The Accidental Wife – Excerpt #4
“I’m getting married. Time to celebrate.”
His mother, as he’d guessed she would, immediately dismissed him. “Rihaan, if that’s supposed to be a joke then it is a very bad one.”
“Maa… I’m telling the truth,” Rihaan said. “I’ve found a suitable girl and the deal is set.”
“Really? Is it someone I know?” she asked.
“No. I found her online. She lives in India and is a perfect match.” He managed to speak with conviction even if he didn’t feel it at all.
“Back home? Online? So soon? Are you mad?” Shobha looked crestfallen. Her desire of bringing her dear friend’s daughter, Renu, home was clearly crushed. Apparently she had continued to hope, even though the day she had introduced the girl to him, he had failed to react. He hadn’t even blinked, if he recalled correctly!
“No, I’m not mad,” he replied, assisting her to a beautifully upholstered Victorian chair and handing her a glass of water.
He tried to dress his future wife up a bit. “This girl has all the qualities a good wife should possess. She’s incredibly talented. She’s a great cook (though he had no clue if Deepika could even turn the stove on), she paints, sews…everything.” He stopped himself in time before getting carried away, or his mother would definitely become suspicious. “She’s grounded and is pure desi! You’ll adore her!”
Shashank suppressed a chuckle and said the only thing that seemed to concern him. “She certainly sounds like a rare gem, Rihaan. What about her family? We’d like to talk to her parents.”
“You don’t have to worry about them, Dad. I’ve checked them out already. They are great, just like their daughter,” Rihaan confirmed quickly. He didn’t want his father to launch into a prolonged investigation.
His mother having recovered a little, smiled fondly at Rihaan. At least he was getting married was probably what she was thinking. “Alright,” she said. “But I wish to see her picture and, I’d also like to know her name.”
“It’s a surprise,” Rihaan said mysteriously. “Just have a little patience and trust me. Next month you’ll get your wish.”
Pg. 30 (similar to Prologue)
But somehow it all didn’t quite gel for him. Something had gone wrong, yet he couldn’t put his finger on it.
So when it came time for his wedding night, leaving his cousins and miscellaneous relatives behind to rejoice in drunken revelry, Rihaan headed to the room on the second floor of his uncle’s house specially decorated for the purpose singularly determined to pull the veil off the disquieting mystery—his so-called wife.
He found her on the balcony. “Deepika?” he ventured tentatively.
She stepped out of the shadows.
But the girl who stood in front of him was certainly not the one he thought he’d married, and to make matters even worse, she was definitely not ordinary-looking.
She was stunning!
Just as his eyes affixed to her face, the wheels of his brain drew to an abrupt halt. What a face it was. That of an enchantress, no less.
“I’m getting married. Time to celebrate.”
His mother, as he’d guessed she would, immediately dismissed him. “Rihaan, if that’s supposed to be a joke then it is a very bad one.”
“Maa… I’m telling the truth,” Rihaan said. “I’ve found a suitable girl and the deal is set.”
“Really? Is it someone I know?” she asked.
“No. I found her online. She lives in India and is a perfect match.” He managed to speak with conviction even if he didn’t feel it at all.
“Back home? Online? So soon? Are you mad?” Shobha looked crestfallen. Her desire of bringing her dear friend’s daughter, Renu, home was clearly crushed. Apparently she had continued to hope, even though the day she had introduced the girl to him, he had failed to react. He hadn’t even blinked, if he recalled correctly!
“No, I’m not mad,” he replied, assisting her to a beautifully upholstered Victorian chair and handing her a glass of water.
He tried to dress his future wife up a bit. “This girl has all the qualities a good wife should possess. She’s incredibly talented. She’s a great cook (though he had no clue if Deepika could even turn the stove on), she paints, sews…everything.” He stopped himself in time before getting carried away, or his mother would definitely become suspicious. “She’s grounded and is pure desi! You’ll adore her!”
Shashank suppressed a chuckle and said the only thing that seemed to concern him. “She certainly sounds like a rare gem, Rihaan. What about her family? We’d like to talk to her parents.”
“You don’t have to worry about them, Dad. I’ve checked them out already. They are great, just like their daughter,” Rihaan confirmed quickly. He didn’t want his father to launch into a prolonged investigation.
His mother having recovered a little, smiled fondly at Rihaan. At least he was getting married was probably what she was thinking. “Alright,” she said. “But I wish to see her picture and, I’d also like to know her name.”
“It’s a surprise,” Rihaan said mysteriously. “Just have a little patience and trust me. Next month you’ll get your wish.”
Pg. 30 (similar to Prologue)
But somehow it all didn’t quite gel for him. Something had gone wrong, yet he couldn’t put his finger on it.
So when it came time for his wedding night, leaving his cousins and miscellaneous relatives behind to rejoice in drunken revelry, Rihaan headed to the room on the second floor of his uncle’s house specially decorated for the purpose singularly determined to pull the veil off the disquieting mystery—his so-called wife.
He found her on the balcony. “Deepika?” he ventured tentatively.
She stepped out of the shadows.
But the girl who stood in front of him was certainly not the one he thought he’d married, and to make matters even worse, she was definitely not ordinary-looking.
She was stunning!
Just as his eyes affixed to her face, the wheels of his brain drew to an abrupt halt. What a face it was. That of an enchantress, no less.
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