Chapter 16
The mansion was silent again.
Too silent.
But unlike every other night,
Tonight the silence irritated me.
Actually irritated me.
I sat cross-legged on the kitchen counter in oversized pajamas while staring angrily at the wine glass in my hand.
Well.
Not wine anymore.
At this point it was my emotional support liquid.
Because apparently tonight my brain had chosen violence.
Against whom?
Excellent question.
Mostly Isha.
Maybe Dhruv.
Possibly myself.
The kitchen lights glowed softly around me while rain poured faintly outside again.
And after approximately three glasses of wine,
My brain had officially stopped functioning respectfully.
I narrowed my eyes at the fruit bowl aggressively.
"Why was she hugging him?"
No answer.
Rude.
I took another sip dramatically.
Because seriously.
Her father was in the ICU.
Okay.
Sad.
Very sad.
But WHY exactly did that require hugging MY husband?!
Didn't hospitals come with doctors?
Friends?
Family?
Therapists?!
Why Dhruv?!
I frowned harder.
And somehow...
The more I thought about it, the angrier I became.
Because the image wouldn't leave my head.
Isha crying against his chest.
Dhruv's hand on her back.
The way my heart had hurt seeing it.
Stupid.
So stupid.
I groaned loudly and buried my face dramatically into my arms over the counter.
"This is why I hate rich people."
Somewhere behind me,
A deep voice spoke calmly.
"Interesting statement considering you're living in a billionaire's mansion."
My soul left my body instantly.
I looked up so fast I nearly fell off the counter.
Still careful of my shoulder,
Dhruv stood near the kitchen entrance.
Black sweatpants.
Black t-shirt.
Hair slightly messy.
One hand in his pocket.
And those dark eyes?
Locked directly onto the wine bottle beside me.
Silence.
Then slowly,
His eyebrow lifted.
"...are you drunk?"
I blinked at him.
Thought carefully.
Then pointed at him accusingly.
"You."
Dhruv looked deeply concerned now.
"That doesn't answer the question."
I squinted at him suspiciously.
"You have two heads."
He closed his eyes briefly.
Fantastic.
Definitely drunk.
Dhruv walked toward me slowly while I continued staring at him like he'd committed emotional crimes.
His gaze shifted toward the half-empty wine bottle.
Then toward me again.
And suddenly,
Something dangerously close to amusement flickered in his eyes.
Oh no.
No no no.
The terrifying billionaire was finding this funny.
"I leave you alone for one evening and you start drinking like a heartbroken poet?"
I gasped dramatically.
"I am NOT heartbroken."
Silence.
Then suspiciously,
"...why are you smiling?"
Dhruv actually looked calmer than he had all day.
Which honestly offended me further.
Because I was having a crisis.
He stopped directly in front of me now.
Close enough that I could smell his cologne faintly.
And unfortunately,
Even drunk me noticed.
Rude face.
Rude jawline.
Rude existence overall.
Dhruv gently took the wine glass from my hand.
"Enough."
I immediately frowned.
"Give it back."
"No."
"You dictator."
His jaw twitched slightly.
Like he was fighting a smile.
Oh my God.
Dhruv Malhotra almost smiling was genuinely more shocking than the shooting incident.
I pointed at him again dramatically.
"This is your fault."
That got his attention immediately.
"My fault?"
"Yes."
I hopped off the counter unsteadily.
Bad idea.
The room tilted slightly.
Dhruv's hand immediately grabbed my waist to steady me before I could fall.
Warm.
Strong.
Annoyingly comforting.
His expression instantly sharpened again.
"Careful."
But unfortunately,
My drunk brain had locked onto something else completely.
His hand.
On my waist.
My eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"You let Isha hug you."
Silence.
Dhruv stared at me blankly.
Then slowly,
"...what?"
I folded my arms angrily despite my shoulder
Which would've looked intimidating if I wasn't swaying slightly.
"Her father was in ICU."
"Yes?"
"So why was she hugging my husband?"
The room went silent.
Completely silent.
Dhruv froze.
Actually froze.
Because apparently,
Neither of us had processed the fact that I just called him my husband like it meant something real.
Unfortunately drunk me continued anyway.
"Didn't she have literally anyone else to hug?!"
Dhruv stared at me for a long moment.
Unreadable.
Then quietly,
"Your husband?"
Oops.
Oh no.
Too late.
My brain attempted recovery immediately.
"I mean..."
His hand tightened slightly against my waist.
Not painfully.
Just enough to stop me from escaping the conversation.
Those dark eyes stayed fixed entirely on mine now.
Dangerously focused.
"Say it again."
My heartbeat stumbled.
Even drunk.
Because the way he said that?
Illegal.
I looked away quickly.
"You ARE my husband."
The words came smaller this time.
But real.
Dhruv went completely still again.
And suddenly,
The atmosphere changed.
Not teasing anymore.
Not playful.
Heavy.
Charged.
His gaze slowly searched my face.
Like he was hearing something he'd secretly wanted to hear for a long time.
Which made absolutely no sense.
Because this man hated emotions.
I swallowed softly.
Then immediately got angry again remembering my original issue.
"And also she ran away from marrying you!"
Dhruv blinked once.
Clearly not expecting the conversation to swerve again.
I continued passionately.
"Then suddenly she comes crying and hugging and beautiful and rich and dramatic—"
"Beautiful?"
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
Oh my God he interrupted the WRONG part.
"THAT'S what you heard?!"
For the first time,
Actually genuinely for the first time,
Dhruv laughed.
A real laugh.
Low.
Brief.
But real.
And the sound completely ruined my nervous system.
Because God.
Dhruv laughing was unfairly attractive.
I stared at him accusingly.
"You should not do that."
"What?"
"That."
"What exactly is that?"
"Exist."
Okay maybe the wine was stronger than expected.
Dhruv shook his head slightly like he physically didn't know what to do with me right now.
But the amusement in his eyes hadn't disappeared.
And somehow,
That made him look softer.
More human.
Dangerously human.
I suddenly poked his chest angrily.
"You scared me today."
The smile vanished immediately.
Dhruv's expression shifted.
"How?"
"I thought you'd leave me."
The words escaped before I could stop them.
And instantly,
The atmosphere changed again.
Completely.
My drunk brain finally realized what I'd admitted aloud.
Oops.
Huge oops.
I looked down quickly.
But Dhruv's hand still remained around my waist.
Steady.
Warm.
Silent.
Then after a long moment,
Very quietly,
"Riya."
My heartbeat became uneven instantly.
Because suddenly,
His voice sounded different again.
Low.
Rough.
Careful.
Like my words affected him more than they should have.
I looked up slowly.
And God.
The way he was looking at me,
It didn't feel temporary anymore.