Page 77 of The Defiant Wife

I stop walking altogether.

My feet refuse to move.

Because my husband is having an entire conversation in sign language.Effortlessly while he was so pathetic just few weeks ago.

I finally manage to walk over, stopping beside them just as Raj excitedly points at the horse he's been drawing.

"You know sign language?" I ask.My voice comes out quieter than I expect.

Veeraj finishes complimenting Raj on his sketch before standing up.He rubs the back of his neck—a habit I've started noticing whenever he's uncomfortable talking about himself."I looked into it a couple of weeks ago," he says simply.

His eyes drift toward the children running around the courtyard."I didn't think I would . . . " He pauses for a moment before continuing. "But I've grown rather fond of your children, Diya."

Your children.

The words settle somewhere deep inside me.Not the NGO children.Not the orphanage children.Your children.As though he understands exactly what they mean to me.

His gaze shifts back to Raj."Especially him."

I wait quietly."He reminds me of you."

I furrow my eyebrows,"of me?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "Raj doesn't argue with you every five minutes."A tiny breath escapes him that almost sounds like amusement.

"No."His voice softens."But he looks like someone who has a lot to say."

His eyes follow Raj for another second."A lot of thoughts. A lot of feelings." He grows quieter."But not enough people try to hear him."

He looks back at me."So I thought I would."

Everything inside me stills.I've spent years trying to make people see these children.

Trying to convince the world that they're more than their circumstances.And somehow . . . Without making a speech, without asking for praise, without even telling me . . . He quietly learns an entirely new language for one little boy.

Just so Raj never has to feel invisible again.I swallow the lump rising in my throat."Thank you."The words barely come out."That means more than you know."

His shoulders shift uncomfortably."It's not a big deal."

Excuse me?

"It's just a basic skill."My emotions immediately take a dramatic U-turn.

Not a big deal?

Not a big deal?!

This man spends weeks learning sign language for a child who isn't even related to him . . . And calls it a basic skill?Does he have any idea what that means to Raj?

To me?

Why is he physically incapable of accepting appreciation like a normal person?One sincere"you're welcome"won't kill him.

Ugh. I can't with him. Everytime I see a softer side of him, the one I can respect and maybe like too, he goes ahead and destroys it all. I huff.If he refuses to react emotionally . . . I'll make him react another way. Operation make the prince react part two will happen today.

Ten minutes later, during the painting session, I quietly gather Keshav, Rani, and two of the older children behind the art shed.

I hold up a plastic cup filled with cold water.Beside it sits a handful of wet clay.

"The plan is simple," I whisper."Keshav, you pretend to trip."He nods seriously."The moment Prince uncle bends to help you . . . "I lift the cup."We attack."