The Accidental Husband

CH 11 || Betrayal

Arvik

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The way her soft fingers entwined with mine made me feel as though they belonged there. Her hand always perfectly fits mine. It was not the first time we held hands. I clearly remembered the day we got married, when I had held her hand and we had taken rounds of the holy pyre. But this was magical because she held it with her will.

I wanted to leap in the air, but that would have been crazy shit to do. I only stared at her and she innocently tucked her hair behind her ear, standing beside me only in my shirt, which was a perfect dress for her frame, and was reasoning over my deeds with my mother.

"He is not at fault." She said to Mom and held my arm with her other hand. I could not pay attention to the surroundings, nor did I want to. Mom was furious, but listening to Aavya taking my side, I could sense her fury ebbing away.

It was a shock for both me and Aavya when we found Mom at the hotel room's doorstep. But since she informed us how she found us, I didn't need to do the maths to figure it out.

Mom visited us in my penthouse early in the morning. Although it was too early for her to come to see us, that question could wait. She called us after finding the house was empty. Obviously, we did not pick up. As mine was silent, Aavya's phone was dead. Since she had Neela's phone number, Neela was her next target. She had no luck with Neela as well, so she called Shawn.

And Voila! She had our address through him.

By the time Aavya and I woke up, Mom was there. In the correct sense, we got up by the door banging of a furious mother. She was angry and upset that I hid something like that from her and did not go directly to her place. I was certain that Shawn would not have told her the entire truth.

"I was not fine. I am still not doing well. If not for him...." Aavya looked at me with her innocent eyes.

My Dove.

"If not for him, I would have landed up in the hospital."

"Oh, my poor kid." Mom melted and hugged Aavya. Aavya left my hand to hold Mom. The sensation of longing crept in as soon as her touch was lost. But what could I have done? I could not do everything as per my wish until I transformed her hate for me into something else, something really powerful than hate.

"Rishika, give Aavya the clothes." Aavya walked to where my sister stood all this while trying to stifle her laugh at the scenario of getting her brother reprimanded. Mom had asked Rishika to be at the hotel with both her and my clothes, while she was on the way to us, considering we did not have fresh attire with us. Rishika got her own clothes for Aavya and mine was already at my parent's house, so it was not a hassle. Rishika arrived a few minutes later than Mom.

"Arvik." Mom prodded me to accompany her to the balcony. I thought I would get some earful, but looking at her concerned expression, it seemed otherwise.

"Did you tell the cops?" She asked once we were a little farther from the two girls.

"Everything is handled, Mom. Don't worry. The cops are looking after it. Probably they were some thugs." I couldn't afford to be honest with her. Because I knew that if I had, my next plan would be a complete failure.

"You guys are gonna come over to our place for the time being." I nodded. That sounded like a better alternative. Keeping Aavya safe was all I wanted.

Mom still exhibited signs of anxiety, as if she were struggling with her inner thoughts. I led her to sit on the cushioned setting of sofas in the glass-covered balcony and sat next to her. Before I could ask her what was troubling her, she herself told me.