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Isha's POV
The cool night air of Jaipur hit my skin like a soft whisper the moment I stepped off the plane.
And there they were.
Dhruv bhaiyu and Avi - waiting a few feet away from the arrival gate, tall silhouettes under the glowing streetlights, their strides long, almost dramatic as they approached with those familiar grins I hadn't realized I missed.
"Madam finally lands," Dhruv bhaiyu called out with a grin, lifting my carry-on suitcase effortlessly as the airport staff trailed behind with the rest of my luggage.
Avi gave me a little side-hug. "Didn't faint in the air or cry thinking about your Ansh?"
I laughed softly but didn't answer. If only they knew the storm inside me on that flight...
"Don't embarrass her already, Avi," Dhruv bhaiyu said, throwing a teasing look at me as he opened the trunk of the car and carefully placed my bags inside. "She just got here."
I slid into the backseat, and the familiar scent of cologne and coffee hit my nose - Dhruv bhaiyu's car always smelled like that. Safe. Familiar. Comfort.
As the car moved through the familiar roads of Jaipur, the streetlights blurred into little golden orbs outside the window.
"So..." I started, looking at Dhruv bhaiyu through the rearview mirror, "you didn't let Shivansh guess that I am here."
He didn't reply immediately. Just kept his eyes on the road.
Avi was the one who answered. "Of course not. He's been working back-to-back since morning."
Dhruv bhaiyu nodded. "He doesn't even know you landed yet. I checked on him before coming with Avi to pick you up. He's busy with something, he said that when I call him."
"Oh..." I bit the inside of my cheek.
He didn't know I'd landed, it's good now I will finally surprise him.
Not that I expected some filmy-style airport reunion - okay maybe I did - but still...
"But," Dhruv bhaiyu added, glancing at me through the mirror, "don't make that face. You are the one who doesn't want to let him know that you landed or is gonna surprise him."
"I know," I said softly. "He's... busy."
My fingers rested on the kheer I had carefully placed inside my bag - the one I had made for him. I hadn't even taken it out yet. It suddenly felt heavier than before.
"Anyway!" Avi suddenly chirped from the front, "Let's not waste this golden opportunity. He's busy. So we crash his penthouse and decorate it and then surprise him. "
"Exactly what I was going to say!" I said, sitting up straighter. "Let's go to one of his penthouses."
"Mine?" Dhruv bhaiyu asked.
I shook my head. "No. You forget we are gonna have his penthouse, Let's go to his. Shivansh's Jaipur penthouse. That'll make it more special, right? It's his space."
Avi gave me a sideways smirk. "You're so in love it's gross."
"I am," I said proudly. "Now help me make it even more romantic."
Dhruv bhaiyu chuckled. "Do you even remember the access code to his place?"
"No I don't but," I said. "Someone here knows that and that someone is you."
Avi opened the dashboard compartment. "And I remember where dhruv bhai hides his emergency backup key."
I laughed. "Where? Don't tell me he still has that little ugly purse."
"I loves it," Dhruv said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, so we're crashing there. What's the plan?"
I opened my bag and held up a small folded paper. "This."
They both turned slightly to look.
"I've planned everything," I said. "We'll decorate the living room with balloons, fairy lights, and a few photos I printed. There's a tiny banner I got that says 'Us, Forever.' I know it's cheesy, but-"
"It's perfect," Avi cut in gently. "Stop justifying love."
"And the kheer?"
I smiled to myself. "It's with me. I'm going to put it in the fridge - like, as a surprise. I'll write on the outside of the fridge: 'Here's the kheer to the place you come home to.'"
Dhruv turned slightly, brows raised. "Damn, Isha. That's kind of... poetic."
"I'm an emotional disaster, thank you," I said with a fake curtsy from the backseat.
The car fell quiet for a moment.
Outside, Jaipur's night came alive - the old city bathed in warm lights, ancient walls and sandstone buildings standing tall like stories written in stone.
Inside the car, though, there was a strange warmth - of memories, of shared laughter, and unspoken truths.
"Do you think he'll be surprised?" I asked after a beat.
