The Accidental Husband

CH 13 || Walking In A Grave Jeopardy

Aavya

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A woman who appeared to be my age was walking in my direction and waving her hand at me. Her face radiated a golden sun-dawn glow, and she had a lovely smile. I smiled back when I saw her up close because I had seen her in the photo Arvik had shown me.

"Hey."

"Hi."

The first thing I noticed about her when she got a little closer was her bump.

"Yeah, I am pregnant," she said. I felt guilty for staring at her bump and making it obvious, but she was really cool about it. She gave me a friendly hug, and I was not anxious anymore. The nervousness of meeting a stranger was long gone in her presence as if we had known each other for a long time. Her vibe was welcoming and kind, which I found appealing. She was Arvik's friend, Aditi Arya, and his best friend Aahir Arya's wife.

After learning the truth about Arvik, he informed me we would soon be relocating to his parent's home, where his entire family lived. But first, we had to go to Grandpa's birthday party, which was in a week. I needed a dress for that occasion because it was a theme party and I had nothing appropriate to wear. Arvik knew I would never go shopping with him, so he proposed I go with his friends Aditi and Eva. Since Eva had an urgent matter to deal with, she had to bail out of the plan.

I didn't want to be anywhere near Arvik after the betrayal he committed against me and my family, so I selected distance from him as a partner. Since Arvik was obviously not an option for me, Adil was the one who drove me to the mall. I was at odds with Arvik. But it was all his fault. My family had trusted him with me, but he lied to them. I was worried by the knowledge that my family was still in the dark. I pondered whether things would ever be alright between the two of us. Because every time I try to think positively of him, a secret or two emerges that makes me feel even worse about him.

"Come, let's go in," Aditi said, and we headed inside the shopping mall.

I followed Aditi inside one of the opulent-looking clothing stores. Since everything appeared to be so lavish and pricey, I doubted if I would be able to afford anything.

"It's a theme party. So, what do you want to be? Cinderella, Snow White? Or do you have anything else in your mind?" Confused, I walked over through the section of party gowns, but nothing clicked in my head. To be honest, I had never ever attended such an event in my entire life. So, not only was I confused, but even devoid of any ideas.

"I have no idea."

"Hmmm..." While moving along the line of gorgeous dresses hanging, Aditi tapped her index finger on her chin.

"Let's start out with a Cinderella-type gown, alright?" I nodded. She handed me an ivory gown with a slit after picking it up and saying, "Here, try this one."

The first thing I did when I entered the trial room was to look up the dress cost. The price was greatly inflated. I could never afford it, not ever. I was raised in a middle-class household, so even though I made excellent money, wearing such outfits was still a luxury that required some serious savings. I had savings, but it didn't seem proper to spend them on an outfit like that.

I left after a little while without trying the outfit on.

"What happened?" When Aditi discovered me in my own clothes, she enquired.

"Fitting issue." I lied.

"Oh. Let's get one in your size."

"Can we try another?"