Try as she might, her conscience would defend Vihaan. Like when he’d brought her the bridal gown. If their circumstances had been different, his actions would’ve made her feel cherished.
Liar,the little voice inside her head piped up, refusing to remain silent.You still feel special. You just hate that you do.
Her eyes fell onto the red bridal bangles adorning her wrist, bookended by the gold ones Vihaan had gifted her. It wasunbelievable that he’d had them all along. That even when he’d hated her, he’d not let her go.
She hadn’t wanted to believe his declaration of having always loved her. Yet, she had in her hands clear proof that for nearly fifteen years, he’d held on to her memory.
Her eyes stung, recalling his words.They were always meant to be yours. Like me.
“Ugh,” she grumbled under her breath, chewing the inside of her lip in consternation. It was so tough to remember her reasons for being angry when he behaved this way. If he’d loved her this deeply, how had he not trusted her too? His money had never been a factor in why she’d loved him, and she’d thought he’d known that. Her heart ached with disappointment for how easily he’d misjudged her character, and it made her wary of allowing him to do so again.
Her sights flickered to her blurry image in the glass, homing in on the streak of red that she’d been unable to wash off when she was removing her makeup. For someone who wasn’t the least bit traditional, the idea of wiping off her sindoor mere hours after getting married felt wrong. It had to be the remnants of the silly romantic films she’d watched as a young girl. She grimaced, hating this unforeseen weakness.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow she’d wipe the whole darn thing off and pretend like it didn’t bother her.
The scent of clean soap and moist air hit her nostrils before she caught sight of him exiting the en-suite bathroom. She turned, heat blooming in her belly when she was met with a vision of dewy skin and firm back muscles clenching. Head tilted to the side, he spun toward her, rubbing his towel against his dripping wet hair in a move so sexy, her pussy fluttered, like a little butterfly had been let loose within. Unable to stop herself, her eyes skimmed down his taut stomach, irrationally attracted to the twin hip bones creasing into a V which dipped into his black shorts.
“If you like what you’re seeing, Mrs. Oberoi, feel free to touch too. I’m all yours.”
The seductive murmur of his deep voice and the light twinkle of amusement in his dark eyes as his lips tipped up had those butterflies morphing into bats. Large, hungry, horny bats. She clenched her teeth, unable to stop a furious tingle from slithering up her skin and settling on the tips of her ears. “Did you run out of t-shirts to wear?” she waspishly spat.
It was a desperate attempt to recover from being caught eye-fucking him, but the confounding man only grinned happily at her.
“If I say yes, will you be chivalrous and offer me the shirt off your back? I’m all for the romance of it, Princess, especially if it gets you naked.” His cheeky smile, that look of cherubic innocence reminded Vera of a young boy who’d loved to annoy her just like this, with adoration and mischief colouring his tone. The glimmer of those memories, the unexpected glimpse of that boy she’d madly loved in the past merging with the man she now beheld took her breath away. She could do nothing but stand there, her mind fighting a growing need to touch him and check if this was real. To beg for it to be true. Or if it wasn’t, then simply beg for the mind games to end.
“Let’s get a couple things clear,” Vera said in a business-like tone, troubled by her oscillating emotions. “This is not a real marriage. I married you to make Nanu happy so don’t expect anything from me.”
The tic in his jaw and the dimming of his joy should have deterred her but she barrelled on.
“I don’t accept you as my husband. This is a farce we are playing to keep my grandfather happy. That is how you’ll make amends for what you did before. Once Nanu—” She paused, unable to voice her fears. “At whatever time it makes most sense, we will dissolve this marriage. I don’t want anything from you. I’ve had documentsmade and signed to that effect,” she said, pointing at the file she’d left at the edge of the bed for him, right next to her phone.
Vera watched in silence as Vihaan picked up the black folder and flicked it open. His expression was indecipherable as he reviewed it but shortly afterward, he snapped it shut and handed it to her. “I’ve marked a couple changes that need to be incorporated. I will sign after that.”
Brows knit, she leafed through the pages, her eyes widening when she saw his notes. “Vihaan, what the hell?” She marched behind his retreating back as he headed to their dresser and reached for the bottle of lotion sitting on top. “This says our marriage must last a minimum of 99 years and that everything you own will be transferred to my name if we divorce before then.”
He dabbed some cream onto his face, shrugging nonchalantly.
“This makes no sense. I don’t even think it will hold up legally.”
“There are a few things you need to get straight, Vera. One: this marriage is as permanent as it gets. I won’t be letting you go. Two: if you do leave, I’d be losing the most important thing in my life. My estate isn’t worth shit to me without you. You may as well have it all. Three,” he continued, winking roguishly at her as he sauntered past her, “I am quite fond of my lifestyle and have worked hard to earn what I have. I’m not keen on starting over from scratch. So, the best way for me to retain my assets is to retain you which brings us back to point one. I am never letting you go,wife.”
Stumped by his declaration, Vera stood mutely while Vihaan seated himself at the foot of their bed, his hands pressed on either side of him as he leaned back in a relaxed pose, shooting her his signature smirk. In the weeks leading up to their wedding, she’d kept waiting for a prenuptial agreement to make its way into her mail, confused when it hadn’t. She finally understood why.
In an unexpected show of trust, Vihaan hadn’t sought to protect his estate from her. Correction: he refused.
The idea that her preconceived notions about him were wrong only heightened the storm of emotions rumbling within her, weakening her already wavering defence.
“What if I want to be with someone else?”
She’d said it to rile him up but the instant his smile dropped, she regretted it. The hard edge that crept into his face wasn’t hidden, and suddenly she knew the answer to her question. Honestly, she’d known it all along.
“Make no mistake,” he said, his light tone belying his seriousness, “you can hate me all you want, but there will be only one man in your life. Me. Or if we have a son, then I’ll share. I’d prefer a girl first however.”
Her mouth fell open, less in surprise and more at the idea that he’d thought about children with her. It was disconcerting how much her body ached at the mention of a baby. Of a family. “You’re crazy.”
“For you? Completely.”
“What will it take for you to accept that this relationship has an expiration date?”