Three years later,

I open the door to my mansion and enter the gloomy yet cozy living room. I shut the door behind me without turning on the lights. I feel relieved after locking it like a weight has been taken off my body. Leaving all work-related issues at the door and dealing with them afterward is bliss.

After leaning against the door briefly, I stood up and took off my block heels, which had been killing me all day. I trudged with my weary feet to the kitchen, where I retrieved a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator. I pour a full glass for myself and then put the bottle back in the fridge using the light inside as an illumination source.

I'm sipping on some cool water while I try to block out any thoughts of Work. My phone is buzzing in the background. I go past the phone and into the bathroom instead of picking it up assuming that the call is from Work. I give myself a soothing bath and try to forget about Work. I feel relaxed just from the smell of the water after adding a few drops of lavender oil.

I look at myself in the mirror before me as the bath water runs and realize that the black circles under my eyes are starting to show. I apply patches to combat the dark circles beneath my eyes, but it is plainly insufficient.

When the bath is filled, I turn on the soft music. The finest feeling is constantly entering a hot bath, followed by a relaxing evening spent soaking in the tub with my eyes closed and allowing my body to unwind.

I'm relaxing even more by taking long, deep breaths in and out. I open my eyes and enjoy the pleasant music as my body and mind unwind. I step outside and into the shower right away.

I finish using the bathroom, put on my bathrobe, and head back towards the kitchen. I hear my phone vibrating again and before I pick it up, its gets disconnected. After removing the phone from the bag and setting it on the kitchen island, I scrolled through the texts. When I see the name on the caller ID, I grin and dial the number.

I ask her, "My sweet, lovely mother, how are you?"

She replies, "I'm good baby, how about you?"

I smile and add, "Mom, I'm wonderful and always as bright as the sun."

She asks me, "How is work?"

I remark, going to my bedroom and sitting on the bed, "Work is good, but a little hectic nowadays. You know I always loved teaching kids, but lately, we are given so much documentation work and clerical Work, it becomes difficult, but all in all, it's good."

She asks me, "How are your mother-in-law and sisters-in-law?"

I say, "As usual, very bitchy," and hear my mother giggling loudly.

She tries to hold back her laughter as she says, "Nandini, you need a mouth filter, Beta?"

I answer, picking up the lotion from the table and rubbing it on my skin, "No, Mother, everyone knows that; it's just that I'm being loud."

"Where are they now? Are you alone at home?" she questions me.

"My mother-in-law and sister-in-law have developed into social butterflies, so they frequently attend parties in the evenings," I remarked.

She asks, "How is your husband?" and I stop what I'm doing. How do I respond to her query? I am still determining how he is personally. Besides the usual sex, we don't communicate much. Even when he texts me, it only has one word.

"Good," I reply.

"Is grandfather covering your and Leena's expenses?" I question her.

"Yes, beta, he is looking after us," she replied.

"Beta, before I forget, I have good news to share. Leena told me two days ago that she wanted to marry someone, and I told her to get the lad. Today, she brought the boy's parents with him, and we all agreed that the marriage should go forward. A small gathering will be held tomorrow at our home to set their wedding date." She Requests me, "Please get your husband and family too beta."

"Maa. That's fantastic news. I'm ecstatic for her." I tell her this and thank God that someone is at least being married for love.

I end the call by saying, "Okay, Maa, bye, I still need to eat dinner."

Then, I sit down at the table and gaze in the mirror. I glance at my wedding photo frame next to the mirror, which has my sole image of my so-called spouse—who is just my husband in name and when engaging in sexual activity.

We don't share our joys or sorrows, or even our lives; we don't even share our bedrooms; we only ever engage in a fuck when he is in the mood. Only when we are having sex do I look at and admire him. We have nothing in common emotionally, but it's the kind of rough, brutal sex we do that you see in porn films. We have an intense amount of sex, and he simply fucks me rough. He took me so many times the first time we had sex that I was limping the next day and had to take the day off of Work.

Whenever we engage in sexual activity, it is all about him; there is no foreplay or kissing. He hasn't yet opened himself to me. He zips up his trousers and fucks me whenever he feels like it. After finishing, he zips up his pants again and exits the bedroom, leaving me alone in bed.

I know he dislikes me, and I'm fine with that for now. I initially wanted to make my marriage work when we were married. He reprimanded me whenever I tried to be close to him, no matter what I did for him—cooking his favorite dish, bringing him small meaningful gifts, or even trying to strike up a discussion. We never went on a honeymoon; there were no dates or outings.

I'm breaking down increasingly every day, and I fear the day may come when I only want to be apart from him. After all, what good is marriage if two people have separate living quarters? Another entirely distinct situation involves my mother-in-law. I believed I had a good mother-in-law, but she became a villain. She causes me problems anytime Rudra is away from the house, and when he returns, she treats me like the best mother-in-law anyone could ask for.

Every day, my sister-in-law reminds me how terrible of a curse I am to her brother. I was forced to wed him since my grandfather had stipulated that he would only fund my mother's hospital bills and sister's education if I married Rudra. I was in a desperate situation and had no idea what to do. I decided to wed anybody my grandfather recommended.

When I first encountered Rudra, he appeared to be a typical struggling man. He didn't have a perfect physique and wasn't gym-crazy either. I've seen plenty of handsome folks, and he was fine. I decided to marry him, but I didn't know he had a mountain attitude. He believes himself to be almighty and high.

