Page 18 of Twisted Deceit
What did the Thakvars want in the first place? Was he there for the oil, like some of the clans believed?
Ishani Gujjar was the first of the Singoor women to be married to the Thakvar heir, and at that point, no one knew there was another heir. Later, she heard from her aunt that the Thakvars had reached out about an alliance. It was at that point they knew there was more than one.
Were there more heirs? What was their ultimate motive?
Especially after everything Nakul pulled to get her to be the one to initiate the contract marriage proposal. Her head spun at the endless questions that popped up about every one of the situations that led to her meeting him.
Aadhya calmed herself down and followed her instructions for the evening with her husband. She was shown the extravagant lay of food outside with various sweets, savory snacks, and all fruits. She made a note of the drink to offer to her husband as a part of the ritual before she was directed to the bed.
The air in the room held a delicate floral scent despite how many flower garlands hung along with the petals covering the bedspread. She climbed onto the bed as instructed, sitting in the center of it, her veil covering her face and body. She drew her knees into her chest and realized her blouse had a plunging neckline.
The women left after adjusting the flower petals around her, and she could hear their giggles even as they went down the stairs. Minutes later, she was on high alert for his arrival. She told herself to be calm and talk to him like she had at the resort where they met, like she had nothing to lose.
She had her future and freedom on the line and didn’t know how to navigate the messy situation. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. She needed to find a way to get him to let her go.
What if he wanted her soul to set her free?
Minutes passed, and there was no sign of him. Was he not coming? Did he change his mind about the contract? Just at that thought, something sizzled in her mind.
He may have tricked her into marrying him, but she had to plan an exit. Was there a loophole in the contract?
Lost in her wild thoughts about escaping the fake marriage, she missed the approaching footsteps until the door clicked open, and her husband stepped inside. A sudden realization hit her that she had been sitting on the bed as if in invitation to consummate their marriage. Why was she sending him mixed signals?
As soon as he stepped in, she caught the surprise in his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. “Oh, good. It’s you.” She lifted her veil with the idea of putting it away and remembered she might need the fabric to lay over her chest.
She saw the smirk on his face. “Were you expecting someone else, dear wife?” His words slithered in sarcasm.
She let out a nervous chuckle as she slid off the bed. “Oh, I thought it might be my aunt or Meenabai checking on me to ensure I was still in the bridal position.” She needed to be on good terms with him to change his mind. “Do you want to drink something?” She maintained a casual tone like she was not bothered by how she was conned into the marriage.
She walked over to the table where the drinks were set up and poured the special drink that she had been instructed to serve.
He remained silent, and she poured the drink and walked over to where he stood, a suspicious look on his face. “What is this?”
“It’s a local, traditional drink.” She shrugged like she was not eager to pick up the conversation where they left off earlier that evening.
He placed his hand on the glass and pushed it away from him. “You first. Then I’ll drink it.”
“Fine, your loss.” She kept her eyes on him as she sipped the drink, debating if she should ask him the questions that played in her mind.
He held her gaze as she took a few sips of the drink, and she didn’t avert her eyes as they looked at each other in silence. Soon, her curiosity got the better of her. “Did you change the name on the contract after I reviewed it and sent the edits?”
“No.”
She nodded, wanting to kick her for not paying attention. The way he responded to her, she knew the Thakvar name was always there on the contract, but in her blind excitement, she did not catch it.
“At the resort, was that even a real wedding?” she wanted to know as if she was finding ways to prove to her that she had not turned a blind eye to everything.
“Yes.” His response was curt.
“What part was fake?” she held his gaze as she spoke.
“Does it matter?”
“Just tell me, please.” She let out a sigh.
He hesitated for a moment. “I don’t have an ill grandmother.”
“So, the groom was your friend, and he got married at the resort. It's the same one we happened to be at…and my trip was so last minute. I can’t believe it.”
