SWNOVELS Chapter 80
The woman before me isn’t my Rose.
It can’t be.
While my wife held mischief, fire, and longing filled with love, this one could chill the hottest of deserts with her iciness. I would even welcome the one that hated me with a passion, but not this version of her.
A hollow and indifferent shell.
What did you do, Rose?
Her eyes stare at me, but they slice right through me. My brain is all frazzled, unable to comprehend the sudden ocean wide distance between us. I’m seconds away from ripping from the chair and yanking her closer when Mihir’s voice breaks my trance.
By some miracle, I suppress the urge and become alert.
My subconscious aware that my world is about to be ripped into shreds.
In a way I’ll never be able to repair.
“I’m glad you could join us, Rosalie.” He smiles at her proudly. I stare unblinking when she responds with one of her own and curls her hand over his shoulder. His gaze cuts to mine, flashing a mocking look. “You must have a lot of questions, Nova. Don’t worry, you’ll get all your answers. Though I believe you’re smart enough to put two and two together.”
My whole body vibrates, wishing this is a nightmare and I’ll wake up.
The last few months flashes before my eyes, the way a dying man’s life does, as I attempt to form an explanation for why Rosalie would willingly stand by her abusive father’s side.
Was it all a farce?
An act to fool and trap me?
“Rosalie?” my father says. The lingering sting of betrayal evident after he welcomed her with open arms. “What’s going on?”
“Why are you both so shocked? She’s my daughter and today, she’s made me so proud.” Mihir grins before revealing, “The day she came with the brilliant proposal to spy on your company, I knew I had raised her right. You both seriously underestimated her. Did you really think I would tolerate joining my family’s name with yours? Creating a bloodline merging our blood? You should’ve known better, Danish.”
“When?” My neutral tone pierces the air. I pin a mute Rosalie with a stare and demand, “When did you decide this?”
She lifts her chin and lets her father answer.
“After the London trip.”
Four words.
And my heart cracks into a million pieces.
For over eight years, she’s been plotting on deceiving me. Her hate ran even deeper and thicker than mine, it seems. I made it so easy and gave her an opportunity at every turn to backstab me. And my God, she took it.
No wonder she didn’t object to becoming my assistant.
She’s the one who’s been leaking information, sabotaging my reputation and my legacy. Why? Because her father told her so? Him hurting and abusing her wasn’t my imagination. The bruises, the tears, the raw fear… it was and felt real.
Nevertheless, she’s standing beside him.
Because of some righteous sense of loyalty.
Yet all I care about knowing is, did she even love me? Or was it all a lie? Why the fuck do I still want to protect her? I search her face, pleading and aching for a tiny glimpse of my sweet Rose existing in there somewhere. That she wouldn’t betray me like this.
She loves me.
She said she loves me.
Today, I realize the depth of her hold and power on me. Weak. She’s made me weak.
“Is it true, Rosalie?” my father questions, his tone turning hard. “You are behind all of this? Fucking answer me!”
Peering straight at me, she obliterates my soul. “Yes.”
“After we trusted you? Treated you like family? Why would you do this?”
She ignores my father’s accusation and turns to Mihir. “Can I leave, Papa? I’m sure you can explain the rest.”
“Of course.” He pats her arm. “You may go.”
As she walks past me, I grab her wrist. A small gasp and our gazes lock. I’ve never let my guard down in front of my enemies, yet I do for her. I give her one last chance.
“Tell the truth, Rose. What does your father have on you? I don’t care what you did all those years ago. What you felt for me then was different. I didn’t deserve your trust then, but I do now. He can’t hurt you as long as I’m alive. Just say it was a mistake.” My harsh tone sounds almost pleading. “Let me protect you. It’s not too late.”
“Protection from whom?” My chest aches, splintering when she shrugs off my grasp as if my touch burned her. “Besides, it wasn’t me who needed it, Nova. It was you and now, you’re paying the price.”
Without a look back, she walks out.
I’m left staring at the spot she left empty.
“I warned you, Nova,” Mihir speaks. “Don’t be fooled by her tears. Look at you, you fell for her anyways. Guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“Shut your mouth!” snaps my father. “We aren’t giving in to your demands. I wasn’t taking a bribe from those men. I’ll prove the same in court.”
Numbness spreads through my limbs but I make out my father’s words.
Bribe?
I grab the file he discarded and scan the contents. Two damning pictures in black and white reveal my dad holding envelopes filled with cash. The scenery telling me it’s the street near the port. We heard that the local thugs were extorting protection money from the local businesses and small shops.
So, we took matters into our own hands and threatened the local gangs to stay away. Our reputation preceded us and they knew to heed our warnings. The picture is of my dad taking back the money to return to the rightful owner.
However, the problem lies in itself.
While our ruthless reputation helps in certain matters like dealing with thugs, it also creates problems with the so-called authorities. They’ve been after us for a very long time. Upon seeing this, they’ll believe the likes of Mihir. It will spiral and lead to our board voting against us.
How could my father be so irresponsible?
“Who took these?” is out of my mouth before I can stop it.
Mihir smirks. “Rosalie.”
Everything incriminates her, the proof laid before me, but my stupid black heart is jumping to give her the benefit of the doubt. I just know I’m missing a piece.
“How does it feel being brought down to your knees, Nova?” taunts Mihir. “Your father will teach you how to lick your wounds like he’s been doing all these years.”
The latch on my controlled wrath shatters and I lurch out of my chair, grabbing his throat across the desk. Before I can land a punch, I’m harshly pulled back.
“Calm down, son,” says my dad. “This isn’t over. Let him come at us.”
