Page 20 of Married in Vengeance

Ram’s furious accusation echoed in her head.

“I don’t know,” she said slowly. “But I’ll find out.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not yet.” Aadhya pulled out of his hug. “Not until I figure things out.”

“Okay. But know this.” He held her by her shoulders forcing her to stay in one place and look at him. “I’m here for you. Always.”

“I know.” She gave him a watery smile. “I’ll get to the Eonia stuff now.”

Aarush exhaled, clearly deciding to drop the matter. “I want you to speak to the project team on the Arcadia site too. They have some questions about soil erosion.”

“On it.” Aadhya nodded, already feeling more in control. This was her domain and no one, not even fucking lawyers with imagined slights, could take it from her.

For the next hour, at least, she could bury herself in her professional life. The personal could wait.

Eleven

RAM

Ram’s headthrobbed as he stared into the fire of the havan for what felt like the hundredth day in a row. He really hoped this was the end of the rituals. Beside him, Aadhya sat quietly, her head bowed, eyes closed and hands folded in prayer. She followed all of the pujari’s instructions, like a good, little automaton, not an ounce of any emotion leaking through.

When the pujari finally finished with his interminable shlokas, Ram and Aadhya stood, moving around the room to take the blessings of the elders gathered there. She stumbled as they came to where Aarush and Priyanka stood. Before Ram could reach for her, Aarush reached her, pulling her towards him. The look he shot Ram told him the siblings had been talking.

He stepped back as Aarush led her towards a vacant chair.

“What’s going on?” Veda came to stand beside him, holding out a glass of badam milk. He took it, though he despised anything with milk in it.

When he didn’t answer, Veda reached over and pinched him on the back of his palm.

“Ow, fuck!” He glared at her.

“What did you manage to do in just one night?” she asked, smiling pleasantly at him for the benefit of all the people crowding the room.

“Nothing.”

“Hmm.” Veda folded her hands in a perfect namaste to an older uncle across the room. “Nothing? Sounds like that’s what you did wrong then.”

“Vedu?”

“Hmm?”

“Mind your own business.” He took a sip of the vile drink in his hand.

“Like you’ve minded yours when it came to my life?” she asked, waving to a cousin.

“Ved?” he said, the stress and fatigue of the last few days finally taking its toll.

“Hmm?”

He put a hand on her face and gently pushed. “Go away.”

“I will if you promise to fix it, whatever it is.”

“I am fixing it,” he told her. Veda didn’t need to know that marrying Aadhya had been all about fixingit.

He walked away from Veda to where his mother was chatting with some other ladies.

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