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My heart turns over in my chest at his words, as I shake my head. “This isn’t a real marriage. I know you said that we should give our relationship a try, and I did agree to it. Nevertheless, I think we should not neglect the fact that at the end of the day, we are tangled in this bizarre marriage which neither of us chose. So, let’s not complicate it further. If I want to work in the bar to help my dad, I will. You cannot stop me,” I say. I have curled my fingers in such a tight fist that my knuckles have turned white and the veins are showing on my neck. I know I am being rude, but the inexorable truth is that I married him for my family, and he needs to be supportive of it. “I will tell you this only once. You better listen and get it straight in your thick head. Yes, we are married. But being married doesn’t mean that I need to ask your permission every time there’s something I want to do in my life, because I don’t expect the same from you. So please, let me do things that I want to do for my family. You have no right to interfere in my life.”
He looks me in the eye for a long moment, keeping me on tenterhooks. “No,” is all that he says, his smile is slightly teasing.
“No?”
“Mrs Alisha Seth, we are married. Our marriage is very much real, which makes us answerable to one another. And I am not controlling you, I am protecting you. There is a difference here, and you need to see that. You are the one who has to come to terms with the fact that I am going to have a say in matters concerning you.” His voice is unbelievably controlled as he says that.
“Not when it comes to my family.” I give an exasperated sigh. Why can’t he understand that I will not bend according to him?
“Damn it! Why can’t you see that I am concerned about you? Do you have any idea how worried sick I was when I didn’t find you at home earlier? I’ve been calling you, but you didn’t answer my calls,” he remarks, the pained expression in his eyes making me feel guilty.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to make you worried. I just got carried away with work. But you don’t have to stress about me. I can take care of myself.”
“You’re my wife now. Did you miss the part where I said I will protect you?” His voice is firm, his eyebrows almost touching the roof.
“If you are hinting that I should quit, then no, I am not complying, whether you like it or not. I’m sorry, but not everything bends the way you like.” I spit out at him. “Do you even understand what it’s like to see your loved one struggle with burden, for which you are the reason? I doubt you can even understand as you have every resource at your feet and no loan over your head.” My voice grows louder and is dripping with sarcasm. “But I have my father’s debt on my head, which I want to help him pay.”
“You don’t have to struggle, Alisha, especially now that we are together. You just have to ask, and I’ll move heaven and earth for your wish.” His tone is even as he continues to stare.
“But my dad’s debt is my responsibility, not yours.” I sound defensive, but I don’t want him dealing with any of my responsibilities.
“What if I think you need someone to help you?” His tone softens. “Please let me be your rock.”
“For what? I’m not asking you to.” Lightheaded, I glare at him defiantly, but the next instant, I choke back a sob.
“But as your husband, let me do this for you, please.” His eyes bore into mine, but I fail to respond. “You’ll let me help you,” he concludes from my absence of reply. “Alisha, please let’s not argue. I won’t stop you from helping your dad. All I am saying is that we both must work together and strive to bring profits for the bar, despite the specifications of our marriage. Promise me, you will not enter the bar without me. Come to think of it, this will help me to improve my relationship with your father. I know he doesn’t have a good opinion about me. At least I hope to get some brownie points with this.”
I let out a laugh as a tear escapes my eye at the same time. “How much is your tolerance in my dad’s presence?”
He furrows his eyebrows. “I don’t know, but I think I can survive a couple of hours in your dad’s company without pulling out my hair.”
“Hmm... okay. But make sure, I’m not the one who’s going to drive you to the hospital if he happens to break one or two bones of yours,” I say, biting the inside of my cheek.
He smiles, his eyes crinkling. “You are worth all the pain.”
I contemplate his words for a moment as I lower my head on his chest and let out a tired breath. Maybe he is right; there is no harm in taking a bit of assistance to overcome the difficult situation. “Aahh… I guess I can use your help.”
He pulls me closer and kisses my forehead. “Thanks. I will also bring a few skilled management personnel on the payroll.”
My heart screams inside at his kind gestures which at the same time is making it unbearable for me with each passing second. I lift my head from his chest, needing to get out of his hold. His masculine scent is intoxicating.
“What?” I ask when it finally registers that he is saying something.
“Yeah. Trust me, with the right staff, we can turn around the place which will help in building the crowd. Also, with time, we can think of opening a couple of franchises.”
A smile creeps on my lips as I nod at his suggestion. But in no time, my smile dies. My heart shrinks when I ponder over the money it will require. “I doubt it’s wise to spend at this point.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I will take care of all the expenses.”
I shake my head. “No, you and your granddad have already done enough. I can’t let you do this.”
“Yes. You can, Wifey.”
“I can’t use you like this. It’s not right.” I gulp the sudden ache.
“I don’t see anything wrong in helping my wife. And if you fight me on this, I will tell your dad that you were serving tables.”
I narrow my eyes on him. “You won’t dare to do that.”
