Page 67 of Forged By Fate

“If you want to speak to her, have the balls to do it openly, Mr C. Stop spying on her. It’s giving icky stalker,” he said snidely.

“What?” I asked in surprise.

“Who do you think pays all the bills?” he asked as if I were a child. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out you hired a detective to keep an eye on her?”

Daima slapped her forehead in despair.

“Where did I go wrong in raising you, beta? You cannot stalk a woman like this,” she wailed.

“I’m not stalking her! I’m keeping an eye on her to make sure she’s safe,” I yelped.

“If you want to see if she’s safe, go knock on her door and talk to her. Don’t have your people follow her around. That’s the opposite of safe,” said Sufi.

“And if you’re so concerned about her safety, you shouldn’t be divorcing her in the first place,” said Daima, with a sniff.

“It’s okay, Daima. We only have to put up with this until the divorce comes through,” said Sufi, throwing me a sneer. “If I guess correctly, Dhruv won’t waste any time in marrying her as soon as they get the divorce decree.”

“I knew he was a sneaky bastard! If he’s been bothering my wife, I’ll rip his guts out and feed them to the dogs,” I snarled.

“Your ex-wife,” corrected Sufi.

I glared at both of them and stalked out of the kitchen because there was no point in explaining myself. But Daima followed me to the study.

“It’s not too late to take it back, Viren. Stop the divorce and go tell your wife how you really feel, beta.”

“I feel terrified, Daima,” I said bluntly. “I feel paralysed by fear. I keep seeing Sunaina on the funeral pyre. I can’t live like that forever.”

“Tell me this. Has your fear lessened since you left her?”

“Unfortunately, it hasn’t,” I admitted gruffly.

“And it never will,” she declared. “It will only end when she dies, and then it will turn into grief Because this fear is just an extension of your love. And it’s not unique to you, beta. We all feel it. Our biggest fear is always losing our loved ones. Who hasn’t had that fear almost every single day? Whether it is the fear of losing a spouse, a lover, a child, a parent or even a close friend, we all must suffer through it. That is the price we pay for love.”

“Then how do people love at all?” I asked bleakly.

“We don’t love when it is convenient to do so, Viren. We love our people despite all our fears and insecurities because love trumps fear.”

“I can’t afford to lose her, Daima. Not after everyone else I’ve lost,” I said in desperation.

“But you are already losing her, Viren. And do you think she’s going to be safe just because she’s not married to you anymore? Or that you will grieve her death any less because you’re not her husband anymore?”

I thought about what it would mean if something happened to her even years after the divorce. My entire body clenched in fear, and I realised Daima was right. I had just made the biggest mistake of my life.

“Fuck! I never looked at it that way, Daima. It doesn’t matter if Sunaina isn’t my wife any longer. No matter how many years we spend apart, I will still be just as heartbroken if she dies,” I whispered.

“Then wouldn’t you rather be with her and build up a precious store of memories that will stay with you long after she’s gone?”

I stared at her with unseeing eyes.

“How do I undo this, Daima? I broke her heart. How can I fix this?”

“Sometimes, the best thing to do is go and talk it out face to face,” she urged.

CHAPTER 33

SUNAINA

Icursed under my breath as the paper bag in my hand ripped from the bottom and all the mangoes rolled to the ground.

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