Chapter 1
AARAV’S POV
I adjusted the collar of my silk shirt in the mirror, barely giving the girl sitting near the bed a second glance.
Naina was sitting quietly, staring down at her glass bangles. We had been married for eight months, but to me, she was just an arrangement my parents made. A quiet girl who kept the house running and didn’t ask questions.
“Where are my car keys, Naina?” I asked, my voice cold and flat.
She stood up quickly, adjusting her saree. “They’re on the side table near the main door, Aarav. Are you not staying for dinner? The cooks made everything you like.”
I let out a small, annoyed sigh. She was always worrying about useless things like dinner and medicine logs.
“I have an important meeting in the village,” I lied easily, grabbing my leather jacket. “Don’t wait up for me. Make sure Father gets his medicine on time tomorrow morning.”
“The roads are bad because of the rain,” she whispered, her voice soft and hesitant. “Please drive carefully.”
I didn’t even look back at her. “Yeah, fine.”
I walked out of the heavy wooden doors of the Haveli, leaving her standing alone in the big, dark hallway.
NAINA’S POV
The heavy front door clicked shut with a dull thud.
I stood alone in the grand, quiet hallway of the Haveli. The only sound left was the slow ticking of the huge pendulum clock and the heavy rain falling outside.
I took a deep, tired breath.
Eight months ago, when I married Aarav, I thought I was getting a husband. I thought we would build a life together in this beautiful ancestral house. But reality hit me very quickly. Aarav didn’t care about me. He didn’t talk to me unless he wanted his clothes ironed, his tea served, or his father’s medical records updated.
To him, I wasn’t a wife. I was just an unpaid servant with a wedding ring.
I wrapped my silk saree tighter around my shoulders to block out the cold night air. My heart felt heavy and hollow. Was this how the rest of my life was going to be? Living in this giant, lonely house with a man who couldn’t even look me in the eye?
Footsteps echoed down the upper balcony.
I looked up toward the stairs as a tall, imposing shadow appeared at the landing.
“Jeth ji...” I murmured softly, quickly pulling my pallu over my head to show respect.
He didn’t say anything at first, just standing there in the dim light of the hallway before turning back toward his study.
I looked down at my hands and let out a quiet sigh, stepping into the kitchen to clean up the dinner table.
heyy busyy people
its been long since I posted will do it regularly now onwards, and just one more person to become a 100 fam very glad , please do like and comment
this is your tara signing off
