My (Brother's) Wife

Shivaay stood on the front porch of the secluded house that lay on the edge of the Forest. It was a strong, log home with large windows and stunning views of the forest and Lake Hirakot beyond. He'd only been here once before, to attend a small dinner when it was announced that his sister-in-law, Annika, was pregnant.

His brother had beamed with pride, holding his young wife to his side with a warmth he would not have associated with the cold, calculating Omkara Singh Oberoi.

That was a year ago now, and so much has changed since then. Not all of it for the better.

"Shivaay" the weak voice came on the other end of the line, his brain working hard to process it while waking his body from slumber.

"Annika? What's wrong?" he sat up, rubbing his eyes in the darkness of his room. There was no good reason that his sister-in-law, a woman he hardly spoke a civil word with, would call in the middle of the night.

"He's gone, Shivaay" she said weakly, choking on a sob. "He's gone, oh my Gods" she fell apart then, sobbing hysterically in the phone as his blood ran cold.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"Oberoi Memorial, I came in the ambulance and---" she broke off as a raucous sounded in the back. "Pinky aunty is here ...you need to come get her."

"You did this! You whore, you did this!!" Pinky screamed and Shivaay rushed from bed and started pulling on clothes.

"I'm on my way" he heard her murmured 'thanks' as the call ended and he saw his screen light up. "Shit" he cursed, he had 6 missed calls, apparently Annika had been trying to call him for a while. Scrambling to finish dressing he grabbed his keys and bolted out the door.

By the time he arrived at the hospital, Annika was sitting out front on a bench, wrapped in a coat he knew belonged to his brother, clutching her swollen stomach and sobbing softly in the darkness of 2am. She looked impossibly small and so alone it pulled at his heart. Parking quickly he ran to her side.

"Annika" he sat beside her and saw the swollen hand print on her cheek. "Gods, what happened?"

"This was your mother" she gave a watery laugh as she motioned to her cheek. "She thinks I killed your brother."

S: "Gods."

"I didn't, for the record" Annika remarked sarcastically, wiping her eyes. "We were in bed when he started having chest pain. His leukemia had gotten worse and the chemo took its toll on him. The ambulance got there quickly, thankfully we weren't at the lake house and were in town. But it was....it was too late."

Shivaay felt the hot sting of tears threaten behind his eyes and he pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off the flow. The Great Businessman, Omkara Singh Oberoi, was gone. His Brother was gone. Unbidden his eyes went to the swell of Annika's stomach and he frowned, this child would never know its Father. Gods, he didn't even know how far along was she, he had been so withdrawn, so angry at his Brother and unable to be in the same room with Annika without arguing with her. Now it was too late.

"I know that you and Pinky aunty think I married your brother for his money" she said softly. "What business does a 24 year old woman have marrying a 34 year old man, right? But I love him Shivaay, deeply" she broke off on a sob and covered her mouth, breathing deeply until she had schooled her features once more. "His will is ironclad, you, Pinky Aunty and Rudra will get everything, the company, the penthouse, everything. I don't want it."

S: "Annika, that doesn't matter---"

"It does though" she looked him in the eye for the first time and he saw the devastation in her brown gaze. "I am not a whore, Shivaay, I never was. Maybe someday you will believe that."