Page 81 of Married in Vengeance

Aadhya’s throat closed up as her heartbeat started to feel like a thunderous drum against her ribcage. She wasn’t getting enough air! She turned away from where her father and brother still stood and walked blindly towards the elevators so she could get to her cabin on the second floor.

When she finally made it, she shut the door behind her and fell into her chair. Her head in her hands, she buried her fingers in her hair as she struggled to control her breathing and to slow her heart’s frantic thudding.

She heard the door open and shut quietly. She knew who stood there even before she looked up. It was like the molecules in the air around her rearranged themselves when he entered the room.

“It’s over,” she said, through numb lips, watching him watch her.

“Not yet. Get up.”

“Why?” His matter-of-fact tone jarred against her sore nerves, making her temper flare.

“Don’t you want some answers?”

She didn’t move. Answers? Did she want answers? Her heartbeat slowed, a sense of calm descending around her. It felt like she sat inside a bubble, one that kept her safe from the chaos of her thoughts and emotions.

“Aadhya.” Ram’s hard voice softened. “If you don’t ask your questions now, you’re going to regret it.”

The bubble popped.

“Okay.” She got to her feet, all the rage and hurt she’d bottled up inside her fizzing out and slipping through her control. “You’re right. I’d like some answers.”

Ram nodded, reaching for the door to pull it open.

“Why didn’t you love me enough to trust me, Ram?”

He froze, his hand slowly falling away from the doorhandle. “Aadhya-“

“If I don’t ask my questions now, I’m going to regret it,” she parroted his words back to him. “You’re the one who always talks about justice being served, aren’t you? Where’s my justice now, Ram?”

The door opened behind him and Aarush stepped in, coming to an abrupt halt as the tense vibes in the room registered.

“They’re waiting for us at the police station. Are we ready to go?” he asked cautiously, his eyes darting between the two of them.

Aadhya and Ram stared at each other, neither speaking, neither looking away.

“What’s going on?” Aarush took a protective step towards Aadhya, automatically aligning himself with her.

Ram said nothing, his tormented eyes never moving away from Aadhya.

“Nothing,” she said to her brother in the end. “Nothing is going on. Everything is over.”

Ram held the door open for Aarush and Aadhya to walk through. She didn’t look at him as she passed him, her gaze blank and focused forward. Just the way she needed to be.

She walked silently beside her brother, her mind turning a hundred different ways. She needed to rebuild her life. Starting now, she would not think about the past, only the future.

And Ram Gadde was only her past. Nothing else. Nothing more.

They were halfway to the police station, Ram following in his car, when Aarush spoke, “Are you okay, Chinna?”

“No.”

She didn’t expand on the answer and he didn’t ask her to either. Instead, Aarush wrapped his hand around hers and squeezed.

“I’m here if you need me,” he said quietly.

And then they were pulling into the crowded space in front of the police station. Aadhya followed Aarush into the small foyer, Ram close behind her.

At the sight of them, a young police officer immediately stood up and led them through to the back. A senior cop sat behind a scratched and dented desk, signing what looked like a mountain of papers.

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