Avi turned around and smiled. "Of course. Even if he doesn't show it on that robot face of his, he will be."
Dhruv bhaiyu added, "And if he doesn't? We'll strangle him with your fairy lights."
I laughed, but something about the joke made me exhale deeper than I expected.
Because deep down, I knew I wasn't just planning a surprise.
I was reaching out.
Bridging a gap he hadn't noticed had grown between us.
Trying to remind him of us - before the crown, before the silence, before everything got complicated.
The car turned smoothly into the underground parking lot of Shivansh's high-rise penthouse building.
It was one of those places with polished marble floors, soft glowing lights, and silence so thick, even our laughter echoed.
The moment Dhruv bhaiyu parked the car in the familiar corner slot-number 18, reserved exclusively for "Rana sa"-I felt a ripple of nerves shoot through me.
I was here.
In his space.
And somehow, my heartbeat wouldn't slow down.
"Alright, madam," Dhruv bhaiyu announced dramatically, cutting the engine and swinging open the door, "welcome to your castle for the night."
I snorted. "More like a pit stop before the actual castle."
Avi got out from the passenger side and stretched exaggeratedly. "God, why do you pack like you're moving countries? I swear half of this luggage is just his gifts and scented candles."
"I like to feel at home!" I said, stepping out with my tiny sling bag draped cross-body. "Also, excuse me, but I carried this heavy bag myself."
Avi squinted at my bag. "That? That thing looks like it only fits lip gloss and broken dreams."
Dhruv bhaiyu burst out laughing and tossed my larger suitcase at Avi. "Here, handsome man, make yourself useful."
"I am useful!" Avi huffed, dragging my duffel dramatically. "I'm the comic relief, the emotional support, and the mule tonight, apparently."
"You're also a pain," I shot back, smirking. "Now come on, I want to get this done before midnight. Time is ticking."
We began walking toward the building's lift lobby, the sound of our footsteps echoing against the high walls of the parking lot.
And then...
I felt it.
A soft shift in the air,
A cold prickle along the back of my neck.
Like someone's gaze was following us. Heavy. Watching.
I paused. Slightly turned around.
There was no one there.
Just rows of parked luxury cars. Shadows.
Stillness.
"Everything okay?" Dhruv bhaiyu asked without looking back, his voice casual.
I opened my mouth to speak... but something made me stop.
Maybe I was imagining it.
Maybe it was just nerves.
Or maybe... maybe I didn't want to look crazy in front of them.
So I smiled it off. "Yeah. Just spaced out."
Avi bumped his shoulder into mine. "Don't go all haunted-mansion on us now, we still have balloons to blow and fridges to decorate."
"Fridges to decorate?" I repeated, amused. "That's your interpretation of my romantic plan?"
"I mean, yeah," he said as we entered the lobby and stepped into the gleaming elevator. "You're the only person who thinks putting a kheer in a fridge is romantic."
"She's right, though," Dhruv bhaiyu added, pressing the button for the 20th floor. "It's kinda poetic. Cold, hidden, but when you open it - there's home."
I blinked. "Wow... that was... unexpectedly deep for you."
"Right?" Avi said, chuckling. "Who knew Dhruv bhai had feelings?"
We all laughed as the elevator hummed softly, beginning its smooth ascent.
By the 5th floor, I was already mentally picturing the room: the fairy lights in my bag, the little handwritten notes, the soft vanilla-sandalwood candles I knew Shivansh liked.
This was going to be perfect.
It had to be perfect.
"By the way," I said, suddenly turning to Avi with a narrowed glare, "I haven't forgotten what you did."
He blinked. "What did I do?"
"Ishika," I said flatly. "That stupid prank you pulled on her last week? She cried, Avi."
"Oh that! That was just a joke! She overreacted."
I crossed my arms. "No. You know how she gets. And you still told her was-ugh, never mind. You do realize now I have to play couples' therapist because of your nonsense?"
Avi pouted. "You love playing therapist. Don't lie."
"I do not! I have a firm boundary: no relationship drama unless there's ice cream involved."
Dhruv bhaiyu smirked. "There is kheer. You made it yourself, didn't you?"
