Chapter 23: 20. The Past!!

𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙠𝙖'𝙨 𝙋𝙤𝙫

The wind howled around us as I stood frozen, my eyes wide with fear as Vidyut inched closer to the edge of the cliff. His steps were slow but deliberate, as though daring the void to consume him. My heart raced, and without thinking, I rushed forward, grabbing his hand just as his foot slipped on the loose gravel.

“Are you out of your mind?” I yelled, my voice breaking with panic as I pulled him away from the edge with all the strength I could muster. He stumbled back, and we both collapsed onto the rocky ground, gasping for breath.

He turned to look at me, a soft, almost amused smile on his lips despite the situation. “I knew you’d save me, treasure,” he said, his voice calm, as though he hadn’t just flirted with death.

I stared at him in disbelief before my emotions took over. My hand flew across his cheek, the sound of the slap echoing through the empty expanse. “What the hell is wrong with you, Vidyut?” I shouted, my voice shaking with anger and frustration. “Do you think this is a joke? Do you think your life means so little?”

He didn’t react to the slap. Instead, he touched his cheek lightly, his smile never faltering. “I know you don't hate me,” he said quietly, his eyes locked onto mine. “But you can never stop loving me.”

I froze, his words slicing through my anger like a knife. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. My chest felt heavy, my emotions tangled and confused. I stepped back, shaking my head. “It wasn’t love, Vidyut. It was humanity,” I said firmly, trying to put as much distance between us as I could.

He stood, dusting off his clothes, and took a step toward me. His eyes softened, his gaze piercing through the walls I had built around my heart. “I know you better than that, Advika,” he said. “A person as cold-hearted as you can’t act out of humanity alone. It’s love, even if you don’t want to admit it.”

Frustration bubbled inside me, and I grabbed his collar, yanking him closer. “You’re crossing the line again, Vidyut!” I hissed through gritted teeth. “Just let me go! Stop making everything more difficult than it already is.”

But before I could say more, he gently placed his hand over my mouth, silencing me. His touch was soft but firm, and it sent a shiver down my spine. “I want to know, Advika,” he said, his voice low and filled with an emotion I couldn’t place. “I want to know the reason behind your coldness, your anger, your pain. I know you weren’t always like this. I know the girl who loved me, who believed in love. I just want to understand. Please, tell me.”

His words broke something inside me. Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over. For a moment, I wanted to tell him everything. The pain, the betrayal, the loss that had turned me into the person I was now. But the words caught in my throat.

I pushed him away, stepping back as my tears finally fell. “You lost the privilege to ask me that, Vidyut,” I said, my voice trembling. “Whatever we had, it’s gone. It’s just… an end.”

I turned and walked away, my steps unsteady but determined. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t.

When I reached my house, I paused at the gate, staring at the familiar walls that had once felt like a haven. Now, they felt foreign, like a relic of a life that no longer existed. I stepped inside, my heart heavy, and made my way to my room.

The walls were lined with photos of happier times—pictures of me with Maan and Kartik, our smiles bright and carefree. I ran my fingers over a frame, the glass cool under my touch.

“This was home,” I whispered to myself, my voice barely audible. “This was my safe place.”

I sat on the floor, surrounded by the memories of a life that felt like it belonged to someone else. My tears fell freely now, and I didn’t bother to wipe them away.

In the quiet of the room, I let myself grieve—not just for Maan and Kartik, but for the person I used to be. For the girl who had believed in love and happiness, who had trusted so easily and loved so deeply.

That girl was gone, and in her place was someone I barely recognized.

But even as I tried to shut out the world, Vidyut’s words lingered in my mind, refusing to be silenced.

“I know you hate me, but you can never stop loving me.”

And deep down, I hated how much those words rang true. I dozed off

~ 7 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚐𝚘

The temple was quiet, save for the low hum of the wind and the distant sound of bells swaying gently. I stood barefoot on the cold stone floor, my hands trembling as I pressed them together in prayer before the deity. Tears blurred my vision as I whispered, “What did I do wrong, God? Why me?” My voice cracked, and the question hung in the air like a plea for salvation.

