2 THE BRIDE OF REVENGE

...**Seven months earlier…**...

The air smelled of flowers.

Too many flowers.

Jasmine. Roses. Marigold.

Everything looked perfect.

Everything felt… wrong.

Ishira sat in front of the mirror, dressed as a bride.

Red lehenga. Heavy jewelry. Sindoor ready.

A *perfect dulhan*.

But her eyes?

Empty.

“Smile, beta…” her mother whispered from behind, adjusting her dupatta. “Aaj tumhari zindagi ka sabse bada din hai.”

Ishira met her gaze through the mirror.

For a second… something flickered.

Doubt.

Fear.

Suspicion.

“Shaadi… itni jaldi kyun?” she asked softly.

The woman stiffened.

Just for a moment.

Then smiled again.

“Accha rishta hai. Powerful family. Tumhari kismat chamak jayegi.”

Kismat.

Ishira almost laughed.

Deep down… something didn’t feel right.

This wasn’t about marriage.

This felt like—

A deal.

### **Outside the Mansion**

Black cars lined up.

Men in suits.

Guards with guns hidden beneath jackets.

This wasn’t a wedding.

It was a warning.

And at the center of it all—

**Vihaan Rathore.**

Dressed in black sherwani, he stood like a king waiting to claim something that already belonged to him.

His expression?

Cold.

Unreadable.

Dangerous.

“Sab ready hai?” one of his men asked.

Vihaan didn’t look at him.

His gaze was fixed on the entrance.

“Dulhan ko lao.”

### **The First Meeting**

The moment Ishira stepped into the mandap—

Time slowed.

Her eyes met his.

And everything inside her…

Paused.

There was no warmth.

No curiosity.

No softness.

Only one thing.

**Power.**

Vihaan looked at her like she wasn’t a person.

Like she was a consequence.

Ishira’s heart pounded.

But she didn’t look away.

*Who is this man…?*

The priest started chanting.

Mantras filled the air.

But none of it mattered.

Because the real conversation…

Was happening in silence.

### **The Truth (Unspoken… but Real)**

This wasn’t love.

This wasn’t destiny.

This was **revenge.**

Vihaan leaned slightly closer as the rituals continued.

His voice was low.

Only for her.

“Tumhari family ne galti ki hai.”

Ishira’s breath hitched.

“Ab tum uski keemat chukogi.”

Her fingers clenched tightly.

“What are you talking about?” she whispered.

His lips curved faintly.

Not a smile.

A warning.

“Shaadi ke baad samajh aa jayega.”

And just like that—

Her fear turned into something else.

Anger.

### **The Marriage**

Saat phere complete hue.

Sindoor lag gaya.

Mangalsutra bandh gaya.

And with that—

Ishira Devraj became:

**Mrs. Ishira Rathore.**

A wife.

Without choice.

Without love.

### **After the Wedding**

The room was silent.

Heavy.

Suffocating.

Ishira stood near the window, still in her bridal attire.

Waiting.

Thinking.

Trying to understand.

The door opened.

Vihaan entered.

Slow.

Controlled.

The air shifted instantly.

He removed his watch.

His cufflinks.

Calm. Methodical.

Like this was routine.

Ishira turned to face him.

Her voice wasn’t trembling anymore.

“Sach kya hai?”

He looked at her.

Finally.

Fully.

For a moment—

There was something in his eyes.

Not emotion.

Recognition.

Then it vanished.

“Tumhare father…” he said, walking closer, “…unhone mujhe dhokha diya.”

Each step he took—

Felt like pressure.

“Crores ka nuksaan. Deals collapse. Aur upar se—police tak information pahunchayi.”

Ishira’s eyes widened.

“No… that’s not possible—”

“Possible hai,” he cut her off coldly.

Silence stretched.

“And isliye…” his voice dropped, darker now, “…maine decide kiya… unhe sabse zyada dard kaise diya jaaye.”

Ishira’s heartbeat thundered in her ears.

Realization hit.

Hard.

“You…” her voice broke slightly, “…you married me for revenge?”

Vihaan stopped right in front of her.

Close enough that she could feel the danger radiating off him.

“Exactly.”

Tears filled her eyes.

But they didn’t fall.

“Main koi cheez nahi hoon,” she said, anger rising. “Main insaan hoon.”

A pause.

Then he leaned closer.

Too close.

“Ab tum meri ho.”

The words weren’t soft.

They weren’t loving.

They were a claim.

The Beginning of War

That night—

Something ended.

And something else began.

Not a marriage.

A battlefield.

Where:

Trust didn’t exist

Power decided everything

And love… had no place

But what neither of them knew—

Was that this war…

Would create something far more dangerous.

A Queen.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***