The Inconvenient Wife - Chapter 44
Sneha noticed how much darker his arm hair was when soaked with her tears. She wiped his arm with her shirt. She whispered, “I’m sorry. I-”
“No,” Rohan puts up his hand in front of her mouth. “Don’t apologize. Don’t ever apologize for how you feel. Okay?”
“Okay,” she sniffled. “Let’s go. I want to see the sunset with you,” she smiled feebly.
Sneha looked at her wedding band and nodded in reassurance at her decision. “Yes, I’m sure.”
Sneha took in one last look at the road they had just travelled. She reached out behind her for Rohan and he grabbed her hand. She led them back to the boat behind the captain.
As the boat left the pier for the wide, open sea, Sneha set about preparing supper from the various canisters she had brought on board. Meanwhile, Rohan sat by the captain taking in the view.
“Forgot to tell you I saw your friend at hotel bar,” the captain said.
“My friend?” Rohan asked.
“Yes. She say she lost you at hotel in Langkawi and want to meet you at boat,” he explained. “So, I tell her where boat is but did not see her when I get back.” Rohan was puzzled but could not recall any of his friends nor Sneha’s friends saying they would also be on the island. “No couldn’t be us. Whoever she was she must have realized her mistake because she wasn’t here when we got back.” Rohan shrugged it off.
“Supper is ready,” Sneha yelled out.
“Fantastic and right on time. The sun is just about to touch the water,” Rohan said as he climbed over the bench to Sneha. He gave her a long kiss on the cheek. When he pulled away he could see her blush, which made him grin from ear to ear.
—
She watched the boat depart through her binoculars and remained transfixed. Even as the taxi driver tugged at her dress and asked if they could leave. Even as she snapped at him that she was paying for him to wait. Even as her reservation time for her celebratory dinner approached. Stella did not move an inch nor did she take her eyes away from those binoculars. She imagined what they were doing on that boat.
Probably holding her hand and talking about how wonderful their life is going to be, she thought. I bet he’s kissing her right now and she’s just letting him. Her almost murderer. She’s so damned stupid. Why would any woman stay with a man that wanted to kill her? Something is clearly wrong with her to be so damn desperate.
Stella scratched at one of the many mosquito bites on her body. Despite wearing cargo pants and long sleeves they still managed to bite right through her clothes as she hid in the jungle outside of their hotel room the last night.
Probably eating dinner by now. I bet they’re talking about when they’re going to have kids. Rohan always wanted four children. Three boys, one girl. He better not give them the names we chose. Well, no need to worry about that. Rohan won’t be around much longer after dessert. Oh, how I wish I could be there to see the look on his face go from pure joy to pure horror as he eats his favourite!
Her stomach growled loudly but this was no time for hunger. Besides, she couldn’t celebrate until the boat returned to the pier with one dead husband. And a dead wife, if Stella was lucky.