Spoiled • 18+ • Arranged Marriage Story

Thirty Four

          Sakshi winced as Veer helped her up. She was getting discharged today. She plopped down in the wheelchair when her phone rang.

    "Hand over my phone please."

    Veer fumbled through her bag and handed her phone to her. The number wasn't in her contact list.

    "Hello?" She answered the call.

      For a long while, no one said anything on the other end. She looked at the screen to see if she had muted herself but she had not.

    "Hello?" She asked again.

     "Are you okay?"

            It was him. She knew by the way her heart thrummed at his voice. She said nothing. She was holding up so well until now. During the initial days, she cried and defied everyone. She yelled at her friends and Veer that it wasn't possible that he hadn't come to her. But the truth sank in when he didn't come after a day. Then the day after day passed and 2 weeks had passed and he wasn't there.

      And he had the gall to call her and ask if she was okay after vanishing for so long? Anger simmered in her. She made her tone stone cold.

     "Which hospital are you in? I'll come to you." His voice was panicky.

     "There's no need. I'm okay. Actually, why do you care? It's not as if your uncle shot me!"

      "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please tell me where you are. I'll come to you. We can talk. I can explain -" 

       "Talk what? Is there anything left between us to talk about? Don't. Don't come here. Why do you suddenly care after leaving me for dead?" Even though her tone was stone cold, her voice trembled and she hated how her eyes were pooling with tears.

      "I didn't know. I'm sorry. I didn't know. I don't have my phone. I thought you had betrayed me and I just was -"

     "You thought I had betrayed you? You know what? I don't care anymore. Our marriage was hanging by a thread and it's over. No use in kicking a dead horse so let go, Siddharth."

       She clicked the call off and blocked the new number. Veer looked at her with a strange look on his face.

     "Was it that asshole?"

    "Don't call him that." She snapped and realized that she has defended him subconsciously.

     "What do you want me to call him? He and his family are why you got shot. God! That whole family is full of sadists." Veer said sighing and pushing her out of the ward.

       She bit her tongue to stop herself from defending him again. He didn't know what he had said. She wondered if that was true. She then concluded that it didn't matter. He was there for her when she needed him the most anyway.

  "I thought he was on run too like that psychopath sister of his. I hope they all rot in jail."

 "It wasn't his fault, you know. 

"Then why didn't he come?"

"He said he didn't know."

"Bullshit."

  She wanted to blast off at her twin in defense of him and that's what was hurting her. They had already reached the parking lot. Veer slid his arm around her waist and helped her in the car. When she settled inside the car, she realized how frustrating it must have been for him when she came up with reasons instead of showing up for him. She realized all the ways she had abandoned him only after he had abandoned her.