Married in Vengeance (Dynasty Rebels #4)

Chapter 37

Thirty-Seven

RAM

Ram stared into his glass of whiskey, endless thoughts and recriminations swirling through his head. A sole lamp on his nightstand glowed, the only light in the room. He couldn’t stand to look at himself or his deeds any clearer than that.

His bedroom door clicked open, the sound loud in the quiet of the room.

“Do I want to know what you did?” Veda stood, silhouetted against the entrance to his bedroom.

“No.” Ram shook his head.

Veda came in and shut the door behind her, reaching for the light switch.

“Don’t.” He needed the shadows to survive the night.

Veda’s hand dropped away from the switch, her face softening with a mix of pity and compassion. This sister of his had an endless well of compassion. Which is probably why she’d been sent to see to him rather than the other one.

She settled herself on the bed beside him, drawing her legs up and sitting cross legged, her cotton kurta flaring out around her.

“How bad is it?” she asked, plumping the pillows behind her and making herself comfortable.

“Very.”

“Fixable?”

“No.”

“You’re sure?” She looked at him, her endless optimism grating against his misery and self-flagellation.

Ram turned his head to the side and glared at her.

“So, what’s the plan?” she asked, not wilting in the least under his glare.

“There is no plan.”

“Of course there is,” she countered. “You’re Ram Gadde. You always have a plan.”

“Not this time. I’m done.”

“So, you’re going to sit here in the dark like a vampire and drink yourself silly?”

He didn’t deign to reply to that. Sitting in the dark like a vampire and soaking his liver in whiskey sounded good to him.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked now. His sister was nothing but persistent.

“No.” He bit the word out. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about it.

Veda fell silent, her thoughtful gaze on his averted profile. Shame washed through him at the way he was behaving. Sighing, he said, “I should explain myself to her first. Explain and apologise. I can’t talk to anyone else about it before I do that.”

“Do you think it will make a difference?”

“No, Vedu. It’s over. Nothing I say or do will make a difference.”

“But you’ll still do it?” There was nothing but gentle curiosity in her voice.

“I will. I deserve everything she throws at me. She’s going to ask for a divorce.”

Veda made a little hmming noise at the back of her throat. “Instead of assuming, why don’t we let her tell us what she wants?”

“Whatever she wants, I will give it to her.”

His phone rang at that moment, startling them both. He glanced at the display to see that Virat was calling. He sat up, his whiskey sloshing over the rim of his glass at the sudden movement.

“Hello?” He put the phone on speaker so Veda could hear as well.

“Could you come down to my place? I want to show you the new home theatre system I picked up.”

Adrenalin fired through Ram’s veins. If Virat was calling him over, it was because he had something good.

“They sent me a damaged piece and now are refusing to exchange it or refund my money. I want to take the bastards to consumer court. I could use a little legal advice on that,” Virat added.

So, this was something that would help Aadhya in court.

“I’m leaving now.” Ram was already off the bed and yanking his cupboard open. He grabbed the first set of clothes he could find and rushed into the bathroom to change. When he emerged, it was to see Veda putting her phone away.

“Called for one of the drivers,” she informed him. “You’re not driving after you drank half the city’s stock of scotch.”

He nodded, drawing his sister into a hug and kissing the top of her head. “Thank you,” he murmured.

“I didn’t do anything,” she countered good naturedly, walking with him to the front door. “Just sat next to you and listened to you say no to everything I suggested.”

“Thank you for checking on me.” He yanked the front door open and stepped out into the night. It was a muggy night and he could almost smell an oncoming storm in the air.

“Anna.” Veda stopped him with a hand on his arm. “You’ve been father, mother and big brother to both Raashi and I all our lives. Don’t ever thank me for checking on you when you’re the very reason I even grew into a functional human being in the first place.”

Ram looked towards the driveway that led to the house from the garage. No sign of the driver or the car. Maybe he should start walking towards the garage. He took a couple of steps forward.

“You are the best person I know,” she told him now, her voice carrying on the night air and stopping him. He didn’t turn to face her. In the distance, headlights cut through the dark. The car was coming.

“You wouldn’t say that if you knew what I’ve done,” he told his sister, his back still to her. Facing her disappointment in him was not something he had the strength for tonight.

“You’ve always held yourself to a higher standard than the rest of us,” she replied, her voice soft with understanding. “You’ve always used logic and intellect to make your decisions. If you allowed your emotions to take control and it caused you to topple off your pedestal, then I only have one thing to say.”

The car rolled to a stop in front of them, closely followed by Veda’s own car and her security team.

Ram opened the door intending to get in without prolonging this painful conversation. But he couldn’t. He glanced back at Veda. “What?”

“Welcome to being human. We’re happy to have you join us in the grey, mucky world of bad decisions, stupid choices and even more idiotic dreams.”

He barked out a laugh, surprising himself.

“Go,” she told him now. “Go fix this. And then go get your wife back.”

He went. The first he would do. The second he knew would never happen.