Gauri swept away her condolences with the wave of her hand. “Thank you. I see that you are wearing the Arjun jewels.”
“She is an Arjun,” Dev reminded his mother as he gestured for Tina to sit down next to his mother.
“Before you sit down, Dev, you need to find Rajinder,” Gauri said, referring to a legend who only needed to go by one name. “He has to speak to you before the show starts.”
Dev sighed and glanced at Tina. “I’ll be fine,” she said and gave a small bobble of her head. She knew that Gauri would either ignore her or unsheathe her claws the moment Dev left. It was nothing she hadn’t dealt with before.
As she watched Dev walk away, Gauri immediately turned to Tina. “I feel the need to be honest,” the older woman declared.
Tina’s muscles locked as she braced herself. It was never good when someone warned they were going to be honest. She wanted to hunch her shoulders and bend her head. Instead she straightened her spine and thrust her chin out.
“You should not wear those jewels,” Gauri said as she flicked her gaze over Tina’s throat. “You don’t have the pedigree or the right to wear them!”
Tina bit her tongue as she held her hands tightly in her lap. She wanted to answer back. Stand up for herself, but she didn’t say anything. The Hindi film industry thought she wasn’t worthy of her husband. Sometimes she sensed that her husband had felt that way, too.
“Everyone knows that Dev only married you because you were carrying the heir to the Arjun dynasty,” Gauri said.
“You mean your grandchild,” she murmured. She would have shielded her baby from the pressure of the Arjun legacy and the expectations of becoming the next Bollywood megastar. She knew Dev would have felt the same way.
“We could have started grooming this baby for greatness,” Gauri said and then gave a shrug, “as long as it inherited your looks and not your acting abilities.”
Tina let the backhanded compliment slide. She knew she got most of her roles because of her appearance and dancing skills. Her achievements were small compared to the rest of the audience at this ceremony, but she’d worked hard and made a career.
“Now you’re back and Dev has taken time off from work? He backed out on a movie that was a surefire hit?” The anger vibrated in Gauri’s voice. “And at the worst time. I can’t tolerate this any longer.”
“I think this is a conversation you should have with your son,” Tina murmured. She gave a sidelong glance and noticed other guests were trying to listen into their conversation.
“Nonsense. You tricked Dev into marrying you in order to help your career.” The older woman’s voice sharpened with impatience. “That didn’t work out. You disappeared and now you have returned. I want to know what you want.”
She wanted a fresh start. Before she returned to Mumbai, Tina had thought that meant a life without Dev. Now, she wasn’t so sure. There were too many times that she imagined staying with Dev and creating a family.
“What do I want?” she asked as she watched Dev walking back to her. He was sophisticated and gorgeous. A true megastar. But her favorite memories were those quiet moments at home when they’d prepared for the birth of their child. “I want him to be happy.”
Gauri rolled her eyes. “The only way that’s going to happen is if you leave him,” she said decisively. “For good.”