The Stranger Husband

Through His Eyes

Johnny’s POV ~

How could she forget?

I know I’m being skeptical, but the thought gnaws at me. One year. It’s our anniversary, yet she acted as if it were just another Tuesday. Does she have someone else? An affair? The mere idea makes my blood simmer. How dare she look at other men when she is bound to me? I know it sounds possessive—perhaps even "cheesy"—but facts are facts. She has no right to cheat. Not unless I allow it. And I don’t.

My curiosity got the better of me earlier, so I threw the question at her like a lead weight: “Is someone else keeping you busy day and night?”

I didn't exactly mean to humiliate her in front of Gloria, but my P.A. couldn't help herself. She let out a sharp laugh, flashing those perfect, porcelain teeth. "I think it’s the latter, Sir," Gloria chirped.

God, can’t this woman just be quiet? Gloria always manages to ruin the mood. She has a face crafted by the best surgeons—pretty, sure—but every time she opens her mouth, I’m reminded why I have trust issues. Nowadays, everything is a fabrication. Faces, people, promises. I’m bad at trusting, and for good reason.

“Oh yeah! Our anniversary,” Avantika finally said, the realization dawning on her face.

Finally. At least she remembers she’s married.

Gloria made some snide comment about Avantika having a small brain, and for a second, I saw the fire return to my wife’s eyes.

“Will you stop poking your nose into our matters?” Avantika snapped, her voice tight with annoyance.

Feisty. That’s the quality I admire most in her. She stands her ground, no matter how much the world tries to bury her. That defiance? It’s a magnet. It’s the most striking thing about her.

She glared at Gloria, who immediately pivoted into a "puppy dog" act. “How dare you? Sir, I’m just stating facts,” Gloria pouted at me.

I could have stopped Gloria. I should have. But part of me wanted to see how Avantika would fight back. Still, a low growl started in my chest. Nobody has the right to talk to my wife like that—not even a girl I pay to handle my files. Avantika is mine. And in this country, nobody touches or speaks ill of what belongs to Johnny Orlando.

I ignored the bickering and started laying out the function arrangements Gloria and I had been working on. But Avantika... she looked different. Remorseful. Sad.

When she slipped away, Sam and Livia cornered me.

“So, Johnny, what’s really going on between you two?” Sam asked, his voice low.

“What do you mean?” I played dumb.

“Don’t act like you don’t see it. She looks devastated,” Sam replied.

I didn’t mention yesterday. If I told Sam the truth about how I’ve been treating her, he’d probably bury me six feet deep. For some reason, Sam has always been her self-appointed guardian.

“Did you guys... sort it out?” Livia mumbled, searching my face. “Did you talk last night?”

I told her not to worry. My business is my own.

We were deep in conversation when I spotted her small frame on the staircase. The room went silent as we all looked up. She looked nervous, like a deer caught in high beams. When Sam asked her to join us, I gave her a sharp glare—a silent command to stay away so I wouldn't have to face her in front of them.

Naturally, she ignored me and walked right into the lion's den.

She sat beside me, shifting her weight, trying—and failing—to find a comfortable spot on the sliver of sofa I’d left her. I smirked. A petty victory, but I’ll take it.

The problem was, I couldn't think straight with her that close. The heat of her thigh pressed against mine was a distraction I didn't need. I wanted to reach out, to claim her right there, to bend her to my will—but I held back. I caught her watching me out of the corner of her eye.

Did she know what I was thinking? No. Impossible.

Then Gloria reappeared from my office, swaying her hips in a grey dress that left nothing to the imagination. She was beyond "hot"—she was a masterpiece of curves and calculated movements. She "accidentally" dropped the files and bent over, never breaking eye contact with me.

She was about to slide into the empty space on my other side when Avantika’s voice sliced through the air like a blade.

“I think your work here is done. NOW. YOU. CAN. TAKE. YOUR. LEAVE.”

She stressed every syllable. She was pissed. She was jealous.

Amusement curled in my gut. I liked seeing her like this—defending her territory. Gloria got the message, offered a fake smile, and vanished.

Dinner was a blur of childhood stories, but my focus was entirely on the woman beside me. I saw her watching me, her cheeks flushed with a delicate, vulnerable pink. It made her look soft. Reachable.

I felt a sudden, primal urge to feel that skin against mine. I didn't think; I just leaned in and pressed my lips to her rosy cheek. I felt her heart skip a beat.

“I’ll be back soon,” I told her.

I walked out with Diana, leaving Avantika flustered and alone. But as I pulled away from the driveway, my mind was still back in that dining room.