“Do whatever the hell you want,” I sneer. “You aren’t touching what belongs to me. And that includes my wife. I don’t believe a word you said. Rose would never betray me.”
He rubs his neck and taunts, “Oh yeah?”
My gaze draws to a paper he throws down with a resounding slap on the desk. Reflexively, I pick it up.
He delivers the ace up his sleeve.
“This is the contract Rosalie had drawn when she returned from London. A week living with you was enough to make her decide she never wanted to spend the rest of her life with you. A wise choice. In exchange for spying, I would set her up to be financially independent with a trust fund for the rest of her life while helping to annul your marriage. The court will take one look at the contract she signed as a minor when she was sixteen and declare the marriage null and void. I gave her the contract this morning. You’ll be hearing from the lawyer soon.”
My vision blurs.
Every revelation tightening the invisible noose around my neck.
Still believe she loves you? my mind taunts.
Mihir stands from his chair, straightening his tie. “I’m sure you both can find your way out. You have until tomorrow to say goodbye to the D’Cruz legacy.”
I shrug off my dad’s grip and turn around.
“Don’t,” he warns. “She’s made her choice, Nova.”
“She owes me answers.” I throw my car keys to him. “You can drive back.”
The deserted hallway of her wing of the house haunts me with every step as I stride closer to her bedroom. I remember it all. The wall I pushed her against, tasted her lips for the first time, and felt her leaning into my touch.
Every second is painted and etched into my psyche.
The inside of her bedroom is the same as the first time I entered it, but vacant. The bookshelves with sliding glass doors are empty of her books. The room is scarce but her exotic scent lingers. Her belongings are at our place, where I thought we’ll be building our life together, but not anymore.
She’s leaving me after ripping out my heart.
Not closing the door, I walk and sit in the same chair I sat on ten years ago. Resting my elbows on my knees, I stare straight ahead and wait for her.
The semblance of control I garnered vanishes when she appears in the doorway. Gorgeous red hair falling in rivulets and framing her pretty face. Cold and emotionless coal-black eyes meet my still hopeful ones.
In a flash, I’m on her.
I cup her cheeks with both hands and hoarsely beg, “Don’t play with my heart like this, Rose. Why are you doing this? What the hell does he have on you? Just fucking tell me so I can fix it.”
The flames of hope flicker brighter when she circles my wrists.
Tightens them for a fraction of a breath.
Not to lean into my embrace, but to pull them away.
I’m gutted each time she does this.
“You’re embarrassing yourself, Nova,” she replies, her tone mocking. Brushing past, she creates distance before facing me. Tilting her head, she sighs. “I can’t believe this trick works every time. You never see me coming. I didn’t even think you’d fall for the lies so easily. I told you, only hate can exist between us.”
“When you said you loved me, that was a lie too?” I ask, wanting to hear the words.
“Everything was a lie.” Her voice is unflinching and remorseless. “I had to gain your trust, get closer to you and make you fall in love with me.”
Every word drives the knife deeper.
Until the gut-wrenching pain twists into acceptance that maybe I never knew her at all. I was blindsided by my own lust and affection. The craving and obsession to possess her. Every layer of mine I let her peer inside was just another weapon to destroy me.
She single-handedly distracted me from my sole mission.
The old wounds hadn’t even healed and now, they are once again chafed and bloody.
Her betrayal akin to gasoline.
“What made your father earn such undying loyalty?” I harden my voice, concealing my emotions. “Or was it an act too, huh? Was your story real or did you fake those scars and tears? After all, there are no lines you wouldn’t cross to sabotage me.”
My taunting words pull no reaction from her stillness and indifference.
I know she didn’t lie about them, but I want to see her show me some emotion. Perhaps I haven’t lost all my vindictiveness.
“Does the uncle even exist?”
She flinches.
A crack in her armor.
“I told you I never wanted to be your wife, Nova. I have only ever been a pawn to every single man in my life. The week in London, you shredded all my hopes of us ever being civil, without none of your cruelty. I was exchanging one prison for another.” Her voice pitches higher as she lashes out tragically, “I decided I wasn’t spending my life this way. I was done being treated like a piece of property to pass around for everyone’s gain. So, I made a deal with Dad. I betrayed you because even being invisible comes with a price, Nova. My father made me pay mine.”
Even angry and shouting, my heart aches for her.
“I’m not divorcing you,” I inform.
“It’s not up to you.”
“I’m not meeting your father’s demand either. I’m going to destroy him,” I say. “The only thing stopping me was you. Since you’ve decided to make an enemy out of me, it’s only fair I pay in kind.”
She blinks nervously before defiance and arrogance tighten her features. “You’re underestimating him, Nova. He won’t stop coming at you.”
“He has already showed his cards.”
“You, on the other hand, have nothing.”
Oh, how wrong you are, Rose. “I have something that will not only destroy him, but you too, my wife.”
The question is… will I go ahead with my plan?
Crossing the room, I fist her hair and pull her head back. She swallows as I circle her throat and whisper, “If everything was a treacherous little lie, then tell me you never loved me. Say the words. But know this, there will be consequences.”
Silence hangs heavy in the air.
The fate of how our story ends in her hands.
Softening my gaze, I graze her bottom lip with my thumb. “I love you, Rose.”
“I don’t love you.
“Never did.
“Never will.”
Dropping my hands, I step back. “I knew you were going to be my downfall. Guess I did fool myself. This isn’t heaven, you’re my hell.”
She taught me my first heartbreak too.
The broken pieces of it belonging to her.
“I’ll send you your stuff back. Don’t bother returning.”