No Rings Attached by Mona Shroff

Author:Mona Shroff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-01-04T18:55:48+00:00

* * *

Sangeeta dragged her feet down the hallway of her old apartment building. Familiar scents of lavender—gag—and jasmine—heaven—swept by her as she passed the doors of her neighbors, whom she barely knew. She stood in front of unit 31 staring at the bare door as if it belonged to someone else. It had been nine days since she ran from this life, and yet she barely recognized it anymore.

She knocked on the door even though she had the key in her bag. Sounds of shuffling reached her from inside before Param opened the door.

The Param of her old life was also missing. The man who greeted her had unkempt hair and a slight tan, wearing a T-shirt and shorts. On the plus side, he appeared less frazzled than he had the day of their unmet nuptials. At least the deer-in-headlights look seemed to be gone.

“Sangeeta.” Her name on his lips held the weight of pain and anger. No less than what she deserved. Though she could not remember how her name had sounded on his lips before. What she did know was exactly how her name sounded when Sonny said it, in its many iterations, irritated, angry, puzzled and mocking. Param stepped aside and she walked in, a guest where she had once lived. The apartment was basically as she had seen it last, minus the empty alcohol bottles.

She was still scanning the area when Param held his phone up to her. “What’s this?” He wasted no time. He scrolled through photos of her with Sonny. Him helping her escape Maximón in his arms. Dancing salsa, their bodies touching. Tagging him as her boyfriend an hour ago.

Crap. Of course he’d have seen all this upon his return. “Um... I can explain.” But could she? Could she trust Param with the truth? That she was faking to save her job, which she might lose since she ran away from marrying him?

“Can you? Because it looks like you’ve got a boyfriend one week after you didn’t marry me.” Param’s voice was rough and harsh and everything she deserved.

She opened her mouth, but he interrupted her.

“Were you seeing him?”

“What?”

“Were you seeing him—” Param’s voice shook with anger “—while we were together?”

Her heart sank. “No.” She took a few steps toward him. He backed away from her as if she could physically hurt him. “Why would you... I would never...”

“That’s what I had thought. That you would never cheat. But how else do you explain all of this? How else do you explain this level of intimacy this fast?” Param shook his head. “We were supposed to be married. You ran, and the next thing I know is that you’re seeing this guy. What else am I supposed to think?” He shook his head. “Don’t even try to deny it. These pictures are proof enough.”

He stopped and looked at his phone again, swiping through the photos. “I didn’t look at my phone the whole time I was gone.”

“I thought Rani went with you.”

“She did.

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