Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
VIREN
I t was too late to do movie night by the time we got home, and I sent Aisha off to bed right away. Tahira followed me into the living room, even though I wished her a million miles away. I wanted to sit alone in the dark and brood over the unfairness of life for a bit.
I mean, was it fair that I was stuck here with Tahira while my wife enjoyed her night out with another man? I ignored the insistent little voice in my head that reminded me this was my choice and mine alone.
“Vireeeen, be a doll and pour me a drink,” said Tahira in a fake little girl voice that grated on my senses.
I made her a G&T and poured myself a Scotch on the rocks. Tahira stared at me speculatively as she took a slow sip of her drink. I knew what was coming.
“Who was that guy with Sunaina?” she asked finally.
I unclenched my jaw and took a large gulp of Scotch before I replied.
“A childhood friend,’ I said shortly.
“Did she plan to meet him there?”
That was exactly what I was wondering, damn it! It was suspiciously convenient that she bumped into an old friend accidentally . But I wasn’t going to admit that to Tahira.
“Does it matter?” I asked with a shrug.
She widened her eyes in fake surprise.
“Doesn’t it matter to you? She is your wife,” she said cattily. “Doesn’t it bother you that she’s out with another man?”
“And I’m home with another woman,” I said pointedly. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Tahira. We’re not living in medieval times. Men and women can be friends without it meaning anything sleazy.”
She flushed in anger and set her glass down with a thump.
“I only meant…” she began.
“I won’t tolerate any insinuations about my wife,” I told her point-blank.
“I didn’t mean any harm, Viren,” she stammered, but I stared at her coldly until she got the point.
She flounced out of the room angrily, and I settled down in an armchair by the window with my drink. To brood. And even though I didn’t want to admit it, to wait for my wife.
It was well past two in the morning when a BMW pulled up in the driveway. I stood at the window and watched as that bastard put his hands on Sunaina under the pretext of helping her over the cobblestones. Sufi swayed along behind them, merrily singing Beedi Jalai Le, the traitor. I swore I saw him wave at my window as if he knew I was watching them.
Sunaina halted by the door and waited as Sufi thanked Dhruv for the ride and went in. I heard him lumbering around the hallway before he made his way up the stairs, but all my attention was on the scene playing out in front of me. I had a clear view of the front door, and I could only watch with mounting fury as my wife leaned forward to give that opportunistic asshole a warm hug. Five. Fucking. Mississippis. That’s how long she hugged him.
He said something that made her laugh in response, and I was tempted to wipe that smirk off his face for good. My fist curled around my empty glass as I fought to control my anger. Sunaina was not my wife in any real sense. She was allowed to hug anyone she wished. My brain knew that, but my heart and every fibre of my body heartily disagreed.
She entered the house, and he stared after her longingly for a few moments before he turned around and walked back to his car. That’s it, I decided furiously. The bastard had to go. Sunaiana wasn’t safe around a man who looked at another man’s wife like that.
I waited for her to go upstairs, but I couldn’t hear any sound from the hallway. After a few minutes, I opened the door and found her sitting on the stairs, leaning against the bannister as she stared into space blankly with her long, sexy legs stretched out in front of her.
“Missing him already?” I asked snidely.
Sunaina appeared startled to see me.
“Why are you still awake?” she asked.
“I was working,” I replied shortly. “You didn’t answer my question.”
She blinked and shook her head.
“I didn’t quite hear it. What was your question again?”
“I asked if you’re missing him already.”
“Him?”
“Yes, him! The bastard who was staring at you like a lovelorn fool,” I bit out through gritted teeth.
She stared at me as if I’d suddenly sprouted horns on my head.
“Have you been drinking?” she asked cautiously.
“That’s beside the point.”
Sunaina pulled herself up using the bannister and stomped over to where I was standing to glare up at me.
“What the fuck is your problem?” she hissed.
“Did you arrange to meet your boyfriend at Ally Pally? Is that why you were so reluctant to let me come along?”
She leaned forward and sniffed me before she wrinkled her nose.
“Ugh! You smell like a brewery,” she said.
“And you still haven’t answered my question,” I said, grabbing her by the shoulders and dragging her close. “Did you arrange to meet your boy toy tonight?”
“Like you arranged to have Tahira over tonight?” she countered, with an angry glint in her eyes.
“Fuck Tahira, and answer me, damn you! Was all this for his benefit?” I asked furiously, running my eyes over the curves left exposed by her dress. If I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn her nipples peaked against the thin fabric of her dress.
Sunaina flushed and tried to shake my hands off, but I only held her tighter. She raised her chin and glared at me even more. Damn, but my baby looked glorious in a temper.
“That’s none of your damn business, Mr C. You are not my real husband, so get over yourself. I’ll meet whomever I like whenever I want.”
“Not while you’re still married to me,” I growled.
“Then end this fucking farce soon,” she said stubbornly. “You got what you wanted. The adoption process will be over soon, which means my work here is done. Tell your lawyers to start the divorce proceedings as soon as you get the adoption certificate.”
“In such a hurry, are you? Eager to get on with the rest of your life?” I asked snidely.
“Something like that,” she said with a sweet smile that sent my temper skyrocketing.
“The divorce will proceed according to schedule. Meanwhile, you tell your lover boy to keep his hands to himself.”
“Or what?” she challenged.
I turned her around and wrapped my arms around her as I walked her over to the big mirror that hung on the wall opposite us. I held her eyes in the mirror as I bent and whispered in her ear.
“If he touches you again, I will rip his arms off and ram them down his throat,” I said menacingly.
“Fuck. You,” she hissed, as her chest rose up and down rapidly.
Her long, wavy hair was all over the place, and her eyes were wild as she glared at me in the mirror. That’s my girl, I thought admiringly. She would never back down from a fight.
I shot her a feral grin that made her even more furious.
“Do you want to?” I asked, and she froze in place.
She licked her lips nervously, and I followed the movement in the mirror, wishing I could do the same.
“What?” she stammered.
“Do you want to fuck me?”
She let out a bitter laugh.
“For how long?”
“For as long as you want,” I replied, nipping at her ear lobe.
She shivered in response but didn’t let her gaze drop.
“And what if I want forever?” she asked bleakly.
Her words had the desired effect, and I let go of her and took a step back.
It was as if she’d doused me with a bucket of icy cold water. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and reminded myself why I didn’t believe in forever. When I opened my eyes, I had regained the legendary control I was known for. Sunaina was still watching me like a hawk in the mirror.
I gave her a thin, mirthless smile.
“Good night, Sunaina,” I said as I took another step back and left her enough space to walk away.
She held herself ramrod straight as she stepped away from the mirror. When she was about to walk past me, she stopped and looked me straight in the eyes. It took all my control not to flinch at the sharpness of her gaze.
“Coward,” she murmured.