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|Am I worthy in your love, or just a selfish soul?|

by medicallymessedup

•present•

Her assurance bore the soul that fuelled existence in my mortal remains.

But do I even truly deserve her?

Frankly speaking, I highly doubt it because I haven't done a damn thing to justify my feelings for her.

I shouldn't have the right to proclaim my love for her when I wasn't even there to safeguard her from these deadly scumbags who were eager to shred her virtue.

I don't know the right word but perhaps I am not good enough to be the man she deserves.

"The cunning wench is trying to manipulate you against us, Aryan! She's putting on a nice act, but she was trying to seduce us, man." The only bastard standing on his foot until now opened his mouth at the unfortunate moment that at last unleashed the depths of my wrath.

I let loose my hold on Ruchi and stormed hastily towards the scamp. I swung my fist at his face with a roar of anger, the force of my blow catching him off guard. The others, too, shared in the aftereffects, except for my wife, who probably saw it coming. She even tried to steer my mind towards our conversation, for that very purpose, but she didn't know that I wasn't as forgiving as her, specifically towards the people who dared to mess with my loved ones.

"Aryan, why did you hit him?" The coarse howling returned from the dying hyena, and I bitterly wished she were a man, just to spare myself from defying the rules laid down by Ruchi. Or else, I might just have to resort to poisoning this retarded woman to save both my ass and married life. "She's lying. You need to believe us."

"I'm acknowledging the truth. Look!" I forcefully slammed down the other pussy who had the nerve to stand against me, but sadly, he was too sluggish and vapid to still question me, "What the hell, you can't hit us for this mere tramp!"

These chaps surely have a rod shoved too far up their arses. I suppose it's my esteemed duty to assist them in extracting it, for the betterment of humanity and, of course, my own mental well-being.

My muscles tightened as I squared up to him, the urge to rip out his tongue was strangely gratifying. The air crackled with anticipation as the hostility pulsating through my bones reached its threshold.

"That crap sounds ludicrous coming from you, you goddamn motherfucker!" I shot him a venomous glare, grimly anticipating the first blow heading my way.

And as the first punch flew towards me, I could feel the surge of rage bubbling within me like a dormant volcano awakening from its slumber. How dare they? How dare they even think they could lay a finger on her?

I ducked under the blow with a primal roar, feeling the surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins, propelling my every move. Amidst the upheaval, another voice cut through, laden with insistence and caution. "Aryan, please stop!"

It was undoubtedly her, trying fervently to pull me back from the brink.

I turned to her, my eyes blazing with indignation along with fists clenched tightly at my sides. "Stay out of this, Ruchi." I growled, my voice low and menacing. "These schmucks need to learn their lesson."

"Aryan, please!" She strode forward to bar my way. Why the hell couldn't this girl just hear me for once? Her voice trembling with apprehension as she implored, "They aren't worth the trouble. Please, let's just go from here."

But her words fell on deaf ears as I turned back to the men before me, my vision clouded by rage. "You think you can talk shit about her and get away with it?" I snarled, my voice rising to a fever pitch. "Think again, assholes."

And with that, I lanced myself at them, my fists flying with a ferocity born of desperation. The sound of bone meeting bone echoed through the entire corridor, a metaphor of violence that drowned out all other noise from the party going inside my house.

The first man, caught unprepared by my sudden onslaught, stumbled backward, his eyes wide as my fist connected with his jaw with a resounding crack. However, there was no time to bask in the satisfaction of my blow landing as another hound was already upon me, his fists flying in a flurry of distraught strikes. I dodged and weaved, narrowly avoiding each hit as I countered with my own, each punch driven by the fiery wrath that welled up from seeing them trying to lay their filthy hands on my wife.

As I fought, I could hear her voice calling out to me, her words a despondent plea for me to stop. The fear and anxiety in her voice were barely tangible, but I was too consumed by the tumult of my own birse. I itched for the blood of these sorry manless cunts.

I had cast myself into the fray with reckless abandon, my mind consumed by a singular purpose-to obliterate their minds without remorse. Each blow I landed was a testament to my vow, a testament to the depths of my love for Ruchi. Yet with each scarlet-stained impact, I felt a pang of guilt gnawing at my conscience.

Was this the man she deserved? A violent, vengeful brute driven by rage? The thought lingered in the back of my mind, as amidst the chaos, I heard her voice-Ruchi's voice-calling out to me, a beacon of reason in the maelstrom of my thoughts. "Aryan, please stop!" She entreated, her words significant for my sanity in the midst of this madness.

