Deciphering His Love

32 | The One With The Accusation

My best friend is married. It was only like yesterday that we were dreaming of our dream weddings as teenagers. And today, both of us are married women. Many years ago, we were talking about our futures and now hers is beginning.

I was excited but somehow, I wasn't feeling well. Madhav, miraculously, noticed how I tired and unwell I looked.

"We should take you home." He said as I sat on mandhir steps.

"No-no it's okay, Madhav. I'm-"

"No. We're leaving now." He says and makes me stand.

It was a quick drive from the mandhir to our apartment. I go to our bedroom and lie down on the bed. Indian weddings can be tiring, especially when it's a warm sunny day and when you have to wear a sari along with all that jewelry.

I sit up on the bed and notice Madhav change into a dark blue shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"I have a meeting with Mr. Sabyasachi." He says brushing his hair and spraying a bit of cologne on him.

"Will you be coming for dinner?" I ask getting off the bed and walking to him.

"I'll be coming around midnight. So, don't get worried if I get late." He says rolling up the sleeves of his shirt as he contemplates his reflection on the mirror.

"Is that code for cheating on me with another woman?" I ask him audaciously.

"What-" He exclaims.

"Exactly, you can't even fucking explain yourself! I trusted you so blindly, dammit!"

"What are you t-talking about? I'm not..."

"YOU ARE CHEATING ON ME WITH THAT TIA SHETTY!" I yell with all my strength. "I've been noticing you for long. Your messages, late night calls and those long hours of 'working with the Sabyasachi delegates' make it all so evident. I heard your mushy flirty conversation last night, if that doesn't imply something explicit then I don't know what else will! You are definitely sleeping with her!"

I felt like I won after exposing his little secret, I didn't stammer with his intimidating figure dominating the room. Although, his face had not even an ounce of guilt. He was angry.

"How dare you say that Shree Ramakrishna!" He sneers as he walks towards me. I feel a knot settle in my stomach and I move away until he holds my hand in a vice like grip. "How dare you accuse me of cheating on you?"

"Tia is my friend Natasha's wife. She's a lesbian! How can she ever be attracted to me? How can I ever be attracted to another woman who's not you?"

That's when I said the four words that ruined me. "I don't trust you."

He pulls me towards the bed and makes me sit. He opens the cupboards and pulls a few documents.

"Do you know what these are?" He asks and I take a look at the documents, most of them were documents for building a house and title deeds to a 20-acre land along with many other signed documents. I shake my head.

"Do you remember, on the night we got engaged, we had a conversation. You said you wanted to go to Kerala and have a beautiful house, in the middle of a beautiful garden and I promised to-"

"You actually brought a house in Kerala?" I ask looking at him.

"No, just the land. I wanted a beautiful house built for you. I looked around the town for an architect. That was when Natasha Robbins, my friend in the USA recommended her wife, Tia Shetty-Robbins. She came to Mumbai to help me design the house and to get all the permits, legal formalities done. I have been discussing and designing ever wall, every pillar, every tile and corner of that house, day and night."