BEYOND THE CLOUDS (Completed)

Chapter 49

Sidharth woke up startled and instantly regretted the last night. Badly hungover, his head felt like it was being pounded thoroughly.

Even the expensive scotch gave a bad start to his day, that means he must have drank like a fish last night and passed out.

Fuck !!! he groaned again as a spasm of pain hit him, while he looked around for her.

The last he remembered; he had left her weeping in the closet. He strode towards the door and opened only to find the huge space deserted. Was she gone? Even after all what happened yesterday?

He turned around frantically and paced outside, towards the living room.

“Shehnaazzzz? Shehnaaaz?” He shouted like a mad man, making his voice echo through the whole house.

His voice had alerted Jonita, who now stood in front of him, looking as confused.

“Where is Shehnaaz? Did you see her going? Is she in the kitchen?” he asked, looking washed out.

“I haven’t seen her the whole morning and neither of the cars have left the premises” she informed and Sidharth trusted her, because as his housekeeper was so efficient that not even a small needle in the house could move without her knowledge.

He went back up to the room and called her number, but was disappointed again as it went unanswered. His aching head was adding up to the misery making him incapable of thinking straight.

His fingers fisted into his hair frantically when his eyes fell upon the painting of his grandparents with him, placed in his room. Her creation.

And it dawned upon him as to where she might be.

He went straight to her Painting studio and let out a relieved breath upon seeing her in the terrace, sipping on a coffee.

He felt a bit guilty of threatening her last night. But that moment, he was so desperate, he just blurted out what he felt might make her stop from leaving. And it did work, but at the cost of what? To gauge her mood he approached skeptically

“Good morning wifey” the charming warmth of his greeting fell on deaf ears as she did not even react to his presence.

She was livid, he knew now. Shutting his eyes tight for a mini second he braced himself for another round of an unpleasant conversation.

“Shehnaaz we gotta talk, sort this mess out together” as he went closer to her felt her stiffen and instantly retracted.

“Baby listen to me” leaning on the railing he turned to face her.

“Mr. Shukla, Any dialogue between us will be pointless don’t you think so? Because I am not interested in listening to a fake blabber of how innocent you are or how troubled you are and how that would lead to justification of your deeds.” Every word of hers, specially her referring to him as Mr. Shukla pricked him hard and the anguish was evident on his face.

“Baby I know ur angry, but trust me, it was a business decision. Don’t throw our relationship in the mix. My feelings were and will always be true. I didn’t think of telling you because it was unimportant” he came closer but she veered away. The distance made him weary.

“Shehnaaz that useless bit of information would have only acted as a lump of salt in our happiness, which is why I didn’t involve you. I agree you were dragged in this feud between me and my parents but its not like I married you just for that, from the time I have met you, I have waited for this day, to make you mine, to start a family, our little world. Believe me love” he reasoned and she huffed away further laughing cynically, until her tears poured out and the gravity of the situation hit her again.