My chest warmed. "Yes. It's in that container. I made it fresh before leaving. It'll be the dessert after midnight. Shivansh loves it."
Avi nudged me gently. "You're glowing, Isha bhabhi sa. "
"Am I?"
"Yeah," Dhruv bhaiyu said, his voice softer now. "You've got that stupid smile on your face. It's the 'I'm-so-in-love' glow."
I tucked my hair behind my ear. "It's because... I don't get to see him like this often. Without the crown. Without the pressure. Just us. It's... rare."
The elevator dinged.
20th floor.
My heart thudded harder.
We stepped out together into the quiet hallway. The tiles were a soft marble white. Everything smelled faintly of fresh paint and wood polish.
"Home sweet penthouse," Avi whispered, giving a mock bow as Dhruv bhaiyu punched in the code on the security keypad beside the door.
"Get ready," I said, voice low but excited. "This is where the magic begins."
But as the door unlocked with a soft click, I still couldn't shake that feeling.
Like someone...
Somewhere...
Already knew we were here.
We were finally here.
The hallway outside the penthouse was silent, the dim lights overhead casting soft golden reflections on the marble tiles. I stood in front of the familiar door-paint house number 20. The air smelled faintly like jasmine and floor polish. My palms were slightly sweaty, my heart racing with excitement and a pinch of nerves. I looked at Dhruv bhaiyu.
"Open it," I said softly, my voice carrying a mix of eagerness and anticipation. "Come on."
He nodded and stepped ahead, pulling out his phone, typing the password on the digital lock keypad.
It was 2-7-0-6.
It was the date when he proposed new in Paris. And I said yes for marriage.
A soft beep followed. The lock clicked. And just like that, the door slowly swung open.
The very first thing that hit me wasn't the silence.
It wasn't even the cold breeze that slipped out from inside the house.
It was the light.
All the lights were already on.
Not just the hallway bulb or some weak ambient glow. All the lights.
The entrance lights. The kitchen. The hallway. The massive golden chandelier in the living area. Everything. Bright. Lit. Alive.
I blinked in surprise. "Wait... Did you do this?"
Dhruv bhaiyu looked confused. "What?"
"The lights," I said, pointing around. "Did you turn them on earlier from the app or something?"
"Oh. Uh... maybe? I might've clicked something in the automation thing. I guess it stayed on?"
I shook my head but let a smile tug the corner of my mouth. "At least you did something right. And-wow, it's clean. Cleaner than I expected."
The marble floors were gleaming. The massive velvet grey couch in the living area was fluffed and aligned. The glass table had no smudges, and the counters in the kitchen were spotless.
Okay... this was good. This was more than good.
That meant we didn't need to clean.
Just decorate. Just put up the fairy lights. Arrange the cake and gifts. Set the playlist.
And when the clock strikes twelve, Shivansh would walk in, and everything would be perfect.
I could already picture it. Him smiling. Me holding his favorite kheer. The warmth in his eyes. Maybe he'd pull me into his arms, whisper something only I could hear. Maybe he'd-
"Let's go in," I whispered to myself, more to calm my racing heart.
Dhruv bhaiyu and Avi were chatting softly behind me, their voices a gentle blur as they laughed about something. I wasn't really listening. I was floating ahead of them, walking into the place like it was sacred. Like it was ours. Like it was the start of something beautiful.
Step by step, I moved ahead.
Through the hallway.
Past the kitchen.
Closer to the living area.
The air felt strangely heavy. Like still water right before a storm.
My heart was beating faster than ever, but it wasn't excitement anymore. It was something... unexplainable. A weird tension crawled along my spine.
Something felt... off.
But I brushed it aside.
Probably just nerves.
And then-
I stepped into the living area.
And I stopped.
I stopped moving. I stopped breathing. I stopped being.
The world didn't just pause-it cracked.
Because sitting right there, on the velvet grey sofa, where I had imagined setting up candles and cushions for tonight, where I had imagined curling up with him after midnight...
Was Shivansh.
And sitting on his lap-was a girl.
A girl. On. His. Lap.
They weren't startled.
They weren't even looking toward the door.
