‘Look.’ He took a step towards Chandra, somehow gratified that the other man took a hasty step back. ‘You’re upsetting Prita. I think you should go.’
‘Who are you? What right do you have to tell me to go?’
‘I’m her … friend. I care about her—which is more than I can say about you at the moment, you selfish prick.’
‘Selfish! I’m not the one who’s being selfish. She’s the one who’s destroying everything with her selfishness.’
‘Selfishness!’ Prita choked out. ‘Just because I want a life of my own? Just because I want to be a mother to a little boy who needs me? I’m selfish?’
‘Yes. Selfish. You’re taking away my rights to be with the man I love.’
‘I’m not taking away anything. You can still be with Vivaan.’
‘He’s had to move out. It was raising eyebrows that the two of us were living together for so long and you not coming back. It didn’t mesh with the story of him being your friend.’
Her shoulders slumped and she looked grey with exhaustion. ‘That was always a stupid story. I don’t believe your family or mine ever truly fell for it. I’m pretty sure they know you’re gay, Chandra. How could they not? I know it’s hard, but it would be so much better if you just came out. The hiding who you are is making you miserable. It’s sure as hell making Vivaan miserable. He still calls me every week to talk about it. He wants me to force the issue because he knows you won’t.’
He stiffened. ‘Even if that’s true—which it isn’t—you’re both wrong. My family could never be seen to accept who I truly am even if they personally do. And you promised you would never give me away.’
‘I promised I would support you with whatever decision you made. You asked me to help you hide your sexuality from them so I did. I’m not going to break that promise. I’m not trying to out you, I just want you to ask yourself what you truly want.’
‘I want you to come back.’
‘That’s not what I meant and you know it. My coming back will solve nothing. In fact, it will just make us all more miserable. I’m not doing that to myself or Carter anymore. I can’t. And you asking me to is unfair.’
‘I’m not unfair. You’re being unfair!’
He sounded so much like Aaron when he was acting like a spoiled brat that Flynn almost burst out laughing.
Almost.
He was too furious now, too aware of how exhausted Prita was, how much she was desperately holding herself together in front of this man. He couldn’t allow this to go on any longer. ‘Look, mate. If you don’t leave now, I’m going to call the hospital security and ask them to escort you out.’
‘Why would they escort me out? I’m her husband.’
‘As I said before, you’re upsetting her and this is a hospital. The patient is king. They won’t care who you are if you’re causing her to relapse.’
‘Prita’s never been sick a day in her life.’
‘She’s not sick, you arsehole. Her house burned down. She’s suffering from shock and smoke inhalation.’
‘You’ve lost your house?’
Flynn almost growled at the light that flared to life in the other man’s eyes, his fingers curling at his side, ready once more to punch someone—and what the hell was with that? Prior to last month, he’d never been a violent man. He roped in the violent need and said through his teeth, ‘Show some compassion, mate. Surely this shit you’ve dragged her into could wait a few days until she recovers.’
‘But if she doesn’t have a house, she needs to come home with me.’
‘I’m not coming home with you.’
‘You’ve got nowhere else to go.’
Despite the fact they’d already discussed the loss of her house, he saw the impact of it hit Prita—face paling, shoulders slumping, the wince she couldn’t hide. Before he could help himself, he reached out and took her hand again. ‘She’s coming home with me.’
‘What? Who the hell are you?’
‘I’m her lover. That’s who I am.’
‘What?’
Two sets of shocked eyes looked at him. He couldn’t blame them. He’d shocked himself.
Chandra was the first to recover. ‘Prita might have slept around as a teen, but she’s not that kind of girl anymore. She wouldn’t be your lover unless she …’ His eyes flared wide. ‘Is that it? Are you being this stubborn because you love him?’
Prita blanched, her gaze skipping to Flynn then away as she said, ‘No. How could I? You know my feelings about that. But I’m entitled to sleep with someone, the same as you.’
Chandra looked between them and down at their clasped hands. ‘But, but, you said you never wanted to have sex again because you couldn’t stand the thought of someone touching you that way. Not after—’
‘Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!’
‘Not after what?’ Flynn’s mind was spinning even more now. Had someone done something to her? Had she been raped? He felt sick and yet, at the same time, he’d never wanted to kill someone as much as he wanted to kill whatever bastard had put his hands on Prita without consent.
She must have seen the question on his face because she began to shake her head. ‘It’s not what you think.’
‘You never told him?’ Chandra laughed. ‘Well, I guess you’re not as close as you think you are.’
‘If you don’t shut up now, Chandra, I am going to start divorce proceedings and then we’ll see who’s laughing.’
‘You wouldn’t.’
‘Try me.’ She started coughing again, gasping for breath. Flynn put his arm around her, rubbing her back, worried at the way she slumped against him, hardly seeming to have the strength to hold herself upright.
‘Prita?’ The bastard had stepped closer again. ‘Prita,
