Lawfully Yours - Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Dalhousie Hotel
They returned to the resort by late afternoon, but there was no lightness in the air, no peace from the holy temple visit earlier. Kushal had disappeared into his suite the moment they got back, and ever since, pacing, growling into calls, the tension in his voice thick enough to pierce through the connecting door between their rooms.
She stood in her room, half-listening, half-lost in her own storm of thoughts, physically separate but mentally pulled into his orbit, wondering if his fury was just about Kamya’s unexpected connection to Anant and Sadhna’s divorce case, or if it was also about what had happened at the temple.
Maybe it was both.
Because despite everything, despite his quiet desperation, his raw plea for a second chance, and the shocking moment he had pressed sindoor into her hairline, she had still denied him. Again.
She sighed and glanced at herself in the mirror. She was dressed for the evening’s honeymoon couple event—a soft blush-pink chiffon maxi dress with delicate straps and a plunging neckline, cinched at the waist and flowing all the way to her ankles. She’d pulled a cream knit shawl around her shoulders, more for composure than warmth. Her outfit was romantic and undeniably feminine, something she wouldn’t normally wear, but the resort staff had said it would be an intimate evening with bonfire, games and soft music. She wasn’t sure what compelled her to wear it. Maybe curiosity. Maybe the quiet voice in her that wanted to prove to herself she wasn’t as immune to all this as she pretended to be.
Kushal’s voice from his room, cut through the silence again. He was directing that storm somewhere, but it was impossible not to feel like some of it was still aimed at her.
Unable to help herself, she walked to the connecting door and pushed it open slightly. Her eyes found him instantly.
He was still in the same black shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, pacing like a caged animal. The Bluetooth earpiece in his ear glowed faintly as he growled into it.
“No, I cannot call her and ask this directly,” he snapped, pacing in his room. “If I confront Kamya now, she might tip off Noyonika. And then she’ll disappear before she even steps foot in Dalhousie again. We cannot risk that. Let her come tomorrow. We question her first. Get the details, then we decide how to go after Kamya.”
He paused, listening, then his voice lowered to something darker.
“I want to know where Kamya is. If she’s not in India, find out where the hell she is. Contact someone from the financial legal desk at the Verma & Associates. They must be in touch with her company. I want her location tonight. No excuses.”
He ended the call with a terse grunt, and silence settled.
Arundhati exhaled quietly and stepped inside his room through the connecting door. He noticed, of course. His gaze lifted to her, scanning her from head to toe in a single, unreadable sweep. But he said nothing.
She walked to the table, poured a glass of water from the jug, and brought it to him.
“You need to calm down,” she said quietly, extending it toward him.
He didn’t take it.
Instead, he stared at her, gaze intense, jaw still tight. “Water can’t calm what’s going on inside me right now,” he replied. “And trust me, Arundhati... you don’t want to know what else might.”
He turned away before she could respond, scrolling through his phone again, leaving her stunned—not just by his words, but by the way he’d said them.
Was that a double meaning? Or was she reading into everything now?
She was still staring at his back when the doorbell rang.
Kushal muttered something under his breath and went to answer it.
It was the receptionist from earlier, the one who had invited them to the honeymoon couple event. Her smile was warm and polite. “Good evening, sir. Just a reminder that the event begins in an hour. Here are your passes.”
Kushal opened his mouth, already shaking his head. “Uh… I don’t think we’ll be able to attend—”
“We’ll be there,” Arundhati interrupted smoothly as she stepped beside him, reaching out to take the passes with a composed smile. “Thank you.”
The receptionist beamed and walked away.
Arundhati shut the door behind her, turning back to find Kushal watching in disbelief. Of all the things he expected, her agreeing to attend the honeymoon event wasn’t one of them. Not after everything she’d said to him at the temple.
There was still too much heat between them. Too much unsaid. And now, they were heading into a night designed for love and laughter... while standing on a disastrous divorce line.
One spark, and it would all ignite.
She didn’t offer him an explanation. Just met his eyes and said, “I’m just keeping the word I gave them yesterday. Nothing more.”
She turned to walk back toward her room, but he wasn’t done. His hand shot out, fingers wrapping around her wrist, pulling her to a stop.
She faced him slowly as he stepped in front of her, blocking her path. His eyes locked on hers, darker now, not with anger, but something more wounded.
“You can honor a promise you made to strangers,” he said. “People you barely know. People who have no place in your present or future. But you can’t commit to the vows you took with your husband? The ones made before God, before your uncle, before everyone who actually matters?”
His words landed like a slap, but Arundhati didn’t flinch. Her jaw tightened, her chest heaving with controlled breath.
“Double standards, Arundhati,” he added, bitterly. “That’s what it looks like.”
That did it.