I didn't understand why my husband was hellbent on making me suffer like this. I would have happily rested at the apartment, but no. He had to bring me along.

The factory was unmistakably large. Even the chimneys stretched as high as the clouds, and I was left gaping at the building.

"Meri gilehri, chalo," Bhairav Ji took my hand. Even the baby kicked at that time, clearly excited by the change of scenery.

(Come on, my dear)

"Ah! Malik! Aiye, aiye!" A young man appeared at the front door. He held it open for us. I grew startled when he stood in front of me suddenly, his eyes twinkling. I glanced at his face only once from under my veil. Bhairav Ji gave my hand a tight squeeze, almost pulling me towards him.

(Ah, Sir! Come in, come in!)

"Thakurain Ji," the man joined his hands and bowed respectfully. Even though his proximity startled me a little, I chuckled at his gesture. He looked like a comedian as he bent all the way down.

"Namaste!"

"Hatt."

(Move.)

It was a harsh command by my husband as he pushed the man back a little. "Arey, Malik... Aapne itne saalon se inhe humse chupakar rakha. Aaj toh milne dijiye. Naman naam hai mera," he extended his hand towards me, grinning brightly.

(Sir... You've kept her hidden for so long. Let me meet her at least today. My name is Naman.)

Bhairav Ji glared as I shook his hand, like the foreigners used to do. Naman laughed as well. "Mai factory ka supervisor hu. Bhargav ke saath college mei padhta tha."

(I'm the factory supervisor. Bhargav and I used to be college mates.)

"Ah, Namaste." I smiled politely at him.

"Kaafi hai..." My husband muttered, wrapping his arm around my shoulder possessively. It was embarrassing to be held like that in public. He had no sense of shame at all.

(That's enough.)

"Aap bhai log kamal karte ho," Naman began while leading us further into the factory, "Kuch din pehle is saale ne Arad-"

(You brothers are incredible. A few days back, this bastard brought Arad-)

Bhargav nearly strangled Naman. His palm was pressed over the poor guy's mouth, preventing him from spilling any more secrets.

Bhairav Ji was confused. He hadn't heard anything, but I did. And I managed to piece the puzzle together. Even last night, I had heard that Bhargav had taken Aradhya and her family around the city... Which meant Bhargav had brought her to the factory as well.

"Aradhya? Woh factory mei aayi thi?" I asked, eyeing Bhargav.

(Aradhya? She came here?)

"Kya?" My husband muttered in disbelief before turning to Bhargav, who had reluctantly let go of Naman.

(What?)

"Baat yeh hai ki Bhaiya... Jab woh aaye the... Um... Bau Ji factory dekhna chahte the... Isliye... dikha diya."

(Bhaiya, what happened was that um... When she came uh... Her dad wanted to see the factory, so I... I had to bring them here.)

Naman eyed Bhargav for a while before turning to my husband, "Jhoot hai, Malik. Yeh puri samay Aradhya se baat kar raha tha aur aise hi paglo ki tarah ghurta hi raha."

(It's all lies, sir! He was talking with Aradhya the entire time and kept ogling her like a madman.)

Bhargav finally snapped, glaring at all of us, "Aur baat kiya toh kya ho gaya? Theen mahine baad meri shaadi hai. Aradhya meri patni banne wale hai. Aap log aapke kaam se kaam rakhiye."

(And what if I talked with her? I'm getting married in 3 months. Aradhya is going to be my wife. Mind your business.)

He walked ahead. Naman went after him. They kept bickering while Bhairav Ji sighed, "Bhagwan jaane shaadi ke baad kaise hoga..."

(God knows what's going to happen after their marriage...)

I rolled my eyes, "Aap aise keh rahe ho jaise maine kisi farishte se shaadi ki ho."

(You're speaking as if I've married some sort of angel.)

Bhairav Ji's brows raised in mild amusement; he had a smile playing on his lips. But the very next moment, I almost tripped on something and had to hold his arm for support. It was embarrassing. Especially after what I had just said.

He sighed and made me squeeze his hand properly. "Yahaan zameen seedhi nahi hai. Baar-baar pair fisal sakti ho, isliye mera haath pakad lo." I obeyed without being stubborn, and we followed the others.

(The floor is not even here. You could slip at times, so hold my hand.)

"Farishta toh nahin hoon, magar mard hoon. Abhi tum is baat ki gehraai nahi samajh paogi... par ek din zaroor samajh jaogi," he said those words without looking at me, but I didn't know why he suddenly appeared more handsome than usual.

(I may not be an angel, but I'm a man. You won't understand the meaning of it now... But one day you will.)

***

I had to walk a lot in the factory. There were many workers, mostly male and some women as well. They had designated areas and designated jobs. All of them lowered their eyes respectfully when either Bhargav or Bhairav Ji passed.

"Naman, Sunita Ji ka beta ab vidyalay jaa raha hai?" My husband asked out of the blue while watching some of the women.

(Naman, is Sunita Ji's son attending school now?)

"Ji, Malik. Mai abhi bulatha hu."

(Yes, sir. I'll fetch her right away.)

"Nahi- Naman-"

(No- Naman-)

My husband sighed in frustration as the eccentric young man went towards the women. He talked to one of them and pointed at my husband with a bright smile. The woman, who looked to be in her late thirties, came towards us, her hands joined.

"Thakur Saheb, namaste!"

The look in her eyes truly shocked me. It was as though she were referring to a God. Bhairav Ji nodded, "Namaste Sunita Ji... Aap kaisi hai? Aur aapka beta?"

(Namaste Sunita Ji... How are you? And how's your son?)

