Page 109 of The Art of Taking Second Chances

“I love it when you claim your rights over me.”

After our second course of a fresh, crisp salad tossed in a deliciously tangy vinaigrette, I was about to serve the promised lamb shank when the doorbell rang. I froze, casting a nervous look at Tara. Her face revealed the same fears.

“Sameer!” Her body tensed. “What do we do?”

“It will be okay, love,” I said, and we heard a key slip into the lock.

We both left the table and stepped toward the door. Tara stopped near the couch in the living room. As the door swung open, I ended up face-to-face with a smiling Aarti.

“Surprise!” she said sweetly, but turned somber at the look on my face. “Sameer?” She stepped inside, saw Tara, and stopped. “What’s going on?” She looked between the two of us.

“It’s Tara’s birthday,” I said. “We’re having dinner.”

Her eyes traveled to the table and the flickering candles. “An intimate dinner?” Dark shadows crossed her face. Her eyes flitted to Tara, then to my hand. “Where’s your ring?”

“Aarti, we can talk about this tomorrow. I’ll come over and explain everything.”

“Explain?” she cried with an angry frown.

“Tomorrow,” I said. “Today is Tara’s day. I don’t want to ruin it for her. We can discuss everything tomorrow.”

Tara crossed the few feet between us and touched my arm. “Be kind,” she said softly, and Aarti’s face flared into full-blown anger.

“So, I was right. You are sleeping with her.” She turned to Tara with a derisive scowl. “What was that with Mihir? Are you sleeping with him too? Or are you just fucking everyone within reach? Mihir, Sujit, and now Sameer—”

“Watch your mouth, Aarti!” I growled at her, bubbling with rage.

“You bastard,” she screamed back. “You’re a fucking cheat. A fucking lowlife cheat.”

Tara clutched her dress, and her face changed, but she remained silent. I stepped over and put an arm around her. She tried to resist, but I clutched her tight. “You can shout at me all you want, but don’t you dare say anything to Tara.”

Aarti’s eyes turned dark with anger, and her fists clenched hard. “You fucker! You had everything. My father placed the world at your feet. I gave you my love, my whole self, and you fucked it all up for a few nights with her? We would’ve had a glorious life. You’d have been the envy of everyone around you. All you had to do was keep your fucking dick in your pants. You couldn’t even manage that?”

My grip tightened on Tara’s shoulder, and my fingers dug into her flesh as a bolt from my past hit me. I had heard those same words once before. Tara tapped on my chest before stepping out of my arms.

“Stop it, Aarti,” she ordered in a calm voice. “You’re hurting him.”

“So you’re his keeper now?” Aarti fumed.

“Do you want to learn the truth? Or do you want to keep abusing Sameer? You have a choice. You can stay and let Sameer explain. Or leave with this rage and carry the grudge for life. Neither will change the fact of his betrayal, but you can choose how you want to resolve this.”

I stood behind Tara, holding my breath as Aarti gaped at us, tears pooling in her eyes. I knew she wouldn’t let us see her vulnerable. She rushed to the door but stopped and turned to us. “You seemed so nice, Tara,” she cried, tears now rolling down her cheeks. “How could you do this to me?”

“Would you like to hear us out?” Tara asked instead.

Aarti flinched at the word “us.” She looked at me with puppy eyes I had never seen on her before. A pang of guilt and shame shot through my heart as I nodded and walked over to close the door.

Putting her arm around Aarti’s shoulder, Tara escorted her to the couch and sat beside her. She signaled me to get water. I brought a glass and handed it to Aarti before taking a seat on a recliner near her.

“I can’t figure out what went wrong,” Aarti said, tears streaming down her beautiful face. “Did I push you away, Sameer?”

“We’ve liked each other since we were nineteen,” Tara said calmly.

“What?” Aarti’s eyes scanned me.

“Yes, and I never got over her.” I let those words sink in for a moment. “Aarti, I was going to tell you everything the day after the party. But you proposed, and I was called away to India.”

She gave a confused frown and swiped away the tears. “Did your father know about this? Because he pitched us the idea for a surprise proposal. He said you’d be happy.”

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