I believe you

"Are you kidding me?", screeched Shreya as her body jerked up to sit straighter. She narrowed her eyes, waiting to hear his answer before she drew any conclusions.

Would she be angry? Would she be hurt?

She didn't know.

Her image, her wedding, her family relations, everything was ruined and the reason was her husband? She couldn't wrap her head around it. She didn't know what to think, what to feel, all she knew was that she tasted betrayal on her lips every time she licked her dry lips.

Her throat went dry as she waited for his answer, hoping that it was a poor joke, hoping against hope that the sole person she had ever loved wouldn't betray her like that.

"No", he confessed and a tear ran down his cheek.

"No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to; I didn't even know that the video was released until yesterday. I'm sorry", he hung his head in shame.

"How could you?", she asked as a fresh drop of tear fell on her right cheek.

She grabbed his chin and pulled his face close to her. Her grey watery eyes stared right into his, inviting him to see the betrayal, the pain, the embarrassment that reflected in her eyes as she said, "I loved you. I love you. I am your bloody wife now.

How could you do that to me? You never imagined us progressing so far, is it? Is that why you did it? Because who cares about what happens to a random girl I fucked? Let's just post her sex tape on a freaking porn site"

She pulled him closer, their noses almost touching. "Is that it?", she screamed half in pain and half in anger as she stared right into his painfully beautiful grey-blue eyes.

She didn't want to surrender to her pain. She wouldn't surrender to her pain, even if every part of her body wished to.

Her morning was a huge step forward, she had finally corrected some jumbled pieces of her brain, she couldn't take a step back now. But the pain crying and gripping tight in her heart was an acute reminder of all the nights she had cried alone, all the nights she had felt like a slut, all the nights her head threw degrading words at her; she could feel the pieces jumbling again.

She didn't want this. She couldn't let her progress diminish like that so she held onto the anger, the anger will help her focus on his wrongs and keep her away from the black hole of her brain.

"No, no, no", he shook his head, his eyes filled with unshed tears. He held her face in his large palms, and with a brush of his thumb wiped the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

Shreya wanted to flinch away from his touch, push him away, but she couldn't. His hands felt too good, too comforting, they reminded her that she wasn't entirely alone even when they were the same hands that murdered her trust cold-blooded.

"No", he repeated, "I would never do that to anyone, especially you. You have to trust me when I say, .."

She scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping her lips, "I did and look where we are"

"I'm sorry, I didn't publish the video, I didn't..."

She interrupted, "You didn't?", hope bubbling in her chest - maybe it really was just a bad joke - as her lips started turning upwards.

He shook his head from left to right, "I don't remember publishing it but the police detected that the video was uploaded from my phone. I am not lying to you, I never meant for the video to be seen by anybody else, I had no intentions of posting it. But somehow, it was uploaded from my phone.
I don't know how it happened, but I swear I had nothing to do with it"

"So yes, I am responsible for leaking the video and I'll take all the punishments you can give me but I didn't betray your trust. I love you, I have always loved you"

Shreya closed her eyes as the burn of betrayal lessened in its intensity. She was still confused, she couldn't comprehend what was happening, how would the video be live if someone didn't post it? Why was it on the internet in the first place?

The police wouldn't lie about the source, it was posted from his phone and he was the owner.

The only logical conclusion was that he posted it, she knew it, and yet... yet... as she looked into his eyes, all she could see was the fear of losing her, the guilt for the pain he had caused her and the love he had always bestowed on her.

She couldn't doubt him, not now. She had to trust him.

It was time to take a leap of faith until the truth unravels and if he decided to betray it, it was his fault. He would be responsible. Shreya had given him a chance, she was trusting him and to keep it or break it was entirely on him.

But for now, she would trust him, impeccably.

"I believe you", she whispered as she captured his lips with hers. His musky wooden scent filled and delicious taste of their supper unravelled in her mouth and she moaned in its instead. They moved their lips to the slow symphony of a violin, love and trust pumping in their veins and as they parted, they were breathing hard. Oxygen was low and yet they were full, content.

"Now we just have to figure out how did the video leak", said Shreya and moved to place her head against his chest and started drawing patterns with her finger.

"Did you show or send it anyone?", she asked.

"No"

"Do you think someone could have used your phone?'

"No. My phone is with me most of the time and no one knows the password so that isn't likely", he answered. A thoughtful silence passed over them as they tried to think of the reasons.

"Do you remember the date we met?", he asked suddenly.

"I think September sixteen?", she answered, a little unsure in her answer.

"And our first date was on September eighteen, right?"

She nodded her head in confirmation, waiting for him to connect whatever dots he was trying to connect in his head.

He kept muttering unintelligible words under his breath and before long his eyes widened seeming to have reached his eureka moment.

"What is it?", Shreya asked, her tone eager.

"Ansh said that the video was released on September nineteen, I lost my phone on the eighteenth, so there are two possibilities that came in my mind. Either someone picked up my old phone from the island and posted it after finding the video in it or...", he paused and she stopped drawing her circles as she looked up, "It must have accidentally posted when I downloaded it from my cloud storage on my new phone"

"You think it's possible?"

"Yeah, maybe, I don't know, that are the only options in my head, I'll ask them to investigate it"

A breath later, Vansh asked, "Do you hate me now?"

"No, of course not. I love you"

"I'm sorry for putting you in this position. Your video was with me and it was my responsibility to keep it safe, I'm sorry I broke your trust. I never intended to."

She moved out from the warmth of his chest and looking into his eyes said, "It's okay. It wasn't intentional. I know you never wanted it to get out"

"Still, I am... just I am sorry"

She shushed him with a finger on his lips and said, "No, what we have to focus on now is what to do next. Your company, our reputation is probably going to be in a mess after this and before we leave for our honeymoon, I want to shut their mouths. I don't think we could survive if the people kept downgrading us and bitching about us."

"I know, but I thought we could run away to our honeymoon first and clear up this shit later"

"No, by the time we arrive, people will already have a thousand rumours running and the worst one will probably have the most votes. So no, we can't do that. And, I also have to explain to my parents. My dad is probably going bat shit crazy as of now, I don't know how he hasn't knocked the door out yet"

Just then, heavy, urgent knocks started banging on the door and she stood up straight. An eerie feeling set in her lower belly.
"Is it my dad? Is it my dad? Please don't tell me it's my dad. The day he found out I had a boyfriend, he married me and I don't want to know what he will do now", she rambled as she paced in the room, shoving Vansh in front of the predators.

She kept pacing her room and suddenly, a loud booming voice echoed in their honeymoon sweet, "Shreya!"

She cowered under the loud voice and tried hiding in the bathroom, but the fast-approaching steps and his loud command froze her in place.

"Get here this instant", her father called and she robotically walked out from the comfort of her room and into the lion's den.

Her dad was standing in the living room, his face livid and his fists balled. Thankfully, he hadn't punched Vansh yet, courtesy of her mom shielding Vansh.

Her steps were hesitant as she stood rigid in front of him, her eyes downcast.

"Explain", he ordered as he drummed his foot on the floor threateningly.

"I...I..", she started and before she could decide how to answer, he engulfed her in a tight, vice-like hug.