When Anuj heard his name, he knew exactly who was calling him.

Excusing himself, he hastily made his way to the back of the aisle where the voice came from.

"Thank you Anupama," he whispered, just as he got to her. She smiled and then bit the inside of her cheeks to hide it. It was a challenge to not blush when he whispered in his deep baritone voice. More so when he was being nice to her. Unwilling to display her emotions openly, Anupama simply nodded.

Anuj picked up a box of Earl Grey tea lying in front of him. Examining it closely from all directions, he continued in muted tones. "I didn't want to be rude to them. He is your husband.."

"Ex-husband Mr Kapadia."

Her displeasure was evident, and Anuj chuckled at the way she'd reprimanded him. Teaching suited her.

"I'm sorry ex-husband."

She nodded her head and was about to move away to continue her shopping when he held her hand.

"Stay with me Anupama, please..." His eyes begged. "Just in case "they" accost me again."

The physical contact wasn't something she was comfortable with. But the emotional aspect of it touched her heart. Gently releasing her hand from his grasp, Anupama laughed.

Nobody could tell if it was genuine or fake. Perhaps it was a bit of both. Genuine at the helplessness of a world-renowned businessman who was playing hide and seek in a supermarket, and fake to cover the shivering she'd experienced when Anuj had held her hand for that tiny moment.

She knew it was chaste, that his gesture didn't have any hidden meanings, but even then. It had been a while since someone had held her hand and sought her protection. Come to think of it, no one had ever done either of those things.

In her world, physical proximity was a husband-wife thing, solely meant for procreation - an act she had always considered her wifely duty, devoid of any emotion.

She smiled a little more at this cute gesture that had momentarily made her feel 17 again. She nodded and continued to walk quietly beside him as they both completed their shopping.

"Why are you so afraid of them Anuj Ji?" She blurted after a few moments of silence. It didn't add up. From what she'd seen and heard, Anuj could be quite the shark.

Afraid. He was amused with Anupama's view of the world. But he'd also had the chance to glimpse into her psyche. And so he decided to answer honestly.

"I'm not Anupama, I just don't want to create a scene in a public place. And by the looks of it those two..."

"...are shameless," muttered Anupama under her breath. But Anuj heard it anyway.

"What exactly happened between the two of you?"

Anupama sighed. A weary look came over her face. She was tired of telling the story. She had repeated it enough times to feel nothing more than embarrassment at the outcome of it all. Anuj sensed her hesitation. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to..."

"He cheated on me with Kavya for nine years."

The look of surprise on his face was a dead giveaway. "And you didn't know?"

She laughed at that, pitiful hollow laughter berating her stupidity. "When I look back, I seem like a fool, even to myself. Everything happening in front of my eyes. Still, I see nothing. I tell myself my husband is best. When I know that is big lie."

"What happened in front of your eyes, Anupama?"

"Business trips, long work hours, Kavya coming home all the time, being too friendly with my husband..."

Anuj felt sorry for her. He also knew that in the last six months she'd been suffocated with that emotion.

But before they could continue their conversation, a crowd began to gather near them taking pictures and requesting selfies.

"I don't think this is a good place for to us discuss this. Let's pay and go home. I'm sure GK would be thrilled to see you."

Before Anupama could respond, he took her basket from her hand and made his way to billing.