Chapter 2: I Will Not Accept This Marriage

The morning after their unexpected nikaah dawned heavy with silence.

Poornima stood near the window of Veeresh’s bedroom, her newly adorned mangalsutra and wedding bangles feeling like chains rather than symbols of marriage. The man she had trusted as her best friend, the one who had always stood by her side — had hidden this truth. And now, he was her husband.

Veeresh leaned against the doorway, still in his white kurta, eyes focused only on her.

She didn’t look at him. “I will not accept this marriage, Veeresh. You’ve tricked me.”

He walked toward her, slowly, his voice calm but with an edge of authority.

“But I have accepted it, Poornima. I have loved you since we were kids. I waited all my life for this moment.”

She turned to face him, eyes blazing. “You could’ve told me! You could’ve asked me, instead of tying me into this without my consent!”

Veeresh smirked slightly, taking a slow step closer. “Darling, I didn’t need to ask. I have full rights now. I’m your husband.”

His voice dropped, softer but commanding:

“And I can force you if I want… but I won’t. Not unless you push me.”

Her jaw clenched. “Let’s see then.”

That night, Poornima threw a pillow on the couch and settled there, wearing a plain cotton kurta, wrapping a blanket tightly around her. She turned her back to him, her rage hidden behind cold silence.

Veeresh watched her from the bed, running a hand through his hair with a sigh. Then, with a slow and determined stride, he got off the bed, walked toward her, and before she could react — he lifted her in his arms.

“What the hell are you doing? Put me down!” she yelled, pushing at his chest.

But his hold didn’t loosen. “Your place is next to mine, Begum. Not on the couch.”

Her fists hit his shoulder. “Let me go!”

“Stop struggling,” he said through gritted teeth, “or I will pin you down properly.”

He walked to the bed and gently laid her beside him. She tried to sit up immediately, but he grabbed her wrist and pinned her down beside him.

Her breathing was shallow. His gaze intense.

“I won’t touch you. Not until you’re ready. But don’t forget, you’re my wife now. And I won’t let you run from that.”

Poornima turned her face away, fuming — but her heart thudded, confused, shaken by his closeness, his words, his obsession.

He switched off the lights. The silence of the room was deafening.

And in the dark, Veeresh whispered, almost brokenly —

“All I ever wanted… was to call you mine.”

She didn’t reply. But her eyes remained open the entire night.