They were laughing.
Talking.
Smiling.
As if it was nothing.
As if she didn't have her hand on his shoulder, fingers curling into his shirt.
As if he didn't have his arm resting lightly around her waist.
As if her body didn't fit into the space where I was supposed to be.
I didn't breathe.
I couldn't.
My entire chest felt like it had caved in. My arms went cold, my fingertips numb. My throat tightened as if invisible wires were wrapping around it, silencing every scream forming inside me.
What the fuck is happening here?
That question screamed so loudly in my mind, I thought someone else might hear it.
But they didn't.
No one did.
Because they weren't even looking at me.
They were still caught in their moment.
That laugh.
That closeness.
That casual comfort.
Like this wasn't the first time.
My lips parted, but no sound came out.
I was just standing there, stuck, frozen, wide-eyed like someone had shaken me awake after years of sleep and thrown me into a nightmare.
How could this be real?
How could he-the man I had poured my heart into-be letting someone else sit on him like that?
That was my place.
That was where my heart belonged. My dreams. My fucking faith.
And now?
It felt like someone had ripped my chest open, took my heart out, and smashed it against the floor tiles.
The pain was physical.
The betrayal was real.
How could he?
How could he?
That wasn't a joke. That wasn't flirting. That wasn't innocent.
That was brutal.
He let her sit there. He didn't move. Didn't push her away. Didn't even look guilty.
I felt something sharp rise in my throat-grief, anger, confusion-too much to name.
My hands were trembling. My knees felt like they were seconds from giving out. The pressure in my chest made me feel like I'd either cry or scream.
But I did neither.
I just stood there.
Still.
Silent.
Shattered.
Behind me, I could hear Dhruv bhaiyu and Avi finally stepping into the space, their laughter fading, their footsteps pausing.
I didn't turn.
I didn't move.
Because everything inside me was breaking.
And the worst part?
He still hadn't noticed.
I could feel Dhruv bhaiyu beside me shift. He must've seen what I had.
I didn't turn toward him-I didn't need to. I could sense his confusion, his anger ready to boil over.
"Isha-" he began, his voice low, filled with both concern and rising fury.
But I raised my hand-trembling but firm-and stopped him.
My eyes never left Shivansh.
"Don't," I whispered, the sound barely escaping my lips. "Let me..."
I didn't even know what I was about to say.
I just knew one thing:
I needed to see.
I needed to hear.
Because maybe, just maybe, there was an explanation. Maybe this wasn't what it looked like. Maybe it was just a stupid joke, a misunderstanding.
So I stepped forward, just slightly, just enough.
The girl was still sitting on his lap-her back to me, long, curled hair cascading down her back like a curtain between me and the betrayal.
But he-he was facing me.
And yet... he didn't see me.
His gaze, his body, his entire energy was focused on her.
She laughed at something he whispered, throwing her head back playfully.
And he smiled. That same smile I used to believe was only mine.
The same smile I had fallen in love with.
My heart pounded painfully in my ears, but I forced myself to listen.
Forced myself to stand there and let the next words shatter me.
Because just then, the girl turned her face slightly toward him and said, almost teasingly,
"So... you're having all this fun with me here, huh? What about your... that so-called fiance's!?"
Her voice dripped mockery. Spite. Like I was just a joke. A piece of nothingness.
I blinked. My chest ached.
And then... he said it.
He laughed-a cruel, careless laugh. The kind I'd never heard from him. The kind that felt like a dagger.
"Oh, her?" he said casually, like it didn't cost him anything. "She's nothing. Just a force fiance, made up by Dadi sa and maa sa for me and you know I can say no to them, that's why I said yes."
The words hit me like a truck.
I stumbled a step back, as if the air had been knocked out of my lungs.
What?
"And She was just for show," he continued, the words sharp, unforgiving, merciless. "Some random charity project that they all wanted me to marry. But I never wanted her. Not even once. That whole thing?The Roma? The proposal? The engagement? That was just to keep appearances."
He chuckled again.
"Poor she actually believed it."
My lips parted as the breath I had been holding finally escaped-in the form of a soft, broken sob.
