wasn’t celebrating. It’s part of the business. You know that.”
She knew that Dev Arjun lived and breathed the mainstream Hindi film industry. It wasn’t work or drudgery. He enjoyed every moment of it. Dev was more comfortable on the soundstage than in his home. And from what the gossip magazines suggested, he preferred the company of starlets over his wife. “How many women have there been?”
“I’ve been faithful.” His eyes glittered. “Can you say the same?”
Her eyes widened with surprise. Dev thought she had found someone else? She had never considered it. She had spent the past months fighting for her life, struggling to get through the next day, the next moment. But Dev didn’t know that.
Did he think she was capable of gallivanting through the world, hopping from one bed to the next? The idea made her stomach curl. The only man she had ever wanted didn’t want her. The man she had fallen in love with had been in her imagination. A man who loved and adored her. A man who would lay down his life to protect his family.
That man no longer existed. She wasn’t sure if he ever had. Sometimes she wondered if she fell in love with the fantasy that the Bollywood movie machine created.
Loving that Dev had given her strength but it had also been her blind spot. She had lowered her guard and had tried to lean on him when she had fallen apart. Only he hadn’t been there when she’d needed him. He hadn’t been there for her during their entire marriage.
She thrust out her chin. “All I’m willing to say is that I want a divorce.”
His eyes narrowed as he noticed she didn’t answer his question. “And my answer is still and will always be no.”
“I’m going to get one,” she insisted as she wrenched herself away from his hold. “But first I’m going to get my things and move out.”
Tina turned on her heel and marched across the courtyard. She prayed he wouldn’t follow. She didn’t want to be alone with Dev in their bedroom. She would already be bombarded with too many intimate memories.
That was where Dev held the most power over her. One touch, one kiss and she was his. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to forget how wild she had been in their bed. He had always been in control as he guided her to a world of pleasure.
“Tina, wait,” he called out to her. “We can’t get a divorce...now.”
Tina stopped. There was something about his sudden compromise that put her on full alert. She slowly turned around. “What are you talking about?”
He didn’t meet her gaze. “I’m negotiating with a few investors. Our film company has taken a financial hit in the past few months.”
Few months? It was more like a year, Tina decided. She knew Dev’s parents had wanted him to marry Shreya Sen, the daughter of a beloved Bollywood family. Had that arranged marriage happened, Dev would have been the most powerful and influential person in the mainstream Hindi film industry. His legacy would have been guaranteed to last generations. But she had ruined all that.
Dev approached her. “The problem is that they think I’m a lot like the characters I play. A daredevil, reckless...”
“That’s what happens when you demand to do your own stunts.” She understood his need to take risks. Dev had to push himself to the limit. She knew better than to ask him to stop, even when it tore her up inside as she watched him cheat death.
“But they think being married has changed me. They think I’m more cautious.” He shrugged. “If I have a stable family environment, I come across as a better investment.”
She did not like where this was heading. “What does this have to do with me?”
“We need to stay married—”
“Forget it.”
“—until I get the backing I need.”
“I’m not doing it.” Dev could find backing elsewhere. There were so many people who wanted to be part of his world and his projects. Why was this deal different?
“Think about it, Tina,” he said softly as he stood in front of her. “This means a lot of money. A better divorce settlement for you.”
She frowned. Why did Dev always throw money at her? It was as if he knew she was constantly worried about her finances. “I have a career of my own. I can support myself.”
Dev raised his hands as if he was trying to calm her down. “You used to, but you’ve been away from the camera for six months.”
“It doesn’t matter. Mumbai makes almost a thousand movies a year. I’ll find something.” She sounded more confident than she felt. Her acting career had been struggling before she met Dev. Her savings were almost depleted and she needed a job as soon as possible.
“You can find a role—a good one, a career-changing one—with the right connections.”
“No kidding.” It was a well-known fact of the industry. She kept auditioning for roles while the children of Bollywood legends were offered starring roles without trying for them. It didn’t matter if they couldn’t act, dance or speak Hindi. It wasn’t fair, but it was the business. Every Bollywood movie needed a big name.
“I can use my connections for you,” Dev said. “If you stay in this marriage.”
“No, thank you. I didn’t use them while we were together and I’m not using them now.” Every reporter had suggested she had married Dev for her career. Those accusations stung, but most of all, she didn’t want Dev to think it was true.
“I can find a project for you that Arjun Entertainment is producing.”
“So you can control my career the same way you tried to control me?” she shot back.
He gave her a thunderous look. “I can use those very connections against you, jaan.”
Tina’s mouth dropped. “What are you saying? That you will have me blacklisted?” she asked in a horrified whisper as the tears sprang in her eyes. “If I don’t agree to this arrangement, you’ll ruin my career?”
Dev didn’t say anything.
“I need to work.” Her mother and sisters relied on her salary. Directors knew she was reliable and hardworking, but none of that would matter if the Arjun family made their wishes known. “You can’t do that!”
Her husband was unmoved by her pleas. “Act like a devoted wife for the next two months—until after our wedding anniversary—and I will grant you a divorce.”
* * *
Dev regretted the moment those words came out of his mouth. He would never destroy the career Tina had spent most of her life building. The only time he had kept her from working was when her health had been at risk. Even then, it had been too late. They had already lost their baby boy. He would do anything to make her dreams come true, but he wasn’t going to lose her like they lost their son. She should know that.
But Tina had decided he was the enemy. An obstacle she needed
