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Scarlett's head was still spinning as she tried to make sense of the insane events of the afternoon. All had gone well when her fiance had shown up, and Ishan had finally made peace with her upcoming marriage, so much so that he and Ihenri had made friends almost on the spot.
But then her father had arrived, breathing fire and brimstone, and from there, things had blurred. Ihenri had spoken to him pleasantly enough, but then Arjun had dropped to his knees, crying out in pain, before slowly getting up and speaking cordially to his future son-in-law. He'd then dismissed Ishan rather harshly after that, and that was when things had fallen apart. But try though she might, Scarlett still couldn't make sense of what the hell had happened between her father's arrival and Ishan's depature, and she could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on.
The door slammed open, snapping her out of her reverie, and she turned, the blood draining from her face when she saw her father in the doorway, his face black as thunder, his eyes blazing. "Care to explain?" he snapped. Never had his temper blazed out this harshly, but Scarlett was, strangely enough, not frightened.
"I was sad to see Ishan go," she said honestly, pushing a lock of hair out of her face. "It had nothing to do with any inappropriate feelings; he and Ihenri got along like a house on fire once they sorted out their differences."
Arjun grunted. "There was a lot more than sadness going on out there," he said, taking a menacing step closer. His hands were curved around an invisible object, and despite her confidence, Scarlett's heart began to pound as she realised what her father was about to do. "You slept with him, didn't you?"
"No," Scarlett said firmly. She knew he wouldn't believe her, and she was proven right as he laughed harshly.
"That's a bald-faced lie, and you know it," he said, "but if you're prepared to strip and let me examine you, I'll think about letting this marriage go ahead. As it stands, I am very close to ending the engagement and casting you into the bloody river to drown like the whore you are!"
Scarlett wondered if it was possible for a person's face to drain of blood twice in one sitting. "Father, no," she protested. "I haven't slept with Ishan, nor do I intend to. I want to marry Ihenri, and... well, I want to marry him." She'd been about to say "and have his child", but she knew better than to bring That up again.
Arjun grunted. "And have his child," he mocked. "My God. I still can't believe you're arrogant enough to think the council wants to go through with their plan. Do I have to isolate you again and force you to watch your fiance marry and have sex with another woman? Or do I have to make you watch as she gives birth to the child that will save us from extinction? Is that going to shake that delusion from your mind?"82Please respect copyright.PENANAhNYn8zGJCH
"I've given up on that," Scarlett insisted. "I know better than to expect I'll still be allowed to give birth to the child that will save us, but I need to prove myself."
"There's no proving to be done," Arjun retorted. "If there is anything to prove, it's you proving to me that you haven't let Ishan fuck you. Not that you're worth fucking to anyone," he added, and Scarlett's face went red with anger and humiliation. Arjun chuckled maliciously at the sight. "I see that stings," he said. "Good. It should sting. You deserve it after the way you've acted, prissing yourself about in front of your fiance in the hope he'll report back to me that you're compliant. Well, you can forget it!" He took a deep breath. "If you're not willing to be examined," he went on in a calmer voice, "then I'll have no choice but to go back to Ihenri and tell him the marriage is off. Then I'll lock you in another bubble of isolation, and you'll be locked there until such time as Ihenri's new wife has given birth to their first child. And if that hasn't taught you good sense, then I'll have to keep you locked until that child is grown and ready to have children of their own."82Please respect copyright.PENANAt7Q5GmtOKh
Scarlett clenched her fists in helpless rage, faced with an impossible choice. Either she let herself be examined, or isolation would be her lot for a long time to come. "I'll do it," she said, "but I want a doctor to check."
Arjun raised an eyebrow. "Very well," he said, "but it will be a doctor of my choosing, and I will be present. I will not be locked out."
Damn it, Scarlett thought in frustration. But at least she was, for now, spared the promised punishment. If it meant going through crushing humiliation, then that was how it had to be. But as Arjun left the room, Scarlett wished ardently that her mother was there. Saanvi was still forbidden from speaking to her daughter alone, and Scarlett cursed her father as she'd never cursed him before. One day, she vowed, when she had her child by Ihenri, she was going to make her father pay for all the humiliation and pain he'd caused her.
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