-office should you need anything. For now, the medicines, if you face any issue with the cramps, are there in the drawer of the same table. A glass of warm milk will help. Donât hesitate to call for it whenever you feel like it.âCould Imara possibly utter the heart-wrenching plea, âMother Earth, just swallow me whole!â or should she summon Adhiraj and beg, âDo me a favour and hand me a rope to hang myself instead?ââHow on earth did he know?â she groaned, wincing as yet another cramp wracked her stomach. Desperate for relief, she grabbed the medicine and downed it. Sure, it didnât work instantly, but it gave her a glimmer of hope that relief was within reach.She grabbed one of her nightdresses from the wardrobe and slipped into it before placing the nightie back into the wardrobe. Just as she was about to close the wardrobe door, a pad poked out teasingly from the packet. Of course, in her hurried state, she had forgotten to shut the damn thing properly. It wouldnât surprise her if Adhiraj had noticed her blunder and slammed the door shut, muttering under his breath about her carelessness.Slapping her forehead in disbelief, she raced back to the room, collapsing onto the bed and cocooning herself with the duvet. At this point, her condition was so dire that she couldnât care less if Adhiraj returned and slept by her side. All she needed was uninterrupted rest, and if he dared to lay a finger on her, he would receive a swift kick that would rival a rocket launch.âââââIn the middle of the night, Adhiraj cautiously eased open the door, only to be greeted by a gentle glow of a dim, golden light. His gaze immediately fell upon the bed, and an imperceptible smile adorned his lips. Slowly approaching her side of the bed, he noticed her sleeping near the edge, seemingly one turn away from slipping off. His attention then shifted to her hair sprawled on the pillow, her body enveloped by the snug duvet, save for her peaceful face.A force within him urged him to come and check on her, though he couldnât pinpoint the exact reason for this sudden need. Perhaps it was the unwavering faith his grandfather had in Imara, which had left a lasting impact on him. Or maybe it was Vandanaâs words spoken earlier today, resonating in his mind and stirring an instinctive protectiveness within him. It could even be attributed to Imaraâs willingness to comply with his demands when he had threatened to dismantle her firm. She was an enigma to him; her actions both captivated and bewildered him, making it challenging to figure out what he should truly believe about her.Shaking his head, he left the room and made his way out. Finally, he sent a text to Sanchit: âImara Rathore.âThe next morning, Imaraâs eyes blinked open as sunlight flooded through the glass doors leading to the balcony. She placed her hand on her stomach, searching for any discomfort, but found none. Relief washed over her, allowing her to slowly slip out of bed. Casting her eyes to the right side of the mattress, she noticed its pristine and unused appearance. A perplexed expression formed on her face as she pondered. âWhere did he sleep last night?âBut she quickly brushed off the thought, reminding herself, âItâs none of my business!âHowever, an overwhelming desire to express her gratitude for his gesture from the previous evening welled up within her. She grabbed a pen and beneath his note, she wrote, âThank you!âHeading towards the washroom, she suddenly stopped upon hearing a gentle knock at the door. Taking a moment to fix her tousled hair, she opened the door, only to find Vandana waiting outside. Sharing a warm smile, she stepped aside to allow Vandana into the room.Vandana placed the clothes she was carrying on the bed and glanced at its state. Imara noticed this, but didnât clarify. Vandana didnât push for details either. Instead, she placed a comforting hand on Imaraâs and said, âGood morning, Imara! Please put on these clothes for Muh Dikhayi. But for now, join everyone downstairs for breakfast.âImara nodded in response, and Vandana affectionately patted her cheek before leaving the room. Imara rubbed her lower waist before heading into the washroom, knowing that a challenging day lay ahead.âââââââ-Approximately half an hour later, Imara found herself parked at the breakfast table, consumed by her internal conflict about indulging in the free food. While searching for the simplest meal option, her gaze stumbled upon her sisters who, mysteriously enough, looked away while blushing.'Why are they blushing?' Imara pondered.In that very moment, Imaraâs gaze shifted and landed upon a faint crimson mark coyly peeking out from under Anikaâs dupatta. Imaraâs ensuing fit of cough was so intense that Vandana had to pound her back to restore some semblance of calm. Little did Vandana realise that Imara was desperately stifling a giggle that threatened to burst forth like a herd of mischievous unicorns stampeding out of her ribcage. Eventually, Imara managed to compose herself, but not before casting a knowing glance in Anikaâs direction.âWhat happened?â Vandana asked, concerned.Imara, her voice hoarse, shook her head and muttered, âIâm okay... itâs nothing!âJust then, Adhiraj descended the stairs and settled beside Imara, helping himself to breakfast. Imara couldnât shake off the note he had left for her last night, and it made her cheeks heated. However, just as she was about to scoop some curd onto her plate, Adhiraj leaned in and whispered, âI suggest you go for something warm. Curd might not be the best choice.âImara felt another wave of embarrassment wash over her. However, she defiantly reached for the curd once more, only to be met with Adhirajâs hushed whisper, âYou donât want me to broadcast it to everyone at the table, do you?âImara swiftly pulled her hand away, glaring at him as she reached for the bowl of warm milk and cornflakes instead. She had unwavering faith in this manâs ability to publicly announce that she was on her periods, all because he enjoyed asserting his dominance over her. But oh, no way! She would be damned if she didnât give him a taste of his own medicine.So, she put on her slyest expression and took a sip of her hot milk. Oops, maybe it was accidental, but her elbow happened to graze the glass of juice perched dangerously close to his plate. With a satisfying plop, the juice cascaded onto the table, leaving a trail down the length of Adhirajâs pants.An eerie hush descended upon the table, and the shock on Adhirajâs face quickly transformed into a flaming fury. He shot Imara a glare that could ignite a bonfire.Imara simply couldnât resist. She playfully clucked her tongue and mockingly covered her ears, whispering, âSorryâ¦âAdhiraj was on the verge of an explosion. âAre you completely blind?âImara widened her eyes innocently and repeated, âSorryâ¦â with a suppressed grin dancing on her lips.âImara...â Adhiraj thundered, but Vandana swiftly came to her rescue. âRaj, donât raise your voice at her.âImara slyly gave him a cheeky wink, and that just set Adhiraj on fire! He stomped away in a fit of fury, leaving poor Vandana groaning with annoyance. She wasted no time and called out to one of the maids, demanding, âServe his breakfast in his room!âMeanwhile, Imara, with her eyes modestly lowered, was doing a fantastic job at hiding her amusement. She slowly savoured her milk, all while Anika and Tarushi desperately tried to hold in their laughter, knowing all too well about Imaraâs mischievous ways. Atharv and Samrat shared a knowing glance, while Virender slyly winked at Jaidev. Well, that did it! Jaidev couldnât contain his grin any longer and burst into laughter, infecting everyone around with mirth, except for Imara. As the laughter died down, Vandana couldnât help but cast a glance at Imara, her heart aching to see no sign of a smile on her face, even after all the fun.But just as Vandana finished her scrutiny, Imara casually stood up, acting as if nothing happened, and whispered, âPoor Raj... let me check if he needs anything. Excuse me!â With a swift u-turn, Imara headed back to her room.And just like that, others couldnât resist bursting into giggles once again.
Chapter 22: chapter 22
The Fated Knot•Words: 11055