Obsessed with Me - When she rejected him, he set out to destroy her - book 1 (18 page)

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Authors: Eve Rabi

Tarago won’t know. I mean, he didn’t know about the swimming lessons, so how would he know if I met with Ashwin?

We meet in a secluded restaurant in Hout Bay. Ashwin says that he’s certain Tarago has no ties with this upmarket and exclusive restaurant. I hope to God he is right about that.

Nervous, with sweaty palms, I walk into the restaurant. When I mention Ashwin’s name, I am shown into a private booth towards the end of the restaurant, away from prying eyes.

The booth is cordoned off from the rest of the patrons with flimsy, but sparkly, white, net-like curtains. Most of all the walls of the restaurant are made of glass, so the views of the water are absolutely breathtaking.

“Tanin!” he says when he sees me and hops to his feet. He hurries over to give me a big hug then sits me down.

After we order, he talks and I listen.

“I just wanna tell you how sorry I am about everything. What happened between Rheema and me – it was so …so dumb of me, and now I have to pay the price. I mean, last night, I felt like I was doing time for a crime I committed – a misdemeanor – life in the slammer.” He shakes his head, a melancholy expression on his face. “I don’t …I don’t love her, Tanin. I made such a mistake.”

Okay, this is interesting.

“The moment I agreed to marry her, I realized that I was making a big mistake.”

“You
agreed
to marry her?”

He nods slowly, his lips turning downwards. “I had no choice but to do the right thing.”

“Wow. That is huge,” I say. “Does she realize this?”

“I told her the night before we got married.”

“Wow!”

“I told her that I will do my duty and marry her, give our baby my name, but my heart belongs to Tanin.”

“What? You told her that?”

He nods and continues. “And when I saw you at my wedding with that white bastard …he blows out his cheeks and shakes his head, “I wanted to punch him in his smug face.”

Mission accomplished then. I allow myself an inward smirk. A number of inward smirks. Big ones.

He lets out a long breath and looks directly at me. “I guess I’m not over you, Tanin.”

Mm. Funny enough, all his declaration of love means zilch to me today.

“What about Alison?” I ask.

His eyes grow wide. “I …how did you…?”

“She told me.”

“Tanin, it was nothing.” He shakes his head. “You were the one. They were there… and ….” He waves dismissively. “Now, I’m thinking in a year’s time, you will be free and I will leave Rheema, and we can still take off where we left.”

He reaches out and takes my hand. “You and me…how do we deny ourselves?”

I smile. “You mean I must become a home wrecker, Ashwin. I can’t do that.”

“No, no, I will leave her. I will
marry
you. We’ll go legit.”

Even though I haven’t eaten, I stand up.

“What?”

“You expect to leave your wife with your little baby and marry another woman? Where’s your heart?”

“Hey, I take care of my responsibility. I won’t just
ditch
her like that. I mean …” He jumps to his feet.

I hold up my hand. “Sorry, Ashwin, but I’m no longer …how do I say this in a kind way,
interested
in you.”

“Oh yeah?” His voice is cocky, as he doesn’t believe me.

I nod. “Sorry.”

His eyes narrow. “That white prick? Is that why?”

I nod again. As I do, I realize that I no longer find Ashwin appealing, I no longer love him. I think right now, I’m more in love with the
memories
of us, than I am with him.

He’s so history right now.

I think it’s more Tarago on my mind these days. Ever since Paris.

“You’re lying!” he snaps. “You’re still hankering over me, Tanin. You’re here today, aren’t you, huh? Huh?” Before I can respond, he rushes at me, grabs me, bends me over a chair and kisses me.

I’m too stunned to react. His kiss is awful – cold, clumsy and …wet. Yuuuuck! Not at all like I remember. This confuses me even more. Eventually, he surfaces for breath and smiles at me. “Remember that? Huh? Huh?”

I’m not listening to him. I’m looking past him into Tarago’s puce face.

“Tara…!” My voice dies at the sight of the 9 mm in his hand.

His eyes are hooded, his jaw is grinding, his nostrils are flaring. I cower when he flies at me. He grabs a fistful of my hair, lifts up my face and sticks the gun under my chin. “You foking with ME? You foking with MEEEE?”

“No, no, no!!” I gurgle, mesmerized by a weapon under my face, my legs threatening to give.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I’m sorry.”

“How long have you been seeing him?”

“For a long time,” Ashwin says before I can answer, a smug look on his face. “She can’t live without me.”

Without taking his eyes of me, with the gun in his hand, Tarago lashes out and backhands Ashwin in the face.

Ashwin holds his face and sinks to his knees.

“Stop Tarago!” I cry, terrified that Tarago is going to hit Ashwin again. “This is the first time. Put that gun away, Tarago!”

“I could kill you right now and get away with it,” he whispers in my ear, his face on top of mine. “I will
buy
my way out of it, you know that?” He grips tighter on my hair and I feel like my hair is being pulled off my scalp.

