Chapter 3

The morning sun bathed the Haveli in a golden glow, slipping through the ornate windows and casting soft patterns on the marble floors. The aroma of fresh chapatis and spiced chai wafted through the corridors, mingling with the faint sound of laughter echoing from the courtyard.

Aaradhya had always loved mornings here. There was a different kind of peace in her home, a warmth that wrapped around her like a familiar embrace.

After finishing her morning prayers with her Daadi-sa, she made her way to the main hall, only to pause mid-step when she noticed her father, Raghavendra Singh Rathore, speaking to someone.

A woman draped in an elegant red saree sat before him, her presence commanding respect. Her silver bangles clinked softly as she adjusted the pallu over her shoulder. There was an undeniable regality in the way she carried herself, as if she was born to hold power.

Aaradhya frowned slightly. The woman seemed vaguely familiar, though she couldn't place where she had seen her before.

"Raghavendra-ji, hum aaj yeh rishta nibhane aaye hain." (We have come today to fulfill this bond.) The woman's voice was smooth yet firm, each word carrying an underlying weight.

Aaradhya watched as her father exhaled deeply, rubbing his forehead as if burdened by something too heavy to express.

"Yeh faisla asaan nahi hai, Thakurain-sa." (This decision is not easy, Thakurain-sa.) His voice held a quiet restraint, one she rarely heard from him.

Thakurain.

Aaradhya's brows knit together. Thakurain?

Realization dawned slowly. This wasn't just any woman. She was the Thakurain of the Thakur family.

And suddenly, that night's events were replayed in her mind.

The imposing man who had given her a ride.
The quiet authority in his voice.
The way Agastya had instantly obeyed him.

He was Thakur Vijayendra Pratap Singh.

Aaradhya felt a strange unease creep up her spine, though she didn't quite understand why.

What was the Thakur family discussing with her father?

Before she could step forward and ask, a gentle hand touched her shoulder. She turned to see her Daadi-sa shaking her head subtly.

"Chal, Aaradhya. Humein rasoi dekhni hai." (Come, Aaradhya. We need to check the kitchen.)

"But Daadi-sa-"

"No questions. Chalo."

Aaradhya hesitated but eventually nodded, throwing one last glance at her father. The troubled expression on his face only deepened her curiosity.

Something wasn't right.

And she was going to find out what it was.

-

The evening air was thick with the scent of burning incense as Aaradhya walked into the Haveli, stretching her arms after a long day. The village tour had been refreshing, filled with laughter and playful teasing from her cousins. But even as she sat on the veranda with Meera and Pihu, sipping chai and sharing stories, her mind kept circling back to one thing-him.

The man from that night.

She had spotted him again today, standing by the lake, his tall, imposing figure impossible to miss. There was something about his presence-something that made her heart race in ways she couldn't understand. When she had casually asked Meera about him, her cousin's expression had turned odd, almost guarded.

"Vijayendra Thakur," Meera had said, her tone cautious. "Yahan ke sabse taqatwar aadmi hai. Thakur khandan ke waaris." (He is the most powerful man here. The heir of the Thakur family.)

Aaradhya had frowned. So what? There were many influential families in the village. Why did Meera look as if she wanted to say more but couldn't?

The question had remained unanswered, but the curiosity had lingered.

Now, as she relaxed with her cousins, she had nearly forgotten the conversation-until her father's voice called out from the main hall.

"Aaradhya, idhar aao." (Aaradhya, come here.)

Something in his tone made her pause mid-sip.

Meera and Pihu’s exchanged a glance before Meera nudged her. "Jao. Lagta hai koi zaroori baat hai." (Go. Seems like something important.)

Still puzzled, Aaradhya placed her cup down and walked toward the hall, where her father and uncle were seated on the large wooden divan. A few other elders were present too, all of them engaged in a conversation that instantly died down the moment she entered

A strange silence settled in the room.

She hesitated. "Baba?"

Raghavendra no looked up, studying her with an unreadable expression. Then, he sighed and gestured for her to sit.

"Kya baat hai?" (What is it?)

Her father exhaled deeply, as if choosing his words carefully. "Aaj Thakurain ji aayi thi." (Thakurain ji came today.)

Aaradhya frowned. "Kaun?"

"Vijayendra Thakur ki maa." (Vijayendra Thakur's mother.)

The name made her stomach twist slightly, but she wasn't sure why.

"Woh yahan kyun aayi thi?" (Why did she come here?)

Silence.

Then, her uncle spoke, his voice carrying the weight of something unspoken.

"Tumhare rauna ki tareekh tay karne." (To decide the date for your rauna.)

Aaradhya blinked. Once. Twice.

She laughed lightly, assuming this was some odd joke. "Mera rauna? Aap log kya keh rahe hain?" (My rauna? What are you all saying?)

No one laughed with her.

A heaviness settled in the air.

Her father cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. "Aaradhya... ek sach hai jo tujhe abhi tak nahi bataya gaya." (There's a truth that has been kept from you until now.)

Her heartbeat quickened. "Kaisa sach?" (What truth?)

Raghavendra met her gaze. And then, in the calmest, most shattering voice, he said-

"Tu shaadi-shuda hai, beti." (You are already married, my child.)

Aaradhya's breath caught in her throat.

The walls of the Haveli suddenly felt too small, too suffocating.

Her lips parted, but no words came out. The world around her blurred, and all she could hear was the wild pounding of her heart in her ears.

"Nahi." She shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper. "Ye mazak hai, hai na?" (No. This is a joke, right?)

