Page 63 of Entangled Vows

She nodded way too fast. “Yes.”

“You don’t have to,” he said, sounding cool and polite. “You can just relax and feel at home. Sandhya Ma and the others can take care of the chores.”

“I know,” she replied sweetly. “But it’s an age-old tradition. The bride should make something sweet on her first day in the house. Since you don’t eat sweets,” she added, tiltingher head innocently, “I figured I’d make something healthy. Something you like.”

He cocked an eyebrow, impressed despite himself. “Well, look at you, all domesticated.”

She grinned. “Don’t get used to it. Have a sip, please.”

“I need to get to work early and make some calls. I’ll drink it on the go,” he said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he turned away.

Something was fishy. And he didn’t smell just one fish; he smelled an entire damn seafood market here.

She gave a light shrug. “Oh, no problem. We’re going to the same place anyway, so let’s just go together. It’s probably expected, considering we’re married.”

He bit back a groan. Of course, it was.

“Sure thing. Let’s go,” he muttered.

Mahika untied her apron with an exaggerated flourish and tossed her handbag over her shoulder. Tearing his gaze away from her slender frame, Vikram wordlessly picked up his laptop bag and grabbed the car keys from the bowl as they walked out together, the silence oddly civil… but thick with unspoken tension.

23

Five minutes into the drive, Vikram gripped the wheel, guiding the car along winding roads slick with morning dew. Soft sunlight filtered through the thick canopy of trees lining the road, casting a mesmerising pattern of shadows across the dashboard.

Mahika sat beside him, one leg crossed over the other, the light catching in her hair as she scrolled through her phone and hummed along to‘Dhoom Machale’on the radio. From the outside, they looked like any other carefree couple out on a drive. He risked a glance at her. She was still smiling to herself, lost in thought. Still suspiciously... pleasant.

Vikram’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the smoothie in the cup holder. The glass of glossy, green liquid sat there innocently as beads of condensation slid down its sides. He picked it up, gave it a slow swirl, then brought it to his lips and took a long sip.

And he went still.

BLOODY. FUCKING. HELL.

After the taste of kale and a hint of tangy sweetness, his tongue was ambushed by fire straight from the seventh circle of hell. It started as a slow burn, but then it quickly intensified… exploding across the roof of his mouth and tearing down histhroat in a blaze that had no business being in a breakfast smoothie.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. He swallowed hard, blinking against the sting in his eyes.

What the actual fuck—

Another wave of molten fire stung the back of his throat. He reached for the bottle of water in the side compartment, only to find it empty.

“Are you okay?” Mahika asked innocently.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he swerved the car to the side of the road and slammed on the brakes.

“Vikram?” she asked again, turning towards him.

He threw the car into park and turned to her, breathing through his nose like a man trying to hold on to the last thread of sanity. His tongue burned, his eyes watered, and even his lips tingled with a searing heat. He blinked, rubbing them in vain as his whole mouth was literally on fire.

And then it clicked. FUCKING Mahika. That sweet attitude, the sudden domestic act, her over excitement around him… it was all for this little stunt she’d cooked up for him. The evil witch had planned every bit of it.

She sat there all prim and proper, her hands folded neatly in her lap, the very picture of innocence. But inside, she was totally smirking, and he could see it. She may seem like an angel, but in reality, she was a devil incarnate.

Even as the fire raged in his mouth, his gaze stayed locked on her. He squared his shoulders, and in one slow, unhurried motion, lifted his glass and began to drink.

“Vikram… what are you doing?” she screeched in alarm.

He didn’t respond. He kept drinking until the very last drop, even though his throat burned. His eyes were definitely watering now, and his ears were ringing. But hell, if he’d give her the satisfaction of backing down. After finishing it, he placed the glass in the cupholder with a solid thud. Slowly, he turned his head and licked his bottom lip, as if to soothe the fire.