"She has changed you! How dare you do this?"
Sakshi cringed as the patriarch's voice boomed even across the door. The tea cups clattered in her hand. She really didn't like angry men. After last night, she felt guilt gnaw her out.
"Sakshi didn't change me. And you made me CEO for a reason. It's business, uncle. There are far more benefits in supporting her campaign."
"She's a woman. Do you really think she can succeed?"
"Woman or no. Wife or no. I think she deserves an equal fighting chance. As much as any man."
Sakshi felt her heart hammer. She tried to turn around but the tray slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor. She found her slippers and her jeans stained with tea.
The door opened and she looked up at him. His impassive face recognized hers and at once his eyesbrows knotted in concern. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yes." She shrugged.
At once he shut the door and she dropped down to her knees picking up the pieces and discarding them in then a tray. She winced as a sharp piece pierced her finger.
The door opened and Sanjay Sandhini walked out grunting at her. She continued to pick up the pieces with her other hand. She winces again and she saw him squat before her, taking her pricked finger.
"Leave it. Come here." He grabbed her hand tagged her along to his office. He grabbed the first aid box and cleaned her wound and applied a band aid.
"Thank you." Her face was flushed. He merely muttered a welcome and moved away from her to his desk. He grabbed something from the desk.
"I was going to talk to you about this but since you're here." He say beside her and skid the papers towards her.
"What's this?"
"I've restarted the funding to your campaign."
She gasped. He really had. She had just brushed it off her mind. But he had remembered. "I don't know what to say..this is just...thank you."
And before she could control her movements, she had already kissed him on the cheek. And as she moved away, her face flamed at the realization if what she had done. She realised that she was accosting him a lot and he never touched her first. Her heart pulled at the thought. She felt compunction at her desperate behavior. Maybe, he didn't feel the same. She never realized that.
She stood up abrubtly. "I.....have to go."
She didn't even know why she was getting affected. It was just a kiss on the cheek. The whole day Sakshi stayed inside the room and she had to plan out the drop spots and the items to be packed.
In the evening, she moved to his study. The meetings were back to back. She had had a quick dinner in the study itself. Siddharth had brought a plate for her and he left the room promptly.
Exhausted Sakshi slumped back on the chair. The whole room smelled like him. Now in the quiet, she wondered if their relationship had a future. It was less of a wonder and more of a wish. She closed her eyes. He was such a wonderful person. Her heart tugged. She looked at his desk and brushed her hand over it. He didn't deserve her. She knew that.
She opened his drawer and saw that it had papers neatly arranged. She pulled out a bunch of papers which looked too familiar. She grabbed the papers and closed the drawer. It was the divorce papers. She opened the papers and saw that he had already signed it. Her chest pulled and she noticed the date. It was a week back.
She felt like she already had lived a lifetime with him. She kept the file in her folder and she grabbed her files and her laptop and walked out of the study. She looked at her watch and saw that it was around 1 a.m. It was late. She yawned and opened the door to her room.
Surprisingly she saw that Siddharth was sat upright but he wasn't awake. His head was tilted on his neck and held a book to his chest.
She laid out her things on the table and walked over to him. She slowly pulled out the book from his fingers and placed it on the nightstand table.
She shook his shoulders and he didn't budge. She panicked but then she remembered that he took meds which made him a deep sleeper.
"Siddharth?" She patted his cheek. "Siddharth?"
Sitting on the edge of the bed beside him, she placed a hand on his chest and patted him awake. "Siddarth....come on you have to sleep properly...darling..." She said and she saw him stirring and slowly he blinked his eyes open. "Is your work done?" He asked his voice rough as a gravel.
"Were you waiting for me?
"Yes." His eyes were still glazed with sleep.
"Come on now, sleep properly." She said softly. He nodded and slid down to a lay on his side and his eyes fluttered close. She pulled the covers up till his cheek. She then leaned down and pressed a kiss on his forehead. "Good night, my darling."
***
The next day Sakshi's alarm rang at 5 am and she found that she had woken up earlier than her husbad. He was sprawled beside her with an arm over his stomach and his other arm behind his head.
