Chapter 54

The moment Madhavi shut the front door of her house, she knew something was wrong. Only one latch was locked, not all three. And she knew she had latched all three locks before she left to meet Alan for lunch at Shatranj Napoli.

"Birju?" She walked from the large passage into the living room. "Are you back yet?"

He appeared from the direction of the kitchen, moving with his characteristic stealth, grabbing her by the forearm as he sometimes did when very angry, his hand gripping her tight enough to hurt.

"Is there some problem if your husband returns to his own house a little early?"

His voice was belligerent and dangerous quiet. She knew at once that something was badly wrong. He was not just angry or irritated, he was furious.

"Of course not." She heard the Keralite accent creep back into her voice instantly. With Alan, she had been able to speak almost as accentlessly as a Bombay socialite, but the moment she was in Birju's presence she became the vernac-educated matric-pass from Varkala all over again.

"I was just wondering how you came home so early?" She fought to keep her voice from rising in panic. She hoped he wouldn't notice the excess powder she had applied to her neck-to conceal the love-bite.

"I came." He breathed heavily into her right ear, his breath sour and repulsive as it always got by the end of the day. "I came because there was some reason for me to come early. And you know what the reason was, no, you bitch?"

She tried to turn her head to look at him. But he was gripping her so tightly, all she could manage was to look at the side of his face and one eye. That eye was bloodshot and dilated. His breath stank of whisky.

"My little cheating bitch. I think you and I have a lot to talk about today."