Secrets of a Bollywood Marriage(59)

                “I realized I haven’t said it enough. I didn’t show this special woman how I feel about her every day.” His voice was rough with regret and sincerity. “But I’m going to correct that mistake now.”

                Tina heard a few women in the crowd sigh at his words. She would have sighed, too, but this was pretend. Part of the fantasy. A ruse to stop the rumors.

                “My wife is everything I want. Everything I need. I’m grateful that Tina is willing to share her life with me. So, DJ, I feel like celebrating. Play us a slow song.”

                The guests clapped and whistled as Dev returned the microphone. The lights in the nightclub dimmed as the first notes of a saxophone played. Dev drew her to the middle of the dance floor and gathered her gently in his arms.

                She sensed the other guests finding dance partners and swaying to the music, but she was only aware of Dev. How her soft breasts pressed against his hard chest and how his large hands spanned across her hips. They moved in unison effortlessly.

                Tina couldn’t look at Dev. He was a good actor. Better than her. If he captured her gaze, he would see how much she wanted those words to be true. How much she wished he had included words like love in his speech.

                Tina pressed her head against his chest and closed her eyes. A sigh shuddered through her body when Dev cupped her head with his hand. The tenderness made her weak in the knees. When he placed a kiss against her hair, Tina wanted to hold on to this moment. Make believe it was real, just a little while longer.

                When the music stopped, Tina reluctantly pulled away. She was an emotional wreck. She felt raw and exposed. “Let’s go home now,” she suggested.

                Dev wrapped his arm around her as he guided her off the dance floor and through the club. He didn’t say a word as they exited the lobby. He cradled her close while he called for the car and fell silent again. Was he regretting his speech?

                She didn’t object as he bundled her into the backseat as if she was a delicate treasure. She didn’t say anything until she noticed he wasn’t getting into the car with her. “What’s going on?” Her eyes widened as she realized he was staying at the party. “You’re not coming with me?”

                “I saw Shreya at the party and I’m going to find out how she got this information,” he said. His voice was calm but she saw the anger in his eyes. “She needs to learn that you are my wife and I will protect your reputation.”

                “But—”

                “Take her straight home,” he told the driver before he closed the door.

                “Damn it, Dev,” she said through the thick glass. But he had already turned away and entered the nightclub like a warrior heading in for battle.

                When was he going to realize that the rumors would persist, Tina wondered as the car pulled away from the curb. Nothing they said or did would change that. Their hasty marriage and her brand image made her a burden. The only way to minimize the damage was if Dev distanced himself from her. He needed to cut her loose.

                * * *

                He needed a drink.

                He needed more than that, Dev decided as he swung open the front door of his home and headed straight to his bedroom. What he really needed was Tina. He needed her to believe—really believe—that he wouldn’t do this to her.

                The house was dark and quiet. Empty. The silence tore at him. It was the last thing he wanted to feel as the fury still rushed through his blood. He had walked into an eerily quiet house like this for the past four months and he wasn’t willing to do it again.