Shaking, I squeeze my eyes shut, then open it again. Fighting for calm, I say, “Tarago, it’s not what you think. Put the gun away, let’s talk.”

Slowly and to my relief, he releases my hair and slips the gun into the back of his pants.

Relieved, I exhale and say, “Tarago, I …”

“You fucking broke my nose! I’m going to press charges for assault,” Ashwin says, nursing his bloody nose.

With a snarl, Tarago grabs Ashwin and slams his fist into Ashwin in the stomach three times. Ashwin buckles like a bean bag.

“Stop!” I scream, horrified to see Ashwin getting such a beating.

“She’s mine!” Tarago says, before dropping him and stepping back. “And you are foking married.”

With his breath in spurts and his teeth gnashing, he spins to look at me.

When I see the naked fury in his eyes, I shrink back.

With a snarl, he grabs my arm, pulls me out of the restaurant and into the parking lot. When he gets to his Jag, he opens the back door, shoves me into the back seat, gets in next to me and shuts the door.

I’m shaking so much, I can barely fasten my seat belt.

“
Tuis
(home)!” he snaps at the driver.

“Tarago …”

He swivels to look at me. “Shut your foking mouth before I hit you!” he hisses.

I close my eyes and clam up.

We drive, shrouded in menacing silence. I keep my eyes averted and try to steady my breathing. How the hell did he know where I was? Somebody tipped him off. But who?

When we arrive at the mansion, ignoring staff and his friends, he grabs my elbow and almost drags me into my bedroom. There he opens my closet and shoves me into it. “Pack your things. You are going home.”

“But …but, Tarago …”

‘NOOOOW!”

I jerk back, terrified at his wrath.

He starts to pace. “That is a deal breaker,” he says in Afrikaans. “I warned you never to see him. Did I not?”

I run my hands slowly across my face. If only he’d let me talk.

As he paces, he play with his fingers. I decide to let him cool down before I can talk to him. I had no idea Tarago could go so crazy. This is so unlike the man I’ve known for almost ten months.

Suddenly, he stops and drops his arms. “Why? After all he did to you? Why?” His eyes are glassy, his voice his thick. “You are married to me – doesn’t that mean anything to you? He’s married and you’re
kissing
him? You’re meeting him in private behind curtains and
kissing
him? How could you do this to me, Tanin?
Why
would you do this to me? How long has this been going on? Pack your stuff and get out of her now. Now! I never want to see your face again.”

“Tarago, please …”

“I thought you cared about me, Tanin,” he says, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “I asked nothing of you and …and I did
everything
you wanted. Anything you wanted to keep you happy. Why?”

I open my mouth to speak, but he holds up his hand. “I don’t want to hear your lies. Pack your stuff and get the fok out of here. Leave today, now. Just go! ”

I nod and with a heavy heart, I grab a bag and throw stuff into it.

He watches me for a while in silence, then turns and walks into his room where he stays.

I pack as much as I can, then walk towards the door where Bogas awaits to take my cases to the car.

“Waar gaan ons,
Mejuffo
?” Bogas whispers.

“My mother’s house,
asseblief
(please).”

“
Ja
Mejuffro
.”

With shaking hands, I pick up my bag and walk over to Tarago’s room. I find him standing at his window, looking out at the water, one hand on his hip, the other on the window.

“Tarago?”

He doesn’t turn around.

“I just wanna say …”

He turns around and brushes past me, out of the room.

With a heavy heart, I walk out of the mansion without saying goodbye to anyone.

As we drive, I shut my weary eyes and lean back in my seat.

Just how do I explain all of this to my mother?

That I cannot pay her medical bills anymore?

That I cannot pay my brothers’ and sisters’ school and university fees anymore?

That I can no longer help out with my gran’s nursing home fees?

That we have twenty-eight days to vacate the property we live in?

Damn!

Feeling overwhelmed, I cover my face with my hands as I try to digest the enormity of the situation.

I messed up so badly. All for what? Some asshole who wants to have his cake and eat it? Some jerk who betrayed me with my best friend?

Tarago did everything to please me – made me look good at Ashwin and Rheema’s wedding with his helicopter and his trip to Paris. What did he ask of me? Nothing really, just my attention and my body.

Images of his hurt face flit through my mind and tears prick the back of my eyes. That is the worst part – the hurt I caused him. I didn’t mean to. God, I didn’t.

So deep in thought am I, that I don’t realize that we have pulled over to the side of the road.

“What is it, Bogas?”

“
Kerels
(cops)
Mejuffro
.”

“Did you do anything …?”

“No. Nothing.”

Must be some kind of traffic violation or random breath test.

Two cops walk over to us, one to Bogas’ side and one to my side.

The cop on my side raps on my window.

I open it. “Yes, officer?”

“Tanin Gordhan?”

“Y…yes.” How does he know my name?

“Step out of the vehicle, please.”