“He’s really old-fashioned, Ninu. Like the guys in those books you like.”
“I know, but he’s also heartbroken right now,” Nayna pointed out. “If you want this to work, you need to be honest with him, tell him everything. And you need to forge a bond with him that’s as honest. I don’t mean sex necessarily. I mean being together, just you two.”
Madhuri’s lower lip trembled again, tears filling her eyes. “What if he tosses me away afterward?”
As her last husband had done.
As her own parents had done when she hadn’t acted as they wanted.
Nayna’s eyes stung. “I don’t know Sandesh as well as you,” she said softly, “but he came to me rather than go to our parents because he wants to be able to forget this ever happened. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t turn out to be a bastard—and if he does, you call me and I’ll get you out. But maybe it means he’s willing to try.”
It took ten more minutes of gentle encouragement before Madhuri picked up the phone and called her fiancé.
* * *
Two and a half hours later, they dropped Madhuri in front of a tiny hotel owned by an otherwise retired couple. Located approximately forty minutes from central Auckland, and to the west of the city, it was private, with small rooms, but had access to walking paths through native forest.
Madhuri’s maybe-fiancé was waiting for her on the doorstep.
Dr. Sandesh Patel was no longer wild-eyed, but he had new lines on his features.
Madhuri got out of the truck, hesitated for a second, then ran straight to him, throwing her arms around him as she sobbed. Sandesh’s own arms snapped around her at once, and in that moment, Nayna had hope. When his eyes met hers, she saw both gratitude and the same bright flicker of hope.
The doctor was a smart man. And from what Nayna had overheard during Madhuri’s phone call, her sister had spilled everything already. Including the fears and torments that had led to her self-destructive and hurtful actions. That he held Madhuri so close now told Nayna he loved her. Enough to forgive. Enough to give her the safety and stability she needed.
Leaving the two, she got back in the truck with Raj.
“Nayna,” Raj said ten minutes later. “You’re sure?”
Her skin chilled. She knew at once what he was asking and why. “I’m sure,” she said, emotion raw in her voice. “I want to marry you, Raj. I’m not Madhuri—I’m not mixed up and worried about my choice.”
Raj nodded, but they didn’t speak the entire rest of the way to her place.
His father’s illness and their resulting decision to marry, Nayna realized with a numbness in her cheeks, would always lie between them. It didn’t make any difference what she said. Raj would have to spend a lifetime knowing that his wife hadn’t come to him on her own, free of all outside interference.
Nayna didn’t know how to fix that.
Once inside her place, Raj took her face into his hands and kissed her until he was her breath, his body her only anchor in a tumbling universe.
Nayna didn’t remember taking off her clothes or stripping him of his, but his big body was moving over her, branding her, all silken skin and heat. She moved with him, her hands clawing at his back and her voice throaty as she whispered his name. He stroked her, caressed her, pushed her over the edge not once but twice. And in all that time, he didn’t speak.
Raj and Nayna, they’d lost each other in the silence.
46
The Villainess Strikes
Raj got home late that Monday after a hard day at the site, his body heavy with tiredness. Despite that, he planned to shower, then go see Nayna. He hadn’t been able to go to her on Sunday, having already promised his grandparents he’d take them to visit various friends, and he hated how they’d left things. Madhuri’s actions, her hesitation, it had stirred everything up again and he’d let it get to him.
He wasn’t scared Nayna would run; she was too honest and loyal a woman to do that to him. But did she want to run? That was the worry that had blindsided him all over again, and it was his fucking problem. He had to get over it or he’d be responsible for the ruination of his marriage.
After locking his truck, he decided to look in on his parents.
He found them in the main lounge, watching their favorite drama. His father was looking encouragingly hale and hearty, though his recovery would be a long process.
They waved him in when he arrived, their expressions solemn. Then, for the first time in memory, they turned off the drama in the middle and asked him to sit. Chest suddenly cold, Raj took a seat across from them.
“What is it?” he asked, keeping an ear open for the rest of the household.
He had a gut feeling this was a private discussion he didn’t want anyone else to overhear.
“Son,” his father said, “I hope this is all wrong information, but Komal has a friend, and this friend said she saw Madhuri holding hands with another man on the beach.”