For a moment, I hesitated, the rage within me warring with the love and calm I held at her one beck and call. But then, with a vehement gnarl, I threw myself back into the melee, the doubts and fears pushed aside by the overwhelming need to avenge her endangered honor.

My muscles burned with exertion, as the fight wore on, my breath coming in ragged gasps. But still, I pressed on, powered by the primal instinct to defend what's mine.

During the shindy, my senses narrowed down to the immediate threats before me, drowning out the voices of reason that attempted to penetrate the haze of my rage. My parents called out to me with a mix of concern and urgency, their voices blending into the cacophony of the moment.

"Aryan! What in the world is going on here?" Mom's voice sliced through the air, carrying with it a note of disbelief and worry. I could feel both their eyes boring into me, their expressions puzzled and troubled as they tried to make sense of how their wayward son found himself in this situation, but I couldn't afford to waver even for even a fraction of seconds. The adrenaline surged through my veins, heightening my senses and sharpening my focus on the men who wagered to collar my wife's character. "Aryan, what's gotten into you? Leave him, son!" Dad's voice boomed, authoritative yet tinged with a slight concern I thought he no longer had for me, but regardless, his words went unnoticed by me.

The bloke I was sparring with now had his irate parents shrieking, their voices raised in demands for my parents to stop me. "Anchal, Soham, control your son! Why is he attacking my Arka?" The specified father bawled, followed by the hysterical mother, "This is absolutely outrageous, Anchal! First, your staff tried to poison my meal, and now your son is on the verge of ending my son's life! I had no idea the supposedly esteemed Malliks were so inhospitable to their guests."

That's one exceedingly dramatic and ostentatiously bombastic woman, just like the one Mom frequently complaints me about. I suppose the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree. This scamp is the darling progeny of Mr. and Mrs. Shahane.

"C'mon, Ms. Shahane, if I'm not mistaken, you're the one, right?" I remarked, "You should be grateful I'm assisting you and your husband in disciplining your son, who has been quite a dick, if I may say so myself." The rugged honeyed sweetness dribbling from my tongue might outdo her dramatics. "That's the inaugural act of hospitality that we Malliks ardently practice because scumbugs as such are actually very toxic to our society."

The big guy's mommy richest grew red in anger while the female dummies who had flown too close to the sun earlier had their faces twisted in horror and fake innocence as they cried out for their parents, pleading with them to step in and put an end to the violence.

I couldn't help but scoff derisively, as if they had any influence over me.

Dad, sensing my stubbornness to let them go, barked orders for the security team to step in and separate me from the bloodied figure writhing on the ground but the security guards exchanged hesitant glances. Their eyes flickering nervously as they shied away from approaching me, sensing the volatile storm of babel swirling within me. It was as if they could feel the palpable waves of anger emanating from my smoldering eyes, and they knew better than to risk provoking the beast that lurked beneath the surface.

While Mom and Dad hurried forward discerning something was wrong with me, their faces fraught as they tried to restrain me. Their hands reached out, grasping at my arms in a futile effort to hold me back, but my body was taut with tension, poised like a coiled spring, ready to vent its pent-up aversion at any moment. Although they both tried to quell the tempest steaming within me, I stayed resolute in my determination to mete out justice to the despicable scum before me.

I leveled a venomous glare at the pathetic creatures cowering on the ground, their faces contorted in nasty pain and blunt trepidation as they whimpered like wounded swines.

Every fiber of my being screamed for retribution, for vengeance. I wanted nothing more than to rain down hell upon them, to make them suffer for their evil-doing until they begged for mercy from the satan itself. But as I teetered on the edge of becoming their very own satirist, a cutting, tormented voice pierced through the farrago.

"Stop it, please! Aryan! Please!" My wife pleaded akin to a prisoner of war begging for mercy from her captor. I found myself faltering as her voice penetrated the maelstrom of my impassioned rage. The raw desperation in her provocation struck a chord within me. "There's no point in confronting these losers. Can't you see that, huh?"

How could I have missed the agony concealed within each unshed tear in her eyes, the dread beneath the faint quiver of her lips, or the raw vulnerability masked by the chill of her body? How could I have been so callous to not realize her sorrow before?

For a brief moment, time appeared to freeze as I stood there, wrestling with the conflicting emotions tearing me apart. On one hand, there was the burning thirst for retribution but on the other hand, there was Ruchi, my sanctuary amidst the whirlwind. The flame illuminating my path away from the depths of obscurity.

In her agitated eyes, I glimpsed at the reflections of my own indignation and grievances, a mirror reflecting the pickle consuming my being. And yet, despite the terror and resentment veiling her gaze, there gleamed a spark of optimism, her confidence in me, a wordless call for me to abandon the devil guiding my deeds.

