Epilogue
Sidharth
Three years later
“It’s been years, but the fact that you pulled off hiding something that big from me still doesn’t sit well,” Reyansh says, swirling the whiskey in his glass before taking a slow sip.
“We’ve been through this, Reyansh. You know damn well why I did it.” I tilt my glass, watching the amber liquid catch the light before downing it in one go. The burn sears down my throat.
It’s the same argument we’ve had for years about why I didn’t tell him about Prakash and Maya, and worse, about me and Nisha.
But when I finally laid it all out, told him the truth that I’d done it for Kavya’s sake because she was pregnant, he understood.
Hell, he even thanked me for it. And yet, the fucker loves dragging it up every damn time, like it’s his favourite wound to poke.
He sets his empty glass down with a dull thud. “Kavya still gives me a hard time about it, you know. Says, ‘How could your best friend hide something like that from you?’”
I shrug, leaning back in my chair. “She’ll get over it. Eventually.”
Reyansh chuckles, shaking his head, and my eyes drift around the dimly lit pub, the soft music playing in the background. The cocktail waitress appears magically, silently clearing our empty glasses and setting down fresh ones without either of us saying a word.
“Perks of being regulars,” Reyansh mutters.
I give him a lazy smirk. “Or maybe we just tip well.”
He chuckles, then glances down at his watch with an exaggerated sigh.
“It’s been an hour. How long do you think this so-called girls’ night is gonna last?”
“With those two, I’d say we’ll be here long enough to finish this round and probably the next three,” I say as I lift my glass.
Reyansh groans, dragging a hand down his face. “Fuck… we should’ve said no.”
I smirk into my glass. Truth is, our women have us wrapped around their little fingers, and we both damn well know it. Saying no just isn’t on the table for us, not when it comes to their happiness.
And honestly, with Sunita Aunty at home, looking after their little son Rahil, Kavya deserved this night out. Reyansh won’t say it out loud, but even he knows his wife needs a break now and then.
On that note, my thoughts wander. Every time I see Nisha holding and playing with Rahil, I can’t help but wish my wife were already pregnant.
Yes, my wife.
Even after a year, those words still do something to me. A whole damn year married to Nisha, and I’m still counting my blessings. I seriously hit the jackpot with that woman.
I wanted to marry her the day those assholes were thrown behind bars.
But Nisha wasn’t ready. She wanted to work, to prove herself first. I hated the wait, but I bit my tongue and gave her those two years, respecting her decision.
And the day she became the Marketing Head, I didn’t waste a second.
We told Kavya, Reyansh, and my parents about us, and the next thing I knew, I was standing under the mandap, watching the woman of my dreams walk toward me, draped in a stunning red lehenga.
“You know we can’t tell them no,” I say, tipping my glass towards Reyansh.
He leans back in his chair. “That’s the damn problem.”
“No, the problem is we like it that way.”
He shoots me a look, but doesn’t argue. Just downs his drink and grumbles, “We’re pathetic.”
“Nah, we’re Grade-A husbands,” I correct with a grin.
The words barely leave my mouth when I feel the shift in the air. I look up and freeze.
Kavya struts in first, tipsy, flushed, and her curls bouncing with every step. She’s in a deep emerald green dress—fitted, sleeveless, with a slit that shows just enough thigh to make Reyansh twitch beside me.
But I don’t look at him. Not when the hairs on the back of my neck rise as Nisha stumbles in behind Kavya, her arm slung lazily around her sister’s shoulder.
She’s in a wine-red, off-shoulder dress that hugs every inch of her curve and dips dangerously low, making my pulse spike. Delicate tassels trim the hem, swaying with each step she takes. Her hair is half-pinned, a few loose tendrils framing her face, and her eyes are glassy but glowing.
Heads turn in their direction. Not just one or two, but every damn man in that pub turns to look at them. Some subtle. Others not so much. One guy even elbows his friend, nodding towards them like they’re some goddamn dessert.
My jaw ticks, and I feel the heat rise in my chest. This is not what my wife was wearing when she left home earlier.
