Secrets of a Bollywood Marriage(69)

                And he would insist that they stay married. Tina shook her head and sighed when the hope bubbled and fizzed inside her like champagne. She still loved her husband and wanted to stay with him. But not this way. She wouldn’t trap him into marriage again.

                Tina wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hands and pushed away from the wall. Perhaps she was borrowing trouble. It was possible that she wasn’t pregnant. That her body was still recovering from the stress and changes she had suffered in the past year.

                She clung to that belief as she cautiously approached the sink and grabbed the slim pregnancy test stick. Tina braced herself as she glanced at the screen. For a moment her mind didn’t register what the two pink lines meant.

                Pregnant.

                She was pregnant. Tina tossed the stick back on the counter as if it had burned her. A sob erupted from her throat and she clapped her hand over her mouth. It was happening all over again. He legs shook and she slowly slid to the floor. She knelt on the cold linoleum as she cried. What was she going to do? She couldn’t lose another baby.

                Tina didn’t know how long she had been in that position when she heard a hard, authoritative knock on the bathroom door. Her throat was raw and her body ached. Her eyes felt red and swollen. She already felt broken and her journey had barely started.

                “Tina?”

                She jerked when she heard Dev’s voice. She swung her attention to the door as the handle jiggled. He could not come in here. Not when she was vulnerable and needy.

                “I’m fine,” she lied, her voice wobbling. She forced herself on her feet and glanced at the mirror. She looked horrible. Her skin was tearstained and blotchy. She quickly turned on the faucet and sluiced cold water on her face.

                “What’s wrong?”

                Tina hesitated. A part of her wanted to tell Dev. She was tempted to lean on him and share her deepest fears. But was that wise? Would he take control of her life again?

                She had to keep this a secret, Tina decided as she grabbed a towel and patted her face dry. For now. Until she was properly seen by a doctor and understood everything she was facing.

                Something heavy slammed against the door and the solid wood shuddered under the weight. Tina whirled around when she heard Dev’s urgent tone from the other side. “Tina, open this door right now.”

                She looked around the bathroom and found the pregnancy test stick was still on the counter. Her fingers fumbled as she snatched it and threw it in the waste bin. It was blinding pink. She grabbed a few tissues and wadded them as the wall rattled behind her. Tina tossed the bunch of tissues in the waste bin and hurried to unlock the door.

                She swung the door open and her gaze clashed with Dev. His dark eyes were wild, his skin stretched taut against his harsh features. He towered over her, the worry and relief pulsating in the air. She noticed he held his shoulder as if it ached.

                “Dev—” She faltered into shocked silence as he lowered her arm that blocked his entrance and peered into her bathroom.

                “Why didn’t you open the door when I asked?” His words were clipped with anger as he grabbed her hands. She instinctively tried to pull away but he was too strong. Dev turned her palms over and checked her wrists.

                The old scars on her skin suddenly felt hot and red. “I told you I don’t cut anymore,” she mumbled. She wished he couldn’t see those signs of her weakness.

                He glanced up but didn’t let go of her hands. “Why were you crying?”