Past 8 in the evening, a car pulled up below the Star Plaza, a mid-rise commercial complex. The door opened and Tanuja Varma, late 20s, stepped down from the front. Though small and compact, she was cute and graceful with her silky mane and chocolate brown eyes.
Sarath Malhotra, early 30s, handsome, suave, peered at her from behind the wheel. “You sure you don’t want me to come along?”
“Nah! I’ll just take a few. Just need to drop in this package,” she said, shutting the door.
“Okay, I’ll wait then, call me if anything.”
“Sure,” she smiled and headed in to the lobby to take the elevator to the 5th floor. Though Sarath was her employer and boss, he had turned out to be a very good friend to her these days, a solace in troubled times. With him around, she felt at ease. She felt confident.
The doors opened into the lobby of ‘United Enterprises’. It wasn’t much but decent enough for a young company. This was where Nikhil was most of the time these days. With the packet in her hand, she took the semi-dark and deserted corridor to her husband Nikhil’s cabin. The automated ceiling lights flickered on as hurried down the aisle.
At the end of the corridor, she could see his glass-centered cabin door and the lights were on. She pushed through the door and almost walked through when what she saw playing before her eyes froze her to the ground.
At that moment, her world crumbled... fell apart from whatever was left of it.
Before her were her husband Nikhil and his business partner Alya in close proximity, in a compromising position.
Their bodies welded together.
His lips planted on hers.
Her arms around his neck.
His hand on her hip.
He slowly withdrew and gazed into Alya's eyes, searching them...
Tanuja watched the scene, speechlessly, her knees growing weaker and buckling under pressure with each passing second. Reeling, she stumbled back a step or two, the packet plopping to the floor from her limp hand.
At the sound, Nikhil turned to the door and went numb.
Tanuja's face was ghostly pale. When his eyes met hers, she quickly looked away, heart thumping, her breath labored. When she finally returned his gaze, a weak smile played on her lips, a smile that crushed him instantly, a smile blended with confusion, pain, contempt, sarcasm, or maybe... all of it.
