The smell of anti-septics, disinfectants and medicinal drugs was what she woke up to. Irritating her nose. Her eyes trying to flutter open but the tingling pain in her head was maddening her. The upper part of her eye-lids were throbbing. Giving out a breath, she atlast opened her eyes that came in contact with the ceiling. Her grey irises moved left and right with confusion dancing in her dead. She tried to sit up, suddenly feeling vulnerable. Her heart beating like a drum in her ears. As she placed her hand on the bed to sit up, a cry of pain suddenly broke out through her lips. She tried to move her neck towards her hand but couldn't. Her neck was immobilized by a brace.
The trunk of her body began to shiver as tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't feel any pain but the hammering pain in her head was killing her. Her mind was jumbled. Hazed. Troubled. As she couldn't put two and two together. She felt as if she had no limbs, as if she had never had legs and arms. Her brain was numb, unable to feel. All she could sense was the coldness of sweat trickling down her back and the hotness of her cheeks. And a sharp pain, erupting through her fingers. An unbearable pain. The only body part that hurt her and she was able to feel were her hands.
But still she wasn't able to figure out which finger was it, that was giving her such a pain. Rather which hand was it.
Right or left?
Maybe, it was right.
The slight and minor sound of the tick-tock of clock was suffocating her. She wanted to move. Sit. Stand. Talk and walk but it felt like, her arms weren't there.
Opening her mouth partly, she let the cold air alleviate the hotness of her insides and again she closed her eyes, trying to recall everything that had happened to have her reach this state.
Flashback
Sheharzaad's POV
The first sound that I heard was the door shutting close and turning of the lock. An immense fear came over me. A flash of that night in his office cursorily ran across my mind. He hadn't even turned around and I was already taking a step back. My eyes fell on the piece of glass lying close-by. Hurriedly, I picked it up for self defense and hid it behind my back.
That's when he turned around. I tried my best not to show my fear. I hated fearing or submitting to anyone.
Yet his case was different. He introduce me to a side of mine that I never knew existed within me.
He stepped forward and my heart thudded in my ribcage. The wild beating that my ears could hear clearly.
Another step and I felt my legs shaking already. I took a deep breath to control myself. Console myself.
Another step and my heart dropped in the pit of my belly.
And another step, now I was whimpering.
As now he stood just infront of me. My eyes moved up and I didn't realize the tears were already gathered in my eyes. My vision has gotten blurry that I couldn't make up his darkened face. Yet my heart could sense that domineering aura hugging me already making me feel weak in my knees.
The word 'sorry' was on the tip of my tongue but I didn't want to say it. There was a battle going on within me. To apologize or not to apologize. Every single body cell of mine, every sane part of my brain, every hair that now stood erect because of the goosebumps surfacing on my body, screamed and screamed aloud to utter a sorry. But this stubborness within me didn't want me to submit to him. Again.
Again!
No matter how much of the fear had been developed within me for him, still that fear couldn't completely kill that part of mine. The ferociousness and intensity was lessened to a remarkable extent yet I knew, my resilience or maybe its remnants were still within me.
"Why taking out your anger on this lifeless ring, Sheharzaad?" He spoke. I tripped. But his arm arm held me to support me.
"I'm not," My sentence came out in a whisper so I cleared my voice, "I'm-I'm not," this time around, I stuttered.
"As if I can't see. Hmm?" Came his mock.
"I don't want to marry you," I said, jumping to the topic.
"Wear your ring," he forwarded it but I shook my head.
"I don't feel ready," The plead. The plead was there in my voice and I hated myself for that, "please, I don't want to marry anyone yet. I'm-I'm just 22,"
"Wear your ring," he said again. But my mind was too caught up in convincing him.
"Please," I said again and he stepped forward. That's when I flashed the weapon out and pointed at him. Shock overcame on his face and he quickly masked with calmness followed by a smirk.
"Don't come near me," I tried to warn but he did. "Wear your fucking ring," he said, ever so calmly.
"No!" I screeched, "No! No! No! I won't! I won't marry you at any cost! Any cost!" I was livid by now. My buttons had been pressed.
His face was stoic, "you won't wear your ring?" he asked and with a clenched jaw, I shook my head with a piece of glass still pointed at him.
And it all happened in a flash. Within seconds. Milliseconds. And now, the same piece of glass that was pointed at him, lied next to my neck and both my hands fixed behind my waist, held by his one hand.
Fear started to cripple my nerves.
"I don't want to marry you," With shivering lips, I held my stance.
"Now, now, now, did not I tell you how to make a no a yes. Remember?"
I just gulped. Unable to wriggle through his hold as one move and my throat would be slit.
"Let me go," I gritted, "let me go! go!"
"And, Sheharzaad, you're going to be the wife of a mafia leader and you don't know how to use a piece of glass correctly," My breath hitched and he grabbed my right hand, forcing it flat on the nearby dressing table that had crumbles of the glass on it. They pierced my skin and I croaked out with pain. And then I felt him slashing the skin around my ring finger, drawing blood.
Third person's POV (Suddenly I got tired of writing first person POV hehe)
Her eyes saw the blood spurting out through her skin and when she tried to snatch her hand back, the blade went in deeper. She screamed with agony but he didn't budge and when he had created a ring of blood around her ring finger that was when he let her go. Tears floated down her eyes looking at the red liquid and she took a step back, holding the injured organ close to her chest. Her body shaking with her sobs.
"I don't want to marry you," She said again but this time around her voice was toned down to a helpless whisper.
He stepped closer and she successively took steps back making her back hit the wall.
"Don't come close to me," But he kept on coming closer and she closed her eyes, tightly.
"I don't want to marry you," she muttered again.
"You've no other option, Sheharzaad," he stated and she opened her eyes and looked at him with disgust.
"I won't marry you. I'll kill myself or I'll run away and I'm not bluffing," She spoke with a warning.
He invaded her personal space by placing both his hands on either side of her head.
He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, "I repeat, you've to marry me. By hook or by crook. I'm not bluffing either,"
She gave him a harsh push, now not caring about the bleeding hand.
"I won't marry you! Kill me if you want! I won't marry you! I won't!" Suddenly all she saw was red that she wasn't able to feel the pain in her hand. Tears were spilling down her eyes, her face turned hot and with clenched jaw, she stared at him, head to head, "I won't marry you! I WON'T! I WON'T!" Again, she harshly gave him a push, her whole body raked with her sobs and she began to deliver punches at his chest, "I won't marry you!" She hiccupped, "I won't! I won't! Kill me if you want! Kill me. I don't fear death anymore. Kill me but I won't marry you!" She kept on sobbing while punching at his chest. When suddenly he held both her wrists and shook her body, making her look up at him.
His face was stoic. Plain. Emotionless.
"Alright, I won't marry you," he said and at first her brain couldn't register his words.
"What?" Teary eyed, she asked with a frown, her struggles against his hold, stopped.
"I won't marry you," he reiterated and shock came on her face. She blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice.
"You're lying,"
"I'm not," he said, plainly and left her wrists as she retreated her hands back. He could see the wheels turning in her head.
"Are you telling the truth?" Again, she asked with suspicion.
"I'm," he nodded and sat back on the sofa, before pulling up his foot and fixed it over the knee of his other leg while his arms rested on the armrests. He sat there, just like a king.
She couldn't help but smile out of disbelief.
"I'm ready not to marry you but I've a condition," he said and her face changed colors.
"What condition?"