I felt the taut coil of rage loosening its hold on my being. My love for Ruchi was stronger than all the crap that went down. She was my rock, my salvation, and I would do anything to keep her, even if it meant swallowing my pride and walking away from the fight.

I unclenched my fists with a somber breath, letting the tension drain from my body as I turned away from the men before me. Mom and Dad ushered me away with them with their holds steady yet protective on my arms. I couldn't shake off the flood of conflicting emotions engulfing me. The chaos had subsided, but the tension lingered in the air like a heavy fog, suffocating and oppressive.

"What happened, Aryan?" Mom's voice sliced through the strife like a knife, her eyes boring into mine with a whopping great disappointment and confusion. I opened my mouth to explain the gyre of harrowing events that had led us to this point, but the words caught in my throat were stifled by the weight of guilt and bummer.

Moreover, I wasn't confident that they would buy into my story. Only a short while ago, Mom had cornered me, warning me to abstain from causing any further complications for Ruchi. She had directed me to confine myself to my room until the party ended, all to ensure my wife's uninterrupted enjoyment. If only I had remained alongside her throughout the night, maybe the situation would have been different.

"Shona!" Startlingly, it was Dad who stepped ahead, his expression a mask of cold-eyed concern softened by a hint of paternal touch. He gently placed a hand on my shoulder as I looked on, dumbfounded by his actions, motioning me to face him as he spoke. "I need you to tell me what happened." He stated softly, his voice a soothing balm amidst the upheaval.

My throat stung with taxing tears as I swallowed the impulse to throw a tantrum at him. He had the cheek to call me by that totally outrageous nickname in front of the whole world! I've got standards to maintain, and he's just stomping all over it with his built-in animosity towards me. I'm his flesh and blood, for crying out loud!

I'm totally stuck after violently disposing of three men within the walls of our house! The only silver lining in this whole mess was watching my Dad actually trying to comfort me, without that calculated persona he always carries like a barrier!

But just as I was starting to feel better, Ms. Shahane had to go and ruin it.

"What on earth do you want to ask him now, Soham? Can't you see what your beloved son did?" She howled, "He's beaten my boy like a heartless thug." She tried to intimidate my big man hedonically. "We can have him thrown behind bars for this!"

However, Dad didn't bat an eye at her empty boasts, his concern directed towards me and Ruchi, particularly her who looked as though she might buckle under the weight of the situation.

"Be cautious with your speech, Ms. Shahane!" Mom immediately took over the role of Dad's personal sentinel, armed and prepared to ward off any danger close to him. "Remember the man you're speaking to is Soham Mallik." Mrs. Shahane shirked slightly at Mom's fierce rebuttal, her superiority complex dallying in the face of my mother.

Keep it up, Mamacita! Slay that woman just like I slew her son!

Nevertheless, Mrs. Shahane quickly regained her composure, her lips curling into a disdainful sneer as she squared off against Mom. "You can't hide your unruly son's barbaric behavior behind your power, Anchal!" She countered, her voice oozing with venom. "Do you want me to forget that he attacked my son!?" Her eyes narrowed into cockiness, challenging Mom's authority with every word.

"Hold your judgments until you grasp the whole truth, Ms. Shahane." Dad this time advised her incisively, his voice edged with conviction.

The poor woman has no clue that Mom will send her to an early grave for targeting her husband, while Dad will subject her kin to torment in his red room for causing distress to his wife, and so she should think twice before speaking disgracefully.

"Ruchi, Aryan, can you give us the details of what happened here?" He made inquiries to both of us.

I caught Ruchi's eye briefly, but she looked away and our silence amplified the persisting tension. When yet another vulture with eagerness to stir the pot, wasted no time in adding her worthless opinions, heightening the prevailing propulsion.

"I'll tell you what's going on, Uncle and Auntie." The deceitful weasel purred, exuding false sincerity as she smoothly transitioned into a deceptive chameleon. Her accusatory finger twitched ready to point at Ruchi, "This despicable bitch-"

"Wrap up your performance, you odious sack of filth! Or I'll make sure those fake tears are your last show." I growled, my indignation blazing like an inferno, pressing her disguise to fracture under the force of my ultimatum. She cowered, grasping the magnitude of my premonition.

Dad gripped my shoulder stolidly, preventing me from succumbing to the overbearing urge to hurl an object or two at her head. My mother appeared stunned by my lascivious cursing, an action completely out of character for me. I had never before raised my voice, especially not in the company of a woman, but this one was a brazen knave.

