Page 69 of Mrs. Rathore

“It’s not about status, Father,” I had said coldly. “It’s about peace. About living a life I actually want.”

“Peace?” he scoffed. “You think your peace is above your duty to this family? What will people say? What will her family say?”

“I don’t care what people say,” I growled, jaw tight. “I never asked to marry her. You all forced this on me, remember? And now I’m stuck in a marriage where I feel like I’m rotting inside every single day.”

There was a long silence. Then his voice came again, quieter but sharper than before:

“You gave your word, Aryan. Marriage is not a game. This is not how Rathores behave. We do not abandon our wives like cowards.”

“Then what do we do?” I snapped. “Stay in loveless marriages, pretend everything is fine, and die slowly inside? You think I’m happy coming home to her every day? I don’t love her. I never did. I never will. I can’t live like this.”

“You will learn to live with it,” he said, ending the conversation. “This discussion is over.”

“No, Father,” I said, standing up, my fists clenched. “This time, it’s not over. You’ve dictated my entire life: my school, my career, my marriage. But not anymore. I’m a soldier, not your puppet. I’ve faced bullets, death, and blood on the battlefield, but nothing terrifies me more than the idea of living a lie. I can’t give her what you expect me to. She just...”

“Enough!” he had shouted. “This is the last time we’re talking about this. You will not divorce Avni, and that’s final.”

He hung up before I could speak again.

The silence in the room now was suffocating. I stood there, phone still in hand, my breath coming hard and fast.

The anger in my chest simmered, mixing with a familiar sense of helplessness.

I had never felt more like a prisoner than I did at that moment.

I sat on the edge of the bed and buried my face in my hands. Twenty-one more days.

Just twenty-one.

And then I’d be back where I belonged on the front lines, where there was chaos, but also clarity.

Far from her. Far from this lie. Far from this bullshit.

Even if the world stood against me... I would find a way out.

Even if it meant destroying everything they expected me to be.

Avni’s soft mumble pulled me from my thoughts. I looked over and saw her shifting in her sleep, moving closer to me.

Hell no.

I quickly slipped away, careful not to let her touch me but then her hand landed squarely on my crotch.

“Shit,” I hissed under my breath, quietly moving her hand and placing it back on her stomach.

I climbed out of bed without a sound and walked to the window, sucking in a sharp breath.

She was still sleeping peacefully, unaware she’d just stolen whatever peace I had left.

I hated her and I would always hate her.

I couldn’t even spend an hour in the same room with her, let alone four days. How the hell was I supposed to survive twenty-one days?

I wanted to make her pay for turning my life into a living nightmare but I couldn’t.

Not yet. But that didn’t mean I’d let her go easily. Not by a long shot.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed with a familiar number. I blinked in surprise. Mrs. Solanki?