Page 92

Story: Tainted Bride

Aashi has had so much fun and play that she has fallen asleep in Avishka's arms while she is eating. Avishka is eating with a smile, holding her securely in her arms, while Prakram is staring at her plate of food, which she often fills with only a small amount before getting up. He has never seen her take food again, which is why he tells her.

"It seems that you are very fond of being skinny, but if you continue like this, then you will definitely get sick."

Hearing Prakram's words, Avishka looks at him and says while finishing the food on her plate.

"There was absolutely no interest in it, but it had to be forced."

Prakram begins to scrutinize her face, but she quietly finishes her meal and brings Aashi inside, where she can lie comfortably on the mattress. It is a much calmer environment here, which she likes a lot. She knows that the ocean is quite big. As long as she does not go to the shore to look at the water, she is quite fine, so Aashi is put to sleep in the room properly. She wants to explore it outside for some time because, after a long time, she is feeling light and very relaxed.

Avishka comes out and stands there; it is very cold, and there is extreme peace. She looks upwards and starts looking at the stars. The spread of milky light around her compels her to smile. She says this while looking at the sky.

"You are right... Life doesn't end just like that; one has to find happiness to live. Papa, I want to live again... Life is very beautiful. I want to forget everything and live a very happy life.”

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Prakram can clearly see that she is sitting outside, and her eyes are constantly on the sky. He had come into the room to see his daughter, but Aashi is sleeping there very comfortably with full protection, as Avishka has taken excellent care of her needs. Before leaving, she placed the pillow around her very well because the yacht was shaking a lot, so there was a fear that Aashi might roll and fall down from the bed.

But not finding her there, he starts looking around for her, and on looking out the window, he realizes that Avishka is sitting outside looking at the stars. He starts looking at her face carefully. In this milky light, she looks very beautiful. He has never seen her apply makeup or dress well, but today she is looking even more beautiful in every aspect. She is wearing a very simple suit, but it is better than before. At his and Aashi's insistence, she is now consistently happy to wear nice clothes, a fact that often draws attention from Prakram. She often wears elegant clothes now, but she still does not have redness on her lips or any kind of make-up. Now he understands very well the reason behind her not wearing makeup and not wearing nice clothes.

Prakram places his hand on the window shelf and starts looking carefully at Avishka, who is silently trying to talk to the stars sitting there, as if she were searching for someone special, maybe her father. Yesterday, the pain that Prakram saw for her father was strange; he too got upset due to her tears of pain and could not sleep for a long time. He tossed and turned, repeatedly focusing his gaze on her. He says it softly.

"There is a lot about you that needs to be known, but I am unable to learn anything because whatever has happened has happened inside the Saniyal family, and it seems very difficult to come out because you remain silent like this. Pulling yourself together completely and forming a shell around you tells a lot that something very bad has happened to you, and the last time you said you were tainted, did your husband force himself on you? Why do you use those words? I am not sure about this. It doesn't matter much about anything, but I don't know why it has started having an effect on me. I don't want anything in my life due to which I become a victim of someone's deception again. But I amfeeling drawn towards you again and again, and the truth is that I don't even want to stop myself."

He turns to look at Aashi, who is sleeping soundly, and begins to move towards the outside, but the conflict in his heart and mind is deeply troubling him.

Betrayal leaves a deep mark on life, and that's what I've experienced, making it difficult for me to trust you easily. It appears that I've grown to trust you, forcing me to make my own choices. But a question mark is visible on the principle after that betrayal. Why have you changed everything suddenly? It seems as if someone has done black magic, and suddenly everything has started changing in just a few months, three years... In these three years, I have completely changed myself. I had no concept of "trust" in my life, until Aashi brought you into my life. Your sudden appearance and subsequent prominence in my life led to a gradual increase in my trust. Even though I don't want to do this, I feel as if I have been forced to trust you. After all, what are you doing with me? Why are you pulling me towards you? I want to tell you that what you are doing is not right, because if I decide that I have to make you mine, then I will definitely make you mine. Even if I have to hold you hostage forever to keep you in my life, I won't stop myself till the end. I know you're not doing anything, but it feels like a magic spell. What you have blown on me is because of which I am pulling towards you more and more day by day. Stop it, Avishka... It is very dangerous. I have been cheated once in my life, but now there is no room for cheating in my life, so I will make your life such that you will not be able to do anything, nor will you be able to get free from my clutches... Beware, I am coming towards you...