It wasn't loud. It wasn't dramatic.
But it was real.
Too real.
My tears, hot and sudden, slipped down my cheeks without permission.
My legs were shaking. My fingers clenched around the fabric of my kurti. I wanted to scream, to punch the wall, to pull her off him, to slap him-to run away.
But I stood there, frozen in time, my soul slipping through the cracks in the floor.
This couldn't be him.
This wasn't the Shivansh I sang with.
The one who held my hand as I trembled on stage..
The one who whispered "I'm here, always."
The one who smiled at my kheer like it was the best thing in the world.
That man had proposed to me beneath a sky full of stars.
That man had held me after I cried and called me his home.
Now... he was saying I was nothing?
Nothing but a forced fiance?
"A forced charity project."
My whole body quivered. Behind me, Dhruv bhaiyu and Avi were stunned silent. I could feel their disbelief, their growing fury. But still, I held my hand up.
Because I needed to hear every last dagger.
Maybe then it would finally kill whatever was left of my hope.
Inside my mind, memories were playing like a cruel montage.
His smile which he always gave me.
The way he held my hand under the table when no one was watching.
The way he told me he didn't like sweets but would finish the whole bowl of kheer because I made it.
That one night, on the terrace, when he said-"Isha, if I ever get lost, just sing again. I'll find my way back to you."
That man.
That Shivansh.
Where was he?
Who the hell was this person in front of me now?
My knees buckled slightly, and Dhruv bhaiyu instantly reached to steady me.
"Isha, let's go," he whispered. "Let's just get out of here."
But I couldn't move.
I couldn't even breathe.
Every beat of my heart was screaming, "No. Please no. Tell me he didn't mean it. Tell me this isn't real."
But it was.
It was so damn real.
And it hurt.
More than anything ever had.
This wasn't betrayal.
This was slaughter.
He had destroyed everything we were... so casually.
Like I never mattered.
Like we never existed.
And he still hadn't noticed me.
Still hadn't even turned his head.
I was standing there, breaking into a thousand tiny invisible pieces, and the man I loved didn't even feel it.
Didn't even flinch.
I couldn't feel my legs anymore.
If Dhruv bhaiyu hadn't been standing beside me, I think I would've collapsed right there.
I was leaning against him-not out of affection or warmth-but out of sheer necessity.
My body refused to support the weight of my own heartbreak.
I could feel the trembling in my knees.
The cold sweat that clung to the back of my neck.
The tight lump lodged in my throat, making it hard to even swallow.
Dhruv bhaiyu didn't say anything.
He didn't move.
He just stood there-silent and still-like he was waiting for me to break before catching the pieces.
And I didn't know why.
Where was Avi? Why wasn't anyone stopping this?
Why wasn't anyone screaming at Shivansh for what he just said?
Why wasn't I?
I blinked rapidly, trying to process what I was seeing, what I was feeling.
It was all too loud and too silent at the same time.
That's when the girl-the one who was still sitting on his lap-laughed lightly, as if this whole thing was some playful joke.
And then she said something that pierced even deeper than Shivansh's words.
"God... that Isha girl," she giggled, playing with the hem of her dress like a bored child, "she was just too soft. Like... soft beyond the limit, you know?"
Her voice dripped with fake sweetness, the kind that hides poison underneath.
"She used to look like she'd cry if someone raised their voice at her. Pathetic."
She was touching his face and he was not even stopping her. Why?
Shivansh didn't even blink.
My breath hitched.
Dhruv bhaiyu tensed beside me, but again-no movement. No words. Just silence.
I could feel the pressure in my chest building like a storm.
A scream, clawing its way up my throat, demanding release.
But it was stuck. Like me. Frozen.
I opened my mouth to speak.
To defend myself. To yell. To breathe.
But no sound came out.
And just as I was trying to gather the strength, just as I tried to steady my balance against Dhruv bhaiyu's unmoving shoulder, it happened.
The girl shifted in his lap. Lean toward him.
And before I could process it, she leaned in.
At first, I thought she was whispering something.
But no... the lean was too close. Too intimate.
And I couldn't see their lips from this angle-not directly.
