Page 73 of One Hellish Desire

“Did you speak to Daadi?” I ask Maahi, loud enough for the others to hear. She eyes me, indicating I’ve chosen the wrong time.

“No, not yet.”

“Maahi, we don’t have time,” I say, and the other three pairs of eyes stare at us. Maahi gets my point.

“As if you spoke to your parents about it,” she mocks.

“Let’s do this together then,” I declare, holding her hand over the table and looking straight at my parents. “We’ve decided to marry,” I announce.

Dad looks stupefied, and Mom drops her spoon. Daadi stops eating.

“Excuse me? Say that again,” Mom fumes. “I’m sorry, I think I heard it wrong.”

I knew Mom’s reaction would be like this, but I’m prepared.

“I proposed to Maahi, and she said yes,” I add. “We were going to take it slow, but since there’s an emergency in the US and I have to fly there, we want this marriage to happen here, this week.”

Mom pushes her plate away and gets up. “Are you kidding me, Vikram? You want to marry her of all people?”

“Mom, please,” I say, curbing the urge to shout. “It’s a big decision for both me and Maahi. Please don’t insult us.”

Maahi’s fingers feel cold against my skin. She’s only concerned about Daadi’s approval. Dad is extremely quiet.

“Vanraj, say something,” Mom fumes again. I know Dad has already manipulated everything. He wouldn’t mind my marriage to Maahi. But he still asks me one last time.

“Have you really decided? Is this what you want? Marriage is a lifetime commitment.”

“That’s exactly why I’ve chosen Maahi. Something clicked between us right from the first time we met again after these nine years.”

Maahi remains silent and cold. She struggles to free herself from my grip, and once I let go, she holds Daadi’s arm.

“Only if you agree, Daadi. Without your blessings, we won’t take this step.”

Daadi watches us both and then slowly gets up. We’re about to help her, but she stops us. The nurse hurries over, and with her help, Daadi leaves the room.

“Wow,” Mom screams. “I think both my husband and son have decided to torture me. This is the least I expected from you both.”

“I’ll go speak to Daadi,” Maahi says, cutting off Mom’s rant. I give her a nod, and she follows Daadi. Mom glares at me and then strides over.

“That girl can never be my daughter-in-law. Get that in your head, Vikram,” she says harshly, anger swelling within me. I don’t understand her problem with Maahi, but it won’t change my decision.

“She is the only woman who will become my wife, Mom. Whether you accept it now or later, our marriage is happening this week. I just want your blessings, and I hope that’s not too much to ask.”

Mom looks horrified at my defiance. I turn to Dad.

“We’ll get legally married in court this weekend. We don’t have time for rituals. And by then, Daadi will have recovered. We can all fly to the US together.”

I don’t wait for Dad’s reply. I want to give him and Mom time to process, so I walk back to my room.

CHAPTER 21

MAAHI

I know Daadi is not going to believe me, but I have to try. The door is shut but not locked, so I step inside easily. Daadi is sitting on the bed, lost in thought over our marriage news.

“This is not right,” she says, glaring at me. I start to defend myself, but she cuts me off. “You’re doing this for me, to keep the ownership of Devki Estate so that you can someday fulfill my dreams. When will you start living for yourself, Maahi?”

I sit next to her, holding her shivering hands in mine.

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