chapter 5

...NOOR POV:...

TRRINNGG... TRRINNGGG...

I cracked one eye open.

It was 6 AM.

Who the hell wakes up at 6 AM?

TRRINNGG TRRINNGGG...

Again!?

"Uth jao," a deep voice came from somewhere near the door.

I shot up so fast you'd think someone poured ice water on me.

"Der ho gayi hai," he said. "Uth ke tayyar ho jao. Warna pehle din hi taane sunne padenge."

"6 baje der ho gayi hai!?" I asked, half-growling, half-dying.

"Haan," he replied calmly, adjusting the sleeves of his blue kurta like it was a fashion shoot at sunrise.

"Ughhhh..." I sat there with my eyes closed, rethinking every life choice that brought me to this moment.

"Jaao. Paani garam hai. Naha lo. Aur aane ke baad yeh saari pehen lena... Bhabhi ne di hai," he said and turned to leave.

"Uske baad apna naam bhi badal lungi... Jiya se Gopi bahu kar dungi," I muttered.

He ignored me, of course.

I dragged myself into the bathroom. The "bathroom" had no shower. Just a bucket, a mug, a mirror the size of a debit card, one toothbrush, and one bar of soap that clearly belonged to Rahul.

Nothing else.

Wait.

ONE toothbrush?

ONE soap?

NO shampoo?

I stormed out.

"RAHUUUULLLL!" I yelled.

He came running back, eyes wide, as if I'd seen a ghost.

"Tameez nahi sikhayi tumhari maa ne?" he snapped, grabbing my arm and yanking me inside room.

"Wah ji wah! Yeh baat toh mujhe poochni chahiye!" I said.

He stared at me.

Creepy.

"Baad mein ghoor lena. Yeh batao - main nahaaoon kaise? Na soap, na toothbrush!" I complained.

"Aankhein khol ke dekho. Sab hai. Jaldi taiyaar ho aur neeche ao, Maa chidh rahi hain," he said, letting go of my arm.

"O hello... tum kabir singh nahi ho ki main tumahre brush se brush karun! Aur woh 2 rupaye ki sabun se nahaaoon!?" I asked, horrified.

He rolled his eyes like I was the problem.

"Jo karna hai karo. Bas tayyar hoke neeche aao," he said and left.

But then...He came back.

He leaned in slightly, Voice dropping dangerously.

"Mujhe mere naam se dubara mat bulana."

"Toh kese bulaon?..." I muttered and went back into the bathroom.

I brushed my teeth with toothpaste on my finger, because hell no, I am not using his toothbrush.

The soap... I washed it so many times before using it that half the bar dissolved and went down the drain.

At some point, warm water magically started coming from the tap, so I used that directly because I do NOT trust this old man's bucket hygiene system.

I stepped out dripping, shivering, and ready to kill someone.

There was no lotion.

No cream.

No comb.

No hair dryer.

Nothing.

My skin was dying.

D.Y.I.N.G.

After a whole war with the sari, I finally wore it and went downstairs.

Everyone was seated at the dining table.

The moment I walked out - Eyes. ALL the eyes.

My mother-in-law stood up, furious.

"Na sindoor... na chudi... na bichiya... na mangalsutra... na payal!" she scolded, scanning me top to bottom.

She slapped her palm to her forehead dramatically.

"Rahul!" she yelled. "Teri zimmedari thi! Aaj ke din bahu ko dhangse taiyar karne ki!"

He gave me the dirtiest glare known to mankind.

"Priya! Jaake taiyar kar isse," Ma ordered.

Priya bhabhi rushed to me, holding my arm lightly.

Chavi, the little one, followed us excitedly.

Inside their room, Priya bhabhi sat me down and bought a small velvet box from her room.

"Yeh lo. Sindoor lagao jaldi se," she said gently.

Priya bhabhi slid the mangalsutra around my neck, tied my hair neatly into a soft braid, fixed my pallu with delicate care, and then tied the red bangles around my wrists. The anklets chimed softly as she adjusted them around my feet.

Chavi giggled and clapped.

I forced a smile, but my throat tightened. The moment Priya stepped away, I looked at myself. I didn't recognise the girl staring back. The kohl-smudged eyes, the heavy sari, the sindoor marking my hairline-none of it felt like mine. It felt like a costume shoved on a stranger. My chest tightened as the reality of everything slammed into me all at once.

Gopi 2.0

The moment I stepped out wearing the entire "Congratulations, you are now a domesticated cow" starter pack-every single pair of eyes at the dining table turned toward me.

Talking stopped, Ma looked relieved, like I had finally passed some exam.

Priya bhabhi gave an encouraging smile.

