Married in Vengeance (Dynasty Rebels #4)

Chapter 38

Thirty-Eight

AADHYA

Five days of no sleep, barely enough food to fuel her body, and endless hours of stress and anxiety later, Aadhya sat on a hard wooden bench in court waiting for her case to be called.

She glanced at her brother who sat in stony silence beside her, his wife resting her head on his shoulder in silent comfort. Her heart ached as she watched them together. She loved them so much and she was still envious of the love they shared.

Five days of complete silence from her husband. No call, no message, no visit. Nothing. Nothing since he’d told her that he’d married her to punish her. Nothing since she’d left him behind and returned home.

She looked towards the door in the distance, expecting her heart to manifest its deepest desire. But still…

Nothing. He hadn’t come.

“I want a divorce,” she whispered, more to herself than anyone else but her brother stiffened beside her.

Aarush slipped his sunglasses off and looked at her silently, waiting for her to say more. Beside him, Priyanka leaned forward.

“I want a divorce,” she said again, louder this time.

Aarush nodded. “Okay.”

He caught her hand between both of his, squeezing gently. “If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“We should probably wait until the mess of this case is behind us,” Priyanka murmured.

“No,” Aarush shook his head. “If Aadhya wants out, then she wants out. She doesn’t need to wait for anything.”

“Aarush, the media glare on the case-“

“Fuck the media.”

“Yeah,” Aadhya nodded. “Fuck the media.”

And fuck one fucking media heir in particular. Not that he cared about inheriting the flourishing media house his family owned.

“Fuck them all,” she added with relish.

A man sitting one row ahead of her turned around, startled by her vehemence.

“Fuck you too,” she told him.

“Alright.” Aarush slapped a palm over her mouth silencing her. “Let’s not get carried away. I don’t want to get into a fist fight because of you. This suit is too nice to ruin.”

Virat walked over with a file of papers under his arm, Karthik with him. She looked beyond them but nope, still nothing. He still hadn’t come.

“Hey Aadhya,” Karthik smiled. “How’s it going?”

“Like shit,” she replied succinctly. “That’s how it’s going.”

Karthik’s smile wavered a little before he consciously pasted it on. “It’s going to get better.”

Aadhya shook her head at him, turning away and staring at the little man who sat by the door to the inner court. He kept shouting out incomprehensible gibberish but the lawyers and other court employees seemed to have no trouble deciphering it.

“Hi.” Virat slipped into the seat beside her.

“Hi.” Aadhya glared at his stupid face. Which God had made this man? It was ridiculous to see how good looking he was. “Are you going to ask me how it’s going too?”

“No.” Virat smiled. “I’m smart.”

Aadhya huffed out a laugh as Karthik glared at them. Virat covered her nervously tapping hand with one of his, stopping the rapid, staccato motion.

“It’s going to be okay,” he told her.

They should bottle this man’s charisma she thought as she stared at him. It was just stupid inducing.

“So along with the god like good looks, did you also get the gift of seeing into the future?” she asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.

“Aadhya,” Aarush murmured in reproof.

Virat simply smiled, not looking the least bit put out by her ire.

“Maybe,” he said teasingly. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Aadhya glanced at the door in the far end of the room, anger, hurt, betrayal swirling in a toxic mess in her heart. And still, she looked for him. And still, he didn’t come.

Facing forward again, she said, “We will win.”

“Today is just a preliminary hearing,” Karthik began. “There will be no judgements today.”

Aarush tipped his sunglasses down his nose and looked over them at Karthik.

“But yes, we will win,” he added hastily. “In due course.”

“Will you also represent me in my divorce?” Aadhya demanded.

Karthik gulped, rubbing his sweaty hands against his black lawyer’s coat.

“Aadhya,” Priyanka leaned forward, taking pity on Karthik and distracting her. “Look who’s come.”

Her stupid traitorous heart jumped, lodging itself in her throat as she looked, again, towards the entrance. Gayatri, her best friend, rushed towards her, dropping to her haunches in front of Aadhya and wrapping her in a tight hug.

She should be happy, she told her brainless heart. All the people who genuinely loved her were here to support her. She didn’t need a toxic waste of space. She didn’t need a lying, cheating bastard. She didn’t need him.

“I’m going to divorce him,” she told Gayu, the moment her friend stopped strangling her from love and concern. “Aarush Anna said I can.”

Gayatri flashed a worried look around their little group. “Okay. We’ll do that. You don’t have to yell it out to a bunch of strangers at court.”

“I’m not yelling,” Aadhya whisper shouted.

The little man at the door chose that moment to gurgle and mumble something, all said at ear splitting levels and making no sense.

But miraculously, Karthik seemed to understand his mumbo jumbo.

“That’s us,” he announced, pulling a very ‘Aadhya move’ and looking over at the door.

Aadhya looked too. But nope, still nothing. Fuckhead.

She stood, her legs trembling as she followed her brother and Karthik into the courtroom. The others stayed behind, not wanting to crowd the already crowded space.

Aadhya was starting to feel lightheaded, sweat beading her brow and upper lip, her bra seemingly tightening of its own accord and cutting off her oxygen supply.

“Is the defense ready?” The judge asked, looking over at their little trio.

“Yes, Your Honour.” A new voice announced from behind them. A horribly familiar new voice. A straight-from-Aadhya’s-manifestation voice.

The judge peered at a point behind Aadhya, a genial smile gracing his face. “You, eh?”

“Yes, Your Honour. Ram Gadde for the defense.”