Chapter 20

“Oh my darling Priya, don’t scream.  No one can hear you.  You might as well enjoy this moment.”  Rakesh said.

He maintained his firm grip on the end of her sari, but no longer pulled at it.  Instead he walked closer to her, enveloping her in his arms.  She tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong for her. He pushed her up against the wall and tried to kiss her.  Priya strained her neck, desperately trying to move away from him.  Rakesh held onto her arms so tightly that Priya was sure bruises her forming.  Suddenly Rakesh forced her forward and slammed her hard against the wall.  Priya cried out in pain, but Rakesh ignored her.  He was furious that she wouldn’t let him kiss her.

“I wanted to be romantic, Priya, but if you’re going to act this way, I might just have to get rough.” Rakesh threatened.  He again slammed her against the wall.  He pulled her forward and slapped her hard across the face.  Priya fell to the floor.  She could feel blood in her mouth.  She scooted back as Rakesh moved forward.  He removed his belt and tossed it aside. He started to unbutton his shirt, still walking forward.

“Rakesh, please don’t.” Priya begged.  She couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

Rakesh smiled at her.  He leaned down to the floor where she was and cupped her cheek with his hand.

“Priya, don’t cry,” he nearly whispered, “You’ll enjoy this, I promise.” he said.  He pulled at her sari again.

“No! Stop! Rakesh, please don’t do this.”

“Payal, have you seen Priya?” Aman asked Payal, who was deeply in conversation with Rajiv.

“Huh? Nope, haven’t seen her.” She said, briefly before turning her attention back to Rajiv.  The couple had danced through almost a dozen songs and decided to return to the table for a little break.

Aman scanned the room and didn’t see Priya anywhere.  Surely she would’ve told him if she went anywhere.

“Wait! She went outside, I think.” Payal suddenly remembered.

“Outside? Why?” Aman asked.

“I don’t know. She didn’t say.” Payal answered.

“Did she go with somebody?” Aman replied.

“I don’t think so. I saw her leave alone.” Payal said.

Why would Priya just leave by herself?  Aman decided that he needed to look for her.  He left the room, where the party was being held and made his way through the lengthy hallway to the nightclub area.  He doubted Priya would be here, but it couldn’t hurt to look anyways.

He started looking for Priya’s sari.  No one else would be dressed in one.  He looked at girls with dark hair and scanned their outfits, trying to find a sari.  The lighting was dimmed and colorful, making it difficult to make out facial features.  Aman couldn’t find her.  He started to become worried.  He then walked outside into the cold New York breeze, but the streets were empty of pedestrians. The cold had forced everyone inside.  Aman shivered slightly as he walked down the road.  He walked around the building even though he doubted Priya would be out here when it was this cold.  She must be inside somewhere.

“Priya, don’t worry. Aman doesn’t have to know.” Rakesh said.  He’d unwrapped her sari.  Priya attempted to cover her torso with her arms.  She felt so ashamed.

“Don’t try to hide from me.” Rakesh said, pulling her hands away.  He held them firmly above her head.  His eyes scanned her length of her torso, lingering on her breasts.  She mentally kicked herself for wearing that skimpy backless blouse that didn’t cover much in the front either.

“Aman is so lucky. He gets you every night.” Rakesh said more to himself than to Priya.  His eyes darkened with lust.  Priya tried to skirm out of his grip, but couldn’t.  She kicked him and he released his hold on her hands.  She quickly stood up as Rakesh doubled over in pain.  She ran to the door and successfully unlocked it, but Rakesh was too quick.  He grabbed her arm and flung her across the room.  He turned the dimmed lights completely off.  There were no windows in the room, so they were immersed in total darkness.

Priya stood up.  She was unable to see where Rakesh had gone.  She felt a hand at her waist, and swung around trying to see him.  Rakesh hit her again, and she fell to the ground.  She could feel his hands on her, but couldn’t see him.

“Rakesh, please don’t do this.” she pleaded.  She placed her palms on what felt like his bare chest and pushed hard hoping to increase the distance between them.  He took her hands and forced them behind her back. They were both sitting on the floor. He spun her around so that her back was against his chest.

“Just relax. If you and Aman can, why can’t we Priya?  You two don’t even know each other that well, and neither do we. What’s the difference?” Rakesh whispered in her ear.

Priya couldn’t help but cry.  Aman had never taken advantage of her despite the fact that they were married.  She realized how lucky she was to have a husband like him. She suddenly felt worse that Payal could possibly end up with this monster.  She screamed for help, knowing that no one would come to rescue her.

Aman became frustrated.  He had wandered back through the nightclub crowd and was lingering in the hallway.  He had tried calling Priya several times, but it seemed like her phone was off.

“Dammit Priya. Where are you?” he said to himself.  He was reluctant to go back to the party, knowing that someone was bound to distract him and then he would never find Priya.

Aman stood there, thinking about what he should do next.  He turned to go back to the party and try to search for Priya again.