Rahul just looked at me with that unreadable stare - the one thatmade me want to scream and run and choke him with my pallu while saying, "saale jhantu gaon ke chuze, teri esi ki tesi".

"Ab theek lag rahi hai," Ma said, almost announcing it to the whole kingdom. "Shaadi-shuda aurat jaisi."

I sat down quietly at the table. A plate was kept in front of me - barely warm poha, halwa, and chai.

"Aaj tumhari pehli rasoi ki rasm thi, par tum itna der kar di ki humne khud hi bana liya sab," Motherfucking Maa ji spoke.

I wanted to shove the halwa in her mouth just to shut her up for two minutes.

Before I could even blink, Priya bhabhi jumped in like my personal firefighter.

"Kal se uth jaegi jaldi, aaj pehla din tha na... thoda late ho gaya hoga sone main," she said.

I love her. She's hired.

Father-in-law cleared his throat "Kal raat kitne baje soye the?"

I opened my mouth to answer.

BUT NO.

Of course.

Rahul decided he's the official spokesperson for me, "3..." he lied smoothly.

I almost choked on air.

Why is he lying???

We slept at 12.

...RISHI POV:...

After breakfast and all the pointless rasme, I finally stepped out of the house. Raghav Bhaiya caught up with me, hand landing heavy on my shoulder.

"Kaisi rahi suhagrat?" he asked, smirking.

"Jaisi hoti hai waisi," I said flatly.

"Arre bhai, maza aaya? Kya hua, kaise hua... batao na." He followed me into the car.

"Kuch nahi hua," I said, clear and cold.

He froze mid-smile,

"Kya?"

"Kuch. Nahi. Hua," I repeated. "Kapde badle. Aur so gaye."

A whole five seconds passed before he processed it.

"Ek sec-ek sec-kal tumhari suhagraat thi... aur tune kuch nahi kiya??"

I shook my head and scrolled through documents on my phone. He grabbed it out of my hand.

"Yeh kya kar rahe hain, Bhaiya?" I snapped.

"Tu pagal hai kya?! Apni biwi ko chhua bhi nahi?" he barked.

"Nahi..., usne mana kar diya," I said.

"Mana kar diya?" He leaned forward. "Par tune pucha kyun?"

"Kyunki puchna chahiye," I said, voice clipped.

He shook his head. "Main nahi pucha tha. Aur dekh Priya ke saath sab kitna theek chal raha hai."

"Haan, kyun ki Priya Bhaabhi ko aap pasand honge. Aur waise bhi... maine is ladki se zabardasti shaadi ki hai... Laxmi hoti toh na.puchta." I looked out the window.

"Kya farak padta hai? Biwi toh biwi hoti hai," he said casually.

I turned to him slowly. "Acha? Toh agar Priya Bhaabhi bole unka mann nahi hai... toh aap zabardasti karenge?"

"Bilkul nahi! Par wo is liye kyunki-" He paused, stuck.

I snorted. "Koi faayda nahi. Mat sochiye." His irritated face amused me more than it should have.

"Abey yaar," he groaned, "itne time baad tujhe biwi mili, aur wo bhi aisi."

"Ab kya hi karu..." I shrugged. "Jo mil gayi, mil gayi. Waise bhi, mujhe usse koi khaas matlab nahi hai."

"Mili nahi-tune khud chuna hai." He scoffed. "Pata nahi kya dikh gaya. Baaki koi bhi gaon ki ladki chun leta... din raat deti."

I clicked my tongue, irritated. Because honestly? I didn't know why I chose her either.

"Muh pe daane, baal chhote, kad chhota..." he kept complaining.

"Pata nahi kya dekh liya."

"Kaam ki baat karenge ya yahi chalta rahega?" I muttered, wanting to end the topic.

Suddenly the driver cleared his throat.

"Sahab... bura mat maniyega. Chhota muh badi baat keh raha hoon..."

We both glanced at him.

"Aap ye sab puchiye mat kariye," he continued casually. "Jake ladki ke haath bandhiye, pair felaiye aur daal dijiye. Aurat ka shareer ek baar garam ho gaya toh-"

My blood boiled instantly.

"Teri..." Bhaiya snapped from behind.

"Gaadi rok," I said.

"Sahab... par yahan-"

"GAADI ROK," I roared.

He slammed the brakes. I stepped out before he could say another word. By the time he looked up, I pressed the barrel against his forehead and fired.

Blood spattered my cheek. Silence swallowed the road. I dragged his body out, tossed it on the dirt, and slid into the driver's seat.

"Ufff..." Bhaiya exhaled, leaning back. "Jis biwi se koi matlab nahi hai us biwi ke liye logon ko marna shuru kar diya..." He said and burst out laughing.

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