Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
SUNAINA
I forced myself to go up the stairs calmly, aware of Viren’s gaze burning a hole in my back. I refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he had hurt me.
Until now, I had always thought he was a deeply decent man. But now I knew better. He was a raging asshole! An entitled bastard who thought I was okay to fuck around with but not worth the promise of forever. He hadn’t even taken the time to think about it. The minute I mentioned the dreaded f-word, he had backed away in horror as if even touching me would give him syphilis.
But I had known that would happen when I said it. That’s exactly why I used that word. Sufi was wrong about this dress being my secret weapon. It was the f-word that had the power to make Viren go nuclear. And that’s why I said it. To bring him to his senses.
I knew Viren didn’t really want me. He was just being territorial over me because he didn’t like to share his belongings. And that’s exactly what I was. A thing. Not a person with feelings. Dhruv had somehow triggered the Neanderthal inside Viren, and he had reacted accordingly.
He would do anything to make sure I didn’t shame the Chaudhry family name in public. Even fuck his unwanted wife to keep her away from what he considered her boy toy. But I knew that if I gave in to the temptation he offered, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.
I wanted a relationship with Viren. I wanted love. Not a throwaway angry fuck that would leave me even more frustrated. Besides, it would just muddy the divorce. We had kept it very clean until now, and we were almost close to the finish line. I couldn’t risk messing up our clean break just because Viren threw a temper tantrum over nothing.
Because it was nothing. I had just spent a very enjoyable evening with my friends. Dhruv was a very handsome and successful man, and more importantly, he was very kind. So why did he not make my heart pound with desire like Viren? Did I have a grumpy fetish? Maybe I couldn’t get turned on until I had been growled at and scowled at six times before breakfast, I thought wryly.
I entered my room and shut the door softly, leaning against the door as I allowed my stoic mask to break down completely. I had held it together all evening, smiling and laughing with my friends as if I didn’t have a care in the world, but not any more.
I threw off my heels and slid down to the ground as tears ran down my face. Viren had proved beyond doubt that he would never love me. The sooner we got divorced, the better it would be for both of us because if we kept sniping at each other, we’d find ourselves screeching at each other across the courtroom instead of signing the papers like the dignified couple we were supposed to be.
I threw off my clothes and headed straight into the shower to scrub all the gunk off my face. I only wished I could scrub the memories of being in Viren’s arms from my brain as easily. I stood under the hot shower, tears streaming down my face as I relived those magical moments during the fireworks display. After a while, I dried my eyes firmly and turned off the shower. I wrapped myself in a towel and stood in front of the mirror, slathering my night serum and moisturiser on. Even if my heart was breaking, Sufi would murder me if I neglected the strict skincare routine he had drawn up for me.
As the steam in the bathroom cleared, my eyes caught faint red marks on my shoulders. I flushed hotly at the memory of Viren’s fingers digging into my skin as he dragged me over to the mirror. I shivered as I remembered the hunger in his eyes that matched the hunger in my body.
For a few minutes, I allowed myself to dream about what could have been. About what could have happened if I had taken him up on his offer. But then I remembered that no matter how many magical nights Viren allowed me, there would always be a morning-after filled with regrets, shame and heartbreak.
I threw on my Garfield pyjamas and dragged myself off to bed.
The next morning, I forced myself to go downstairs for breakfast as if nothing had happened. As if Viren and I hadn’t played with fire last night. Luckily for me, he wasn’t at the breakfast table when I arrived. And neither was Tahira, I noted with a frown.
Sufi had his nose buried in a big coffee mug. That boy was never a morning person, but I was sure he was also paying for that bucket of margaritas he’d downed last night. Daya Bua was fussing over him, forcing him to eat an egg at least. Aisha giggled into her bowl of triple chocolate cereal as Sufi gagged at the sight of the sunny side up on his plate.
He gave me a bleary smile as Aisha jumped up to hug me.
“Aunty Sue, who was the man you met at Ally Pally last night?” she asked around a mouthful of cereal.
