The air at breakfast the following morning was still thick with tension. The unnoticeable staff had set out the usual Sunday morning breakfast buffet on the sunny patio next to the pool before disappearing back into the house. Sidharth didn't like distractions on Sunday mornings, so he preferred not to see the staff and usually, even though he insisted Shehnaaz have all meals with him for "appearances" sake, he ignored her in favor of his Sunday Times.
That morning, despite the fact that he had the usual barrier of his newspaper up between him and the rest of the world, meaning her, she could all but feel his fury. Finally, after an unbearably tense half an hour, he balled the paper up between his fists and tossed it aside before glaring at her across the glass table.
"I want to know exactly where you were yesterday, Shehnaaz," he demanded fiercely.
"Why do you even care?" Shehnaaz asked tiredly.
"You've certainly disappeared without explanation enough times for the both of us."
"We're not talking about me here," Sidharth pointed out.
"No but I think it's time we do talk about your outrageous behavior, about the other women and the obvious disregard for the fact that you're married!"
"I don't feel married!" He sounded almost defensive.
"No?" Shehnaaz retorted recklessly. "Well maybe I don't feel married either! Maybe I'm ready to be outrageous. Maybe I'm ready for other men and extra marital affairs too!"
"This had better not be your way of telling me that you were with another man last night, Shehnaaz," he warned ominously, his voice quite calm. Shehnaaz recklessly ignored the warning in his voice and plunged on regardless.
"So what if that's exactly what I'm telling you?" Shehnaaz asked daringly.
"What will you do about it? Make my life hell? Well surprise surprise... it's already hell! Do your worst!"
"What's his name?" Sidharth insisted in a lethally calm voice that sent an involuntary shudder down her spine. Shehnaaz suddenly recognized that she had pushed him too far but she knew that even if she backed down now, it wouldn't assuage his anger.
"Shehnaaz, who the hell is he?"
Even though Shehnaaz knew that he would never physically harm her, she couldn't help but
feel an instinctive shiver of fear. Shehnaaz knew that Sidharth had a tight leash on his temper but right now that leash seemed strained to breaking point.
"I... I was speaking hypothetically," Shehnaaz stuttered, abandoning all pretence of bravado and feeling unbelievably intimidated.
"I don't believe you," he bit out furiously.
"I wasn't with anybody, I just needed a break!"
"A break..." Sidharth repeated with flat contempt.
"Yes a break! A break from you and from this life... I don't want to be in this marriage anymore. I want out... I want away from you! Please... I just want a divorce, Sidharth. Please."
"You'll get your divorce when I get my son," he reminded ruthlessly.
"That's so sick," Shehnaaz protested. "Why would you even want a child with a woman you despise?"
Sidharth didn't respond, instead he sent an odd probing little look over her strained face.
"You honestly don't know, do you?" he breathed in disbelief and Shehnaaz blinked in confusion.
"Know what?" Shehnaaz asked blankly, distracted by the rapt look on his face. Again he didn't reply.
"Know what?"