She leaned over and pressed her lips to his cheeks. It seemed she had made a habit out if it. She couldn't stop it. She felt him stirring, "You're awake early."
"Hmm...I have to leave by 6. I am going to distribute packets today." She croaked embarrassingly.
His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her to his chest. "When will you be back?"
God he smelled so good. She inhaled his citrusy scent and sighed.
"In the evening."
"Hmm..." He brushed his lips on her forehead. "I'll miss you, darling." He whispered in her forehead half asleep.
****
When Siddharth woke up, he found that the bed was empty. He remembered Sakshi telling him something about her going out to distribute essentials.
He washed up and when he came out of the room, he made the bed and the book on his night stand caught his attention, moreover the flicking note on the cover did.
I will miss you too. - S
Unknowingly his lips curved in a smile and he folded the sticky note and placed it in his pocket. Today was going to be a good day, he could feel it.
***
Today was the worst day ever. Siddharth almost groaned. When he came down for breakfast, they had a visitor. Well, it might as well been the devil because their visitor was Myra.
Myra was all smiles and saccharine. He knew how this was going to play and especially when Sakshi wasn't at home. Maybe if Myra had left before Sakshi came home.
He stood up from the breakfast table. "Oh Sid? I need to talk to you." She said.
"Not now. Myra. I have work to do. I'll call you later."
He didn't wait for her to answer and walked away from the table.
He went to Priya's room. "Priya, I need something."
"Yes, sure Bhai. What is it?"
"Myra is here." He said frustration seeping in.
"What is she even doing here?!"
"I don't know. Just do me a favor. Please get her out of the house before Sakshi comes home."
"Fine. I'll try."
***
Siddharth closed his laptop. His table clock flashed that it was 6 pm. Well, that was plenty of time for Myra to have left. His mind wandered off to Sakshi again. She would be coming home any time soon.
Siddharth felt excitement bubble in his chest as he climbed down the stairs. He had already run a hot bath for Sakshi and now he was on his way to the kitchen. He had been eyeing that coffee recipe on Veer's blog for a long time. He decided to make it today and surprise Sakshi.
"Sid???" Myra called him and she was limping down the stairs. Her aunt held her hand and Myra's otger hand was on the balustrade.
"What are you doing here? You haven't gone home?" He asked.
"That's rude, Siddharth. I stopped her because I wanted to catch up with her. The poor girl twisted her ankle too. She is adamant on leaving even when I'm insisting that she don't."
"How did you twist your ankle?" He could feel the nerve on his neck pulse as irritation washed over him.
"We were in the garden, Aunty was helping me with cutting these rose branches." She waved the foilage in her hand.
"Why? Why do you need that?"
"To plant roses in my garden silly! I was chatting with aunty on WhatsApp and she showed me what a beautiful gardens you have here and I honestly wanted to plant a rose bush for so long. " She said.
Siddharth narrowed his eyes. Had she really come all the way to Sakshi's house for what? Rose branches? That was pure BS and he knew it. Well, atleast she was leaving. He rolled his eyes. It seemed at this speed, she would go tomorrow and he needed her out of the house immediately before Sakshi came.
He climbed up the stairs and took her arm that his aunt held and rushed her down the stairs. "Sid. What's the hurry?" She laughed. "Oh oh oh." She stumbled and he was forced to hold her steady in case she fell and broke her neck.
"Oh Sakshi. When did come?" His aunt said Siddharth wanted the ground to swallow him up whole.
He saw Sakshi standing there, with her mask on. She looked tired and yet so beautiful. He was afraid of this. Her face had dark lines where the mask must've dug in. He wanted to run his fingers over those lines soothing her.
His darling. His wife. She looked like she wanted to burn the whole house down.
"Oh I didn't know we had a guest?" Sakshi looked at him pointedly. Her voice all honey. He stepped away from Myra and walked to her.
"I wanted to text you." He said. And she gave him one of her Sakshi Rane smiles. "She's leaving anyway." He managed.