For God’s sake, that beach had been on the edge of nowhere. “Where is Komal?” He had to initiate damage control, stop his sister-in-law and her friend from spreading the news. The resulting gossip and whispers would hurt too many people, most of all his Nayna.
“Your brother took her out.” His mother, always the diplomat, didn’t add anything further, but it was obvious to Raj that his parents had made the suggestion and Navin had taken the hint.
“There’s no problem,” Raj said. “Sandesh and Madhuri are together right now.”
His mother put a hand to her chest and exhaled. “Oh, I’m happy to hear that. I was worrying so much about Shilpa and Gaurav.” A shake of her head. “Your Nayna is a lovely girl. Her sister though… But it’s all fine, and we can focus on the wedding again.”
Raj looked from one parent to the other, his chest yet cold. “What if everyone finds out?” he asked. “What if Komal spreads the gossip?”
“That girl won’t say a word.” His mother’s voice, sterner than he’d heard it since he was ten and decided to climb up to the roof. “I told her not to say a word, because this is about family, and we don’t bring down family.”
Rising to his feet, Raj lifted her up off her feet and gave her a huge kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Ma. Dad.” He knew his father would’ve been right there, backing his mother.
His father smiled and waved off his words. “Turn on the TV, Geeta. We can catch up.”
“Raj! Your aji made your favorite green pumpkin curry,” his mother called out as his father went for the remote. “You better eat some or you know she’ll singe your ears.”
He could just hear his grandmother’s voice: Oho! My food is no longer good enough for Mr. Big Construction Boss? I see. Now you only eat in fancy restaurants. And to think I went to the vegetable store especially to get this for you. How quickly children forget what we do for them.
His lips curved. “I’ll raid the kitchen after my shower.”
Leaving his parents watching their show, he headed out the back door and toward his flat. He decided to call Nayna along the way, relay the Komal situation and that it had been handled by his mother. The phone rang and rang on the other end without an answer. He left a voice mail, then sent her a text. At the last minute, he attached a picture of his chest from back when they’d first been flirting.
Nayna could never resist replying to those, not even if she was mad at him.
“I know, but he’s also heartbroken right now,” Nayna pointed out. “If you want this to work, you need to be honest with him, tell him everything. And you need to forge a bond with him that’s as honest. I don’t mean sex necessarily. I mean being together, just you two.”
Madhuri’s lower lip trembled again, tears filling her eyes. “What if he tosses me away afterward?”
As her last husband had done.
As her own parents had done when she hadn’t acted as they wanted.
Nayna’s eyes stung. “I don’t know Sandesh as well as you,” she said softly, “but he came to me rather than go to our parents because he wants to be able to forget this ever happened. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t turn out to be a bastard—and if he does, you call me and I’ll get you out. But maybe it means he’s willing to try.”
It took ten more minutes of gentle encouragement before Madhuri picked up the phone and called her fiancé.
* * *
Two and a half hours later, they dropped Madhuri in front of a tiny hotel owned by an otherwise retired couple. Located approximately forty minutes from central Auckland, and to the west of the city, it was private, with small rooms, but had access to walking paths through native forest.
Madhuri’s maybe-fiancé was waiting for her on the doorstep.
Dr. Sandesh Patel was no longer wild-eyed, but he had new lines on his features.
Madhuri got out of the truck, hesitated for a second, then ran straight to him, throwing her arms around him as she sobbed. Sandesh’s own arms snapped around her at once, and in that moment, Nayna had hope. When his eyes met hers, she saw both gratitude and the same bright flicker of hope.
The doctor was a smart man. And from what Nayna had overheard during Madhuri’s phone call, her sister had spilled everything already. Including the fears and torments that had led to her self-destructive and hurtful actions. That he held Madhuri so close now told Nayna he loved her. Enough to forgive. Enough to give her the safety and stability she needed.
Leaving the two, she got back in the truck with Raj.
“Nayna,” Raj said ten minutes later. “You’re sure?”
Her skin chilled. She knew at once what he was asking and why. “I’m sure,” she said, emotion raw in her voice. “I want to marry you, Raj. I’m not Madhuri—I’m not mixed up and worried about my choice.”
