Page 66 of Entangled Vows

As she waited for her team to arrive, her eyes drifted to the floor-to-ceiling window. The hills were dusted with early summer haze. The sky was a perfect canvas of calm blues andwisps of white, fluffy clouds. It was a view that demanded awe, but her eyes were invariably drawn to the tablet glowing in front of her.

She opened her notebook app and let her fingers tap across the screen. Scattered thoughts spilled out in the form of haphazard words. Ideas for a romance novel she had been meaning to start for weeks finally took shape, even if only in a rough outline. She still hadn’t returned to her full-fledged writing routine, but she promised herself she would. Soon.

She’d barely managed to write four lines when her phone rang. Ishika’s name lit up the screen.

“Morning, Mrs. Khurana. How’s Monday treating you?” Ishika’s voice was light and teasing. She freelanced for a PR agency and travelled extensively, so apart from a few quick texts over the past three days, this was their first proper conversation.

Mahika sighed, her fingers tapping lazily on her desk. “I’m good, Ishi. Monday is… Mondaying. It’s just… meh. Are you back home? We need to meet.”

“Yep. Got back last night,” Ishika replied, her excitement obvious. “We’ll meet soon, I promise. Also, Mahi,” Ishika added with a teasing lilt, “how can your Monday be meh? You’re married now, and you and your sexy husband work at the same place. I thought work would be ten times more interesting now.”

Mahika let out a dry laugh. “Apparently, it’s exactly the same as before,” she said, the irony obvious in her tone.

“Oh, come on,” Ishika prodded playfully. “Surely there’s something… loaded glances, a hot moment, some drama waiting to explode?”

“Oh, there are glances,” Mahika said flatly. “Lots of them. Mostly the kind that pretend I don’t exist.”

“What?” Ishika gasped, mock scandalised.

“Yes,” Mahika deadpanned. “Vikram just avoids and ignores me now, like I’m invisible to him.”

“How dare he?” Ishika gasped, outraged in the most dramatic manner.

“I’m wondering the exact same thing,” Mahika replied with a smirk. “But I don’t want to think about that now,” Mahika said, changing the subject smoothly. “You tell me. What are you up to today?”

“I just got up,” Ishika replied, “and plan to laze around for a bit, trying to avoid real responsibilities for a few more hours. Later this afternoon, I’ve got a meeting with my team. What about you, Mrs. Romance Writer?”

“Oh, you know,” Mahika chuckled, leaning back in her chair. “Waiting for the team to arrive for a meeting. Since everyone is running late, I thought I’d write a little.”

“The new romance novel?”

“Mmm.” Her voice softened. “I’m just scribbling down a few ideas at the moment. Currently, all of it is half-baked nonsense.”

“Oooh, look at you, multitasking! What’s the plot this time? Alpha billionaire? Grumpy boss? Secret baby?”

Mahika laughed softly. “It’s nothing concrete yet. I’m just letting my brain wander.”

“Sounds romantic already.”

“It’s been months since I sat down and wrote properly. I keep telling myself I’ll get back to it. Soon. But somehow, there’s never enough time.”

“You should write daily. You light up when you write, and even more when you talk about your stories. Does His Highness know?”

Mahika acted dumb on purpose. “Know what?”

“That you’re secretly living an alternate life in your head with ridiculously hot fictional men, while he’s busy being broody, controlling, and hot in real life?”

Mahika couldn’t help but laugh. “No. He has no idea.”

“Why not? It wouldn’t hurt to tell him. Maybe he’ll be into it.”

“I doubt it,” she said, her smile dimming a little.

“Mahi, just because your dad was a jerk about it—and I’m sorry, but he was—doesn’t mean everyone else will be.”

“It’s not about that, Ishi. He doesn’t need to know. This marriage has an expiry date. No point in handing him little pieces of me when he’s never going to keep them.”

There was a pause. Ishika’s soft breath was the only sound on the other end.