Betrayal is not a word. It's a feeling. Vedant destroyed my heart today with such a powerful and sad emotion. I felt devastated as if the ground beneath me had moved. It made me feel hollow, angry, and heartbroken.
I could now envision that everything that happened in the prior few days was lying, trust-breaking, infidelity, and, most significantly, disappointing myself since I believed he loved me with all of his heart. Words were trapped in my throat. The scene in front of me was nothing like I had imagined.
Vedant was seated on the bed at the center, shirtless, holding a drink, while the females kissed him. Was he always like this? Or was he playing a game with me? But through it all, I was an idiot, and I made an incredible fool of myself. I mustered the guts to march approach him and shout.
"What the hell is happening here Vedant?" I looked at him, but he was only smirking.
"Don't you have eyes? Can't you see what's going on?" he replied with arrogance. This Vedant was the same one I despised. A man full of himself, arrogant, and disrespectful. After everything that had happened recently, nothing made sense.
"Listen, Vedant, should we just talk in private?" I said, trying to hold his hand.
But he yanked his hand away from me, saying, "Keep your nasty hands off me. Your touch makes me want to vomit."
"Vedant... What happened? You were chatting so pleasantly one moment, and now you're being so disrespectful to me. What did I do?" I asked him.
"Girls, we will continue this later...We have plenty of time. Let me settle this matter first," he said to the females, getting up from his seat and standing in front of me.
"Don't you still realize what happened?" He said, "You are a dumb girl," and I had no idea what he was talking about.
"Riya, girl, tell your sister about this," he added, looking to his left side.
Riya was only in a bikini on the sofa, surrounded by my boys, and was openly being fondled. I looked away. I refused to look at what was happening. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I remembered Riya, the small girl who constantly followed my footsteps, doing the same things I did. She was my shadow throughout childhood, and now she is a girl without morals. Where did I fall short?
"Ms.Harshita ....Come on, because of you, I lost my bet," Riya spoke and stepped in front of me.
"What bet?" I gazed at her smirking face, then at Vedant's nasty smile. Vedant appeared to be the epitome of evil here. How could I have made a bad decision in choosing someone like him for me? The person I believed I loved wholeheartedly was the only one who had betrayed me.
"Didi you made me lose my bet." Riya expressed a phony pout at me. I had no idea what was occurring here. What's the bet? What was happening.
"Can you tell me what's happening here Riya" I gripped her arm and shook her violently. My body was filled with rage. My tears were continuously spilling out.
"The thing is, we placed a wager on you. On the first day you arrived, everyone mocked me hard for bringing a Bhehenje. But Vedant came out of nowhere and said he wanted to gamble on you. In five days, he would have you lose your virginity." Riya stated this while maneuvering around me.
Her every phrase causes my world to fall around me. The whole happening was a disaster; everything I felt was an amusement for everyone. I looked around and felt ashamed and degraded. I couldn't even look around anyone. I could feel everyone's gaze on me. This shame was destroying me.
"What did Vedant want in return from you?" I finally asked Riya. I looked at Vedant, but his gaze was already on me. I averted my gaze from him.
"He wagered that I'd be his friend's plaything for the entire night." Riya stated nonchalantly, "Didi, you made me loose and now I have to fuck them because of you," but she showed no sorrow, anger, or sadness; in fact, she appeared happy with what was happening to her. At the moment, I had no feelings for Riya; she was a stranger to me. All this time, I was merely a plaything for Vedant. Every scene came in front of me, and everything was pre-planned.
The moments I treasured all along were built on the foundation of deception. The manner in which he rescued me from Rahul, The kiss on the beach, the lovemaking at the hotel, the kiss in my room, and the date night all now felt like they were designed to make me fall in love with him. To get me to believe in him.
I marched over to Vedant, shouted at him, and pushed him. "Why me? What have I ever done with you? Do you comprehend what you've done to me? This was a joke for you, but you have spoiled my life?"
He just stood there, doing nothing but staring at me with those eyes that bore no pity, regret, love, or even a shred of respect for me. But is it all a lie?
I touched his arms and said, "Vedant, please tell me what occurred in those five days; didn't you feel anything or me? Was it all a lie? I was just a means to win your bet," tears streamed down my cheeks. I thought at that moment that maybe I was dreaming and would wake up in Vedant's arms. But the following sentence made me understand how incorrect I had been all along.
"Don't you ever touch me? Every time you touched me, your presence made me want to puke all over, and your smell repulsed me." He said and stepped aside pushing my hand. I continued looking at him wondering if he hated me that much then why he did this to me.
