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“Then what the hell was Nadia doing here?”
My hand forms into a fist by my side. I consider punching him on his nose for doubting me. Does he think so low of me? Can’t he see how much Alisha means to me and that I can never hurt her? I take a deep breath, forcing myself to speak rationally.
“My personal life is none of your concern. Come to think of it, nor is Alisha.”
He narrows his eyes at me, fury spewing out of them. “As your friend, it’s my duty to block you from walking on the wrong path. As far as Alisha is concerned, then in this short time frame, I have started to care for her. And I feel she deserves much more than this marriage.”
“Are you by any chance trying to say you are a better person than me for her?” I give him a scathing look.
“Maybe I am far better than you. At least I don’t believe in infidelity. And I would have definitely pursued her if she wasn’t engaged to you. She is the kind of woman with whom I would want to picture my life,” he counters as he rises to his feet, standing in front of me as he runs his hands through his hair.
What the hell! Before I know what I am doing, I fly out of the couch and pin him to the nearest wall. We both are about the same size and have wrestled all our lives. I never would’ve been able to pin Akshay so easily if I hadn’t stunned him with my unexpected attack, but his words just drove me up the wall and I couldn’t think straight.
“You are fantasising about my to-be-wife, you asshole,” I growl.
Caught off guard, he stumbles into a defensive posture. “You know me better than this. Being your best friend, I will never betray you. I was just making you realise that you should respect this marriage.”
As his words set in, I release him and begin pacing the room.
“I didn’t cheat on Alisha. I didn’t know Nadia would show up. Not that I need to give you an explanation but, I kicked her out before she could try any of her tactics.”
He stares at me for a couple of minutes as if he is ascertaining what I said and then sighs. “I am sorry for assuming the worst, but I think you need to go and have a word with Alisha,” he mumbles, as he moves closer to me.
I nod my head but am still mad at Akshay for believing that I can stoop so low and cheat on Alisha. “I am going to her.”
I stalk away. The day started on a bad note and is now going from bad to worse. I just hope after meeting Alisha there will be some shower of joy.
???
Throughout the way, I am lost in my thoughts. Akshay is not wrong. She doesn’t deserve a person like me. She is better off with someone who does not have dirty secrets of the past lingering. The right thing to do would be to let go of her, instead, I find myself driving to her boutique. It’s after nine in the morning when I pull my car outside her boutique. She still has a few hours before the customers start barging in. Without so much as a call or message to warn her of my arrival, I step into her workplace. However, the sight of her knocks me off my feet. She is so lost that she doesn’t realise when I enter. Sitting on her chair with her head low, she looks so broken and vulnerable. All the emotions I felt earlier evaporate into helplessness. Tears roll down her cheeks, reach the bottom of her chin, and then drip onto her red silk shirt.
“Alisha,” I say in a low gentle voice, squatting down in front of her.
Her head jerks to me which gives me a moment to scrutinise the face that had been tormenting all my thoughts.
“Ho… how… how did you come?” she stammers.
I ignore her question and ask instead. “What’s wrong? Why the tears?”
Her body goes stiff and she shakes her head, her brown eyes mistrustful.
Trepidation rocks through me. “Is it about Nadia whom you saw at my house?”
Her lips pull into a bitter twist. “Why will it be? We did agree that you don’t owe fidelity in this relationship, remember?”
I never imagined that those words could stab me like a knife. This only goes to show the power Alisha has over me.
I cup her face and wipe a tear with my thumb, my heart beating loudly in my chest. “Is that what you think this marriage is for me?”
“I… don’t know.” She bites down on her lip. “This marriage is not something you wished for. You are just trapped in it.”
“We may not have started on the right note, but trust me when I say that I want to give our marriage an honest try.”
Her eyes widen as she stares at me. “You do?”
“I want nothing more than to make you my lawfully wedded wife. And I intend to keep my marriage vows. I may have a messed-up past but that’s dead and buried. Please, Alisha, try to put all my past mistakes aside and do give me a chance.”
“Nadia…?” she mumbles softly.