"My family, my rules; don't meddle, or consequences await if you don't!" Dad tersely silenced her and any others about to speak, his tone carrying an implicit threat.

He motioned for us to talk, alongside Mom, who softly coaxed Ruchi, who had been silent throughout. "Ruchi, sweetie, what's going on here? Please, tell us, sweetheart!"

Dammit! Why had she gone all quiet? She wasn't even at fault here. Mom and Dad have more trust in her than they ever had in me!

Oh, for the love of God!

Speak up, Ruchi!

My patience was worn thin by her stubbornness therefore I took it upon myself to tell them everything.

"They were assaulting Ruchi, Dad-Mom!" I exclaimed, my words choked with anger. Their faces paled in shock, visibly shaken by the grim revelation. "These morons-barely human in their actions-were joining forces to victimize her, subjecting her to physical and mental abuse much the same as rapists." Rage bubbled up inside me as I remembered stumbling upon their heinous interaction with Ruchi, while I was hiding away in the garden obeying Mom's decree to remain invisible, darting in just in time before they could've caused more harm. "And so, I made them pay the price for their misdeeds." I stated.

"That's not true!" They protested vehemently.

"We didn't do anything to her!" They continued, their tone shifting to one of denial and frustration.

"It was her doing-" Their effort to shift the blame was abruptly cut off by my surging adrenaline.

"Willful morons never learn their lesson, do they?" I sneered, my voice thick with contempt.

"Stop blaming my son! He's being set up!" Ms. Shahane's voice boomed with malice and imprudence as she forcefully pulled back my skinned fist, the one that had left her son's face permanently disfigured this time. "Your insane son will end my Arka's life like this, Anchal! Stop him now!" Her voice rose into a vehement wail.

It's a boon that he'll never forget this night courtesy to my selfless charity. In the future, he'll think twice before pursuing another woman with his broken balls and displaced jaw.

"Your son is nothing but some worthless piece of shit, Shahane!" Dad thundered with anger, "He had the neck to slink off after eyeing the daughter of my house."

Mom comforted Ruchi, akin to the solace she provided me every other time I was in desperate need of my mother. Her tender embrace serving as both a healing tonic and home of solace to my wife as well.

"I deem it's about time I make your son aware of his boundaries." Mr. Shahane's temples glistened with perspiration, his apprehension apparent as Dad loomed ominously over his pudgy frame.

"I'm thoroughly ashamed of him myself, Soham." He hastily revised his statement, feeling Dad's ominous stare bore into him, "I mean Mr. Mallik!" He stumbled over his words, feeling the burden of Dad's chilling stare pressing down on him. "What Arka did is downright shameful and unconceivable."

"What on earth are you implying? Our son has done no wrong!" His wife shouted at him.

Good Lord! This woman is really pushing my buttons now.

"Isn't that so, my dear?" Her expression was steeped in perversion as she coerced her son like a pitiful mutt, "Arka, admit to everyone that you're being framed."

Ah! I can't believe she hasn't choked on her words yet. The husband seems painfully aware of their son's penchant for stooping to such lows, yet she remains haughtily entrenched in her state of denial.

"No, Mom!" The pig yowled in pain. "If only we had the faintest inkling of the girl's significance to the Malliks, we would have never gone behind her in the first place." The sloshed scoundrel yapped like a wimp, "Shaira and Ava are to blame for dragging us into this mess."

How did I forget!

These scheming serpents were the ones pulling the strings behind this twat and his lackeys. I observed these three girls embroiled in a heated verbal scuffle with Ruchi before rolling out a coordinated attack against her.

"How can you say that?" The tricking slob's voice stalled with forged ignorance, "We didn't force you to do anything." Her duping scouts followed her lead and nodded vigorously in agreement. Their squeaks rose in pitch as they attempted to exonerate themselves from the slate. "Exactly! It was all Arka's idea. He was the one who wanted to have some fun with that new chick he saw!" They exchanged furtive glances, their faces contorted in a desperate attempt to maintain their sham of holiness. "Trust me, Aryan! I didn't do-" Her words wiped off as she caught sight of my unrelenting glare, her coined fable waning under the constraint.

These floozies didn't deserve being called women.

"Keep your absurdities to yourselves, all of you!" Mom erupted with a tumultuous pumice, her words a cutting cry amid the unsettled accusations. "You're all sorry excuses of humanity!" Her gaze was alight with righteous fury. "You had the audacity to inflict harm upon an innocent girl who had no connection to any of you." The disgust in her tone was unmistakable, each word punctuated with a scathing indictment of their actions. "Are you boys insatiable sluts or you girls are hostile pests with an unsatisfied ego and nonexistent control to prey upon a poor girl." She shook with repugnance, her fury barely contained. "You are beyond disgrace, even more vile than beasts." Her denunciation cleaved through the stillness like a dagger.