"That's okay." It was not okay. He knew that. He felt shame wash over him. He walked over to her and she raised her palm telling him to stop. "Don't come near me." It hit him right in the chest. "I mean, I need to wash up first." She smiled.
"Please don't misunderstand Sakshi." Myra said and Siddharth had never wanted to yell shut up at a women as much as now.
"What exactly shouldn't I misunderstand, Myra?" Sakshi asked tilting her head to look beyond him.
"Well, I hurt my leg and Sid was just helping me down the stairs and-"
"There was nothing to misunderstand. I know how helpful my husband is."
"Myra dear, you should really stay for the night. Look at the time, by the time you reach it will be past curfew time." His aunt said.
"No aunty, I don't want to impose." Myra lied.
"Yes. Myra. Do stay. I insist." Sakshi said.
And three pairs of eyes snapped to her in shock including his.
"Now. If you'll excuse me." She said and climbed the stairs to their room.
***
He climbed after her but until her could reach her, she had shut the door and locked it. He was dead. He knew it. He knew she was mad at him.
He went to look for Priya.
"I told you I wnated her out of the house" He complained.
"Bhai but she was leaving." Priya said.
"She's not. Guess what? She's staying over for dinner."
****
Sakshi was fuming. She felt like she would burst but Sakshi knew that that was exactly what Myra wanted. She wanted to see Sakshi get green with jealousy. Well, Sakshi wasn't going to give her the pleasure.
She knew how to turn the tables on her. Oh just you wait Myra. Just you wait. She said. She put on her politest business smiles and told Myra to stay. By the time she was done with Myra, she would make sure Myra would never feel like visiting her house again.
But her mind bothered her. Was it really about her visiting the house or was it about her visiting him? The house. The house definitely. She wasn't jealous. At all. And she was going to show it.
Well, half of her irritation vanished when she entered the batgroomand saw that the bath tub was filled with warm water. She stripped off her clothes and slid down and for a moment all her worries were gone. Had he run her a bath? Her chest warmed at that thought.
***
Siddharth thought, the day couldn't get worse but it hadn the dining room was filled with people and they were chattering about. He stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Sakshi to come down. He hoped to get a minute alone with her so that he could explain things. Apologise even.
If it was him who had come home after a hard day's of work and saw another man holding her, Siddharth's hand wrapped in a fist even thinking about it.
And when she did come down, his throat parched at the sight of her. Her hair which was usually up in a bun was down over one shoulder. She wore a sleeveless sliver blouse which had her creamy arms on display. She didn't wear red today. But pink. It seemed like the barest and softest fabric. Like she was wrapped around in a pink fog. It seemed like he could see her body but yet nothing. Her arms were bare, her neck was bare save for her collar bones. Her ears had a twinke of diamonds. And yet, he was breathless. All of the blood on his body surged to only part in his body.
"Am I late?" She asked as she spotted him.
He couldn't form any words. "No." He finally croaked out.
"I was worried I might be." She smiled at him abd laid out her hand in a royal demeanor as if he was meant kiss her hand.
He held her hand and she walked down the steps. She wrapped her arm in the crook of his arm. Her breast brushed his arms and he found he was panting fir breaths again. "How was your day?"
"It was fine. How was yours?" He asked.
"Fine. Fine." He patted his bicep and he wanted to pick her up and carry her back to their master bedroom.
"Bhai. Babhi. Papa is calling you."
"We'll be there Priya." She said in a soft tone. "Let's go." She nudged him forward.
When they walked in the dining room, Sakshi said, "Sorry we're late." And what Siddharth found weird was, she said it in the sweetest of tones.
She walked over to their place and he almost swore because Myra was sitting where Priya usually sat. He glared at Priya. Priya shrugged.
He pulled the chair beside Myra's for Sakshi and Sakshi said, "What are you doing? That's not my chair."
"I'm sorry." He pulled her usual chair and Sakshi sat down. She smiled at him, "Thank you darling." His cock twitched. Oh lord. He thought. This was going to be a long dinner. He sat down in between both if these women and he could feel a war brewing between them.
***
A/N: Two chapters because the last one was short. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Thank you for reading.