Page 65 of Forged By Fate

I snuck a quick look at his face and was surprised to see him looking haggard. Must have been partying hard with European supermodels in Dubai, I told myself sternly.

My disobedient heart still skipped a beat when he moved towards me. I kept my eyes on what I was doing, pretending he wasn’t in the room until he cleared his throat.

It took every bit of willpower I had not to cry when I met his eyes. To present a blank face to my husband, who had dumped me in a hospital and ghosted me when I needed him the most.

“The doctors tell me you’re doing better now,” he said gruffly, not meeting my eyes.

I said nothing. He could see for himself that I was standing on my two feet. Considering I was in a very different state the last time he saw me, there was nothing I needed to say.

Viren waited for a minute, and when I didn’t reply, he held out a sheaf of papers. I stared at it as if it were a snake, and didn’t reach out to take it until he spoke.

“I’m filing for divorce,” he announced. “You need to sign this document too.”

My chest suddenly went tight, and it felt as if the bottom had dropped out of my world. I focussed on taking slow, deep breaths and still said nothing.

With a sigh, he placed the papers on the bed in front of me.

“Let’s not make this difficult,” he began. “We knew this day was coming.”

I didn’t want to hear his excuses. I didn’t want to hear anything anymore. I just wanted to be done with this farce of a marriage.

So I held up a hand, and when he stopped talking in surprise, I pulled out a pen from the bedside drawer and scribbled my signature wherever it was marked in the document. Then, I flung the papers on the floor in front of Viren to show him what I thought of him and turned my back, still without saying a word.

He left the room as quietly as he entered, and when the door shut behind him, I sat on the bed and wept. I don’t know when the door opened again, but Daya Bua came and sat next to me.

“I’m so sorry, beta,” she said, holding me as I cried my heart out. “This is all my fault. I should never have brought him into your life.”

“No, Bua. This is all on Viren. This has nothing to do with any of us,” I said firmly.

Sufi came in just then, looking thunderous.

“I heard what he did, Sue. Why did you sign the papers so easily? You should have made him sweat.”

“I just want to move on with my life, Sufi. I’m sick of feeling so broken from inside.”

“Cool, I have the car waiting outside. Let’s get you home and into bed,” he said briskly.

“I have no home, Sufi. Not anymore.”

“Babe, you’re coming to Chaudhry House,” he argued. “That’s where you belong.”

“Not anymore,” I repeated. “Starting now, Viren and I are in the cooling-off period for the divorce. We cannot live under the same roof anymore. And I don’t even want to live in his house. Take me to a hotel for now, until I find an apartment of my own.”

“Arre, why should you go to a hotel? We’ll take you to the flat at Malabar Hill. That’s coming to you in your divorce settlement anyway,” said Daya Bua.

“I don’t want it,” I said desperately. “I don’t want anything from Viren Chaudhry ever again.”

They realised I wasn’t in a good place emotionally and spared me the stress of an argument.

Sufi booked me a room at the Taj right away and charged it to Viren over my protests.

After they settled me into my room, I asked them to leave.

“Haye haye! How can we leave you in this state, beta? You can’t take care of yourself,” said Daya Bua.

“Bua, I’ve been taking care of myself for years. I’ll manage somehow,” I replied and sent them on their way.

I scrolled through the internet looking for places to rent, but I soon realised that the renting process could take ages. I needed something right now. So I called Perpetua and gave her a full update on my health before she allowed me to get to the reason I had called.

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