But I felt it.
I felt it like a blade through my chest.
She kissed him.
And worse-he kissed her back.
I knew it. I couldn't see it clearly, but every part of me knew.
That subtle shift in his hand. The way his head moved toward hers.
The way her fingers tangled into his hair like she belonged there.
And as if that wasn't enough-
He open his eyes, and he noticed I am here but still he looked at me.
And looked at me.
Straight into mine.
Through the girl. Through the chaos. Through the devastation.
While kissing her-he locked eyes with me.
It wasn't a mistake.
It wasn't some random glance.
He knew I was there.
He knew.
And yet... he didn't stop.
He just stared-emotionless, cold, unbothered-as if he was waiting for me to die quietly and disappear.
And I did.
In that moment, I did.
Everything inside me crumbled.
The girl pulled back with a soft laugh, brushing her fingers over his jaw.
Still sitting on his lap like she belonged there.
My legs buckled again.
"Isha-" Dhruv bhaiyu's voice cracked beside me, filled with rage.
And then-
"Fucking hell, Shivansh!" he growled suddenly, his voice loud and full of fury, shattering the silence like glass.
The girl immediately jumped off Shivansh's lap, startled.
She stumbled slightly as she stood.
Shivansh finally stood too, brushing his hand over his shirt like nothing happened. He didn't look embarrassed. He didn't look guilty.
He looked defiant.
As if I was the one who had made a mistake by showing up.
My vision was blurry-tears mixing with disbelief.
The world spun. The air was too tight around me. My fingers were cold.
Behind me, I finally noticed Avi standing frozen like a statue, his mouth slightly open in complete disbelief.
Even he hadn't expected this.
I didn't care anymore.
I didn't want explanations.
I didn't want apologies.
I just wanted to leave.
I just wanted to stop feeling.
I took a single step back-barely able to control my legs.
Dhruv bhaiyu's hand reached for mine, steadying me.
And for the first time in what felt like hours, I heard my own voice again.
Broken.
Whisper-soft.
"What the hell. "
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't blink.
I couldn't even cry.
There are moments in life when your entire soul freezes.
Where time stops-not because it's beautiful, but because it becomes unbearable.
This... this was that moment for me.
Because as that girl stepped away from him... as her face finally came into full view under the dim orange lights of the hall...
As she brushed back her hair, as if nothing had happened-
My world caved in.
Juhi.
It was Juhi.
The girl who was sitting on his lap.
The girl who kissed him like he belonged to her.
The girl who laughed, joked, and threw my name like garbage into the fire-
Was Juhi.
His cousin.
His blood. His family.
My breath caught violently in my chest.
"No..." I mumbled aloud, but no one heard me. Not even Dhruv bhaiyu, who still stood beside me like a stone shield.
"No," I repeated, my voice cracking, "No... no, no, no-"
It couldn't be.
How?
How could he let her do that?
How could he just sit there and let Juhi climb onto his lap like they were lovers?
Let her kiss him, touch him, own him in front of everyone?
How could he?
He knew.
He knew what Juhi meant to me.
He knew I hated her from the core of my being-
Her lies. Her twisted jealousy. Her constant manipulation.
The way she always smiled sweetly in front of others but glared at me like I was some parasite who didn't deserve to exist beside Shivansh.
He knew she had feelings for him.
He had even told me once. That she made him uncomfortable. That she crossed boundaries.
He used to avoid her, used to change the topic whenever she brought up marriage jokes in front of elders.
And now?
Now she was on his lap?
Now she was kissing him?
And he let her?
He didn't even flinch?
He didn't push her off. He didn't turn his face. He didn't stop her hand.
He didn't say no.
He just sat there. Calm. Still. Watching me. Like some cruel god enjoying my collapse.
My mouth fell open again, this time not in shock, but in horror.
How could he?
How could Shivansh, the man who once said,
"I'll burn the world before I let you cry."
Now watch me-
Burning.
Crying.
Shaking.
Dying.
Because of him.
Because of her.
And suddenly, everything inside me screamed.
Not out loud. No. I didn't even have a voice anymore.
But inside?