No one spoke.

The silence was louder than any answer they could have given her.

Aaradhya let out a shaky breath, her entire body tensing. "Aap log kya keh rahe hain?" she demanded, her voice rising now. "Meri shaadi? Kab? Kaise?" (What are you all saying? My marriage? When? How?)

Her uncle spoke, his tone serious. "Bachpan mein. Jab tu sirf chaar saal ki thi." (In childhood. When you were only four years old.)

Aaradhya felt the ground slip from beneath her.

Her legs wobbled, and she gripped the armrest of the divan for support. Her eyes darted from one face to another, looking for some sign-some proof-that this was a misunderstanding.

But all she found were solemn expressions.

"This isn't possible," she whispered. "Agar aisa hota toh mujhe pata hota. Mujhe kabhi bataaya kyun nahi?" (If this were true, I would've known. Why was I never told?)

Raghavendra ran a hand down his face, looking exhausted. "Kyunki zaroorat nahi thi." (Because there was no need to.)

Aaradhya felt as if she had been slapped.

"No need?" Her voice broke. "Aapne mujhe ek puri zindagi ke rishte mein baandh diya bina mujhse poochhe, aur aap keh rahe hain ki zaroorat nahi thi?" (You tied me into a lifelong relationship without asking me, and now you say there was no need to tell me?)

Her father flinched but held his ground. "Woh rishta sirf naam ka tha, Aaradhya. Tab tak jab tak-" He hesitated. "Jab tak Thakurain ji ne aaj yeh faisla nahi liya ki tujhe ab apne sasural jaana chahiye." (That relationship was only in the name, Aaradhya. Until today, when Thakurain ji decided it's time for you to go to your in-laws' home.)

Aaradhya staggered back, shaking her head violently.

"No," she gasped, her hands trembling. "Main yeh shaadi nahi maanti. Mujhe kisi Thakurain se koi matlab nahi hai. Main-main toh ush aadami ko jaanti bhi nahi hoon!" (I don't accept this marriage. I don't care about Thakurain. I-I don't even know the man!)

Her uncle's voice was low, almost foreboding. "Lekin woh tujhe jaanta hai." (But he knows you.)

A shiver ran down her spine.

Her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms. "Toh kya? Main koi cheez nahi hoon jo bina meri marzi ke kisi ke ghar bhej di jaaye." (So what? I am not an object that can be sent to someone's house without my consent.)

Her father sighed, looking at her with a mix of guilt and firmness. "Beti, samajh... yeh faisla sirf hamara nahi hai." (Daughter, understand... this decision is not just ours.)

Aaradhya's body went cold.

She didn't like the way he said that.

The dread in her chest deepened.

"Years ago, when you were just a child... a promise was made."

She frowned. "What promise?"

Raghavendra hesitated, then spoke the words that would change everything.

Her father's gaze was heavy with guilt. "You were promised to the Thakur family in marriage."

The breath in her lungs turned shallow. "To... them?"

"To Thakur Vijayendra Singh."

The name hit her like a thunderbolt.

The man from that night. The man who had given her a ride home. The man with a voice as deep as the night and a presence that demanded obedience.

Him.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "No, this can't be."

"Aaradhya-"

"You mean to tell me that all these years... my future has already been decided? That my life, my choices-none of it ever belonged to me?"

Her father's face tightened. "It was not meant to be like this."

"But it is!" she cried, her voice cracking. "And I was the last to know!"

She shot up from her chair, her hands clenched into fists. "You betrayed me, Baba-sa." Her voice wavered, thick with emotion. "I thought you, of all people, would fight for me... but you gave me away before I even knew what love meant!"

Raghavendra flinched, as if her words had physically struck him. "Beta, you don't understand-"

"Then make me understand!" she demanded, tears burning behind her eyes. "Because right now, I feel like a prisoner in my own life!"

Her father sighed, rubbing his temples. "It was a decision made in difficult times. A bond between two families. A promise between two men-your grandfather and the Thakur."

Aaradhya laughed bitterly. "A promise I never agreed to."

Her father looked at her, his eyes filled with pain. "Aaradhya... I did what I thought was best for you."

She felt her heart shatter. "No, Baba-sa. You did what was best for yourself."

"Our family was in danger beta. There were... enemies. Aligning with the thakur's gave us power and safety." Her father said hesitantly, trying to choose his words carefully.

She shook her head, stepping back. "And in return, you sacrificed my life?" Shee asked.

"I..I thought I was securing your future" Raghuvendra's shoulder saggered

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "By binding me to a man I didn't even know existed?" She asked.

"He has known about this marriage all his life"her father said , his voice is softer now. "He has waited for you."

Aaradhya's mind reeled.

Waited for her?

The man she had met a night before- the one with dark , unreadable eyes and an overwhelming presence--he had known?

All these years, he had known that she was his wife?

Thinking this a chill ran through her spine.

Her entire life has been a lie.

She wasn't single.
She wasn't free.
She wasn't even herself anymore.

She was his

She belonged to him.

A sense of suffocation wrapped around her chest. She turned sharply,needing to get out, needing space, needing air-

"Aaradhya" her father called out, but she didn't stop.

She ran.

Out of the main hall, out of the Haveli, out into the open courtyard where the cool evening air barely did anything to calm her storming mind.

The world felt different now.

And for the first time, Aaradhya realized-

She had no control of her own fate.

---

To be continued......

What's your view about this chapter? What do you guys think is gonna happen now? At last is this story interesting?

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Itsyourblackrose