CURSED HEARTS Chapter 4

Dhruv's POV

I watched her kneel in front of Maa… lifeless, fragile… her head bent down. One hour. One hour of silence, regret, and humiliation.

She didn’t even know I was watching. Good. Let her taste a fraction of what I felt that day.

Shanta Maa’s eyes never opened… but I knew if she could speak, she would tell me to stop. But I couldn’t. Not yet.

Later that night

The mansion gates opened. Firecrackers. Drums. Lights everywhere.My wife… my curse… was finally entering my empire.

Today is her Greh Pravesh. Her first step into my empire.My world. My hell.

The servants scatter flowers at the entrance.Meghna… my real mother… stands tall with the aarti thali.

I smirk. Perfect.

Meghna Kapoor

“Come, bahu… step inside with your right foot. This is your new home.”(holding aarti ki thali)

Nandita Chouhan (Fl)

“…Ji.” (hesitant, whispering)

Her voice trembles. She still hasn’t recovered from kneeling an hour before Ma Shanta’s fragile body. Good. Let her bones remember the pain.

Meghna Kapoor

“Wait… you forgot to touch your mother-in-law’s feet.”

Nandita Chouhan (Fl)

“M-Mother-in-law…?”(shocked)

Meghna Kapoor

“Yes, me.”(gently)

I watch her bend down. Once, she thought touching Shanta Maa’s feet was below her dignity. Today, she bows to a woman who doesn’t even know her past sins.

Meghna Kapoor

“Always stay happy, child.”(smiling)

Happy? No. Happiness isn’t written for her anymore.Only the curse of her betrayal.

Meghna Kapoor

“Now push this kalash and step into the house.”(smiling)

Nandita’s anklets jingle as she pushes the kalash. The red sindoor water spills… leaving crimson trails across the marble.

Sindoor. Blood. Betrayal. The floor remembers everything.

Nandita Chouhan (Fl)

“…Can I step in now?”(smiling faintly)

Dhruv Kapoor (Ml)

“Careful, Nandita. Each step you take inside… is one more step into my hell"

Nandita Chouhan (Fl)

“…Dev…”(eyes wide)

Dhruv Kapoor (Ml)

Dhruv Kapoor I'm Dhruv Kapoor (cold)

The world will call her my wife.But only I will know the truth—that this isn’t her home.This is her punishment.

Later that night

I entered my room, Nandita seeted on the bed her head covered with veil

The room is decorated with roses, candles, and silk sheets.A perfect stage for love.But tonight… love will not enter.Only revenge.

I walked towards her. And i could see fear in her eyes

Nandita Chouhan (Fl)

“Dev…”(whispering)

Dhruv Kapoor (Ml)

“How many times… do I have to tell you?”“I am NOT Dev.” (snaps, grabbing her cheeks tightly)

Nandita Chouhan (Fl)

“…But—”(shivering voice breaking)

Dhruv Kapoor (Ml)

“Don’t you dare call me that again!”

Before she could say anything more I yanked her dupatta from her shoulder

The dupatta slips, her blouse cut deep, cleavage catching my eyes. She gasps, arms rushing to cover her chest as her back presses against the bedpost.

Dhruv Kapoor (Ml)

“Look at you… still pretending to be pure. You think I don’t see the filth behind those eyes?”(low yet dengerous voice)

I pulled her toward the edge of the bed, her heavy lehenga dragging but no match for my strength.

Nandita Chouhan (Fl)

“Dhruv… please—”(terrified trying to resist)

Dhruv Kapoor (Ml)

“Please what? Spare you?”(mocking smile)

I kneeled, fingers gripping the layers of her lehenga and petticoat, slowly lifting from her legs.

Nandita Chouhan (Fl)

“No! Stop!”(panicking)

But my hold was iron. Her anklets jingle before i unclasps them one by one, tossing them aside.

Dhruv Kapoor (Ml)

“Let’s strip away this bride act, piece by piece.”(coldly)

The rings. The necklace. Earrings. Hairpins unlocked until her long hair falls over her shoulders. Only mangalsutra, sindoor, and chura remain.

Nandita Chouhan (Fl)

“…Why are you doing this?” (tears falling)

Dhruv Kapoor (Ml)

“Because I want you to remember every second of what you destroyed.”(pulling back)

i took out sanitizer, rubbing my hands with slow, deliberate disgust.

Dhruv Kapoor (Ml)

“Don’t worry. I don’t want to dirty my hands by touching you.”(icy Tone)

Dhruv Kapoor (Ml)

“I’m going to change. When I return… I don’t want to see you on my bed.”(coldly)

i walked into the bathroom, leaving her trembling, broken. A few minutes later, I came out, fresh shirt clinging to my chest.

I threw the bedsheet at her crouched figure in the bathroom doorway.

Dhruv Kapoor (Ml)

“Take this. Cry there if you want.”(without looking at her)

I spread a new bedsheet on the bed, switched off the light, and layed down my back facing her.

Tonight wasn’t about love. It was about reminding her…Dev is dead.Only Dhruv remains.