The Accidental Husband

CH 31 || Tangled Locks

Arvik

******

"What's happening?"

My question, though really simple, consisting of simply two words, hung heavy in the air. The situation before me was far from ordinary. It was obvious what had transpired, but the scenario should not have occurred. Those situations would rarely take place, especially with five female staff there to tend to my wife's needs. That fact only fueled my anger.

Aavya was standing with the toes of one of her feet curled while the sprained one was a few inches above the floor. She was holding the headboard for support and standing at a distance from the shattered glass pieces strewn on the floor, closer to her side of the bed.

All five women who had been appointed to cater to her needs seemed worried. Neela and Lia, whom I had hired for Aavya a few weeks back, were diligently collecting the glass fragments into separate dustpans. Meanwhile, the remaining three stood nearby, their faces etched with guilt. I didn't want their guilt; I needed them to prioritize my wife's safety above all else. All they needed was to be committed to their job to look after my wife for a few minutes and they failed to even do that.

One of the women, unable to meet my gaze, admitted with fear, "The glass fell. She got scared. It's my fault."

I had already comprehended what the hell happened, but I could not understand how five women were incapable of being silent and taking care of Aavya. It's not like they had to act with a gun pointing at their head. They fucking did not have to deal with what Aavya had to go through. They did not deserve to be spared at all.

Without wasting any moment, I rushed to Aavya and held her, making her have the support of me rather than anything else. She held my shirt, leaning towards me, her face pressed into my chest as I glared at all the dumb staff.

For sure, the glass shattering broke Aavya's sleep, scaring her, causing her to think we were still trapped between the gunshots filled environment. Her frenzied act would have worried the staff, but I could not get why they were scared, as if my wife were a ghost. I shot a steely glare at the bewildered staff.

"Apologize." I ordered the woman, who was now looking at her feet.

Aavya did not bother to look at her either and did not acknowledge the apology that came soon after my command. I knew she wouldn't have been bothered by the incident if she were in the right frame of mind, but she wasn't. She needed to process that she was fine, away from all the dangerous environments, far from the fire and the goons.

Rubbing my knuckles on Aavya's clothed arm, I seethed with anger at the women. "Get out," I spat, my voice a low, venomous growl.

Neela and Lia left promptly, but the remaining three lingered, rooted in place, further stroking my fury with their obstinacy and their stupid actions.

"Now," I repeated, my voice calm but chilling enough to send shivers down their spines. They fled the room, leaving only Aavya and me in the quiet space.

Once the room had no one but only Aavya and me, I scooped her up in my arms. I grabbed the bottle of water from the top of the cabinet beside the bed and headed towards the walk-in closet with Aavya still in my arms.

I settled her onto a barrel chair in the changing room and bent to assess her ankle, only to have her flinch and pull away from my touch. Alarmed, I withdrew and left her foot, not wanting to cause her more pain than she already was in. She was not crying and there were no signs of fresh or even dried tears on her face, however; she was scared, traumatized. And recalling the coughing fits she had back at the hotel because of the fire, her throat certainly was burning and raw from the smoke.