Page 107 of The Defiant Wife

I turn, walk toward the doors, and leave the meeting behind.The heavy doors close softly behind me. I walk through the long palace corridor, unbuttoning my sleeves as I go.The irritation doesn't disappear. But it changes.I'm tired of meetings.Tired of reports.Tired of people reducing the most important person in my life to numbers on a screen.

Right now, I don't want another discussion.I don't want another presentation.

I just want to get out of this suit, leave the board behind for the day, and find the sharp-tongued girl who somehow turned my perfectly organized world upside down.

Just to hear her argue with me.

Just to watch that stubborn blush spread across her cheeks all over again.

Because to everyone else, she's a princess.

To me . . . She's simply Diya. The girl who made me realize I can feel too, that I have a heart too.

39. LEAN ON ME

DIYA

I sit on the edge of our bed with my face buried in my hands.

Today has been a disaster.

An administrative crisis hit the NGO first thing this morning. A corrupt land inspector suddenly questions the lease for our building and threatens to shut down our operations by Monday unless impossible conditions are met.

I've spent the entire day buried in legal notices, government files, and endless phone calls.

I'm exhausted.

For the first time in four years, I genuinely don't know what to do.

The sound of the bedroom doors opening barely registers.

Veeraj walks inside, his sleeves folded up, he steps into the room after what is probably another long day of meetings.Normally, just looking at him calms me down. Or ignite me.

Today, I feel restless.Something inside me finally snaps.I shoot up from the bed and start talking before he even gets a chanceto say hello."No wonder I can't think properly in this palace!" I throw my hands into the air. "Everything here is so serious and suffocating. Ever since I came here, all I've done is deal with royal rules, meetings, and paperwork. I swear this place is making me lose my mind!"

I pace across the room while the words pour out of me."And everyone keeps expecting me to know what to do! I am trying, Veeraj! I really am trying, but nothing is working!"

He doesn't interrupt. He doesn't defend himself. He simply stands near the door and lets me finish.

Only after I've completely run out of words and breath does he walk toward me.Slowly."What is it, Diya?" he asks quietly. His voice is calm.The same voice that somehow manages to slow my heartbeat every single time.

"What happened?"The kindness in those three words breaks something inside me.

All the anger disappears so suddenly it almost makes me dizzy. My eyes burn. Before I can stop myself, tears spill down my cheeks."I'm sorry," I whisper, covering my face with both hands.

Then the whisper turns into a sob. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted at you. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

I barely finish speaking before his arms wrap around me.He pulls me against his chest so naturally that it feels like he's done it a hundred times before. One hand settles against the back of my head as he gently tucks my face into the crook of his neck.His familiar woodsy cologne surrounds me, and somehow the room already feels safer.

"You can yell at me whenever you need to," he murmurs into my hair.His voice is soft enough that I almost don't hear it."But don't apologize for feeling overwhelmed."He pauses before adding with the smallest hint of amusement, "Besides . . . you're strangely adorable when you're angry."

A watery laugh escapes me before I can stop it.I lightly smack his chest."You are impossible."

"I've been told."

I feel him laugh quietly.The vibration travels through his chest into my cheek, making another tiny smile appear despite everything.

After a minute, he gently holds my shoulders and eases me back just enough to look at my face."Now tell me.What happened?"