Bound by Law || 20- Trip Gone Wrong

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A/N: Guys, I just want to say that this is a slow-burn romance, so if you're not into that sort of thing and want them to fall in love with each other quickly and start kissing and stuff, this isn't that because I want to build upon the tension and the romance and I want to show the obstacles they get through in order to get to that stage. Hopefully, I execute it all well though.

Sorry, and thanks for your patience!

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"Where exactly are we going?" I asked Jai, perplexed. Sanaya came over to me and looked around the room.

"Haven't you guys packed? We're already downstairs, ready to go."

"But I—where are we going?" I repeated, endless amount of questions flowing through my confused mind. "What are we doing?"

After throwing on a shirt, he ran a hand through his hair as he looked at me.

"We're gonna leave you in the woods," he said, his face stoic and his words serious.

"W-what!?" I exclaimed, my eyes widened and my lips parted in shock.

A part of me knew that he wouldn't do it but I seriously didn't doubt anything he said at this point.

He could be crazy for all I knew — and it wouldn't be all that surprising, either.

I turned to look at Sanaya, eyebrows furrowed.

"What did I do?" My voice broke, afraid he'd go through with it. I turned to Sanaya. "He's only joking, right?"

Sanaya face-palmed and glared at Jai who snickered from behind me.

"Karishma, just ignore that idiot. Of course we're not going to leave you in the woods! We're going camping and staying in a comfy little cabin."

Letting out a sigh of relief, I frowned and turned around to lock eyes with the culprit that managed to scare me out of my wits.

He was watching me, an amused glint in his eyes as he smirked. My frown grew more severe at his expression.

The amusement in his eyes vanished and he studied me.

"Oh yeah, I've never told you this have I?"

My face relaxed and I cocked my head. "Told me what?"

"That you look like a Sasquatch when you're angry."

My jaw dropped, just as Sanaya scolded him.

"Jai, stop being so childish!"

"What?" He shrugged innocently. "I was stating facts. Besides, if my crybaby of a wife can be childish, then so can I, right?"

Sanaya let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.

"Wow, I never knew you could be so childish," she said, her brown eyes expressing disbelief.

He smirked at her before chucking some things into a backpack. He took another one from inside the closet and handed it over to me.

"Pack, we're leaving right now."

"Ma!" Khushi's screech could be heard from all the way downstairs. Sanaya excused herself as she rushed down and I turned back to Jai, who was still holding the bag out to me.

I shook my head, causing his eyebrows to furrow and him to stop what he was doing.

"I'm not coming," I stated.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Yeah, you are."

"No, I'm not. I'm staying."

"Well, you don't have a fucking choice. You're coming whether you like it or not."

"And who are you to tell me what to do? You don't own me."

"Since you live in my house, you follow my rules. You listen to me and so long as you are legally my wife then you're my responsibility. If you don't like that, you can leave."

"I—" I was stuck on what to say. "—well, too bad because this 'Sasquatch' doesn't want to come with you," I spat.

That caused Jai to freeze and his shoulders to tense. There was a look in his eyes that made my own widen and I stared, baffled.

...is he offended?

But as soon as it came, it disappeared like it never appeared, and his eyes went back to it's usual coldness.

Jai clenched his jaw, his eyes glinting dangerously.

"That was called a joke. Stop being a childish brat and get ready to leave."

I stood my ground and shook my head. "A joke is only a joke when the other person finds it funny, too. And I didn't find that funny at all."

"Whatever. You're coming regardless."

"No."

As soon as that word left my lips, he stormed over to me. He leaned down so that we were at eye level.

"I don't know if you know but guess what? You don't have a choice. You're coming."

My lips trembled, but I looked straight at him, the amber in his eyes turning dark with fury.

"And what if I don't?" I retaliated softly, trying to act confident but failing. My hands, however, displayed the anger I was feeling as they clenched into fists, my nails digging into the skin of my palm. I bit down on my tongue to refrain from hissing in pain.

"I'll go through with what I said before; I'll drag you into the woods and leave you there."

Though I was scared, I refused to back down and managed to voice my doubts instead.

"Why do you want me to come so badly?" I asked, voice soft and genuinely curious.

The question made him pause and he stared at me for a little while before opening his mouth.

"If you don't come, my supposed wife, then what will they think about me? Or you, for that matter?"

"Since when did you care what your family thought about me?"

"Since now," he growled out before stepping away and pushing both hands through his hair in frustration.

"Just pack, Karishma," he said more softly, as if he gave up.

Frowning, I took the bag from him and began to pack things I needed, frustrated and upset.

I hate him so much.

***

We were at a small, cosy cabin and soon got accommodated. Khushi ran through the house with a big smile on her face.

I ruffled her hair as she sprinted towards me and hugged my legs.

"This is so amazing! It's a castle, Kari chechi!"

A giggle escaped my lips as she looked up, her eyes shining as bright as stars.