"but I will tell you why i put a bet on you?" Vedant spoke, then moved around me.
"Vedant Malhotra is a business magnate. No ugly duckling can touch me. And you had the arrogance to touch me and slap Vedant Malhotra. How bloody dare you? People fear me, but you slapped me because I entered your room. That day, I resolved to teach you a lesson you'd never forget. You differ from Riya. Girls like you enjoy romance and place great importance on virginity. I decided to ruin you by taking your virginity and teaching you a lesson you'll never forget," he continued, smirking.
Pain seared through my thoughts as if someone had brutally banged my brain against a wall and then reinserted it into my skull. I was angry, fatigued, in pain, and on the edge of passing out. I felt disgusted, not to mention miserable.
I didn't know how I was going to accomplish this; I was on the ground, sobbing. These were tears of shame and disgrace. I looked around, and everyone had gathered around me, laughing at me.
"Didi, it's okay. You should be grateful that your first experience was with The Vedant Malhotra. Even I've never had the opportunity to sleep with him." Riya said, "You are lucky," which made me feel dirty on the inside. I have finally become like my sister. I had sex with a man before getting married. I did everything a decent girl was not meant to do, I crossed the line, and there was no coming back now.
I summoned all of my courage and stood up, looking at Riya and saying, "I'm sure you're pleased with my ruin, but you are no longer my sister as of today. I have broken all relations with you."
"Thank heavens. You and Papa won't bother me anymore. If I knew this would break you, I would have done it sooner," Riya admitted shamelessly.
"And you.... Stay away from me" I screamed at Vedant and was ready to turn to head towards my room when he took me by my arm and gazed at me with those angry eyes that indicated love once upon a time.
"Don't touch me!" I cried at him, pushing him aside.
"But my turn with you isn't over yet," Vedant replied, tugging me again with his arms. I was attempting to pull my hand over him. But his grip on me was firm.
"Do you think this is all over? Not yet." Vedant remarked in a threatening voice, pressing me into his chest, and I was shaking from the inside. His eyes filled with so much hatred as I'd never felt before.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked him.
"Rahul....." he yelled, giving me goosebumps. A few days ago, Rahul attempted to rape me, but Vedant protected me from him. Rahul appeared and looked at my entire body from top to bottom, lust written in his eyes. I looked at Vedant, who was smiling evilly.
"Rahul, she's all yours, buddy," Vedant murmured, leaving my hand. I stood still. But at the time, I decided that I wouldn't scream for help or ask anyone for help. Whatever happens today will determine my fate. I closed my eyes.
"You are so fucking sexy. Do you realize how many restless nights I had because of you? Your screams make me want you even more. That sumptuous figure of yours is causing chaos in my body." Rahul responded, "Thank you, Vedant; you made my day today." Tears streamed down my face. I was doomed today, and no one would help me.
Rahul suddenly caressed my hair, and I turned my head the other way; he took my hand and was about to drag me away with him.
"Not today, Rahul. You can have her tomorrow. She is all yours tomorrow," Vedant declared forcefully, and everyone fell silent. But Rahul drew me in, and I wasn't about to let go. Today, God was going to decide my fate. Everyone I loved had betrayed me today, and there was nothing I felt worth living for. I didn't have any strength left to defend myself. I was depleted
But, in an instant, Vedant approached me, pulled me towards him, and yelled at Rahul, "Buddy, not today."
One of his friends asked him, "What have you fallen for this fat chick?"
"That would be the last thing for me to do," Vedant replied. "But see, she is devastated by my betrayal. You won't enjoy her. So let her take her all this and tomorrow she is all yours," Vedant said.
At that moment, I felt like a hooker, nothing more than a body to play with. I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of my life—the girl who wanted a book romance love story had become the whore girl these men want her to be. I didn't want to say anything to anyone.
"What cat got your tongue? Don't you want to fight with me?" Vedant questioned me. I did not say anything. The person I love is death to me, and the guy in front of me is the monster who intends to destroy my life.
"Rahul, I'll lock her in her room. Let her rest; tomorrow she will be all yours," Vedant said, dragging me by the hand and pushing me inside the chamber.
"This is your life now. I accept it." Vedant replied, then shut my room.
I sat on the floor, wondering what would happen to me. My life has turned into something terrible for me. I yelled with all of my power. I sobbed and smacked myself a hundred times for falling for the wrong person. I scratched myself so hard that blood came out. I wanted to erase every part of my body that Vedant had touched.
