Page 68 of Twisted Deceit
“The truth always will find its way out. I’m not upset and I know Aadi you understand our situation. I merely abided by your aunt’s wishes.” The man’s words brought tears to her eyes. She quickly stood up and touched his feet as an apology before leaving the room, unable to face such a kind-hearted man, stuck in a love triangle.
Nakul caught up with her just as she was going up the stairs. “Aadhya, are you okay?”
She stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to face him. “Let’s keep this matter between us. I don’t want to bring this up with my aunt or anyone again.”
Nakul nodded, and she threw her arm around his neck and hugged him. “Thank you. What would I do without you.”
*****
Nakul lay in bed holding Aadhya in his arms. It was late afternoon, and she lay exhausted, a soft snore playing in his ears. His hand moved softly, rubbing her back as she thought back to the morning when they had arrived at the location to perform the ritual.
He knew the ritual brought back the trauma of her parents’ death. As a young girl, having to process the sudden death of her parents, he knew it would not be easy for her. But his warrior heiress pushed through their hour-long ceremony.
As he thought through the rituals, he knew why his investigative team had ruled out a while back the possibility of Aadhya’s parents' death as an accident. The experts reviewed the doctors' report after the fire and concluded the parent’s clothes caught fire so rapidly because of foul play. A highly flammable gas or another material intensified the flame and burned rapidly.
Her parents had to perform the ritual privately; the only other person present was the priest. It required the couple to feed the holy fire oil with a long-stemmed spatula as sacred words were chanted. His team looked for the team who had disappeared after the accident, only to find out that the priest died soon after in a road accident as he fled the Singoor region.
It was the truth Aadhya deserved to know, but he didn’t want to tell her the information with questions unanswered, especially after she had mustered up the courage to perform the ritual. He had known the information for months and didn’t think he needed to share it, but now he knew it would be hard on her and chose not to reveal the findings.
Although traditions prevented others from being present at the ceremony, Nakul ensured the area was secure. He had security scan the open area a few days prior and had a tight perimeter set throughout the event. No matter his progress in recent months, he wasn’t taking any chances.
The one ritual his wife agreed to perform did wonders for the south region of Singoor. The Jodha clan’sMaahowas there to meet them along with ten other clan heads to show their support.
His chest warmed up at the memory of happy tears in his wife’s eyes. As she received the blessing from the clan heads, she did not notice how her grandfather stood beside her uncle to bless them.
She sobbed happy tears, hugging her grandfather as he thanked her for completing the ritual. The older man believed it was one wish of his daughter that was left unfulfilled.
With one ceremony, his wife united so many clans, making him want to give her anything she ever wished for. He planted a small kiss on her head and said, “I’ll protect you with my life.”
A moment later, she moved in her sleep, letting out a moan. He held her close to him, enjoying the feel of her softness against him.
“Nakul,” she said, her voice groggy. “Are you awake?”
He responded by kissing her head, a smile forming on his lips. She moved her head to look up at him. Long moments of silence passed. “I’m glad you didn’t leave Singoor.”
He chuckled. “Why would I do that?” He placed his fingers on her chin and kissed her lips. “Especially when I have my beautiful wife here?”
She lowered her eyes. “This is not the life you’re used to. You didn’t need to—”
“I’m a Thakvar and I am bound by my duty to protect Singoor. My father left his family… wife, and three young children to return to Singoor to restore peace after his brother and sister were killed in an accident.”
Aadhya gasped. “I didn’t know that, and Rajji never spoke about what happened to her best friend.”
He ran his hand on her back as if to soothe away the pain he saw in her eyes. “It was unfortunate, and in my aunt’s memory, my sister, Nandini, is named after my aunt.”
She sat up, somewhat surprised. “You have a sister?” He had not mentioned his youngest sibling. They had to protect her with their lives, and the brothers made it a point not to reveal anything about the sister—not even to their respective wives.
He nodded. “She is the youngest and still in America.”
“How—how come you didn’t tell me?” He saw the disappointment in her eyes.
He pulled her to him, their foreheads touching. “You must believe me when I saw it was solely for Nandini’s protection and nothing against you.”
She nodded and hesitated momentarily before asking, “Why didn’t you come to see your father sooner?”
Nakul knew now how much his father thought about preparing them to be protectors of Singoor, even when they were thousands of miles away. He had his sons trained in martial arts to protect themselves and stand for the people of Singoor. “When he decided to leave, he faked his death so me and my brothers would not even think about looking for him.”
“Even your mother didn’t tell you?” There was shock in her eyes.
