Page 148 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

I stood up from the bed and walked toward her, unable to stop myself from wrapping my arms around her from behind. I leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to the side of her neck.

“Thank you so much for coming into my life, little wife,” I whispered.

She smiled instantly, her hand resting over mine on her waist.“The feeling is terribly mutual, Ranaji,” she replied with a soft chuckle. Then she turned slightly to look at me and added,“Now get dressed.”

I nodded and walked over to the couch to pick up my kurta. I had bathed the previous night, so I didn’t feel like doing it again in the morning.

“I’m ready,” I said, slipping the kurta on.

She let out a deep, mildly frustrated sigh as she looked at me, then pulled me by the hand and made me sit on the couch. Gently running her fingers through my hair, she began to comb it with care.

“Iska arth hai ki ab aapne sab kuch tyaag diya,”(Means you’ve given up on everything now.) she murmured, and I chuckled, placing a soft kiss on her midriff.

“No,” I said with a smile.“I just want to spend some quiet, quality time with you,”

She smiled in return and stepped back, but I pulled her close again and teasingly nipped her nipple over the fabric.

“Aaouch!” she yelped at the unexpected sting. I laughed, amused by her reaction.

She slapped my cheek lightly and whispered in a scolding tone,“If you do that again, I swear I’ll cut off my nipples and hand them to you. Then you can keep playing with them all you want!”

I laughed quietly and stretched out my palm with a playful grin.“Why not? Hand them over. Give me boobies,”

She rolled her eyes, adjusting her dupatta, and smacked my hand.“Let’s go. They must be waiting for us.”

Still smiling, I stood up, ran my fingers through my hair, and walked beside her as we headed out.

We both walked into the dining hall for breakfast, and I glanced around at everyone already seated, waiting for us.

“Good morning, Bhaisa,” Ranvijay stood to greet me.

I gently patted his shoulder and replied softly,“Morning.”

Agastya also rose from his seat and gave me a nod. I placed a hand on his shoulder as well, offering a faint smile.

“How are you now, Rudra?” Rajaji asked.

I turned toward him and nodded, a soft smile spreading across my face.“Better, Rajaji.”

My eyes drifted to Nandani, who was walking over to sit beside her mother. I watched as her mother leaned in to whisper something to her, too softly for me to hear. I took my seat beside Ranvijay and Agastya.

“Rudra,” Rajaji began,“I wanted to speak to the three of you about something,”

I looked at him and gently raised my hand to stop him.“Please, Rajaji... I’m already overwhelmed with the truth about my father. And now, I’m starting to feel like I don’t deserve any of this. It’s all... too much. Too hard to digest right now,”

His expression shifted slightly, a quiet sadness in his eyes.

“I understand, Rudra,” he said.“It must be difficult to accept such drastic changes. But still, whatever happened—whether for good or bad—it doesn’t change the fact that we killed your fath—”

“I killed him,” her mother suddenly cut in. I swallowed hard and lowered my gaze.

“Rajaji is right,” she continued.“No matter the reason... it doesn’t erase the fact that I took his life. And in this society, peace rarely follows when a woman loses her support system. We made you suffer, Rudra, unintentionally or not. And from the depths of my heart, I want to apologise for everything that happened. We’re truly sorry for your loss.”

Tears welled in my eyes, a heavy silence settled in the room, and then Ranvijay finally broke it.“Yeh to maatra ek sanjog hai ki jo hua wo aapke kaaran hua. Jisko jaana hota hai, samay aane par vo jaata hi hai. Kintu khaara satya yehi hai… wo isi ke yogya the,”(It’s just an excuse—that it happened because of you or thatyou killed him. When someone’s time comes, they go, no matter the reason. But the truth is... he deserved it.)

I inhaled deeply and listened as Agastya spoke,“Yes, I completely agree,” he said.

I nodded.“You don’t have to apologise. If I were in your place, I would’ve slit his throat myself,” I said plainly, feeling a cold shiver run through me. A heavy, thrilling silence followed until I finally broke it.

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