“Are you okay?” I asked.
She flickered her gaze and nodded.“I’m absolutely fine. What would happen to me?”
I couldn’t help but gently cup her cheek. Her body stiffened.
“Hey,” I said, pulling her closer for a hug, but she resisted.“I’m sorry about the bet.”
Her breathing quickened as I gently pulled her to my chest. I couldn’t help but lean in to kiss the top of her head.
“I’m truly sorry for hurting you.”
She shook her head.“You didn’t hurt me.” Her voice was thick with sadness.
“Then tell me who hurt you,” I asked, angling her face to look at me.
“I hurt myself,”
Shaking my head slowly, I asked,“What do you mean?”
She stepped away from me.
“You care about me,” she said.“And no man has ever cared about me. Despite how my heart has hardened, I can’t convince myself that this isn’t real. This cannot happen. The way you keep pulling me back to you hurts… it hurts, Kunwar-sa; please don’t do this.” A tear rolled down her cheek.
My heart felt heavy.“I didn’t mean to hurt you, really,” I tried to explain, and she nodded, wiping her tears.
“I know…” she said, her lips quivering.“I know, you never want to hurt me, but please understand you’re committed to someone else. You shouldn’t worry about me, and I shouldn’t mistake your care for something more—my saviour.”
She took a few steps away from me.
I didn’t know what came over me as I held her hand and pulled her back toward me. Our chests collided, and I made her look at me. Her eyes widened.
“You don’t have to worry about my marriage,” I said.
She stared silently at me.“And?” she asked, trying to push me away.“Do you want me to become the person I’ve hated all my life? A second woman?”
There was so much pain in the way she questioned.
I shook my head.“Trust me,” a weight tightened my chest.“You’re not second.”
“Of course,” she breathed deeply.“I’m not second. Maybe third, fourth, tenth, fiftieth, hundredth, three hundred—”
“Stop.”
My heart raced as my face inched closer to her lips. I clenched my fingers, watching her eyes fill with fear, and her lips wobble at our proximity.
She looked into my eyes and gulped nervously.
My gaze fell on her lips. I blinked, struggling to gauge the consequences. The burden of everything except her lifted from my mind as I leaned even closer.
Her breathing quickened, and she shook her head with shivers. I squeezed my eyes shut, biting my lip in a futile attempt at self-control.
“I want to go, Kunwar-sa.” She said, snivelling.
I scared her away.
Closing my eyes, I couldn’t help but gently kiss the tip of her nose.“Just do whatever you want. But be happy and—”
“I want to go,” she cut me off, pushing me away.