"Mere ache din chal rahe hain, Thakur saheb. Sirf aapke karan. Manu yaha paas ki sarkaari vidyalay jaa raha hai... Shukriya Thakur Saheb."

(My good days are here, Thakur Saheb. Only because of you. Manu is going to the government school nearby... Thank you, Thakur saheb.)

Bhairav Ji gave her a mild smile, "Acha hua. Aur... Aapko ab koi pareshani nahi hai?"

(That's good. And... I hope you have no other troubles now.)

Her smile widened, and she raised her joined hands higher, "Koi pareshani nahi hai, Thakur saheb. W-woh... Woh aadmi ab... Jail mei hai. Unke ghar se bhi koi aaya nahi, jhagde ke liye. Aap na hote toh mera beta aur mai aise nahi jee pate... Shukriya Thakur Saheb."

(There are no troubles anymore, Thakur saheb. Th-that man... He's in jail now. Nobody has come from his home to argue as well. If you hadn't been there, I wouldn't be able to live like this... Thank you, Thakur Saheb.)

Bhairav Ji cleared his throat, "Sunita Ji, yeh humari patni hai. Sanjana."

(Sunita Ji, this is my wife. Sanjana.)

I smiled at her politely, "Namaste."

"Namaste, Thakurain Ji. Bhagwan aapko sadaa suhagan rakhe. Aap bahut kismat wali ho. Aisa nek dil pati har kisi ko nahi milta," she squeezed my hand, her eyes were glistening with tears. My baby bump wasn't hidden anymore, so she said a prayer for my unborn child as well, "Maa aur bacha dono surakshit rahe, mai dua karungi har roz. Ghar mein kabhi dukh na aaye."

(Namaste, Thakurain Ji. May God bless you with a prosperous married life always. You're very lucky to have such a kind-hearted husband.)

(May the mother and child be healthy. I'll pray for you every day. There will never be any sorrow in your home.)

I was moved by everything the woman said, and eventually Naman led her back to her spot. Bhairav Ji was quiet. He pretended as though nothing had happened and showed me more parts of the factory until I clutched his hand, "Aur nahi chal sakti... Thakur Saheb, kahi baithana hai."

(I can't walk anymore... Thakur Saheb, I need to sit somewhere.)

He hummed before turning to Bhargav, "Mai ise woh anaath ashram tak chodkar aata hu."

(I'll just drop her off at the orphanage and be back.)

I froze, "Anaath ashram?!"

(Orphanage.)

Bhargav and Naman chuckled as my husband dragged me away. "Aap- Aap mujhe... Anaath ashram kyu chod rahe ho?" I squeezed his hand, terrified.

(You- Why are you... taking me to an orphanage?)

"Tumhe aur bardasht nahi kar sakta, isliye."

(Because I can't bear you anymore.)

I froze in my place. My heart burned, and hot tears streamed down my face before I could think. My parents had done the same, hadn't they?

They had abandoned me as well. They had sold me to a monster like I was an object.

Bhairav Ji paused. He looked shocked when he saw me crying.

"Sanjana, mazaak kar raha tha..." He mumbled and tried to hold my hand again, but I didn't budge. I slapped his hand away.

(Sanjana, I was joking...)

It infuriated him. I could tell by the change in his eyes. He grabbed my wrist, harshly, and tried pulling me towards him. I cried even more. Soft broken sobs escaped me as I tried to fight his tyranny.

Was this how it was going to be?

For the rest of my life... Tied to this man who valued me no more than a cow on his farm?

I was trembling, panting, and even my stomach was hurting badly. The child inside me seemed like an equally cruel monster. It was his offspring after all.

My hand suddenly felt free.

Bhairav Ji had loosened his grip, seeing how I clutched my stomach. His eyes softened. There was a hint of kindness in them. Maybe this was what the other woman had mentioned...

The brief kindness that appeared once in a blue moon.

She had never seen him slap me.

Or taunt me.

Or respect me even a little.

She said I was lucky to be married to him.

I was no luckier than a farm animal, reared and eventually butchered.

"Sanjana... Shaant ho jao," he caressed my stomach, "Dard ho raha hai? Aspatal jaana chahti ho?"

(Sanjana... Calm down. Does it hurt? Do you want to go to the hospital?)

"Aap se dur bhaagna chahti hu! Paas mat aaiye!" I snapped, my voice trembling as I cried.

(I want to get away from you! Don't come near me!)

His hand rested on my back, barely acknowledging my words, "Itni nafrat karne ki zarurat kya hai? Mai kuch logon ko jaanta hu us ashram mei. Tumhara dhyan nahi rakh paunga har samay, isliye waha-"

(What's the reason to hate me so much? I know a few people over there. They'll take care of you as I can't pay attention to you always-)

"B-bas kijiye... Aap mujhe chod bhi do, mujhe koi farq nahi padta. Aapki marzi toh pehle se hi puri kar chuke ho. Ek mahine baad bacha hoga... Uske baad toh aapko meri koi zaroorat nahi hogi."

(S-stop it... Even if you abandon me, it doesn't matter anymore. You've already taken what you wanted. One month later, the child will be born... After that, you'll have no use for me again.)

My husband just stared at me. I didn't want to hear anything more from him. In the past few months, I had gotten uglier. I had put on a lot of weight. My face wasn't the same, and the stretch marks down my body made me look even more disgusting.

He had frequented women in the brothels before. I was nothing like them. I wasn't even close.

After I gave birth to the grand heir of the Chaudhary family, I'd be tossed aside.

A/N - Do comment ur thoughts on the chapter ^^