The Workaholic Wife ✅

The Hopeless and the Orphaned

"Oh." I say, pretending not to notice. My mind was going through information at bullet speed, trying to match the data from Pops with the old man's.

It doesn't seem right. Who was lying?

Oo one hand, pops claimed that it was Aniket's biological father who killed his sister; whereas the old man said it was pops who took his wife and son from him. What did the man mean by take? Did pops separate them both? Or was it him who killed his sister and blamed it on the man?

If so, what was his motive to kill his own sister?

Aniket has told me that Pops had developed his business only after he was born. So could he have killed his sister for money? A mere family business?

So far, I believed that Pops had been a good man. I never witnessed him do wrong. Maybe he was quiet, and quite mysterious, but would he kill for money?

He loves his wife and son; he worries a lot; he begged me to take care of his wife after his death.

Could Mayma be also involved in this?

No. She couldn't be. She was the nicest woman I've met. She was there for me when my own mother didn't support me. She advised me when I didn't know what do in my honeymoon, she helped me through my depression when Aniket attempted suicide; there was a whole list of things the woman had done. And they were all good.

There was absolutely no chance Mayma could do anything sinister. She was a gentle soul.

"Seriously, Krithi. You have to look at that ankle." Aarav says, facing me for a mere moment.

"Fine." I say, opening the dashboard of the car to find the first aid kit. I jumble through the documents to find Aarav's bills, tax returns and other documents littered beneath the kit.

"Aarav, do you live in this car?" I ask him out of curiosity. His eyes widen, as I ask the question. He clears his throat, gulping.

"I have no home." He says, sighing. He turns his head from me, hiding the emotions.

I suddenly want to comfort him, but a part of me feels suspicious. If Alisha and Aarav tie the knot, how will he take care of her?

He doesn't even have his own house.

This idiot! Did he not save anything from his excessive salary?

I remember my father's words: "...you shouldn't  call someone a 'shallow dunderhead' before getting to know them first."

"I pay you way too much for you to be living in the streets." I joke, trying to make light of the situation.

Aarav smiles for a second, before pursing his lips tightly. I don't pry him for information after that, respecting his secrecy.

When I finish bandaging my ankle, he starts to speak. "I wasn't adopted."

"What?" I ask, craning my neck to face him.

"My mother gave me up when I was born. No one wanted to adopt a kid who had no talents. I was abused in the orphanage, and that's when I learned to sympathize with others. I chose this profession for a reason. I wanted to help those like me. But after I came out of the orphanage at age eighteen, I was on my own. I studied rigorously for eight years, depression following me every step of my way, because of the student loans.

"I barely make enough to pay back my loans, even though I paid half of it, the interest keeps rising. This second hand car was all I could manage. I think I'll pay my debt in a few months, and I'll look for a house to move into."

Tears lined my eyes by the time he finishes the story, but I turn my head, wanting to hide my sympathy from him. If it were me, I wouldn't want the pity. And I was definitely pitying him.

"Well?" He asks, almost laughing at my lack of response.

"Don't you have friends you could stay with for the time being?" I ask him, trying to keep the pity far away from my breaking voice.

He smirks, "oh, I have friends all right. Female ones." Suddenly I had the urge to wake Aniket from his slumber and drag him to a shower, cleansing him of the filth he was lying in.

"That is utterly disgusting, dude." I say, pretending to gag and vomit.

"Careful, not in my car." He laughs at his joke, earning a well deserved glare from me.

"Don't you dare."

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