“Aman!” Aman stopped.  Had he just heard his name?  He stood and listened.  Nothing.

He decided that his mind must be playing tricks on him.

“Help! Aman!” This time he was sure someone was calling his name.  He walked towards the nightclub area.  It came from that direction.  He heard something crash and break in the storage room to his right.

Aman opened the door with ease.  It was pitch dark.  He moved to flip the light switch.

“Aman!” Priya’s voice cried out.

“Priya?” Aman said unsurely.

Suddenly, a man ran past Aman and into the nightclub crowd.  Aman didn’t see who he was.  All he knew was the man was dressed in black.  Instead of pursuing the man, he turned on the lights.  He saw Priya’s frail figure on the ground.  Bruises were everywhere. There was blood dripping out of her mouth.  Her blouse was torn and she was crying.

“Priya! What happened?” Aman said as he rushed toward her.

He knelt down beside her.  She cowered against the wall, pulling her sari over her chest.  Some tried to rape her! Aman abruptly stood up. The man that had ran past him...tried to rape Priya.  Aman knew he wouldn’t be able to find the man in the crowd.  He was sure he’d left the premises already. And right now, Priya needed him.

He knelt down again.  He reached out for Priya, but she turned away, tears still falling onto her cheeks,

“Priya, it’s okay. It’s just me. Come here.” Aman said soothingly.

Priya didn’t move.  Aman tried to pull her into a hug, but she pushed him away.

“Priya, please.” Aman pleaded.

She looked up at him, but still didn’t move.  Aman took off his tuxedo jacket and put it around Priya.  She stared at him, but didn’t say anything.  He helped her up, and she let him.  He walked her through the nightclub crowd, his arm securely around her.  Priya’s eyes, still moist with tears, were fixed on the ground.  She walked in silence.  Once outside, Aman called for his driver who promptly showed up.  He helped Priya into the back, and then he pulled out his phone.

“Hiten, when Payal’s ready, can you bring her home?  Priya isn’t feeling well. I’m taking her home right now.” Aman said.

“Yeah sure! She’s really hitting it off with this boy. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on them.  If he moves an inch closer to her, I’ll body slam him.” Hiten said in jest.

Normally, Aman would have laughed at Hiten’s antics, but he was too worried about Priya to laugh at anything.

“Thanks,” he said quietly before hanging up.

The driver started driving towards Aman’s mansion.  Aman wasn’t sure whether he should ask Priya about what happened or if she knew who her assailant was.  He pushed the button that made the tinted window between the driver and the passenger go up, giving them more privacy.

“Priya,” Aman said, trying to get her attention.  She didn’t respond.  She didn’t even look in his direction.

“Hey, look at me.” Aman said softly.  He cupped her cheek with his hand, and gently turned her face so that she faced him.  She shrunk away from his touch.

“Tell me what happened.” Aman said.

Priya’s eyes started tearing up again.  She looked down.  She didn’t want to tell anyone anything.  She was too ashamed.  The only thing she wanted to say to Aman was ‘thank you.’ She desperately wanted to thank him for saving her.  If he hadn’t come, who knows what Rakesh would’ve done.

Aman wiped away Priya’s tears.  She looked up at him, but quickly looked back down.  She scooted away from him, and he made no further attempts to touch her.  The rest of the drive continued in silence.  Once they reached Aman’s mansion.  He opened the door for her.  She went straight to Aman’s room.  He followed behind her, keeping some distance between them.  When he entered his room, he found her sitting on his bed, his jacket still tightly wrapped around her.

“Priya,” he sat down beside her, careful to leave some distance between them.

“Thank you.” Priya whispered.

“For what?” Aman asked.

“For looking for me, for saving me.” A single tear fell from her eye.  Aman quickly wiped it away.  He leaned in and kissed her forehead.  Priya looked up at him, surprised as his actions.

“I didn’t really do anything. I just opened the door. Priya, do you know who did this?” Aman asked.

Priya hesitated.

“No.” she lied.

“What were you doing in the storage room with someone you didn’t know?” Aman asked.  He was trying so hard to not jump to any conclusions.

“I didn’t know he was taking me to a storage room.” Priya answered.

“Why did you leave without telling me? And that too with a stranger.” Aman asked.  He was growing angry, but he knew Priya wouldn’t respond to him if he started shouting at her.

“I told Payal,” Priya replied.

“Who was he?” Aman asked.

“Someone I met.” Priya said.  She didn’t want Aman to know it was Rakesh.  Rakesh had threatened that is she told anyone at all, he would make her life a living hell as well as Payal’s if they did end up getting married.  She hated lying to Aman, but she had no choice.  Payal’s life was more important.

“What the hell, Priya? He, whoever he is, just tried to rape you and you’re not going to tell me anything about him?” Aman asked, incredulously.  He was growing impatient.