I glanced at my wrists, marked with angry red scars that had barely begun to heal. My arms bore bruises—purple, black, and blue—a grim testament to the torment I endured. The pain wasn’t just physical; it was a crushing weight on my soul.

Is this what marriage is supposed to be?

I shut my eyes, trying to block out the memories, but they surged forward like a relentless tide. A month ago, my world turned upside down.

---

It had been late that night when I returned home, my dress torn and stained, my hair disheveled. I had run for my life from men who chased me, their lecherous laughter still echoing in my ears. I was safe, but barely. I thought my parents would hold me, comfort me. But when I stepped through the door, their faces twisted in horror and disgust.

“Yeh kya haalat bana li hai apni?” my father thundered, his voice shaking with rage.

“Where were you all night? Kis ke saath thi tu?” my mother demanded, her eyes narrowing.

I stammered, “Woh… woh kuch log… mujhe—”

But they didn’t let me finish. “Don’t you dare lie to us, Advika!” my father shouted. “You’ve shamed this family. You’ve ruined our name.”

“I didn’t do anything!” I cried. “You have to believe me.”

But they didn’t believe me. My protests fell on deaf ears. In their eyes, I was guilty, and there was only one way to salvage their pride: marriage.

“You’ll marry the boy we choose. This will fix everything,” my mother said coldly.

And just like that, my life was no longer mine.

---

I opened my eyes, my chest heaving with the weight of the memory. My parents had handed me over to a man they barely knew, a man whose charming façade fooled even them. They didn’t see the monster behind the mask.

For a month now, I had lived in this hell. My husband’s voice still rang in my ears from the night before: “You’re nothing but a burden. Why can’t you just obey me?” His words cut deeper than any blade ever could.

He demanded things from me—things I couldn’t give, wouldn’t give. He wanted control, complete and utter dominance. When I refused, his anger turned violent. He slapped me, shoved me, and worse. Last week, he tried to push me out of the window during one of his rages. I clung to the sill, begging for my life. Somehow, I managed to pull myself up, but the fear never left me.

---

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice the elderly woman approach me until she spoke.

“Beta, tumhara ghar kahan hai?” she asked, her voice kind, her eyes soft with concern.

Her words broke something inside me. Ghar? A home? I didn’t have a home. Not anymore.

I shook my head, my voice barely a whisper. “Ghar hi toh nahi hai, Dadi ji. Ab toh kuch bhi nahi hai.”

The old woman reached out as if to touch my arm, but before she could, I felt a sharp pain in my scalp. My hair was yanked back with such force that I stumbled. I knew instantly who it was “Bahut pyaar hai na is Bhagwan se? Dekhein, kya karte hain yeh tumhare liye,” he sneered, dragging me out of the temple despite my protests.

“Aakash, chhodo mujhe! Tumhare is tamashe ki wajah se yahan ke log dekh rahe hain,” I pleaded, my voice trembling.

“Let them see,” he said coldly, his grip tightening. “Waise bhi, tumhe koi farak nahi padta na? Tumhare liye toh yeh sab bas ek drama hai.”

He pulled me toward his car, shoving me inside before slamming the door shut. The engine roared to life as he sped away, his jaw clenched and his eyes dark with fury. I sat silently, trying to hold back my tears, afraid of what he would do next.

We arrived at the edge of a secluded cliff, and my heart sank. I knew this place too well—the same spot where he often brought me to hurl his anger and venomous words at me. The wind howled as he got out, opening my door and forcing me to follow.

Standing at the edge, he turned to me with a cruel smirk. “Itna taiyyar karke laya hoon tumhe kyunki aaj kuch khaas hai.”

Confused and terrified, I dared to ask, “Kya matlab hai tumhara?”

“Kya tumhe lagta hai ki tum apni marzi se chalogi? Tumpe bazi lagayi thi, aur haar gaya. Aaj raat tum meri doston ki hogi.”

