Page 174 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

I folded my legs, and he sat before me, washing his hands before opening the dinner plate. He began tearing small bites of food, blowing on them to cool them and gently bringing the food to my mouth.

At that moment, I felt something stir deeply in my chest. I felt so special. In him, I saw everyone I had ever loved—when he gave me silly nicknames, I saw my father; when he cared for me like this, I saw my mother; when we bickered and annoyed each other, I saw my grandmother; and when he teased me, I saw my brother.

A single tear rolled down my cheek. And when he noticed it, he frowned with concern.

“You know how you look right now?” he asked.

I bit my lip and smiled faintly.“How?”

“Like a cute baby monkey,” he said, earning an abrupt chuckle from me.

“Seems like you’ve adopted a monkey then,” I said, taking another bite.

“Ahh, yes,” he said, playing along.“I’ve got a monkey, a rabbit, a bird, a cat, a crocodile—and sometimes, a tigress. But most importantly, I have my little wife,”

His words made me smile.“You’ll never run out of names for me, will you?” I asked, amused.

“Never,” he replied with a soft grin.“But more than anything, you're my baby first,”

Hearing that, my heart fluttered. I leaned forward, broke a bite from the roti, and fed it to him.

He smiled and gently held my wrist.“You just rest, little bird,” he whispered.

I nodded after feeding him and leaned back again. He fed me more and only ate after I had eaten enough.

After placing the plate on the table, he washed his hands and removed his kurta. He walked to the other side of the bed, blowingout the extra candles on his way, dimming the room to a soft, warm glow.

I shifted under the comforter as he slid in beside me. When he got close, I instinctively moved toward him and rested my head on his chest.

He wrapped his arm around me, and I curled my leg over his thigh for comfort.

He began caressing my knees, his fingers moving in slow, soothing circles. The gentle pressure eased the tension, and I felt a sense of relief.

“Is it hurting so much?” he asked softly.“Yes,” I whispered, my voice husky from the pain.

“Should I call the physician to prepare some medicine?” he asked, and I shook my head against his chest.“No, I don’t need medicine,”

“Okay,” he said, running his hand over my back, head, and down my arms.

I didn’t even realise when sleep took over.

?? ? ? ?

When I woke up the next morning, my body felt a little better. The pain had dulled to a manageable ache.

I slowly opened my eyes and found myself still in the same position. His hand was gently resting at my waist, softly tracing circles along my side.

I could hear his heartbeat, and lifting my face, I looked up at him. He was already awake, his eyes watching me quietly.

I inhaled deeply and stretched my arm, slowly straightening my leg, and turned to face the other side lazily, only to feel him shift closer behind me, spooning me.

His cheek brushed against mine, and his fingers laced with mine.“Feeling any better?” he asked, and I blinked slowly.

“This will go on for four to five days,” I answered.

He traced my ear softly with his lips.“You should eat properly and drink lots of water during menstruation. I read that somewhere,”

A soft smile touched my lips as I nodded.“Hmm,”

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