“Mr. Mahendra, go slowly, because... this is my first time.”
Nadya’s voice trembled.
Her fingers clutched the hem of the wedding dress she was wearing. She didn’t even dare lift her face to look at the man standing several steps in front of her.
The room was far too quiet. Her body felt stiff.
The only sound was the faint hum of the air conditioner, blending with Nadya’s increasingly thunderous heartbeat until she felt it must be echoing throughout the entire room.
The man in front of her remained silent.
Mahendra.
The man who was supposed to become her sister’s husband tonight.
Mahendra stared at the young woman in front of him for quite a while. Then he approached her and sat down beside Nadya.
“Are you scared?”
Nadya gave a small nod.
“I... I am.”
“Why?”
Nadya fell silent.
How could she tell him that her hands had felt cold for a while now and her knees were trembling? She had never imagined she would end up in a room like this—alone with a man she didn’t know at all. To make matters worse, Nadya had never dated anyone before.
This wedding wasn’t hers, either. Tonight was supposed to belong to Nayra—her twin sister.
Not her.
“I just...” Nadya drew a breath. “I’m not used to this yet.”
Nadya lowered her face. She tried to control her breathing, which was beginning to grow erratic.
Everything felt like a nightmare.
She wasn’t supposed to be wearing her sister’s dress.
And the thing that absolutely never should have happened...
was her taking Nayra’s place on the wedding night.
Mahendra let out a soft sigh. He raised his hand, then hooked his fingers beneath Nadya’s chin and lifted her face so she would look at him.
“Don’t be afraid. I don’t bite. At most, you’ll feel a little pain,” Mahendra said softly, winking as if he were teasing her.
That only made Nadya even more frightened, until her body seemed to tremble.
How could she surrender her virginity to this old geezer in front of her? This man would be much better suited to being her father.
“Just relax,” Mahendra said again.
“Besides, this is our wedding night.”
For some reason, Mahendra’s words this time made Nadya’s insides writhe as if they wanted to crawl out. She felt like throwing up right then and there.
Nadya gently removed Mahendra’s hand from her chin. Then she lowered her head again and clasped her trembling hands together.
“Don’t be nervous. You look very beautiful tonight,” Mahendra whispered softly beside Nadya’s ear. Then he swallowed.
Mahendra now held Nadya’s shoulder gently. His fingers stroked it slowly, then moved upward until they touched her slender neck. The touch felt so real to Nadya, as if Mahendra’s fingers could pierce straight through her skin.
Nadya instinctively shifted away from Mahendra, trying to create some distance so they wouldn’t be sitting so close together.
Her movement made Mahendra stop.
“Relax.”
“Don’t be afraid. This is only the beginning.”
Mahendra kept trying to calm Nadya down. But the young woman remained consumed by nerves. Her breathing was even ragged, as if she had just run a marathon around a soccer field.
Mahendra then stood and walked toward the open window. A gentle night breeze drifted into the room, making the curtains sway slowly. Mahendra closed the window tightly.
The man walked back toward the bed and picked up a glass from the table.
Mahendra stared at it for a moment before holding out the glass of liquid.
“Drink. You look tense.”
Nadya hesitated, merely staring at it.
“Drink first.” This time, Mahendra’s voice was somewhat firmer, frightening Nadya.
Nadya continued staring at the glass uncertainly.
“What is it?”
“Water?”
Mahendra shook his head.
“No, this is apple juice!”
“Come on, take it!”
Nadya accepted it with both hands, which were still trembling.
She took a small sip.
After setting the glass down, Nadya sat back on the edge of the bed.
Mahendra didn’t say anything else.
And yet, the atmosphere only made her feel more uneasy. Why did her body feel so strange now?