"Stop right there." A loud angry voice echoed from the inside of a flat.

"Mom..." He whispered roaming his dubious eyes around the surroundings.

"You're most welcome to enter inside only if leave her outside." Said Rekha Raizada, his mother.

Most of the apartment eyes are fixated on them, enjoying the ongoing drama. Few truly didn't care about the happenings but few are so eager that they're enjoying the fight and started to gossip around. However educated and sophisticated people's live around them, they're somewhere the people who enjoys gossips.

"Mom please, everyone was watching. Let us in." He pleaded feeling embarassed of being kept as a center of subject to gossip.

"We didn't expect this from you. We dreamed a lot about your marriage. But what you did today was totally indigestible. Didn't you think about our status? How can you marry a Maid? I was totally disappointed. You crushed our dreams. How can you? Didn't once you thought about us before taking this huge step? How can you marry without our consent? Didn't we meant anything to you? Doesn't our likes matter to you? Don't we have any right to take part in your biggest decision in your life? I never expected this irresponsible behaviour from you." His father Raj Singh Raizada shouted showing his displeasure on his act. He couldn't digest the fact that his son married a maid, just like that.

"Don't fight with your parents. I'll... leave, but please don't hurt them.." She pleaded with tears brimming in her eyes. Her weak frame shuddered by all the turn of events.

Before she turn back and took a step he pulled her by arms and made her stand beside him. His palms tightly clasped to hers, keeping her glued to him in his grip "Shut up. You're not going anywhere."

She gulped at his stern voice. Tears rolled down her eyes wetting her cheeks in the process. The mere thought of breaking a family itself made her guilty. On the contrary her tears deeply affected the person beside her.

"I am asking finally, what is your decision mom? Can I come inside with my wife or not?" He asked looking straightly looking at his mother while pressing his wife palms in assurance.

The fact of her son's sudden marriage that too with a girl who was no match to their status screwed her brains. She couldn't swallow the mere thought of a maid as her daughter in law. She spitted venom blinded in her sudden rage "Never. I'll never allow this maid in my house and I'll never accept a maid as my daughter in law. Do whatever you want, I cannot accept her. Just leave her."

"Then fine. There is nothing to talk further. Hear me out, I will not leave my wife. I didn't marry her to leave halfway. She's MY WIFE. If my wife was not allowed inside then I am too. That's gives only one option, to leave this house. Mind it, don't even try to badmouth about her behind my back. It's only because of you, I am leaving this house. And trust me when I say this, I did all this following your footsteps. You both only taught me and nurture me with good values. If today I did this, then all the credit goes to you both. But if you think I did wrong, then I am sorry." He gave a lengthy speech in single breath placing stone in his heart.

When his parents stood firm on their decision he have no other choice than dragging his wife with him leaving his house. Each step he took to descend down the stairs, his mind swirled around the most unexpected two hours of his life.

Few hours before,

"Mom, I am getting late. I'll eat at office cafeteria." He yelled from the doorstep tying his shoe lace.

"Yeah, sleep until 8. A.M you'll not get late for office. I was waking you from past one hour and you decide to woke up on 8. A.m gracefully." Rekha sighed sarcastically preparing his breakfast plate. Before she made a move towards him, he already flew outside wishing them bye.

"He'll turn responsible once he shed his bachelor title." Raj made a comment seeing rekha's worried face on seeing her son not eating his breakfast, not knowing his words are going to come true in few hours.

Rekha who was attentive towards his words intruded him "Speaking of his marriage, what do you think about Shashi daughter. She also finished her studies and was working in his office. They both will made a good pair and both are very understanding. Moreover didn't we decided about their marriage in their childhood."

"We'll speak to him. If he wishes for the same, then we'll proceed further."

As Raj answered Rekha sent prayers to god for her son's wellbeing.

•••

On the other side he reached his friend house which was on the same apartment "Aakash... Hey Aakash. We're getting late for office." Yelled he.

"Coming.. coming..." Only the voice of Aakash graced his presence. Frustrated he decided to stroll across the garden and give his quick attendance to devimaaiyaa who was residing just few metres away from his apartment.

Conveying the same to Aakash, he began his lazy walk. Not a tissue in his body produced sweat, he stood rooted to the spot too stunned to react anything.

There a little far away, he saw her. The one who works in his friend apartment. That didn't bother him but the state she was in churned his insides. He barely seen her and conversed her. But now her never ending tears did something to him.

Talking long strides he gulped seeing a big bandage on her wrist which was peeking from the hold. A man in late forties held her wrists. The most shocking thing was her bandaged wrists pouring blood.

If not her state was cruel enough, he gasped seeing the man pressing her wounded wrists dragging her towards the temple.

Unaware of the audience, she begged the man to leave her.

"Leave me. It's paining." Pleaded she.

"I don't trust you. You'll run away if I leave my hold." Sneered he, the man in late forties.

"No, I'll not leave. Please... It's paining..." She pleaded desperately not able to bear the pain.

In an blink of eyes she felt the hold release on her wrist much to her surprise. She looked up and saw him.

"Khushi..." He whispered pushing the old man away.

"Thank you..."

Her joy lasts only seconds as another one held her hand.

"Papa leave me..."

Seems like the shock was not enough that he saw some man drag her to the temple and the man was none other than her father. She kept looking back at him. Something in her eyes made him to follow. He felt her eyes pleading at him, asking him to rescue her from the hell and surprisingly he read the trust and faith in her eyes. Not giving much thought he pulled her harshly towards him.

"What are you doing? Can't you see her wounded wrists..." He yelled at the man.

"Who are you to say this? Are you her cutome.." Her father didn't even completed his sentence as a hard slap landed on his cheek.

"Shut up..."

The minute Khushi got free, she was manhandled again. Seems like those manic people are hell bent on spoiling her life that the man who held her wrist earlier was ready to tie the nuptial thread on her neck from behind.

Khushi pupils darted in terror when the black beads crashed against her neck from behind. She almost forget to breath. Before the mangalsutra was hooked, she felt a push and in no time her neck was adored with mangalsutra presenting her as a married women.

Her fingers which was fisted in anxiety was now caressing the mangalsutra trying to believe what happened infront of her eyes was real not any dream. She raised her eyes and shocked to find her husband. Her rescuer, her protector, her savior was none other than a man in late twenties with chiselled face, chocolate orbs. The chocolate orbs stared at her in concern while the other eyes are too stunned to react anything.

"Khushi..." He, her new husband Arnav Singh Raizada shook her shoulders only to held her unconscious form in his arms.

The turmoil she went through the last few hours and the shock she got was too high for her to bear that she fell unconscious slouching down clutching her mangalsutra.

"Khushi..." Panicked Arnav instantly got her admitted in hospital. A bottle of glucose was needed to get back her conscious. And in next hours they're back to his home which was going to be her new home, her sasural.

Sometimes expect the unexpected is apt for the definition of 'Life' Strangers becomes life, when destiny plays. Paths are made to cross, as supposed to be. Live's are interlocked, when the destiny was written. Matches are made in heaven, but destiny has the pen. Now the pen draws two persons into a line interlocking it like X. Will the X turns into soulmates? Devimaaiyaa smiled at her own created history.

____

Thank you for all your tremendous support on prologue. So glad to share this story with you guys. Hope you all press the 🌟 and comment your thoughts.