Page 6 of Married in Vengeance

But she’d decided to force his hand before that, with that damned email. He took a deep breath. It shuddered out of him in a rough exhale. Well, she’d forced it alright. Instead of asking her out to dinner, he was marrying her today.

The fledgling feelings he had inside him had shriveled and died in the car that day when he’d viewed the video of them together and listened to Virat tell him she’d sent it. Anonymously, but still her.

Why did she do it? To strongarm him into marriage? Sadly, he’d already been halfway there. He should have trusted his instincts. He’d known she wasn’t for him, but he’d fallen for her anyway.

Being with Aadhya was like trying to dance in a storm, tasting the electricity in the air, and living for the thrill of not knowing when or where it would hit next. Well, lightning had struck, he thought grimly, right through his life.

“Hey.”

Someone plonked themselves into the chair beside him. Ram didn’t bother to look. He’d know that gravelly voice anywhere.

“Not exactly where I saw this going when I gave you the information,” Virat mused, stretching his arms over his head.

“Fuck off!” Ram muttered.

“Dude, there’s a pujari right there.” Virat pointed to the elaborately decorated mandap in front of them. “Mind your language,” he added mildly.

Ram glared at him. If he punched him right in the jaw, would it ruin that face that women kept drooling over?

“Don’t bother,” Virat grinned. “Assault is not a good look on your wedding day. And plus, you like me man.”

He did, Ram reminded himself. It wasn’t Virat’s fault that Ram’s bride was a traitorous little vixen. But it was Ram’s fault that he still craved her like an addict needing his next fix.

“Why are you doing this Ram?” Virat asked, his voice low and meant only for Ram’s ears.

Ram looked at him, his conflicted gaze meeting the other man’s level ones. “I need to.”

“Why? This isn’t necessary. We could have fixed it.”

“How?”

Aadhya was a loose cannon. She did what she wanted, when she wanted. If he’d confronted her, he had no idea what she’d have done. And Ram couldn’t afford that. He’d worked too hardand for too long to allow her to ruin it all. But most importantly, he had Anant Madhavan’s sexual abuse and grooming case hanging in the balance. His family’s reputation, his and his sister’s, especially, needed to stay spotless. He couldn’t have a sex video wrecking his shot at finally giving his sister the justice she deserved. By tying Aadhya to him, he tied her fate to his. He knew she was intelligent enough to make sure her future stayed bright, never dimming.

“There’s always a way,” Virat murmured, compassion lightening his gaze as he took in the expression on Ram’s face.

The wedding drums picked up their tempo. A minor commotion began to one side of the stage and his bride appeared. His breath caught in his chest. She looked devastatingly beautiful and his stupid heart picked up pace, matching the drums.

Why? Why her? His stupid heart could have picked anybody else in this universe and it would have been a better choice. Better than the wild child of Hyderabad’s upper echelons. Anyone but her. And yet, he wanted only her.

“This is the way,” he told Virat before slowly getting to his feet.

He adjusted his angavasthram on his shoulder and made his way to the mandap, taking his place on the other side of the white sheet they held in front of Aadhya.

This was the way, the only way.

Four

AADHYA

It feltlike even the heavens and the earth were holding their breath today. Not a leaf moved, not a grain of sand stirred, not one hint of breeze offering relief could be felt. The flames from the havan only added to the heat, making Aadhya feel like she sat in the bowels of hell itself.

Several rebellious curls slipped out of Aadhya’s bun, her hair, as always, resisting confinement. They stuck to her sweat slicked skin, her carefully applied make up starting to melt off her face.

The white sheet separating her from Ram stayed stiff and unyielding between them. Wasn’t it time to drop it? How much longer was the pujari going to drone on for? If he took much longer, there was only going to be a puddle where Aadhya sat.

And then suddenly, it was like the world went from slow motion to fast forward, the drums picking up pace, the mothers and aunties fluttering around them as they added dollops of jilakarabelam in her palm. Her mother yanked her hand up and pressed it, palm down on Ram’s head, the rough silk of his hair under her fingers making her heart thud.

It was happening. It was finally happening.

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