Page 33 of The Unwanted Husband
She pretended to be passed out even as he placed her gently on the bed. She still had her hospital gown on and her toweling robe draped over, with the sling holding her arm in place. She lay on her slide and watched him adjust the sheets over her exposed legs and she kept looking at him, for what reason she didn’t know.
A deep disappointment hit her when he left right after.
Why? What did she expect? Sit there and watch her sleep?
She pulled the robe around a bit and was about to fall back asleep when she heard soft footsteps.
It had to be Ashok. She didn’t open her eyes even as she heard him place a water bottle and what seemed like a paper bag with her medications. Her eyes were still shut but she felt his presence.
Ashok was not moving but she was sure he was there and for some strange reason, her heart started to beat fast. She took a deep breath and sighed in the process.
The anticipation that was building made her stomach knot. Like curiosity got the better of her, she slit her eyes open. And in the dim light, she saw a man who was over six feet, resting in an uncomfortable position in a chair to one side.
The stupid chair was tiny even for her and she could not believe he was planning to spend what was left of the night on that chair.
Why? To tend to her? Was he genuinely worried about her, like the nurse had mentioned?
Moments later, she opened her eyes slowly to find him passed out on the chair and somewhere deep in her chest, she felt good about him being there.
It was weird that she wanted that comfort from someone she didn’t know that well but never once pursued that from her own family. It was the last thing she would have wanted Aman to do but it was nice of Ashok to stick around.
Curious about what time it was, she looked at the small digital alarm and she saw it was five minutes to six. The three fives were hard to ignore but she only took a deep breath as she remembered what Chandini said about change and a good one at that.
She let out a soft sigh.A broken bone is the change when I never broke a bone in my life before today.
Soon after, she drifted into a deep restful sleep, all thoughts melting away.
CHAPTER 13
The following morning, a ray of sunlight snuck through the parted curtains and he slowly opened his eyes. His gaze went to the woman who was deep in sleep. He was glad it was a minor injury but recovery was going to be slow and somewhat painful.
He looked at the time and it was almost eight in the morning and he barely got a few hours of sleep and he was stiff all over. He needed to get away and the only thing that would help him feel better was some exercise.
Ashok headed downstairs in the next ten minutes to find the twins working on their breakfast. He spent some time with them before giving the staff instructions on caring for Isha. He needed her to eat something and take another pain medication if she woke up while he was away at the rowing club.
Shortly after, Ashok pulled into the parking lot of the rowing club a lot later than his usual workout time. He let the engine run of his custom sports car and its distinctive rumble mixed with the sound of artificially created waves. He built the place three years ago when he couldn’t find another way for him to do what he loved the most regularly.
The clubhouse was buzzing with morning activity, staff training the enthusiasts, the familiar chatter of rowers preparing for their workouts but he didn’t mingle with anyone except on race days. His keycard gave him access to his private path that most members would never see and it led to where his private boat bay.
Money bought him the perfect setup, but it couldn’t buy the feeling he got when the oars bit into the sea water on that first stroke in the ocean. That, he had to settle.
When he was at the rowing club, cutting across the waves on his single Kayak, Nothing came to mind. Not the board meetings, not the quarterly reports, nor the constant decisions that come with running his companies. Just the rhythm he’d loved since he was a young boy who grew up along the ocean all his life.
The sun was already warming the water as other rowers glided past in both directions. His perfect rowing sanctuary, alive with the community he built around his passion. Just as he was falling into the rhythm, the beautiful face of the woman he had been spending time with flashed before his eyes.
A shudder passed through him when he felt the tightness in the chest that he experienced when he saw her on the floor, right after she had fallen.
Why the heck was he thinking of her?
Twenty minutes out to his usual turning point, he still could not push away thoughts of her. He had woken up dreaming of her, touching her and kissing those lips to satiation but that was it.
He let out a frustrated groan. The most expensive workout routine ever, and it had proven to be worth every penny until that morning.
Why was he not able to focus?
A few hours later, he watched her from the doorway of the home office, completely absorbed in her case meeting despite the way she kept wincing in pain every time she moved her injured shoulder by habit.
Nina and Varun, were seated across from her desk, legal briefs and case files spread between them. Most people wouldhave taken the doctor’s advice to rest, especially after a fall like that the night prior. Not her.