"Anchal, don't worry. They will all suffer the torments of hell. I'll make sure they receive the punishment they deserve." Dad pledged with firm conviction, his words offering reassurance to Mom and bringing a measure of peace to my agitated mind. What could be more satisfying than witnessing these perpetrators suffer the consequences of their malevolent deeds?

"You can't possibly do that!" Mrs. Shahane remonstrated vehemently, as she flung her hands up in harangue. "What proof do you wield to accuse Arka or the others? All of them could potentially be victims here, so how can you blame them alone without a shred of doubt about this girl, who may very well be the one stirring up trouble?" Her expression contorted with spite as she seized up Ruchi bigotedly. "Who knows what this girl actually did or what her ulterior motives were? She's an outsider, and these are all our very own children. They are born into this high society, but who the hell is she anyway? Who's her father, I wonder? What makes her think she belongs here with no real identity of hers?" She dissed bitingly and before anyone of us could've deciphered her moves she was already storming off in the direction of Ruchi. "Come here, you treacherous plague! Show me what triggered them to come after you. When did my son's taste fall into such despair and destitution? You give off the impression of a fortune-hunting vixen to me-" She was about to lay her hands on Ruchi, who was caught off guard herself, when Dad immediately stepped in-between, forcefully pushing that unhinged woman away from Mom and her, shielding them from her hateful onslaught.

"I might've ripped your wife's arms away, Shahane, because that's my family she was about to harm." Dad's voice rumbled with a sudden, protective reflex as Shahane helped his wife to her feet. "This child of ours, she, needs no validation from you or anyone else." He declared, his voice heavy with menacing intensity. "Remember, she's my daughter." He reiterated clamorously. "The daughter of Soham and Anchal Mallik, fully capable to craft her own legacy, rather than hiding behind the family name. She is more than being a mere Mallik!" He continued, "She is an individual in her own right, worthy of recognition and honor, and you or anyone else-" He seethed, his tone menacing and resentful, "Will not undermine her worth with your narrow-minded presumptions or biases." He concluded, "She belongs here more than anyone else! She's a Mallik. She's part of this family, she deserves to be here. You better understand that! She's one of us, and she's staying. You need to accept that, she's a Mallik, and she's not going anywhere." He crucified, "So you better get used to it."

The Shahanes retreated in misfired terror, swallowed by shame, alongside others who had never seen this protective, caring aspect of Dad. I too realized Mom and Dad's unyielding resolve to stand by their daughter-in-law's side, no matter the circumstances or adversaries, whom my parents welcomed into their hearts perhaps even more so than me, their own son.

This was actually a surprising turn of events, one that allowed the frustration I bore towards them for misunderstanding me to dissipate. I felt a wave of delight and relief sweep over me as I watched them doting and caring for my wife, who appeared taken aback, overwhelmed, and deeply moved by their expression of affection.

Now someone please show these unwanted guests the door before I end up completely losing my mind!

"I insist that you all leave our house right away. The party is over." Mom pointed out tartly.

Oh, thank God, Mom! I can't stomach the sight of their vile faces for another second. Please, get us rid of them quickly!

Right when the slick party was about to depart, Dad interrupted Mr. Shahane and the other con artists on their way out. I wanted to voice my dissent, but I bit back my words as I watched him nail his performance, punctuated by a looming ultimatum.

"This matter is far from settled, and I warn each of you to not forget it." Dad cautioned, his voice steeped in crisp menace. The spineless cowards exhibited even more fright and qualms on their faces, as if it were possible, as they finally exited the mansion.

Holy smokes, I've never been so ecstatic about being Soham Mallik's son! He has the knack for making people quake in their boots without even stepping into his gothic office walls.

Hats off to you, Dad!

The anger that possessed me started to subside, bringing a sense of relief as only our family remained, finally alone.

"Ruchi, come with me, sweetie." Mom's tone was warm as she ushered her into the main mansion.

I stood still, watching as they disappeared into the mansion, torn between the inclination to join them and the reluctance to exacerbate their distress. The weight of past wrongs hung heavily on my mind, but I knew I shouldn't let them dictate my behavior now. Mom and Dad were offering Ruchi the reassurance and backing she needed most in this moment, and I couldn't deny her that. Besides, they're simply my parents, and I couldn't stay mad at them for any longer.

Lots of Love,

ANKITA