The Love She Deserved

Chapter 2: A Loveless Mariage

The grand estate loomed ahead, a towering symbol of wealth and legacy. Karuna sat quietly in the backseat of Akil’s sleek black car as they drove through the ornate iron gates. The mansion was breathtaking – marble columns, manicured gardens, and a driveway long enough to make anyone feel small. But as they pulled up, an uneasy feeling settled in her chest.

This was her new home.

The wedding had been swift. A grand ceremony, attended by politicians, business moguls, and socialites – all people who mattered to Akil’s family. Karuna had played her part well, smiling on cue, shaking hands, and pretending not to notice the curious glances when people whispered, Who is she?

Now, she stepped out of the car, adjusting the heavy gold bangles on her wrist as Akil took her hand.

“Don’t look so nervous,” he murmured. “They’ll love you.”

She wasn’t nervous about his family’s approval. She was nervous about what she was about to discover about the man she had just married.

The moment they entered, Akil’s mother, Safa, approached with a scrutinizing gaze. Dressed in a silk gown, her hair pinned into an immaculate bun, she exuded control.

“Welcome to our home,” she said, her tone polite but distant. Her eyes swept over Karuna’s simple attire, and though she said nothing, the judgement was clear.

“Thank you,” Karuna replied, offering a respectful nod.

Safa turned to Akil. “We have guests coming tomorrow evening. Business partners. Make sur your wife is... presentable.”

Karuna stiffened, but Akil only chuckled, kissing his mother’s cheek. “She will be.”

That night, as they settled into their bedroom – his bedroom – Karuna sat at the edge of the massive bed, watching Akil loosen his tie.

“Your mother doesn’t like me,” she said casually.

He smirked. “She just needs time. She expected me to marry someone from our circle.”

Someone with a name, with power. If only they knew.

“You don’t regret marrying me, do you?” she asked, her voice quieter.

Akil’s smirk faded, replaced by something unreadable. He walked over, tilting her chin up with two fingers. “I married you, didn’t I?”

He kissed her then, but it felt more like possession than affection.

Days turned into weeks, and Karuna quickly realized that her marriage wasn’t a love story – it was an arrangement. Akil was rarely at home, always at meetings, always surrounded by people who spoke in numbers and profits. When he was home, he was distracted, distant, treating her more like a piece of décor than a wife.

Conversations became brief. Touches became mechanical. And soon, Karuna felt more alone in his mansion than she ever had in her simple apartment.

One evening, she sat alone in the vast dining room, her plate untouched. The chandelier above cast a golden glow, but the emptiness swallowed the warmth.

A servant approached hesitantly. “Madam, should I clear the table?”

Karuna glanced at the untouched meal, then at the clock. Akil was late. Again.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yes. He won’t be coming home early.”

She had been married for only three months, but already, she felt like a ghost in her own life.

And the worst part?

She wasn’t sure if Akil even noticed.