Like a Phoenix from the Ashes

Chapter 7

“I’m Dhruv. Dhruv Raizada. Don’t you remember me from our pre university and degree college days? I was a year senior to you and would roam in all places that you were used to be, in my car, along with playing loud music from your favorite list of songs “, he started laughing saying this.

“Seriously, you are telling me that you used to roam around me in a car and also while playing loud music?” I asked staring at him with stern eyes.

“No wonder I hated guys who used to roam around me when I was in college. God it was so much irritating” I replied.

He started laughing more and if I was not married, then I would have surely fallen for him head over heels. Not that I was in a very happily married life, but still, I was technically still in a relationship though. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at him, not looked but actually stared at him.

“So, why were you roaming around me in your car, especially playing the songs from my favourite list of music?" I asked him with serious look.

“I was kind of like that in my college days. I was really attracted to you back then and grabbing your attention was my main intention” he replied with a straight face.

“You are a genuine answer giver aren’t you?” I asked with a stern look on my face.

“Yes I am” he replied with the same look on his face.

“So where is your niece this time?” I asked with a small smile at the end of my lips.

He studied me and replied with a sigh. “I’m really sorry for that. I saw you that day and recognised you at that moment. I didn’t have the guts to come and introduce myself to you, and so used my niece as an excuse to meet you, but you blew me off that day. Guess you were not in a good mood like today, on that day”.

I was just staring at his eyes all the time as he spoke, and gave him a smile at the end. “Your niece is really cute, by the way. If that was not the case, then I would have never thought about giving you a second glance while leaving”, I said.

He laughed and got up. “I guess I’m done here. I wanted to introduce myself to you and make you notice me, when I’m around and I have done that. I will be taking a leave as I can see you are busy with some works”, he said so by pointing at my laptop. ”Guess I will see you around”, and with that he left his way. I just stared at his back while he left and he gave me a second glance while opening the door of the restaurant, gave me a smile and left.

Well, that was something new from the daily schedule. I just smiled thinking about the meet and started with my routine, which is looking through the online portals for the available vacancies. I guess I was done for the day and thought about making my way home. When I reached home, there was a surprise waiting for me.

I went to my apartment and unlocked the door. There stood Shubham with his back facing me looking at something outside the window. I was really shocked to see him home so early, it was just 4pm in the evening and he normally returns home never before 7pm. I went inside and placed my laptop bag and handbag in the room, changed into my PJs and went to washroom to freshen up. Shubham was staring at me when I went to kitchen and started preparing coffee for both of us.

I came out of kitchen with two cups of coffee, one in each of my hand. I went and placed a cup of coffee on the table in front of him and sat beside him. He stared at me for a while and took the coffee cup in his hand. I was about to sip my cup of coffee when I felt a splash of something hot on my face. My face started burning and turned around to see an empty cup in Shubham’s hand and looked down at my PJs. That was when I realised that the burning sensation on my face and neck is because of the hot coffee all over me.

-----------ABUSIVE CONTENT FROM HERE ON--------

“You are a w***e. You just want to grab attention of men population around you. Just because I don’t pay you much attention these days doesn’t give you the right to w***e yourself to anyone that you find outside our apartment”, he shouted at me by throwing some photos at me. It contained the pictures of me and Dhruv in the restaurant.

What shocked me was the fact that the photos were taken just minutes ago, when I was in the restaurant and met Dhruv.

“From where did you get these photos? How is it possible?” I asked with shock.

“I knew that you were going out behind me from past few days and hired a private investigator to follow you. What surprised me is that you are visiting the same restaurant that the guy in the photos visits very frequently. I guess you wanted to find a new p***s to fill your v****a, and so you have made a habit of whoring yourself in front of other men”.

I was really shocked and was actually in tears by listening to his words. How could he doubt my character and how could he even think about hiring a private investigator to tail me? When have I ever thought about giving a second glance to any man, other than Shubham? He was the one who was not interested in marrying me in the first place and thought about toying with my life and my feelings and now he is accusing me of being the adulterer? I really couldn’t believe my ears.

“How could you even think like that Shubham? I like going to the same restaurant because I like the taste of their samosas. You know how much I love samosas. I also feel fed up with tasting the same taste of my dishes day-to-day. i go there because i will get to spend some time outside these 4 walls” I was already in tears.

“I really have no idea as to what made you think that I am whoring myself around. I even didn’t have any idea regarding the fact that it was the place where the guy from the photo frequently visits. I have never seen him before in the life, except when I had to help his lost niece. I really don’t have any relationship with him”.

He started becoming angrier after listening to my words and ran inside the room to find something. I was still in haze and my head was spinning faster than a fan in full speed mode. He came out of the room with a belt in his hand and started beating me with it. He didn’t look where he was beating me, but went on and on and on with the beating till his hands gave in.

What happened? I really didn't know. Everything happened so fast that I couldn't understand why anything was happening. It was like some dream or like a show where everything is moving around in a slow motion pace. I somehow managed to get up from the floor and went inside the washroom to clean myself, and that was when I saw the reflection that was staring me back in the mirror.

I sighed and got into the cold water shower. I winced when the water started falling on my skin. It was like a needle pricking my skin like million times, as I had no experience in having a cold shower ever. I just closed my eyes and let the water fall on my skin. I gently massaged my body with just my hands, as my mind was completely in a foggy state.

I slowly wrapped myself with a towel and came out of the washroom. I was still in lots of pain and found Shubham waiting there for me on the bed. I looked at him and found him watching every inch of my body with lust filled eyes. He came closer to me and whacked my towel from my body and started gently roaming his hands on my arms. I felt disgust and slapped his arms from my body and moved towards the closet to find some clothes. I was pulled back onto a hard chest of Shubham and he lifted me up and threw me on the bed. He then jumped on me and started kissing my lips forcefully. I was really feeling disgusted and avoided as much as possible, but was failing because of his strength against me and also because of the pain from the bruises.

He started rubbing on my slit while holding my face in place and continued kissing forcefully. I was really not in the mood and this made him feel more agitated. He positioned himself between my sore legs and slammed inside me forcefully, which was really painful as I was not ready. He went on and on and on throughout the evening with an evil smirk, on his face.

“Learn whom you belong to Aanya. Your body belongs to me and me only. No one can touch you. If I find you even glancing at any other man, then remember the pain that you are feeling now, I will make you feel 10 times worse than it”.

He was raping me again and I couldn’t do anything because of my weak body condition. I just stayed there and allowed him to finish what he was doing, as I had gone completely numb. He fell next to me on the mattress and started staring at the ceiling, and I don't know when he drifted into the slumber.

I stayed in the exact position for a while and got up with great difficulty and went to washroom to clean myself up again. I came out and dressed in a loose t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans and took my purse and necessary belongings and left the home.

I left the home by taking my belongings such as my documents, some amount and some change of clothes in a bag and started driving without any destination in mind. I was beaten, bruised and r***d and broken inside in all possible ways. I was not thinking straight and didn’t know what to do at that exact moment. All I knew was that I should escape from the monster in my life known as “Shubham”.

I stopped at a park that was nearby to my house and also the restaurant that I visited frequently. My face was out of shape and thank the almighty God that it was getting dark and there was not many people roaming at that place. I went and sat on a bench and started staring at the sky, which was showing various shades of orange and blue, indicating that it was time for the sunset. I checked my watch and it was almost 7pm in the evening.