I hurriedly changed into a T-shirt and pajamas and went downstairs to the kitchen. My mother-in-law was sitting on the couch.

I asked, "Your back, mother?" to her. Her eyes were closed. The moment she heard my voice, she opened her eyes and turned to face me.

She replies, "Why do you dress like a homeless person? No wonder your husband doesn't find you attractive," I roll my eyes as the taunting begins.

I add nicely, "Mother, I like to be comfortable," and she looks irritated.

She asks me, "Whatever, have you eaten anything?"

"No, I'm going to make something for myself right now. Do you want anything?" I interrogate her.

She stands up and moves closer to me, saying, "Beta, let me offer you some advice," before taking my hand and forcing me to sit on the couch.

"You need to maintain a healthy weight because you have so many rolls all over your body, beta. Your thighs and arms are enormous." She smiles and says, "I think you should quit eating dinner."

I answer sweetly, "Of course, mother, whatever you say," and then get up from the couch.

"I want you and Rudra to have a great marriage and gorgeous children." She advises, "If you don't tempt your husband with your physique, he'll avoid you and look for distractions."

I respond, "Yes, Mother, you want the best for us."

"By the way, your mother had called and invited us to her house for the marriage preparations of your sister. So get ready by 11 p.m.; you are Rudra Rathore's wife. Dress elegantly," she says as I go to my bedroom.

I close the door with a thud before taking the paratha out of my bag. To hell with Rudra and my in-laws. With all these mean people here, I want to maintain my energy levels. If I hadn't eaten correctly over the years, I would have died, I remind myself. Over the first year of our marriage, this cruel mother-in-law caused me to lose about 8 kg through strict diets and hardcore workout exercises, but it soon returned, and I returned to my obese self. I enjoy every bite of the paratha.

I work as a teacher at an elementary school, and nobody there knows I come from one of the wealthiest families. My grandpa, Mr. Rajsinghania, is one of the richest people in the entire city. He started everything and succeeded to the fullest extent possible, but my father wasn't interested.

My father wanted to have a regular life with a typical family who would adore him, but when he was a child, my grandmother passed away too young, leaving my father in the care of a nanny. He first met my mother, Ramya, a great, brave girl, in college when he was a young adult.

My grandfather disowned my father and mother after their marriage. But after they got married, I was born to them, and a few years later, Leena, my younger sister, was born to them. My mum is a lovely, curvy woman and has always been like this. Until his passing, my father was utterly smitten with her.

Leena took from her father's side and was slim, while I inherited my mother's side and have always been overweight. I didn't have anyone body shame me; they always told me nice things, and I grew up listening to the good stuff. We spent all these years in a modest flat building, but those were wonderful years.

Between my parents, I have witnessed a lot of love, respect, and understanding. My parents often reminded me how important family and love are and how other things can be accomplished, but one cannot quantify a family's love. Even though we occasionally didn't receive gifts, it was okay.

But sadly, our father passed away in an accident four years ago, leaving us orphaned and unprotected. After swallowing her pride, my mother went to my grandfather and begged him to take us back. She begged him to let us in, but he threw her out of the house, leaving her heartbroken.

But the pivotal moment came when I returned from college one day, and my grandfather met me outside college. He told me he was willing to support my family, but there was one catch: I had to marry the man he suggested. Although I didn't want an arranged marriage, I eventually got ready for my mother and sister.

Growing up, I wanted to have the same kind of marriage my parents had, but sadly, I got married to a man who didn't understand love. Whenever we are together, he seems so far away that I am afraid to touch him.

I don't love him; we are just two people in a relationship for our purposes. I'm with him so that my grandfather can continue to support my mother and sister while he gets to run my grandfather's business. We might have a happy marriage in a different universe, but it is not believable right now. I've been alone for three years. Within the next two months, we will have been married for three years.

I got into my grandfather's business website from my laptop and observed my spouse laughing around with his staff. Even though I haven't seen him smile at me, he has a great smile when he does. The fact that girls are constantly around him makes me question if he has a girlfriend or is having an extramarital affair, but even if he is, I cannot stop it. I'm merely his and my grandfather's puppet.

I exit the webpage and select the recently picked up love story off my coffee table. I was eager to read this for a more extended period because the Hero in my novel are inimitable and have nothing in common with Rudra. However, occasionally, I wonder what would happen if these heroes came to life.

Rudar and I are poles apart, and occasionally, I wonder whether I should summon up the guts to ask him how long we will be strangers; if we want to keep this marriage continuing, it's time to get to know one another. However, he is constantly on a high horse. Never in my life did I feel hopeless until now.

I'm the chattiest person ever and have a cheery attitude, but who's going to believe it now because I rarely have anyone to talk to. I relish life's tiny pleasures. I know that Rudra and I are having a difficult time right now, but I have other interests. I enjoy going to work, spending time with my friends, and doing fun activities, but when I get home, there is so much negativity that I instantly become drab.

Later, I sent Rudra a message reminding him of the discussion with my mother about my sister's wedding discussion tomorrow at my mother's place.

Me: Hello, I wanted to let you know that we will all gather at my mother's house tomorrow.

I texted him, hit the send button, put the phone in the drawer, and then went to the closet to look for a new saree for tomorrow's function. After a half-hour, I got his message.

Rudra: Okay.

I grinned; I was correct. A one-word exchange indicates the other person doesn't want to talk further. Keeping my phone out of the way, I went to bed with the idea that tomorrow would be delightful regardless of my marital status.