Page 46 of Forbidden

“I didn’t see it coming either,” I debate. “But I hate lies, Jhanvi, and you lied to me to meet your Ex?”

She stiffens. It’s high time we are on the same page after this act.

“Now don’t lie again because I saw you coming out of Mohit’s bedroom. Why?”

“Oh,” she groans. “So, this was all because you thought me and Mohit were…” Jhanvi pauses. “This is a gruesome allegation, Aarav.” More tears spill from her eyes. “You know what? I don’t want to be anywhere near you right now. I am going home.”

Oh yeah. She can go back home, but not until she hears me out one last time again.

“Stay away from Mohit henceforth. You will not see him again without my presence.”

The scornful look on her face tells me she is not happy.

“He is my family,” she objects.

“He was. Now I am all you have, Jaan. Don’t make me repeat that.”

Aman and Jaya reach us. They might have been worried for not seeing us at the party.

“What happened? Is everything okay?” Aman asks. “What are you both doing here?”

Jaya, as usual, picks up from Jhanvi’s mood and expressions that I messed her up again.

“What’s wrong?” she asks Jhanvi, who’s still not looking away from me. That challenging stare Jhanvi has on her face tells me she will never follow my command. I don’t care if she doesn’t listen to anything I say, but this!! I won’t let her neglect this. Cutting off her strings with the other Raichands is my priority at the moment.

“Ask Madan to drop the ladies’ home,” I say to Aman, who is as surprised as Jaya is.

“She’s going back? But it’s your wedding reception.”

“Just do it, Aman. Jhanvi wants to go home. So she will.”

Aman sighs, and then quickly takes out his phone to dial Madan. In three minutes, the car arrives. Jaya and Jhanvi get inside the car and in another minute, they are off my sight.

CHAPTER 20

Jhanvi

Aarav did it yet again. He ruined my first proper kiss. I am still in the car, driving back to AR Mansion with Jaya, who’s clueless about what I’m suddenly so pissed at, and has asked me a thousand times already, but I can’t tell her anything now. Not when that moment is so fresh in my eyes, on my lips and in my senses. I can still taste the liquor he had gulped. I can still feel his lips smashing with mine, taking control and doing things I only wanted my life partner to lead me with.Not Aarav. He might be my husband, but he is not the man I love. I can never love this devil he brings out of himself every time he does things using me as a pawn. Agreed it was a foolish attempt to just walk into Mohit’s room to meet him. How could I forget Aarav was around there and would always have eyes on me? I should have been more careful. He saw me getting out of Mohit’s bedroom. It won’t be easy for any husband to see his wife like that. Especially when their relationship is already hanging on weak threads. And most importantly, when it wasmewho had told him I wanted to give our marriage a chance. Obviously, Aarav would go mad judging my commitment towards him. Wait.!! Am I defending Aarav’s kiss? No. I don’t think I can ever do that. I know that kiss was the consequence of his frustration seeing me in Mohit’s bedroom, but he can’t force me like that. My sobs subside but the glimpses of that kiss and the way it really made me numb and helpless at that moment, keep flashing in my head. Would he stop if he hadn’t felt my tears? The right question to ask is, did my tears affect him? They shouldn’t. When he can force me to marry him, kiss him, my feelings or pain shouldn’t matter to Aarav at all. Yet, he stopped, and if I recollect, he looked as devastated by his act as I was. He was even going to cuddle me in his arms, soothe me down, probably say sorry and all that, but I didn’t give him time for any of this. Why would I? And that slap!! It felt so good when I slapped him. He deserved it. Again, what surprises me is that he too thought he deserved it and wanted me to continue hitting him if that made me feel better. What kind of man would say that? Decoding Aarav Raichand might not be my favorite subject and now I feel it’s totally impossible I can ever know what he really wants from me.

Wait a second. Where’s my purse? It had that device Mohit gave me to plant in Aarav’s study room. Oh Shit!!

“What happened?” Jaya asks, seeing me so desperate.

“My purse. I don’t know where that is.”

We look everywhere in the car beside us.

“You sure you had it when you left the party?”

I try to recall. I had it until we were dancing. Then the kiss happened, and I lost my hold on it.

“I think I dropped it on the dance floor.” I bite my lips. “I need it Jaya. I…”

“Okay, hold on.. Let’s tell Aarav. Sure he can do that much.”

“No way,” I scold and then quickly lower my voice. I don’t want Aarav’s driver, Madan, to hear us. He can tell Aarav everything. So, the next conversation, we continue in whispers.

“I can’t let Aarav touch that purse. It has some device which Mohit gave me so that we can sneak into Aarav’s business talks.”

---