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“I am not concerned with your body, all I need right now is your vagina. Is your vagina sick too?” Armaan’s question felt like a slap on her face.
*TRIGGER ALERT
Kia looked at Armaan sleeping next to her. Sleeping like a baby, without a care! The early morning sun’s rays were slowly seeping in through the gaps of the curtain, which meant it was finally morning. After all that had happened last night, how could he sleep like this?
Kia had had the worst night of her life. She had waited the entire night for the darkness to go away. And though it was morning now, she felt it was still dull and dark.
Would there be light ever again? Or was she already seeing things in a different light?
Pondering over last night’s incident, tears flowed down her cheeks.
Armaan had been in Ludhiana for his cousin’s wedding and had returned last night after a week. She had not accompanied him as she had been suffering from a viral fever. She still felt tired and weak.
Armaan was in a jovial mood and kept on talking about the wedding, sharing all the details with her. While he was full of energy and enthusiasm, all Kia wanted to do was SLEEP. She was tired and every part of her body was paining.
It saddened her that Armaan hadn’t enquired about her health even once. She wondered if he couldn’t see her suffering or did he prefer not to bother….
She had made a simple dinner and was hoping they could eat quickly so she could rest. Unfortunately for her, Armaan wanted to watch TV before having dinner. She had no option but to accompany him. Kia didn’t even realise when she fell asleep on the sofa.
She woke up startled as she felt his hands squeezing her thighs, inching slowly towards her groin. Before she could even react, he was on top of her. Pressing her down with his hands, his mouth closing in on her lips, and his breath reeking of alcohol.
“Armaan, please stop. I am not in the mood for this tonight!” stammered Kia. She pushed him away with all her might and went to the bedroom. He chased her and lay down next to her.
“Why are you doing this, Kia? I am home after so long, can’t a husband get even this much from his wife?”
His question shocked her. He continued speaking without waiting for her to reply. “There were so many pretty girls at the wedding. They tempted me by openly flirting with me. It was obvious they wanted to have casual sex, but I did nothing. I just want to make love to you and this is how you treat me? Aren’t you being unfair and selfish?”
Kia was aghast. She hadn’t ever expected to be hearing all this from her husband.
“Armaan, I think we should speak tomorrow. You are drunk and you don’t even know you are uttering nonsense. In case you haven’t noticed, I am not feeling well. I have been sick since last 10 days. My entire body is in terrible pain. I neither have the energy nor the desire to get physical right now. Let’s just sleep.”
“I am not concerned with your body, all I need right now is your vagina. Is your vagina sick too?” Armaan’s question felt like a slap on her face. Before she could even comprehend his question, he pounced on her like a hungry tiger, pinned her onto the bed with all his might and forced himself upon her. It all happened quickly and within a few minutes.
Satisfied, Armaan slept peacefully, while Kia had a painful and turbulent night.
Now that it was morning, the sun rays filtering into the room showed Armaan in a new light.
He is not just my husband anymore; he is my RAPIST too.
**
Author’s note: Marital rape is when a sexual act is committed without the wife’s consent and / or against her will by the husband. Marital rape is an enormous problem world over. In India, Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code explicitly allows a man to rape his adult wife. Unfortunately, very few women talk to others about this issue as in most cases women have been conditioned to give in to the demands of their partners.
Image source: a still from the film Thappad
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