Prakram's steps are slowly moving towards Avishka, but he is fighting a strange battle with himself, where on the one hand hesees all the negative things, and on the other hand, everything automatically becomes positive and points him towards Avishka to welcome her with open arms. He has gotten quite close to Avishka, but her busyness prevents her from noticing his presence. As a result, he simply stares at her for a while before closing his eyes and revealing his presence.

"What are you doing here at this time?"

When she suddenly hears his voice in a completely quiet environment, it scares her a bit, prompting her to turn around in fear and look towards him. She has such fearful eyes; he never likes fear in her eyes, so he closes his eyes. On the other hand, Avishka finds Prakram in front of her and immediately takes control of herself, saying while getting up from there.

"Aashi had already fallen asleep, and I found myself unable to sleep. This place looked very beautiful from here, so I thought of sitting here for some time. I am going."

"It is very cold here, so if you had to sit, you should have at least taken your jacket."

Like always, Avishka does not want to answer any of the questions. Avishka smiles lightly, rubs her arms, and begins to turn away to go inside. However, Prakram becomes upset at her lack of response. As a result, he immediately grabs her arm, pulls her close to him, and forces her to stand near him so they can both see each other clearly in the soft light. Although there is a lot of darkness in the area, the moonlight provides a bright and pleasant glow. Their proximity allows them to see each other well. He gazes into her eyes and expresses his thoughts.

"When no one responds to my words, I don't like it at all. I told you many times."

"When you asked for a jacket, I thought I should go inside, so I am going... Please, I want to go inside."

"Hmm..."

Prakram starts looking at her very well. Because of this action, Avishka's hands have come to rest on his chest, due to which he can feel the sudden vibration in her hands, but that vibration immediately calms down. Looking at her face, he admires her innocence, which suits her. He is fixating on her eyes instead of shifting his gaze to her lips, which are strikingly beautiful in this particular light. In these three years, he has never felt any kind of attraction towards anyone, but he wants to take Avishka in his arms and touch her in every way. He is completely restrained from doing so, but he doesn't know how long he will be able to stop himself. He places his hand on her back and begins to move upward, as if he can feel every curve in her body.

Avishka has also seen his eyes very well; they were looking at her lips, due to which suddenly her heartbeat started increasing. Unintentionally, her eyes automatically turned towards his lips. She curled her toes to stop her urge to touch him. Quickly, she separates herself from Prakram and immediately turns and goes inside. Prakram keeps watching, and when she completely disappears from his sight, he tightly pulls his hair back with his fingers and says to himself in a very frustrated manner.

"Why? This is happening... Stop Prakram..."

Avishka may have come very smoothly from Prakram's side, but the way her heartbeat increased due to his touch and his sight, in itself, is going to disturb her a lot because it started happening with her often. As much as she wants to avoid this thing, she is finding herself completely involved in it. As soon as she enters the room, she immediately heads to the bathroom,securely closes the door, repeatedly checks to confirm it's locked, and stands for a moment with her hand resting on her chest. She can see herself very clearly in the mirror in front of her, where she is looking at her face. It appears as though her face has abruptly turned pink due to the sensation of Prakram's touch filling her sinuses, leaving her unable to comprehend whether it's appropriate for her to intensify her attraction or any other emotion towards him. What is this? But it is very disturbing.

She is well-informed about Prakram and understands that he doesn't readily trust her, and it's possible that he isn't actively seeking a relationship. Their lives are connected because of Aashi, but she has started feeling more inclined towards him, which has made her very worried. She whispers this to herself in a gentle tone.