The Stigma Called Love - Chapter 50

Aparna gasped as his lips landed on her neck. As the tip of his tongue touched the raw skin, she tipped her head back helplessly.

Nishant wanted her. Wanted her like crazy. But right now, more than wanting her he wanted her to enjoy the moment.

As he circled his arms around her, he whispered in her ear, “Time to face the world.”

“I don’t want to,” she said trying to move away.

Hearing her, Nishant turned her towards him and commanded huskily, “Look at me.”

The moment she looked up at him, she was hit by the burning heat in his eyes. He raised her hand and placed it on his drumming heart.

“Feel this?”

When she nodded, he palmed her face and said, “Do you believe you are the reason for this?”

As she nodded, he lowered his lips to her and kissed her softly.

“You have come here for me. You have come here to me. No one else. It’s only you and me who matter.”

As he let her go and stood next to her, he offered his hand to her. Aparna placed her hand in his knowing well enough that Nishant would never leave her alone.  

They walked hand in hand to the main entrance. Even though he detested media attention but for once, he wanted it. He wanted Aparna to face the world as someone he loved, someone he cherished and someone he wanted to be a part of.

The moment they entered through the main gate, Aparna blinked hard to focus with all those cameras shutters going crazy. But, then she felt him gripping her hand hard and the heat of his palm emanated to her soul. She looked at him and found him gazing at her abashedly. His eyes echoed the enigmatic love between them. As her vision filled with images of love and mingled with his intense gaze, her feet automatically moved towards the door. 

All those scrutinising eyes, all those whispering voices and all those judging stances did not matter at all. Right now, nothing mattered to her other than the man standing beside her with eyes looking nowhere else other than her. As if in a trance, she turned and connected her hips to his and placed her hand on his heart.

Nishant heart swelled with love as he felt her arm going around his hip. The cameras zapped and he circled his arm around her, pulling her close to him.

The moment they smiled at each other lovingly, the media went berserk.

‘I am yours,’ his eyes said.

‘I belong to you,’ her eyes replied.

Rushali burned with anger as she watched them from a distance. She was about to walk up to them when her father, Virendra Sharma, owner of Sharma Architecture stopped her.

“Now is the not the right time. Let her bask in this attention as long as she wants. The finale will be ours.”

Meera Naik, Nishant’s mother stood up and looked with disapproving eyes at the couple.

“Is that Aparna Mathur?” she asked Shefanjali.

Shefanjali just nodded smiling to herself. Finally, Nishant was getting what he had always wanted. She looked sideways at her husband and was taken aback    when she noticed his angry gaze.

So, the family has already taken their side.

She was about to go towards them when she saw Nishant raising his hand to stop the cameras. He manoeuvred through the crowd with Aparna stopped in front of her.

“This is Shefanjali Naik, my sister-in-law,” he said smiling broadly as he introduced her.

Shefanjali looked at Aparna and knew instantly that she was completely besotted to Nishant. Smiling, she extended her arms and said warmly, “Welcome to the family.”

Meera Naik was standing behind her and watching everything. As she heard her daughter-in-law, she came forward and looked at Aparna.

Suddenly Aparna felt a sickening thud in her heart as Nishant’s mother slowly moved her eyes from her face to her toes and then again to her face.

Nishant watched his mother and waited for her to finish her sizing up. His eyes narrowed the moment she looked at him.

Understanding the fact that her son was ready for any kind of comment, she just sighed and smiled.

Dhruv said something in Nishant’s ears and he let Aparna go. As they went out of earshot, Shefanjali grabbed his arm and whispered in his ears:

“This is not going to be easy.”

“I know, Bhabhi. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything,” he replied looking at the group talking animatedly some steps away.

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Vikrant, Meera Naik and Naresh Naik were trying their best to pacify Virendra Sharma and Rushali. But, they were failing miserably. Angrily, Rushali left the conversation and came out in the balcony.

There is no way an ordinary woman is going to take Nishant away from her. She has to do something to break this up. She looked down at her engagement ring and thought to herself: you are my property, Nishant Naik and no way am I going to let you go.

******************

“Get that girl out of Nishant’s life otherwise you can forget about the merger,” Virendra Sharma told Naresh Naik.

“I will do that. You do not need to worry. Nishant will marry Rushali no matter what. Let him do what he wants with that woman. Finally he will come back to us. After all he is a Naik.”

***********************

After having met some top shots of the construction world, Aparna finally came out to the balcony to catch some fresh air. Breathing hard, she turned and was about to go inside when Rushali called her name from behind.

Not again.

She turned and looked at Rushali’s determined stride at she came towards her.

 “I warned you and you still came to the party?”

At first, Aparna thought of ignoring her but then decided against it.

“So, it was you who sent the message. How foolish of you!”

When Rushali looked at her questioningly, Aparna smiled and said, “Just imagine what will happen if I show the message to Nishant? It will take him only minutes to trace the number. Then what?”

“You think you can take him away from me?”

 “He does not belong to you,” she said calmly.

“You don’t know me. One night and he will be mine.”

For the first time in her life Aparna’s eyes filled with hostility as she heard Rushali. The primitive instincts of possessiveness kicked in and she prowled towards her in a threatening manner.

“If you think love is only sex then try it. Firstly he won’t and even if he did, then after that one night, he will come back to me.”

Rushali shrunk away as she heard her.

Nishant came out to the balcony and was about to approach Aparna when he heard Rushali say:

“I will destroy you, Aparna Mathur.”

Aparna smiled and said in a soft voice, “And, Nishant Naik will destroy you.”

He stood behind the pillar invisible from their eye and smiled as he heard her.

Try everything you want, Rushali. You can never take me away from Aparna. 

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