Raj nodded, but they didn’t speak the entire rest of the way to her place.
His father’s illness and their resulting decision to marry, Nayna realized with a numbness in her cheeks, would always lie between them. It didn’t make any difference what she said. Raj would have to spend a lifetime knowing that his wife hadn’t come to him on her own, free of all outside interference.
Nayna didn’t know how to fix that.
Once inside her place, Raj took her face into his hands and kissed her until he was her breath, his body her only anchor in a tumbling universe.
Nayna didn’t remember taking off her clothes or stripping him of his, but his big body was moving over her, branding her, all silken skin and heat. She moved with him, her hands clawing at his back and her voice throaty as she whispered his name. He stroked her, caressed her, pushed her over the edge not once but twice. And in all that time, he didn’t speak.
Raj and Nayna, they’d lost each other in the silence.
46
The Villainess Strikes
Raj got home late that Monday after a hard day at the site, his body heavy with tiredness. Despite that, he planned to shower, then go see Nayna. He hadn’t been able to go to her on Sunday, having already promised his grandparents he’d take them to visit various friends, and he hated how they’d left things. Madhuri’s actions, her hesitation, it had stirred everything up again and he’d let it get to him.
He wasn’t scared Nayna would run; she was too honest and loyal a woman to do that to him. But did she want to run? That was the worry that had blindsided him all over again, and it was his fucking problem. He had to get over it or he’d be responsible for the ruination of his marriage.
After locking his truck, he decided to look in on his parents.
He found them in the main lounge, watching their favorite drama. His father was looking encouragingly hale and hearty, though his recovery would be a long process.
They waved him in when he arrived, their expressions solemn. Then, for the first time in memory, they turned off the drama in the middle and asked him to sit. Chest suddenly cold, Raj took a seat across from them.
“What is it?” he asked, keeping an ear open for the rest of the household.
He had a gut feeling this was a private discussion he didn’t want anyone else to overhear.
“Son,” his father said, “I hope this is all wrong information, but Komal has a friend, and this friend said she saw Madhuri holding hands with another man on the beach.”
For God’s sake, that beach had been on the edge of nowhere. “Where is Komal?” He had to initiate damage control, stop his sister-in-law and her friend from spreading the news. The resulting gossip and whispers would hurt too many people, most of all his Nayna.
“Your brother took her out.” His mother, always the diplomat, didn’t add anything further, but it was obvious to Raj that his parents had made the suggestion and Navin had taken the hint.
“There’s no problem,” Raj said. “Sandesh and Madhuri are together right now.”
His mother put a hand to her chest and exhaled. “Oh, I’m happy to hear that. I was worrying so much about Shilpa and Gaurav.” A shake of her head. “Your Nayna is a lovely girl. Her sister though… But it’s all fine, and we can focus on the wedding again.”
Raj looked from one parent to the other, his chest yet cold. “What if everyone finds out?” he asked. “What if Komal spreads the gossip?”
“That girl won’t say a word.” His mother’s voice, sterner than he’d heard it since he was ten and decided to climb up to the roof. “I told her not to say a word, because this is about family, and we don’t bring down family.”
Rising to his feet, Raj lifted her up off her feet and gave her a huge kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Ma. Dad.” He knew his father would’ve been right there, backing his mother.
His father smiled and waved off his words. “Turn on the TV, Geeta. We can catch up.”
“Raj! Your aji made your favorite green pumpkin curry,” his mother called out as his father went for the remote. “You better eat some or you know she’ll singe your ears.”
He could just hear his grandmother’s voice: Oho! My food is no longer good enough for Mr. Big Construction Boss? I see. Now you only eat in fancy restaurants. And to think I went to the vegetable store especially to get this for you. How quickly children forget what we do for them.
His lips curved. “I’ll raid the kitchen after my shower.”
Leaving his parents watching their show, he headed out the back door and toward his flat. He decided to call Nayna along the way, relay the Komal situation and that it had been handled by his mother. The phone rang and rang on the other end without an answer. He left a voice mail, then sent her a text. At the last minute, he attached a picture of his chest from back when they’d first been flirting.
Nayna could never resist replying to those, not even if she was mad at him.
