Chanting of prayers filled the air, as several priests performed the wedding ceremony around a large fire pit, on top of a decorated stage. Hundreds of lavishly dressed men and women were assembled around a large courtyard to witness the wedding.

As the ceremony progressed, the guests from the bride and groom’s side watched each other warily as they stood tensely. Even through the numbness, Anika felt a palpable tension among the wedding guests.

Except for her aunt, Neelambari.

Anika noticed that her aunt had a satisfied smile that bordered on manic as she watched the wedding take place. Sabitha was conspicuously missing.

Anika’s grandfather was seated in a wheelchair next to his daughter, watching everything with a grim look.

“Sir, the wedding is now over. You and your wife are now free to take blessings from your guests,” the priest announced in a shaky voice.

During the very few weddings, Anika had attended in her twenty-six years, she had noticed that the groom always smiled proudly after the wedding. He did so, because he felt like he had accomplished something wonderful, and even the bride always smiled back.

But her newly wedded husband smiled grimly and calmly at the tense faces of the Prajapati family. Even through her daze, Anika noticed the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Not that Anika herself had bothered to smile at anyone. On the outside, she looked angry and stubborn. But in truth, she was so frantic that she could barely sit still during the main ceremony as panicked gasps escaped her. She had been praying for a miracle to occur—some last minute, desperate miracle that would free her from these people.

“Come.” The man next to her—her husband—held her elbow.

Anika jerked away, her stomach churning with fear and resentment at having to endure his touch. When he had threatened her earlier that day, she was in too much of a shock. Later, she slowly decided she was making things very easy for him and her father’s family. They have been getting away with a lot of things, leaving her no choice but to follow them.

The groom frowned, his handsome, cruel face hardened. He held her elbow with a tighter grip and dragged her to another decorated dais where two heavily carved, golden throne-like chairs were placed.

Anika was more or less pushed into one of them and her groom sat on the other. A steady stream of guests came to congratulate and bless them.

“Fuck!”

The crude word brought Anika out of the numbness. She turned to look at the man who was now her husband, but he was busy nodding regally at their guests. The crude word was uttered by his brother, Dev Singham.

Anika briefly recalled being introduced to Dev Singham.

She hadn't noticed much before, but now she saw that Dev Singham looked completely different from his brother. He was glaring at someone who was standing next to her.

Anika turned to look behind her and gasped. Her cousin, Sabitha, stood behind her wearing an ornate gold embroidered sari with minimal jewels. It wasn’t her attire that had made Anika gasp—it was her cousin’s face.

Sabitha had an obvious purple bruise around the corner of her right eye. She also had a cut next to her lip that was barely healed. She was holding a large golden tray where several guests were placing their monetary gifts. Anika also noticed the dark purple bruises around her wrists.

“You are pathetic if you think you can ever win over me,” Sabitha said in a menacing tone. “And next time it won’t be your leg, it will be your throat.”

It took Anika a couple of seconds to realize that Sabitha was speaking with Dev Singham, and he looked quite ruffled. “Why you—”

“Dev. Go check if our ride is ready.” The stern order from Abhay Singham stiffened Dev’s back. He nodded and walked away from there. Anika watched as he walked with a noticeable limp.

Just after the last of the guests finished blessing them, Neelambari came up to her.

“I will take my niece to the gods and seek their blessings to provide a Singham heir soon,” she declared with a smile.

Everyone gave way to her. Not having a choice, Anika followed.

Neelambari stopped in a relatively secluded nook that had a twenty-foot high sculpture of a god. Seeing Neelambari, a few people who stood there to pray, came towards her, touched her feet, and left.

Anika was shocked by the reverence her aunt had received.

“Don’t be so shocked, my dear. My people not only love me, they also treat me like a goddess.” She smiled indulgently. “If you play your part right, you will soon receive similar kind of treatment from the Singhams and Prajapatis alike.”

Anika decided to remain silent. She knew Neelambari had brought her away from the crowd to say something specific.

“And do you know what that part is?” Neelambari asked with eagerness. “The part is to give an heir to the Singhams, continuing the bloodlines.”

Anika ignored her. She was already sick of hearing the same thing over and over again.

Meantime, Neelambari removed a delicate necklace from a velvet box. “This was my favorite. It was custom ordered for my wedding by my fiancé. He said that my eyes shone like the jewels in this necklace.” Her aunt’s voice was soft and whimsical as though she was lost in the memories. “When you enter the Singham household as a bride, I want you to be wearing this.”

Anika just stood like an inanimate object letting her aunt fasten the diamond necklace around her neck. “You look radiant, my dear.” There was a tinkling laugh. “Your husband will look beyond his hatred for the Prajapatis and take you tonight. Don’t fight him. And even if it hurts because you are a virgin, and are not used to a man’s touch, remember, it is your duty to submit to him and present him with an heir.”

Anika’s heart thudded as she heard the words. “How do you know?” she asked.

“Know what?”

“Whether or not I am a virgin.”

There was a pause and a delicate shrug. “I know because I made sure of it,” Neelambari replied. “I made sure you remained pure by not allowing any of those boys to touch what is rightfully Abhay Singham’s.”

Anika could not believe what she was hearing. “What are you talking about?”

Neelambari watched her with an affectionate smile. “Have you ever wondered why you stayed a virgin despite possessing beauty similar to mine?” she asked. “You were destined to be a Singham bride. I took it up as my duty to ensure that no other boy dared to come in between your destined union.”

Anika’s head started to spin, and she pressed her fingers into her temple unable to believe her ears. Every date and the hurried break-ups that followed flashed in front of her. The answer to why things had gone south with all her past relationships became clear at that moment.

“You are a sick woman,” Anika whispered in shock.

“I did it for your own good. High born, powerful men value virginity. And besides, I wasn’t going to take any chances for some random mongrel to plant his bastard in your belly. Your womb should only carry the Singham bloodlines.” She laughed at Anika's shocked look. “It’s getting late. Let’s get back. Your husband must be eager to get started on the first heir.”

Anika felt nausea well up within her.

“Cheer up, my love. The next time I meet you, I hope the circumstances are different, and you don’t look horrified at the thought of your husband. Oh and by the way… your parents and sister are doing good…for now.”

Anika heard the underlying threat, and also the unspoken words, of risking harm to her family, if she didn’t toe the line set by Neelambari.