My world stopped. His words rang in my ears, shattering every ounce of hope I had left.

“Nahi,” I whispered, shaking my head, disbelief coursing through me. “Tum aisa mazaak kar rahe ho, hai na? Aakash, bolo yeh sab mazaak hai.”

“Maine kabhi mazaak nahi kiya, Advika,” he replied coldly.

Tears streamed down my face as I stumbled back. “Tumhare andar insaniyat ka ek bhi asar nahi bacha?”

“Insaniyat?” He laughed darkly, stepping closer. “Woh cheez tumhare liye thi, mere liye nahi. Tum toh sirf ek daav thi.”

A hollow laugh escaped my trembling lips as I backed away from him. My voice broke as I spat, “Tum insaan nahi ho, Aakash. Tum sirf ek darinda ho.”

“ohh I knoww will you jump or sleep with my friends?" my husband hissed, his grip tightening on my hair.

“Please… leave me,” I begged, my voice shaking.

But he didn’t listen. He never listened.

He dragged me away from the temple, his fingers digging into my arm like iron clamps. My heart raced as I realized where he was taking me: the cliff nearby.

When we reached the edge, he shoved me forward, and I stumbled, pebbles skittering down into the abyss below. The wind whipped around us, cold and merciless.

“You’re useless,” he spat. “You can’t even give me a child. You can't even satisfy me?? You can't even give me your body for satisfaction. What good are you?”

His words hit me like a physical blow, but what came next shattered me.

“Buying you was the biggest mistake of my life,” he sneered.

I froze. “Buying?” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the wind.

He laughed, a dark, cruel sound that sent shivers down my spine. “Yes, buying. Your parents were desperate for money. They begged me to help them, so I did. In exchange, they gave me you.”

“No… no, you’re lying,” I said, shaking my head. But deep down, I knew he wasn’t. The pieces clicked into place. The hurried wedding, my parents’ cold indifference, their refusal to listen to me—it all made sense now.

“They sold you to me,” he continued, his voice dripping with venom. “And you’re nothing but a burden. You can’t even fulfill the one purpose I bought you for. So just… die.”

Before I could react, he pushed me. The world tilted, and I felt the ground vanish beneath my feet. My scream tore through the air as I plummeted, the wind roaring in my ears. I reached out desperately, but there was nothing to hold on to.

"Nooooooo" I shot up in bed, gasping for air. My body was drenched in sweat, my heart pounding against my ribs. It was a nightmare. Just a nightmare. But the wounds on my body and the bruises on my soul reminded me that it wasn’t far from reality.

I curled up into a ball, clutching my knees to my chest as tears streamed down my face. “Why, God?” I whispered. “Why me?”

𝙑𝙞𝙙𝙮𝙪𝙩' 𝙥𝙤𝙫:

The dimly lit room reeked of fear. The soft whimpers and whispers of the people tied to the chairs in front of me only added to the suffocating tension. These were Advika’s so-called parents—the ones who had raised her, or so the world believed. To me, they were nothing but cowards hiding behind the facade of love and family. I knew better.

Advika’s coldness, her silence, her endless walls—there had to be a reason. She wasn’t always like this. There was a time when her laughter filled every corner of her surroundings, when her eyes sparkled with mischief and her heart held nothing but love. That was before she became this… shadow of herself. And these two people, sitting bruised and bound before me, had something to do with it.

Their muffled cries grated on my nerves. “STOP!” I roared, my voice echoing in the silence, and they immediately fell quiet.

I walked over to the man who dared to call himself her father, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him slightly off the chair. His bloodied face was pale, his lips trembling, but he had the audacity to smirk at me.

“Tell me the truth!” I snarled, shaking him violently. “Why is she like this? Why does she carry so much pain? What did you do to her?”

He chuckled, a cruel sound that sent my rage spiraling. Blood dripped from his broken nose, staining his shirt as he spat his words at me. “She’s nothing but an attention seeker,” he sneered. “Always was, even when she was a child. Crying, demanding, pretending to be the victim. Even when we took her in after her parents died. Even when we married her off. She’s just a good-for-nothing actress who thinks the world revolves around her.”