“I...I don’t…” Priya didn’t know what to say.  She was surprised that Aman was growing frustrated so quickly, but his behavior was justified.

Fresh tears welled up in Priya’s eyes. She turned away, not able to face Aman after lying to him.  Aman stood up.  He disappeared down the hall and back downstairs.  Priya started to sob.  She thought Aman was angry with her.  After a few moments, Aman came back.  He was carrying a first aid box.  He once again took a seat next to Priya on his bed.  She glanced over at him, but immediately turned away again.

“Priya, look at me.” Aman said gently.

Priya turned around. He eyes met his briefly.  Aman started digging through the box and removed some gauze.  He carefully dabbed at the blood at her mouth.  He continued treating the bruises on her face.  Priya watched him silently.  Aman reached to remove his jacket that was securely around Priya’s body, she quickly backed away.

“You have bruises and scratches on your arms and your back.” Aman said.

He again reached over to remove his jacket from Priya.  She pulled away, shaking her head from side to side.

Aman sighed.  He stood up and led Priya to the bathroom.

“Have a shower, and change your clothes.  You’ll be more comfortable.  I’ll be downstairs.” Aman said.

He turned to leave, but Priya quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him. He turned towards her.  She stared at him for a moment before hugging him tightly.  Aman was taken aback by her actions, but he wrapped his arms around her, trying to make her feel safe.

“It’s okay, Priya. I’m right here.”  He said gently.  He could feel her tears soaking his shirt, but he didn’t care.

He waited a few minutes, allowing Priya to cry until she couldn’t cry anymore.  They stood there in each other’s arms.  Suddenly, Priya backed away.  She was blushing furiously.  Aman smiled.

“Are you okay now?” he asked.

She nodded, turning away and taking a few steps away from him.  Aman knew she was embarrassed.

“Thank you.” Priya said again.

“Anytime. I’ll be downstairs.” Aman said.

He quickly left and went down the stairs only to be met with Payal, who had just been dropped off by Hiten.

“Jija-ji, is Didi okay?” Payal asked sleepily.  It was a little late for her to still be up.

“She’s fine now. She went to take a shower.” Aman informed her.

“Okay. I’ll talk to her in the morning then.  I’m so sleepy.” Payal replied, trying to stifle a yawn.

“Goodnight, Payal.” Aman said with a smile.

“Goodnight!” Payal said before ascending up the stairs.

Aman took a seat on the couch.  He started thinking, more like worrying, about Priya and what she’d gone through. She seemed so traumatized, so helpless.  He wanted nothing more than to comfort her and to find the man who attacked her.

Priya stared at herself in the mirror.  She looked abused, battered, weak.  She removed Aman’s jacket.  She pulled her sari down slowly and took off her blouse.  She turned around and again looked at herself in the mirror, this time her skin was bare.  All of her bruises and scratches were visible.  She couldn’t stop herself from crying again.  She looked deplorable, and she felt miserable.

After a long, hot shower, Priya made her way downstairs to find Aman.  She saw him sitting on the couch, deep in thought.  She made her way over to him and sat down beside him.  He turned to her.

“Are you okay?” Aman asked, concerned.

Priya was dressed in a long black salwar kameez that she often wore to sleep.  She looked up at Aman and nodded, offering him a small smile.

“Good. By the way, Payal came home. Hiten dropped her off.  She was tired, so she went to sleep.” Aman said, trying to make small talk.

Priya froze, a horrified expression was plastered on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Aman asked immediately.

“What am I going to tell Payal?” Priya asked.

“Nothing,” answered Aman simply.

“She’s going to wonder about these bruises.” Priya said, pointing to her face.

She had a deep purple bruise on her left cheek and cuts around her lip from where Rakesh had slapped her.

“Can you cover them up?” Aman asked.  He reached up and gently ran his fingers across Priya’s cheek.

Priya shuddered at his touch, but didn’t move away.

“We should go to sleep. It’s late.” Priya suggested.

“Sure.” Aman agreed.

They went upstairs.  Priya laid down on the bed immediately.  She was beyond tired and just wanted to forget the events of the day.  Aman joined her after quickly changing.  She had her back turned towards him.  He reached out and placed a hand on her waist. Priya abruptly sat up.

“Priya, I’m sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Aman said after sitting up as well.

Priya didn’t say anything.

“Come here.” Aman whispered.  He held out his arm.  Priya hesitated.  Aman pulled her closer and laid back down.  She rested her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.  They fell asleep, leaving the bad memories of the night behind.

Awww poor Priya! She’s traumatized! But at least she’s getting closer to Aman. Aww Aman is SO sweet! He totally took care of his wife :)

Rakesh...omg...I can’t even.

No cliffhanger this time, you’re welcome ;)

Okay pllleaaaseeeee tell me what you thought! Reactions to what happened to Priya. Are you disappointed that Aman and Rakesh didn’t fight? Do you think Aman is falling in love with Priya?   Tell meee!

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