She’d walked out in a simple pair of jeans and a button-down shirt.
But I know her too damn well. She loves to rile me up.
I’d bet anything she had this outfit tucked away in her bag and changed the moment she was out of my sight.
Right behind them, trailing a few cautious steps back, is Karan, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else but here. His eyes meet mine across the room.
I don’t say a word, just shoot him a glare that screams, How the hell did you let them drink that much?
He just gives me a helpless shrug.
I say nothing, just give a dismissive nod, because I know this wasn’t something he could’ve stopped. Not when it involves my stubborn-as-hell wife.
Karan nods once and bolts away like his shoes just caught fire.
Beside me, Reyansh mutters a curse under his breath and is up in an instant, moving with that controlled rage only he can pull off. I’m right behind him.
“Tell me you didn’t let your wife wear that,” he growls.
“You think I would?” I shoot back, my eyes narrowing as some drunk bastard at a nearby table gives Nisha a full-body glance.
Before he can blink, my hand lands on the man’s shoulder, hard enough to make him jolt. I lean in, my voice low and sharp. “Look again, and I’ll break your jaw.”
He blanches, his hands lifting in surrender. “Didn’t mean anything, man—”
But I’m already past him. I don’t have time to deal with idiots tonight.
By the time we reach the girls, Reyansh is already at Kavya’s side, his arm slipping around her waist as he mutters something in her ear that makes her roll her eyes and laugh even harder.
I do the same, closing the distance and wrapping my arms around Nisha.
She looks up at me, her eyes lighting up as if she just spotted Santa Claus.
“You’re hereeeee,” she slurs happily, throwing her arms around my neck.
“You’re drunk,” I murmur against her hair, catching the sharp scent of vodka on her breath.
She hums, swaying against me. “And you’re handsome.”
My lips curl into a lazy smile as I pull her closer. “Damn right I’m. Now let’s get you out of here before I put someone through the wall for checking you out.” And it’s not an empty threat. One more glance, and this pub’s going to need new furniture, maybe even a full makeover.
“I love you, my possessive husband,” she giggles, resting her head against my chest.
“I’m taking my wife home,” Reyansh says as he lifts Kavya into his arms and starts towards the exit.
I give him a nod and tighten my grip on Nisha. “Time to go, sweetheart.”
She pouts up at me. “I can’t walk.”
I sigh. “Alright, princess.”
Without missing a beat, I scoop her into my arms, ignoring the stunned stares from the people around us. She giggles into my neck, snuggling closer as I carry her through the pub, out the door, and straight to my car.
I open the passenger side, set her down gently, and buckle her in. She watches me the whole time, her eyes gleaming. I lean in, press a kiss to her forehead and am just about to close the door, when her fingers clutch the front of my shirt, pulling me to her.
I glance at her to see a slow, sexy smile playing on her lips.
“I want you to make hot sex with me when we get home,” she murmurs, her voice slurred but laced with mischief.
I grin wickedly. That’s one thing my wife never has to ask me twice.
Leaning closer, my lips nuzzle her ear as I whisper, “You do know you’re getting punished tonight for being such a naughty girl, right?”
Her eyes darken, her lips catching between her teeth. “Good. I want to be punished.”
God help me, this girl sure as hell knows how to make me lose my goddamn control.
I drop one last kiss on her forehead and pull away before I lose every ounce of restraint I’m barely holding onto.
I rush around to the driver’s seat and fire up the engine. Damn, I’ve never driven home this fast in my entire life. I don’t even bother with the signals I blow through.
I just need to get home. Not only to tear off that dress that’s been testing every nerve in my body since the moment she walked in, but to finally give us both what we’ve been aching for.
When I steal a glance at her, she’s leaning with her head back, her eyes closed, and that soft smile still curving her lips.
My love for this woman has only grown with time. And it’s safe to say that one lifetime with her will never be enough. I’ll spend every damn moment wanting more.
This woman has wrecked me completely in the best possible way, and I’ll spend the rest of my life thanking the universe that she did.
The End