The King's Wife

2

Ahvi

As I walked down the corridor of the apartment building, my heart was filled with joy and anticipation. It was my first day at work, and I had been assigned to do makeup for the models, which had earned me a sizeable sum of money. I couldn't wait to tell Tanvi, my close friend and roommate, about it.

As I reached the door of our apartment, Tanvi opened it, her face beaming with excitement. "Did you get the job?" she asked me eagerly, and I could tell that she was excited for me.

I nodded my head, and Tanvi's expression changed in an instant. Her eyes widened, and she leapt towards me, throwing her arms around me in a tight embrace. I could feel her happiness radiating off her and enveloping me in its warmth.

As we pulled apart, I reminded her that I needed to open a bank account to deposit my earnings. However, Tanvi was quick to reassure me that she would be there to help me every step of the way.

Despite spending several days at Rudra's house and feeling disconnected from the outside world, I was ecstatic about my new job and the opportunity it presented. Nonetheless, I was a little apprehensive about my boss, Abhishek Sheikh, since I knew very little about him.

As I took out my phone to check if I had missed any calls or messages, Tanvi snatched it from me and handed me a box instead. As I opened it, I was astonished to find a brand-new phone inside. When I asked her why she had bought it for me, she said that it was a gift for my new job. She then took my old SIM card and inserted it into the new phone, even setting up Instagram for me.

Suddenly, Tanvi suggested that we go out for dinner to celebrate my new job. She rummaged through her wardrobe and pulled out a beautiful cream-coloured short dress, which looked stunning on her. I was hesitant to wear it since I wasn't sure if it would fit me. Nevertheless, Tanvi convinced me to try it on, and to my surprise, it fitted me perfectly. I paired it with matching heels and some delicate jewellery and took the time to apply some makeup, something I hadn't done in a while.

As we walked out of the apartment, I couldn't help but think about the difficult conversation I would have to have with my parents. Rhea, Rudra's girlfriend, was pregnant with his child, and I knew it would be challenging to tell them. The thought weighed heavily on my mind, but I was determined to enjoy the evening and celebrate my first day at work.

"I don't know how I am going to tell my parents that Rhea is pregnant with Rudra's child," I said to Tanvi, my best friend.

We were sitting in a cosy café, sipping coffee, and I was feeling nervous about breaking the news to my parents. Tanvi was always my go-to person in times of crisis, and she knew just what to say to calm me down.

"Call your parents first, don't panic. I am sure they would be happy, especially your father and brother. After all, that whole marriage was just because of Rudra's grandfather," Tanvi reassured me with a warm smile.

I nodded in agreement, realizing that Tanvi was right. "Do it now, Ahvi," Tanvi said sternly, urging me to take action.

I took a deep breath and called my father, who is the CEO of Singhania Co., and my brother, who is the CFO. "Hello, Ahvi! How are you, beta?" I heard my dad's voice from the other side.

"Hi, Dad! I wanted to tell you something," I said, hesitantly.

"Yes, beta, tell me what happened?" my dad asked, sounding concerned.

"Papa, Rhea is pregnant with Rudra's child," I blurted out, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders.

"What?! It's okay, beta. It's good though. I just wanted to say that I will be taking a divorce from Rudra," I told my dad, hoping he would understand my decision.

"Good. I didn't want you to marry that joker anyway. Your mom will be very happy to hear this news. I will share it with her as soon as possible," my dad said, relieved.

Tanvi smiled at me, and we both decided to go to Hotel Crystal in her car, so I could unwind and relax. When we arrived, we walked towards a private dining hall, and I ordered a delicious chicken steak and pasta. Tanvi ordered the same, and she also ordered a bottle of wine for us.

"So, how much alimony are you going to take from Rudra?" Tanvi asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, I am not taking any alimony from him. His mother would never allow him to give alimony. I mean, the woman who used to ask me for even my 5 rupees expense, what will you expect from her?" I replied, chuckling.

"Hmm, so basically, you don't want any cases or anything?" Tanvi asked, trying to understand my perspective.

I shook my head, "I want to be free from this relationship, no matter what."

Tanvi nodded and laughed out loud, saying, "The funniest part is, he doesn't even know that you are the daughter of the CEO of Singhania Co. If he knew, he would have been at your feet."

I smiled, feeling grateful for Tanvi's support. After dinner, I felt a bit tipsy, as I had a low tolerance for alcohol. Tanvi asked a waiter to take me to the room that is always booked under her name, and I stumbled my way to it, leaning on the wall for support.

When I entered the dark room, I sat down on the bed, feeling dizzy. That's when I felt a warm breath on my shoulder, and I tried to remove it, but it didn't go. It caught my hands and whispered in my ears, "Revenge. I will take revenge on every person who did bad to you." Then everything blacked out.

The next day, I woke up with a heavy headache, feeling disoriented. I couldn't even open my eyes at first, but then I somehow managed to do it and called Tanvi, feeling scared and confused.

"Ahvi! Where are you? I have been looking for you since last night. Why-" Tanvi asked, sounding worried.

"Tanvi, let me speak. I am in a hotel room. My head is hurting very much. It hurts," I interrupted her, feeling overwhelmed.

"Okay, can you please check the room number?" Tanvi asked, trying to assess the situation.

I saw the keys to the room and went towards them, squinting my eyes to see the numbers. "Room no. 699," I said, feeling a sense of relief.

"Okay, I am coming," Tanvi said before she cut the call, leaving me alone to deal with the aftermath of what had happened.