The Wrong Woman

71. Mouna

My heart broke after that day.

It was already broken but the happiness I had felt at being in my own body in my own life, faded away, bit by bit, as I thought about the expression Dhruv held at my words. Why was he so adamant about finding out the truth?

He really did misunderstand, I thought. Rani was back home with him, wanting to try and fix things again and he was here? How could he?

I wanted to be angry at him. I was, however, only confused.

My grandma handed me my tiny phone, limping from her bedroom, eyes squinted. She had just woken from her nap. "Your phone has been ringing incessantly!"

Placing my law textbook on the coffee table, I looked at the caller ID. It was Rani. I didn't have Rani's number ever. Did she save it herself when she was in my body? I picked it up, albeit a little hesitant. "Hello?"

"About time," she snapped in my ear.

"Why are you calling me?"

"Oh, so you don't want me to call you?"

"No, no! I just meant...it's a little unusual." How're things between you and Dhruv? was the question dying to be asked. At the same time, I didn't want to know. I didn't think my heart could take knowing they were going to be the perfect couple they deserved to be.

"I called to invite you over to the park nearby Dhruv's house." Dhruv's house? "I'm hosting a picnic, just you and me. I want to see you, you know. We've been through a lot so we deserve to chill out a little."

I relaxed. "Okay, that sounds good."

***

She had lied to me.

It wasn't just me and her. There was Dr Arshan and Dhruv, as well. The latter had his hands shoved deep into his pockets. I didn't look at him afterwards to see if he was looking my way or spending his time fawning over his actual wife.

"I honestly didn't think you'd come," Rani whispered into my ear as she looped her arm through mine. "Veer said yes at the last minute."

"And Dhruv?"

"I made him tag along." But why? I thought. "And Dhruv suggested coming here because he realised how much he loved this place again." I wanted to run. She was talking about how he'd proposed to her here. Now that they were together again, of course, he was going to love this place. Why did they want to torture me?

Dr Arshan came over to me and I stiffened. Did he hold any negative feelings for what had happened? No, he smiled at me. "How's your grandma doing?"

I relaxed. "Good, actually. She's using me more and more as her personal slave and that knee gives her plenty of excuses to do that."

He tipped his head back and chuckled, and I glowed. "You two are a delightful team to hear about."

"Thank you, Dr Arshan."

He clicked his tongue, frowning mockingly at me. "I thought we were past the formalities."

There was a tingle on the side of my face, the unknown gut feeling telling me that I was being watched. Over Veer's shoulder, I caught sight of someone looking this way.

Dhruv.

I turned to look over my shoulder. Was he looking at Rani? No, she was on the ground near the lake, setting out the picnic blanket.

Dhruv's features were indescribable. But he was definitely staring at me. I startled and moved away from his line of sight, hiding behind Veer's build. The beating of my heart drilled into my ears.

"Does no one want to eat now?" Rani exclaimed from her lonely spot on the blanket. Dhruv came over and I froze. Was he going to talk to me? He brushed past me, not even sparing me a glance as he went to Rani. My shoulders slowly drooped.

"A picnic doesn't necessarily mean just laying out a blanket, eating and leaving," he said, bending down and flicking her forehead with a bright grin. My smile wavered. He shuffled through the big, blue bag they brought. A similar bag he had brought for Kippie—that was when I saw Cookie who'd been laying on his stomach, looking like he was sunbathing a few feet away. I hadn't even seen him.

A burst of warmth spread through me, and my feet itched to run to him and scratch him behind his ears. Then I realised I was in my own body. He didn't know me. So, I refrained.

Dhruv got out a few badminton rackets, and a net and launched the shuttlecock into the air swiftly with his bat. Veer caught it and inspected it. "Who's up for some badminton?"