The Stranger's Wife

Chapter-12

Arthur sighed, gripping Aaira’s wrist gently as he tried to pull her up from the poolside.

“Come on, Aaira. You’re drunk and freezing. Let’s go inside.”

But Aaira was stubborn. Instead of standing up, she tightened her grip on his wrist and pulled him down beside her. The cool night breeze brushed against their skin, the water in the pool shimmering under the soft moonlight.

Arthur let out an exasperated breath but didn’t protest. He could see the heaviness in her eyes, something far beyond just the effects of alcohol. It was pain—deep, buried pain that she had never shared before.

He hesitated for a moment before asking, “What’s wrong?”

Aaira took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke. “I will tell you a story.”

Arthur remained silent, his expression unreadable as she began.

“When I was a little girl, I was terrified of my father. He was a strict man—whatever he said was law. I was not allowed to question him, disobey him, or even express my own opinions. Being grown in an orthodox family, my world was confined within the four walls of my home. I studied at a girls’ school, then at a girls’ college. I had never spoken to a boy in my life.”

She let out a bitter chuckle, shaking her head. And then, as soon as my college final semesters ended, my father married me off. To Adam Walt. He was an engineer. A good match, they said. A respectable man, they said. I believed them. It was an arranged marriage.

Arthur’s fingers curled slightly as he listened. He had never heard her speak about her past before. He never asked. But now, as her voice quivered with emotion, he realized how much she had hidden.

“I was young and naïve. I thought marriage would be a fairytale. "That my husband would love me, cherish me, treat me like a queen,” Aaira continued, her lips twisting into a bitter smile. “But fate had other plans for me.”

Arthur remained still, his dark eyes locked on her.

“On our first night, Adam looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘I have a lover, and I still love her. "This marriage means nothing to me.’”

Arthur’s jaw tightened.

“I was too naïve to even understand his words. I thought… maybe with time, he would grow to love me. Maybe I could be enough for him.”

She let out a shaky breath. “But I was wrong.”

The distant sound of crickets filled the silence between them. Aaira’s fingers absentmindedly traced patterns on the wet tiles beside her.

“He called me ugly,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. He told me he was bearing with me because of our families. He avoided me, wouldn’t even touch me. I was nothing but a burden to him.

Arthur’s hands clenched into fists.

“Then, I got pregnant with Aarsh. And for the first time, I thought maybe things would change. Maybe a child would bring us closer. But Adam never changed. He ignored me, but he loved our son. He would dote on Aarsh but pretend I didn’t exist. And the words he said to me… they cut deeper than anything.”

Aaira swallowed hard. “He would say I was useless. That I couldn’t cook properly. That I was a terrible wife. Even when I put on makeup, he would laugh and tell me it made me look worse. He scolded me in front of his mother, humiliated me at every turn.”

Arthur exhaled sharply, barely containing his anger. The thought of someone treating Aaira that way made his blood boil.

“This went on for fifteen years,” she continued. Fifteen long, suffocating years. I had no friends, no one to turn to. My mother was the only person I could confide in, but she was helpless too. All she could tell me was to bear with it, to be patient.

Aaira closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “Then, my mother-in-law passed away. And that was it. Adam didn’t need to pretend anymore. He divorced me the moment he could.”

Arthur’s heart ached at the raw pain in her voice. He had seen glimpses of her struggles before, but now, hearing the full truth, he couldn’t believe how much she had endured.

Aaira wiped her tears roughly, forcing out a chuckle. “I thought divorce would free me. And in some ways, it did. But it also left me with nothing. No home, no security, no self-worth. Just a son who needed me, and a world that suddenly felt too big, too cruel.”

She turned to Arthur, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Do you know how it feels to be unwanted? To spend years believing you’re not good enough?”

Arthur didn’t answer. He didn’t trust himself to speak. Instead, he reached out, his fingers brushing against hers in a silent offering of comfort.

Aaira let out a shaky breath, looking down at their hands before pulling away. “I had never told anyone all this before. Not even Aarsh.”

Arthur exhaled deeply. “You shouldn’t have gone through that alone.”

She gave him a small, tired smile. “I had no choice.”

Silence stretched between them. Arthur’s mind was whirling.

Arthur wanted to say something—anything—to erase the pain in her eyes. But no words came. He felt guilty himself. He, too, had made her suffer for the past few months, then thought to himself, he would make things right for her, he would support her and here after, he would stand by her side. The woman beside him wasn’t just strong—she was unbreakable. She had survived years of torment, emerged from it, and was still standing. He realized just how much he admired her.

Maybe, just maybe, he was starting to feel something more for her….

To be continued….