Faking It With a Billionaire || MaAn

Chapter 51 | Anupama

I dodge a few people offering congratulations as I search for Anuj. When he'd ran off at first, I hadn't been too worried. I figured he was set off by Vanraj showing up. Now I'm not so sure.

My steps are quick as I walk the perimeter of the party, smiling at people I've never met before as they tell me how happy they are for Anuj and me. Most of these people were invited by Anuj. I recognize some from work, but for the most part, it's all new faces stopping me for a quick chat as I look for my fiancé.

After not finding Anuj anywhere in the grand ballroom, I search the small rooms that connect to the main room. I come up empty handed, having no idea where he ended up. My last-ditch effort is to search the outside terrace after I don't find him out front on the stairs.

I step out onto the terrace. It's eerily quiet. My arms wrap around my middle, trying to keep myself warm in the frigid air. I should've grabbed my coat from the coat check, but I hadn't expected to be out in the air for long enough to need one.

I loop around a corner, disappointed when I don't see him anywhere. Turning around, I decide to go back inside to the party and wait for him to find me. He probably had to end up taking a work call or something like that. There has to be a reason he left me alone at the party far longer than the five minutes he'd originally told me.

A pair of cold hands grab my arms as I walk straight into a warm chest. "Woah there. Careful, Anupama," Vanraj says, his hands holding my biceps tightly.

I try to pull free from his grip, but it's too tight. Deciding not to cause a scene, or set him off, I allow his hands to stay where they are, no matter how uncomfortable they make me.

"Hi, Vanraj." I greet him calmly, trying to keep my voice steady even though there's an unhinged look in his eyes as he glares down at me. I can smell alcohol on his breath. It wafts around us. My eyes look over his shoulder, searching for any other person on the terrace. I come up empty, completely alone with my appearing to be drunk and angry ex-boyfriend.

"What are you doing out here alone?" There's a slight slur to his words, but less than I was expecting by the smell surrounding us. Maybe he hasn't had as much to drink as I'd originally thought.

I attempt to take a step away from him, trying to put some distance between our bodies, but he doesn't allow it. For every step I take backward, he takes one forward, keeping a tight grip on me.

"I was just looking for Anuj." I manage to pull one arm from him, his fingers staying locked around my other bicep. Reaching up, I move hair from my face so I can see him better.

His eyes flash when he zeroes in on my hand. Before I can even register the sudden rage in his gaze, he's grabbing my hand and pulling it to his face. "No he didn't," he spits. He inspects the ring on my finger, sliding his thumb over the large diamond.

I try to pull my hand, but his icy hands won't let me. They've got a viselike hold on my fingers. "You already knew we were engaged, Vanraj. I didn't think you'd care. You cheated on me for years, remember?"

Vanraj laughs. It's cold and daunting, making my spine shiver in fear. It's a sound I've never heard from him. "This is our grandmother's ring. Did he tell you that?"

My lips part. He hadn't told me that at all. I'd thought it was something he'd designed himself. Not a family heirloom.

"He didn't," he notes, answering his own question. He clicks his tongue, throwing my hands down roughly.