Vera startled, as if he’d smacked her. “I don’t love you.”
He shrugged, his facade of nonchalance hiding his hurt. “I know. I’ll wait until you change your mind.”
“I. Don’t.Want.You,” she enunciated, each word tearing through him with the force of a dozen swords upon soft flesh. The contempt in her voice sharpened the ache in his chest, his throat closing in an anguish he knew he deserved.
“Whatever you’re feeling,” he choked out, reeling back his inclination to cling to her and beg again, “these emotions you’ve suppressed, the suffocation you’ve felt, your anger—let it out. I’ll take it all. Because eventually, you’ll run out of hate. My love for youwillsurvive this test you’re putting me through.”
“I’m not testing you at all. I simply don’t have a reason to want to marry you.”
“Not even to save your reputation?”
A strong knock on their door stopped Vera from responding. She stomped to the door, her aggravation clear with each heavy step, and threw it wide open, ready to unload her fury on whoever had dared to interrupt them. Vihaan saw her body stilling when the aged face of Ambernath Talwar came into view. Shit, he’d forgotten that Nanaji was in the audience.
Ambernath glanced past Vera, his smile growing when Vihaan approached them. “I’m glad you’re here, Nanaji,” Vihaan said,bending low to touch the older gentleman’s feet for his blessings. “It’s nice to finally see you.”
“I’m s-so h-happy,” Ambernath croaked, his eyes rapidly filling as he drew his granddaughter to him, clutching her hand in his. “W-when L-little Master c-called me, m-making arrangements to b-bring me here t-today to s-surprise you, I s-should’ve g-guessed it was f-for something s-special.”
The nurse standing behind his wheelchair laughed in acknowledgement, but Vihaan’s attention was on the young woman who’d been seconds away from giving him a black eye. He was hard-pressed to tell if the look Vera shot at him was because she was surprised, or because she thought he’d laid a trap. Truth was, he’d bribed every official at Shaanti Care Centre to ensure Nanaji’s attendance at this milestone event in Vera’s career. Given the conversation they’d been having, he knew it was pointless to explain this to Vera. She was at that stage in her anger where everything he did was wrong. Unfortunately for him, the recent revelation of his past transgressions meant that her rage against him would not abate any time soon.
Vera bent on one knee, looking discomfited as she spoke with her grandfather. “Nanu, I—”
“I’m so h-happy you’re g-getting m-married,” Ambernath sniffed once more, cupping Vera’s cheeks with frail hands that couldn’t hide their tremor. “I’ve been w-waiting for this f-for so l-long.”
Vera allowed her grandfather to embrace her as he kept belabouring his gladness.
“Nanu, hold on, I . . .”
“I t-thought I would d-die.” Ambernath’s eyes were teary when they shifted from Vera to Vihaan and back. “I w-was s-so afraid I w-wouldn’t be alive t-to s-see you get m-married. That I-I would l-leave you all alone i-in this w-world.”
Nanu’s emotional admission had him feeling the burden of fulfilling his wishes. He could only imagine that Vera felt the same,because if she didn’t, there wasn’t a single hope left for him to convince her that marrying him would be the right course of action.
“You’re happy, Nanu?” Vera finally asked, her voice choked.
“S-so very m-much.”
“Then that’s all that matters to me,” she smiled somberly.
Their eyes met, and in that instant, Vihaan understood that she’d come to a decision she’d mourn but he’d celebrate. Whether or not Vera was ready, she’d agreed to marry the one man she’d promised to always hate.
Him.
39
Vows
Vihaan
Vihaan hadn’t realised thathe’d be adding voyeurism to his list of kinks when Vera returned to his life.
Arms crossed, he leaned one shoulder against the doorway that led into her bedroom in the hotel he’d booked out for their wedding, drinking in the sight of her sweet little ass pitching up and down as she leaned over the side of her bed, searching for something he was responsible for hiding. She huffed, hands on her hips and stomped a foot, the action causing the fluffy towel she’d wrapped around herself to slip. To his regret, her reflexes were great, and she tucked the edges in firmly before he could see anything at all.
He hadn’t been a voyeur, but he’d also never felt for anyone else what he did for her. Simply put, he was feral for Vera Talwar.
With a towel. Without a towel. Holding a knife to his neck. He really wasn’t too particular about the specifics.
He cleared his throat, valiantly holding in the urge to throw his head back and chortle when she spun towards him with a shriek, her balled up fists poised to attack.
“What are you doing here?” she scowled. Her pretty face was still flushed from her shower, damp curls sticking to her forehead and nape. Vihaan’s eyes caressed the pink of her cheek, down the side of her neck where an errant bead of water escaped her thick hair and trickled down into her cleavage.Lucky fucking water droplet, he cursed mentally, wishing she would allow him to lick that drop off her skin and follow the trail it had disappeared into. His eager cock jumped to life at the idea, something that Vera noticed because she snapped immediately, “Vihaan!”