I froze. His words hit me like a dagger to the chest. Took her in? After her parents died?

“What do you mean?” I growled, my voice low and deadly. “What do you mean ‘after her parents died’? Who are you?”

He laughed again, a twisted, mocking sound. “You think she’s special? She’s nothing. Just a burden we carried because we needed her inheritance. Her parents’ death was the best thing that happened to us.”

The chair toppled over as I flung him across the room, my blood boiling with fury. My fists clenched at my sides as I tried to rein in the storm inside me. The thought of someone hurting her, of exploiting her, of reducing her to this broken version of herself—it was unbearable.

“She fears one thing,” her so-called father continued, wheezing as he lay crumpled on the floor. “Just one thing. And it’s not you. It’s him. Bring him near her, and you’ll see. Your little tigress will crumble like a house of cards.”

His words only fueled my rage. “Who is he?” I demanded, my voice shaking with barely contained fury. “WHO HURT HER?”

He smirked, but he didn’t answer. I couldn’t take it anymore. My heart was a raging storm, my mind consumed by thoughts of her pain. Someone had broken her in ways I couldn’t even imagine. And now, I would make it my mission to find out who.

I turned to the other chair, where her so-called mother sat, silent and trembling. “You’re both going to regret this,” I said coldly.

As I stormed out of the room, I gave the order. “Pack the bloodied clothes and some belongings of these two. Send them to her with a note.”

The note was simple: “If you ever loved them, come and save them.”

I knew it was cruel. I knew I was crossing a line I could never come back from. But I couldn’t stop. Not when I felt her slipping further away from me.

Within minutes, my phone buzzed. The package had been delivered.

Five minutes later, another call came through. “Sir,” one of my men stammered, his voice filled with panic. “She’s here. But we couldn’t stop her. She… she’s too fast, too strong. Sixty men down, sir. We didn’t stand a chance.”

I laughed, a proud, almost maniacal laugh. My tigress was back.

I could picture her in my mind—fierce, unstoppable, and utterly magnificent. No one could stand in her way when she was in this state. My men weren’t meant to stop her; they were there to slow her down, to make sure she came to me with all the fire and fury I knew she carried in her heart.

Then, I heard it—a gunshot.

I turned toward the door, my heart pounding. And there she was.

Advika.

She stood there like a vision of wrath, dressed in black from head to toe, her long hair wild and untamed. Her blazing eyes locked onto mine, and I felt my breath catch. She held a gun in her hand, smoke still rising from the barrel.

She was glorious.

My queen.

“Vidyut,” she said, her voice low and dangerous, “you’ve gone too far this time.”

But I couldn’t stop smiling. I stepped closer, my heart swelling with pride and love. “There she is,” I murmured. “My tigress. My Advika.”

She raised the gun again, her hands steady, her eyes unflinching. “Give me one reason not to pull the trigger,” she said, her voice icy.

I smirked, stepping even closer until the barrel of the gun was pressed against my chest. “Because I’m the only one who can handle you, treasure,” I said softly. “You can hate me all you want, but you can never stop being mine.”

Her hand trembled for just a moment, and I knew I I had her.

But then..... someone entered!!

_________________________________________

𝘒𝘪𝘴𝘪 𝘬𝘰 𝘣𝘩𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘬𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘫𝘢𝘩 𝘥𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘩𝘯𝘪 𝘯𝘢𝘩𝘪 𝘱𝘢𝘥𝘵𝘪

𝘞𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘭 𝘫𝘢𝘵𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘪

𝘒𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘩𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘨𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘯𝘢 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘨𝘦

𝘌𝘬 𝘣𝘢𝘢𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘪 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘳 𝘫𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘬𝘩𝘭𝘰

𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘩𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘨𝘢

𝘛𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘭 𝘩𝘪 𝘫𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘪...

_________________________________________

𝘽𝙮𝙚:)

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