"Is it your castle, Queen Elsa?"

"Yes!" she laughed, and before I could say anything, she ran off with her dolls.

Sanaya went to put her stuff inside after smiling at me, and Aunty walked over to me with a warm smile on her face as Jai brought in her bag as well as his.

She clasped my hand in hers and brought me to sit down next to her on a blue sofa.

"So," she began, her face expressing excitement, "how long do I have to wait to see some mini Jai's and Karishma's?"

Her question made me gasp and my body to jerk slightly in shock. My gaze wandered towards Jai who looked coldly at the both of us, but said nothing.

I just laughed nervously, not knowing how to reply. I wasn't ready to consummate the marriage with Jai ever.

"I, uh—"

"Karishma, can you come over here, please?" Sanaya called from inside one of the rooms.

Phew, thank goodness!

I silently thanked God for having Sanaya call me away at the right time. I felt bad for not answering Aunty but I didn't want to give her or Jai the wrong message. I didn't want to do anything remotely physical with him.

The thought made me shiver in disgust, and embarrassment. If I was fairer in colour, my whole face would be burning red, all flustered and embarrassed.

Stop thinking about that!

Though, as I speed-walked away, I could feel Jai's piercing gaze on my back. Resisting the urge to turn back, I walked into one of the rooms closest to the living room.

Sanaya was busy dressing a tear-faced Khushi after a shower and she shot me a pleading look from over her shoulder.

"Can you please get her dolls from the other rooms? She keeps crying for it and I can't do everything at once."

"Yeah, of course Sanaya chechi," I said, walking into one of the other rooms, looking for her dolls.

After finding them and giving it to Khushi, she gave me a toothy smile, waving at me. Waving back, I went to turn away when I bumped into a rock hard chest.

"Oof," a small breath of shock exclamation left my lips, and looking up, I locked eyes with Jai who looked down at me.

"Come with me," he demanded.

Without saying anything else, he grabbed my wrist and dragged me behind him.

"But I—"

"No buts."

We passed by Aunty who wiggled her eyebrows at me, causing my own to raise as my eyes widened, a gasp escaping my lips.

Going out the door, I was met by the darkness and the faint chirp of crickets. There were logs situated around an area in the centre for the camp-fire. This time, he gently tugged me with him as he walked towards it.

"Help me light this up," he said, his voice still cold.

What? Is he still mad at me?

I wrung my hands in front of me, palms sweating at his tone.

"Um, I don't know how to."

My answer caused him to shoot an exasperated look aimed at me.

"Do you know how to do anything?" he asked with fake incredulity.

He turned away, shaking his head, and I glared at the back of his head, not answering him.

Jai gathered pine cones materials and lit the camp-fire himself as I stood there like a statue. Sitting on the log of wood near the fire, he turned to look at me, his expression stoic. His elbows were propped up on his knees as he leaned forward lazily.

"Thanks for helping," he said sarcastically. I tore my eyes away and focused on the floor, guilt swirling inside.

"I told you I didn't know how to light it up," I mumbled, forlorn.

"I said help me light it up, not light it up yourself," he said, then under his breath, "for God's sake."

Frowning at his words, I stared down at my hands fiddling with my shawl. I turned around, not wanting to be around him longer. Stepping forward to go back into the little house, he stopped me. I turned around, waiting expectantly for him to say something.

"How was life before?"

"Huh?" I was puzzled to why he was asking a question that seemed irrelevant.

"How was life before getting married?" he repeated.

The question made me pause.

"It was..." I contemplated for a second.

It was something I had never let myself think about before, in fear of getting emotional. It made me want to go back to my life before this marriage and to when I was younger again.

"It was simple, but good," I managed to say softly, reminisicng my past.

I had many struggles, like everyone, but somehow I survived and made it to where I was now.

Though, I had to admit that my life before was way better than my life now.

Jai nodded, seeming to process what I said carefully. His eyes shot up and they fixed on me, a hard edge to them as he stared.

"What?"

"What do you say about going back to that life?"

"What do you mean?"

He narrowed his eyes. "What do you think about getting a divorce?"

My eyes widened and I gasped. "What?! Never! I was taught that divorce was—"

"Bad? Horrible? Selfish?" Jai spat, laughing humourlessly. "Yeah, well," he scoffed, "I'm miserable with you, what do you expect?"

My eyes welled up with tears. I didn't understand why he was telling me all this now.

Things to me didn't seem to be that bad. He was rude and hurtful, but I was never one to even think about divorcing.

He wants..to divorce me? That's been on his mind all along?

Gulping down the lump in my throat to clench the urge to cry, I said, "Where I live, if a woman gets a divorce, she won't get any marriage prospects and won't be able to marry."

Jai looked away at the woods past the bonfire, staring at nothing in particular.

"Well, that's not my problem."

I was taken aback by his heartless words and stared at him in disbelief.

"I never knew you could be so cruel," I spat.