Daya Bua turned around in surprise.
“What man?” she asked sharply.
“I bumped into a childhood friend at Alexandra Palace last night, Bua,” I informed her.
“He’s very cute,” said Aisha.
“And he’s a doctor,” chimed in Sufi unhelpfully. “Daima, I think we should invite the dishy doctor for dinner someday.”
“You eat your egg,” she said with a disapproving sniff.
Seriously? She was going to make me feel guilty about meeting a friend even though she knew the truth about our marriage? Daya Bua had some unrealistic dreams about our situation, I thought angrily. And the sooner she adjusted those expectations, the happier she’d be.
Sufi made gagging sounds as he forced himself to eat a few bites. But he went silent at the sight of Viren and Tahira coming into the dining room arm in arm.
“Good morning,” she said happily, and Sufi shot me a worried look.
I kept my face blank and my gaze on my toast.
“I hope you slept well, beta,” said Daya Bua politely.
“I had a lovely night, Daima,” she replied.
What the hell did that mean, I wondered irately and looked up to find Viren’s eyes fixed on me. My heart began to race at the heat in his eyes. I dragged my eyes away from his and pulled out my phone.
“Did you have a nice time last night, Sunaina?” asked Tahira, with a smirk.
“I did, thank you for asking,” I replied warily, wondering why she was so concerned about me.
“I hope Viren wasn’t too upset you left him at home to go partying with your… friend ,” she said cattily.
Ah! Now I got it!
I smiled at her sweetly before I turned to my husband, who had finally managed to extricate his arm from her clutches and sat down next to me, his knee practically touching mine.
“Viren would never be upset about such silly things because he trusts me. Don’t you, sweetie?” I asked, my eyes glittering with malice.
“Of course,” he replied, taking my hand and pressing a soft kiss on my knuckles. “I trust my wife completely.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I wondered what he was playing at. In all these years, he had never touched me, even when we were alone. And now he was indulging in PDA?
“And what about Dhruv?” asked Tahira guilelessly. “Do you trust him just as much? He looked smitten with your wife last night.”
“I don’t have to trust him,” replied Viren, still looking at me. “I know how to deal with men who touch my wife.”
What was even the point of all this playacting? After all these years, why was Viren pretending to be a loving husband? And whom was he trying to fool anyway? The whole household knew ours was a marriage in name only. And if this was a veiled threat against Dhruv, I could tell him where to shove his empty threats.
But I didn’t say that aloud. I merely curled my fingers into his with a loving smile and dug my nails into his skin as hard as I could. Unfortunately, the rat bastard didn’t even wince. He only grinned at me before he let my hand drop.
“What are we doing today, Chachu?” asked Aisha.
“How about a Charlie And The Chocolate Factory-themed afternoon tea?” he suggested.
“Awesome!” she yelled, throwing her arms around him.
“Would you like to join us, Tahira?” asked Viren, and I wanted to smack him.
“No, thank you,” she said coldly. “I’m having a spa day at Harrods with my aunt.”
She rose from the table and stalked out of the room and I heaved a sigh of relief.
“Can you book the tea for five people, Sufi?” asked Viren.
“Make it for four,” I said hastily. “I’m meeting Dhruv at the V&A.”
“No, you’re not. You’re coming with us,” said Viren peremptorily.
“No, I’m not,” I argued.
“We always do these things together, beta. How can we go without you?” asked Daya Bua.
“Well, you’ll have to get used to it soon, Bua. I won’t be part of this family for much longer,” I said softly.
“Umm guys…” began Sufi, but Aisha interrupted him.
“How can you say that, Aunty Sue?” she cried. “Are you so eager to leave us?”
“Not at all, baby. But you knew this day was coming,” I said, taking her hand in mine.
A muscle jumped in Viren’s cheek as he glared at me. But he didn’t refute what I said because he knew I was right.
“Guys,” yelled Sufi, and we turned to him in surprise. “You need to see this.”
He turned his phone around, and I blanched in horror at the headline on his screen.