Secrets And Lies [Completed]

30. to kill a mocking girl

Song of the chapter is Sirens by Fleurie

-30-
-Saina Bahl-
-Present-

__________

Malhotra Mansion
24 November, 2030
4:21 pm

As I sat still at the edge of the bed, alarmed to my core, my body felt like it would give up any minute now.

I didn't have the energy to deal with anything right now. Let alone my husband.

I looked out the window and wondered what would happen if I just took two steps and jumped out of it.

"Rather disappointing set of friends you have." I heard Gautam comment. "Not at all how I had imagined them to be."

I looked back at him. He had made himself comfortable on the queen-sized bed, right after our little argument a few minutes ago. He had turned on the tv and propped up the pillows and swung his feet up on the bed, as if nothing had happened.

"You met them at our wedding." I said. "I thought you liked them then."

And truly, he almost had me fooled back then. I had watched him drink wine with Kartik and laugh with Zoya and Siya at our reception party. I had seen him hug Himanshu like he was his brother at the wedding.

He picked up the remote and flipped channels, pausing to locate the cricket highlights on one of the channels. "I was just being sociable back then." He said without taking his eyes off the screen.

Sociable, I thought. Yes, Gautam could be sociable. He could charm the leaves off trees, if possible.

I looked around Alishka's old room and then at my husband, who sat two feet away from me. I had walked around a fire seven times with this man. I had vowed to love and respect him, to stand by him through good times and bad. Family and friends had taken pictures, the gods had borne witness.

I sighed to myself. What if I had said no? What would've been my life without him in it?

I settled next to him on the bed and grabbed my book from the nightstand.As I flipped through the pages to get to the bookmark, I felt his gaze on me.

All of a sudden, a panic crawled up my veins.

I tried ignoring his eyes and focused on the words inked on the page I was currently on, except he had other plans.

Approximately, ten minutes passed before he switched off the tv, leaving us in complete silence. Slowly and gradually, his arm reached out and grazed my thigh.

A shiver ran down my body.

I knew what he wanted. I knew what he was gonna say next.

"Baby," he began and I dreaded his next words. "You know, I've been thinking...."