He scoffed then, and his eyes flashed to mine in an instant.

"Cruel? For what? For thinking about my own happiness?"

"Marriage is about sacrifice. It's not about being selfish and thinking of your own happiness, especially at the expense of another person," I snapped, not caring if Sanaya or Aunty or even if Khushi heard from inside.

Jai's eyes flashed with warning but I ignored it and continued on.

"You think I'm happy in this marriage?! I gave up everything. I gave up my life, my family, my country and even Aman, someone I truly thought I could love and who cared for me—because of this marriage. And if I didn't go through with it then it would have brought shame upon my family and no one would have wanted to marry me!"

I left out certain things I didn't want anyone but myself knowing; I knew if I blurted it out now, it'd haunt me more than it already did.

Not to mention that Jai was cruel enough to never let me live it down.

Whilst I was yelling, Jai had stood up and was watching me with an unreadable expression on his face.

I continued with my strained voice.

"You don't know what it's like to be me. You don't know the sacrifices I made, so you don't get to act like you've made more. You don't get to be selfish!" My voice shook and broke as I shouted, my throat burning.

I took a deep breath to steady my voice and my breathing. At the same time, Jai stalked straight towards me, his purpose singular.

"No, don't come near me!" I shouted, stepping away and pointed my index finger at him in warning. "Get away from me or I swear I'll—"

"You'll what?" he interjected, his jaw tensed with anger as he stood right in front of me.

I knew I wouldn't do anything, and there was nothing I could say that was both threatening and harmless.

So, I shook my head, tears rushing down even faster. "No," I stated, "I won't say, because I'm better than that. Better than you."

I could hear rapid footsteps behind me. I turned slightly to see Sanaya and Aunty with wide, frenzied eyes as they stared between us both.

"What's going on here? We can hear the yelling from all the way inside the house," Aunty said, her tone expressing worry.

Sanaya's eyes fixed on me and her eyebrows furrowed.

"Karishma, w-what's going on? Are you okay?"

Shaking my head, my voice came out in a soft cry.

"No, I can't do this anymore."

Jai's bored and matter-of-fact tone came through from behind me.

"Hence why I suggested a divorce."

Sanaya looked shocked and snapped her head to look over my shoulder.

"Jai! What are you saying!?"

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, looking between Aunty and Sanaya. "I'll just leave and go back to the house."

I went to speed-walk away from the tense, awkward air between both Jai and I, but I was stopped by the devil himself.

"You're not going anywhere."

"What?" I said from shock. Turning around to face him, finally, he came up to me and grabbed my forearms, pulling me flush against him.

Gasping, my hands that were clenched into fists, pushed at his chest to create space between us. I didn't want to be anywhere near him. The proximity now was not only scaring me, but disgusting me as well.

"Let—let go of me, you jerk!" I struggled in his grip, and he scowled.

"Jai, what are you doing—" Sanaya was cut off by Jai who narrowed his eyes and shot a lethal stare in Sanaya's direction.

He leaned down, his face merely inches away from mine. When he spoke, his tone was menacing and full of anger.

"You think I haven't made sacrifices? I ruined my life to be married to someone as petty as you because your disgusting family was scared for your future.

I even lost my fucking brother and my lover because of you, and here you are, complaining and wanting pity for yourself. But you know what?"

His eyes flared in unconfined rage and the rage on his face built to such a degree that I could feel it emanating off of him.

"You're not gonna get the attention that you so desperately crave because everyone's had a hard life, but they get through their shit. Do the same and get the hell over it."

"Then what abo—"

"What about me?" he cut in, with cold eyes, sensing what I was going to say. "By divorcing you, I will have a chance to get over everything." His venomous words sent a chill racing down my spine.

By the time he was done, everyone was silent. Through my tears and blurry vision, I brought my lips closer to his face.

"I hate you." I spat as harshly as I could. From behind me, I heard Sanaya gasping at my words.

It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and though I felt like a horrible person, those words were something I'd been meaning to tell him for a long time.

And I finally found the courage...but...why do I feel so bad?

Looking at Jai, he almost looked taken aback by my words. His eyes shone with a hint of guilt, but I ignored it.

As if he's capable of being remorseful.

I shoved him away with as much force as I could before I turned and ran away into the house. I closed the door to a room no one was using and sat down on the untouched bed.

I let the peaceful silence engulf me as I sat there with my eyes shut tight, taking deep breaths to calm myself down.

A few minutes later, a small knock resounded through the room and caught my attention. I held my breath, not saying anything just in case it was the person I hated on the other side.

"Karishma? I need to talk to you about something important."

I stayed silent upon hearing Sanaya's voice. I just wanted to be left alone for a little while. Facing both her and Aunty after what had happened seemed like an embarrassing thought, so I stayed rooted to the bed.

I looked out the window and at the trees that surrounded us, to distract myself.

"Karishma," she said, her voice soft, "I think you need to hear this. It's...about Jai."

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