I sat in the corner of the room, wailing and howling, every part of my body feeling weak and disoriented. I gazed up at the sky and said, "Maa, please come to me; I need you now." I kept sobbing. The crying was so powerful that I fell asleep.
The sensation of soreness in my lower abdomen was the first thing I felt while sleeping. The constant ringing of the phone jolted me awake. My eyes felt heavy when I tried to open them. The first thing I saw was a ceiling. I grimaced since my thoughts were still in a trance. I looked at my watch, it was midnight, and the call was from Anup.
"Sunshine, did you sleep? You have a flight to catch," Anup replied, and I felt like a miracle happened. I felt a burst of hope as I gazed at the watch. I had a half-hour to catch the taxi.
"Sorry I slept, thanks for waking me up" was all I said.
"Okay, get up now; the taxi will be waiting at the road junction. It couldn't get inside." Anup asked, "I hope you and Riya are ready."
"Riya is not coming," I remarked quietly.
"Are you crying? Did something happen?" His concern brought tears to my eyes.
"No, I'm fine; I slept, so my voice may sound like that," I responded, attempting to convince him.
"Okay, sunlight. Come. Board your flight. I am waiting for you," he added before hanging up the phone. I only took my phone and left everything else behind. I looked around and then stepped out onto the balcony.
I was standing on the balcony, looking at the peaceful landscape in front of me, while my mind was in complete disarray. The villa is surrounded by lush woodland. As far as I could see, there were only trees and mountains. The main gate to the villa is fairly far away.
"How will I escape from here?" I inwardly smacked myself for even thinking about it, knowing full well the implications of staying here. I had to take a chance and leave here. Wrapping the warm shawl snugly around my shoulders, I trembled as the chilly breeze blasted my face hard. The weather was growing poor, and it might rain tonight.
It was only one floor, so I got off the balcony and slowly climbed down without anyone spotting me. Everyone was in Vedant's room having a wild orgy. Hopefully, no one would notice me. But, while moving down, I lost my footing and fell. There was a sound, so I closed my eyes. If someone found me, my day would be done. Fortunately, no one could hear me because the music was too loud.
I can't let myself grow weak now; this was my chance to escape. I cannot turn like my riya; I am not a whore, and I will not let anyone bring my dignity down.I ran at a good pace, but my feet began to ache as a burning sensation developed inside my chest. I wasn't sure how far I'd come, but I believe it's been nearly half an hour. This deep forest becomes darker and thicker with each passing second.
I ran barefoot, stepping on thorns and highways, but my greatest safety was leaving this place. I could feel the stones pricking my soles, and I'm sure blood was seeping from them, but that didn't stop me.
There was no glimpse of a highway or road. The only thing I see are enormous, terrifying trees. My throat grew dry, and my brain was already spinning. I was desperate to satisfy my thirst. Suddenly, black dots began to appear in front of my vision, causing me to stop abruptly.There was no taxi around, and I was terrified. I was in the middle of the woods. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and cursed my destiny when I noticed it had a dead battery.
I rested on a stone and caught my breath. Looking up, I noticed that the sky above was full of tumultuous, dark, and ragged clouds, with lightning and thunder raging in wrath, making me cringe. The shrieking of the wind terrified me. The shawl I was wearing wasn't helping either. The cold wind kept hitting my face, making my lips shake.
I let out a sigh of relief when I found a taxi a short distance away from where I was seated. I rose using the tree trunk as support and began limping towards the taxi with wobbly legs. I sat in the taxi, and an unknown happiness overcame me. I was overjoyed that I was finally out of his filthy house. Tears flowed continuously from my eyes.
We arrived at the airport in half an hour, and throughout the ride, my heart was racing. I turned back to see if anyone was following me, but fortunately, no one did. I was waiting for my flight, and I had a lot of things in my head, but all I wanted to do was get away from here. I called my papa. I needed to inform him.
"Papa... I failed you as a daughter," I stated before crying on the phone.
"What happened? Are you okay? Is Riya all right?" he asked me.
I told him everything that had transpired from the first day, from falling for Vedant to his betrayal, as well as Riya's. I continued sobbing.
"Come here, Beta. Everything will be alright. I'm always with you." He said, and that was all I wanted to hear from him. I boarded the plane and closed my eyes, praying to god that I was finally free of this filthy mess. I knew my heart had been wounded and that it would take a long time to recover, but today I was free of everything that would transform me into something I never wanted. Today, Anup saved me, and if he asks for my life, I will gladly give it to him.