Tina gave the older man a knowing smile. Dev was never on schedule. She was lucky if he showed up within the hour.
“It’s a shame he had to work on your wedding anniversary,” the assistant said.
“It’s not all bad. Dev loves what he does,” Tina replied as her courage slowly faded. “But I thought I could steal him away and take him to lunch.”
“You should visit more often. He would love that. Can I get you anything to drink?”
She declined, the tension rising in her as she waited in the silent room. She didn’t know how Dev could work in this office. It wasn’t like him at all. He preferred natural textiles and modern art. Everything here celebrated his family’s cinema achievements. It was a constant reminder of his family’s legacy.
Tina bit her lip as she looked around. She tried not to compare her modest success to that of the Arjun family. She had made mistakes and taken the wrong advice. While she may never be a Bollywood megastar, she was taking steps to take full control of her career.
And sometimes she needed to take a step away from work. Right now she needed to focus on her family, not her career. I can do this...I can tell Dev about the baby...This is a good thing...Dev is going to be thrilled, just like last time.
Only last time, he hadn’t thought about what all could go wrong. Neither of them had. Tina slowly sat down on the sofa. Last time he had embraced the news. In his world, everything he touched turned to gold and every choice he made turned out better than expected.
Stop it. You can’t hide this anymore. No more excuses. It was time to tell him. Why not now, on their wedding anniversary? Dev cared about her and she had to trust him. Tina knew he would take care of her if anything went wrong and she had nothing to fear.
Tina tugged at her pink sari and made a face. She hated wearing it but she liked how Dev responded when she wore the feminine garment. She needed all the help she could get to place him in a receptive mood.
She looked down at the pile of this week’s movie magazines on the coffee table in front of her. A few of them had the Arjun family portrait, commemorating Vikram’s long career. Another magazine cover caught her eye. Her stomach clenched when she saw a picture of Dev and Shreya in an embrace.
Why? Why did they have to show these pictures and share these stories on her anniversary? How many “it won’t last” or “trouble in paradise” stories must she suffer through?
Tina reached out for it and stopped. She didn’t want to know. She wasn’t going to read the article or the headline. What purpose would it serve? If she kept reading the gossip it would chip away at the trust she had in Dev. If he said he was not having an affair with Shreya, she would believe him. She wouldn’t require proof, just like he trusted her when she swore she hadn’t slept with anyone during their separation.
“Tina?”
Tina closed her eyes when she heard the familiar voice. What was her mother-in-law doing here? How could she have forgotten that Gauri Arjun had an office suite in the building?
She reluctantly turned around and saw Dev’s mother enter the room. The older woman was stunning in a vibrant green sari. Her hair flowed smoothly against her shoulders and it was all Tina could do not to smooth her own short, spiky hair. What was it about this woman that always made her feel awkward and insignificant?
Tina rose from her seat and adjusted her sari as she politely greeted her mother-in-law. The woman waved away her attempts impatiently.