Page 68 of A Royal Deception

“Shivina hasn’t dislodged Devika’a memory. If anything, marriage to her just proves to me every day that the past was a nightmare, and I’m lucky to be out of it.”

“Amen to that,” murmured Ma.

But the reminder of my first wife was enough to sour my day. I wondered how I had forgotten the most important lesson she’d ever taught me. That love is for fools. I had gotten so carried away by my attraction for Shivina that I almost forgot my resolve to never fall in love. Almost, but not quite.

Luckily, I remembered it just in time.

I frowned at the screen as I realised that Shivina was slowly becoming an obsession with me. When she was in front of me, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. When she wasn’t around, I couldn’t stop thinking of her. And it wasn’t just about the mindblowing sex. It was all the little things she did to wind me around her little finger until I was bound to her heart and soul. Shivina was becoming something that was even more dangerous than just being my wife. She was becoming my best friend. My better half.

This was ridiculous, I told myself as I headed out for lunch with Veer. I’d had enough of playing house with my new wife. Sweet as she was, I had to remember that our marriage came with an expiry date. If I planned to divorce her after she gave me an heir, I had no right to act like we had a happy ever after. We were just going to be good friends from now on. Good friends who had amazing sex. That’s all.

I wasn’t going to send her flowers every week anymore. And I was going to make sure she stopped waiting up for me when I came home late. No more coffee dates in the middle of the day, either. And if she brought me lunch sometimes, I was just going to send her back home, I decided sternly.

As if I had conjured her by just thinking about her, my phone rang, and her name flashed across the screen. Reluctantly, I rejected the call because it was time to start setting boundaries with her right now before either of us got further emotionally invested in this relationship.

It wouldn’t have hurt to just say hi, murmured a voice inside my head. I silenced it firmly.

When my phone rang again, I expected it to be her, but it was Dheer.

“Diya’s studio was firebombed,” he said hoarsely, without any preamble. “I’m headed there now.”

My blood turned to ice at his words. Shivina was supposed to be there right now.

“We’re heading there right now. Are the girls all right?” I asked, jumping into the car and yelling for the chauffeur to drive us to the studio. Next to me, Veer was on the phone with Isha.

“Yes, they are fine,” said Dheer, “But the traffic to the studio is backed up. It’s going to take me ages to get there.”

“We should be there soon. Gotta go now. I need to call Shivina,” I replied, ending the call.

Shivina answered on the first ring, but her words struck the fear of God in me.

“Ranvijay! I’m so glad you called,” she cried. “Someone threw petrol bombs into Diya’s studio, and now the whole place is on fire!”

“Are you hurt, baby? Is anyone hurt?”

“No, we all got out as soon as we could. We made sure the staff all got out, as well. But Kuhu is coughing. We need to get her to a hospital to make sure she’s all right.”

“Hang tight, Shivina. Help is on the way. We’re coming to get you. Take shelter in a safe spot away from the studio.”

Just then, I heard a very familiar sound. A sound I never wanted near anyone I loved. It was a volley of gunshots from a machine gun. Someone was shooting at the girls.

Shivina yelled, and I could hear her arguing with someone.

“Shivina? Hello, stay with me, baby,” I begged, willing my car to move faster.

The call ended abruptly, and I turned to Veer in shock. His face reflected the same shock.

“She hung up on me,” I whispered.

“As did Isha,” he replied grimly.

I slammed my hand on the roof of the car, and my chauffeur took the hint. He began to drive like a maniac, whizzing past slower-moving cars. But I could see a massive pileup ten metresahead, and it didn’t look like it was going to resolve anytime soon.

“This was planned,” said Veer.

“The bombing?”

“And this,” he replied, nodding towards the pileup. They’ve blocked all routes that lead to the studio. They are planning something big.”

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