Spoiled • 18+ • Arranged Marriage Story

Five

       
     Then:

     Siddharth picked up a call from Rose. He was already knee-deep in work. Everyone was shocked as to why he was there the day after getting married but he guessed they all brushed it off as him being an unemotional robot.

   "You know me very well as to not to call me during office hours so I'm guessing this is an emergency?" He said.

   "Your wife was here. So I would count it as an emergency if I were you."

    He put his pen down and pinched his nose. "What did she want?" He was more surprised with how she even knew. He chalked it up to Sakshi Rane being Sakshi Rane. Things just happened because she wished it.

   "She knew you were here last night. Somehow. Also, you never told me your wife is scary. And coming from me that's something."

   He had avoided her since yesterday. He slumped on the chair, his eyebrows frowning. Did she care about his whereabouts? He didn't realize that she cared. Another realization struck him, was she waiting for him then?

     "That is surprising."

    "Anyways, she wanted something."

   "What is it?".

   "She wanted to know what you think of her? Good things and bad."

     Siddharth just breathed through the knot forming in his chest. She wanted to know what he thought of her. She cared. He stayed alert, now wait a minute,

    "What do you mean by wanted?"

   Rose laughed, "You are always so quick to figure out things. I sent her a gift."

   His muscles tensed, "What gift?"

   "I sent it to your email too. "

     He checked his email and saw an audio recording. He wished he hadn't played it but he was already fuming.

      "Why?" He asked icily. He thought they were friends but they were not.

      "What? Your wife comes and threatens me and you suggest I do nothing? I have a reputation to uphold. It is nothing personal, just business. If I let her go, every other green wife will come drag me by my hair. Besides, you cannot put a dagger in someone's hand and expect them to not stab you."

    "We're over. Do NOT expect favors from me."

    "We were over long before. I burnt the bridge already. This is farewell Siddharth."

   ***

Maybe he could explain it to her. She would understand. They could start afresh. He could apologize. What were the things he came up with when he decided to bring Sakshi back home?  She had left after listening to the recording he had guessed. But fortunately, his father-in-law had invited him over for dinner.

    As the evening rolled in, his car stopped on the gravelly driveway. He got out of the car and went inside the magnificent Rane mansion.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Siddharth could feel his collar itch more and more. He could feel Veer's glare at him. His father-in-law didn't look very happy too. And his wife, well she never once looked at him. Her face was passive. She wore a red kurta and he realized how much red suited her. Diamond studs glinted in her ears and her long coal hair was pulled in a tight bun. He wished he could see her with her hair open.  A coarse image flashed in his mind; her hair fanned across a pillow on his bed.