It was chaos. An inferno of betrayal.
I wanted to scream, "You are her brother, Shivansh!"
But I didn't.
Because the words felt too heavy to even escape my throat.
And that's when Dhruv bhaiyu finally snapped.
His fist clenched beside me so tightly I could hear the leather of his watch strain.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" he roared, stepping forward.
The room fell deadly silent.
Juhi startled, her expression twisting between confusion and guilt, but not shame.
"Dhruv-what-"
"Shut the fuck up, Juhi!" he snarled, his voice echoing through the hall.
Shivansh blinked-once-but didn't speak.
"How the fuck can you do this to her, Shivansh?!"
His chest rose and fell with rage. "You promised to protect her. You said you'd never hurt her. That you would die before making her cry!"
Shivansh didn't reply.
He just stood there-silent, looking at me with those same cold, unblinking eyes.
"And you sit there... letting that girl-your COUSIN-sit on your lap and kiss you like some cheap fucking fantasy?"
Dhruv bhai stepped closer to him. "Are you fucking delusional, or just a spineless bastard now?"
"Dhruv bhai, stop-" Avi finally tried to interfere, his voice low.
"NO!" Dhruv bhaiyu bellowed. "I won't stop. Because she won't speak! She CAN'T speak! She's standing here like a goddamn corpse while her whole world collapses, and you-you piece of royal SHIT-you just let it happen."
My chest heaved. Tears rolled down without warning now, no control, no shame.
I didn't even try to wipe them.
I stood there, soaked in betrayal.
"You let her insult Isha. You let her LAUGH. While sitting on your lap. And you didn't say a single fucking word." Dhruv's voice cracked now. "What happened to the man who used to call her his world? What happened to the man who said he could never breathe without her?"
No answer.
Juhi finally stepped back slightly, realization slowly dawning in her smug little face.
She realized-she wasn't winning.
She was destroying.
But it was too late.
Dhruv bhaiyu turned back, came toward me, and placed his hand softly on my shoulder.
"Isha..." His voice dropped. "You don't need to stay here anymore."
I looked up at him, trembling.
He nodded.
"I've got you."
One slow step at a time.
The girl who once loved him.
The woman he broke-beyond repair.
I didn't know where they were trying to take me. I couldn't feel my feet anymore. Dhruv bhaiyu had his hand around me like I would collapse without it—and maybe I would have.
Maybe I already had. I was standing like a ghost, eyes open, body moving, but soul? A soul was left somewhere in that living room. Maybe on that fucking couch where he let her sit.
Just when Dhruv turned to pull me toward the door, I stopped. My fingers clutched the sleeve of his shirt and tugged.
"Wait…" I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I want to talk to him."
Dhruv bhaiyu looked at me, confused. "Isha—"
"I said I want to talk to him." This time I looked at Shivansh directly.
He was standing there—cool, composed, maybe a bit annoyed, even. Juhi was a few steps behind, trying to act like none of this was her business. Avi stood to the side, quiet, his fists clenched. And Dhruv bhaiyu.. I could feel the fire in his chest, barely contained.
I walked a few steps closer, wiping a tear from my cheek with the back of my hand. My voice came out broken. "What the hell was that, Shivansh?"
He crossed his arms like I just asked him about the weather.
"You saw it," he said. "Why are you asking?"
"No," I said, louder now. "I want to hear it from you. I want to hear it from the man who once swore he'd never let me cry. So tell me, what the fuck was that?"
He smirked—smirked, like this was some sick game. "Of course," he said, with a slight shrug. "Why not? You deserve the truth, don't you?"
He stepped closer, but Dhruv bhaiyu immediately moved between us, protective, tense. He looked like he could throw a punch any second.
But Shivansh just raised his brow. "Relax, Dhruv. I'm just telling her the truth. Nothing more."
Then, in a voice that stabbed deeper than any knife, he said:
"For me, Isha… this," he gestured vaguely between us, "this was never love. Not once. Not for a second."
It felt like everything inside me just... collapsed.
I didn't even realize Dhruv bhaiyu had moved until I saw him grab Shivansh by the collar. "What the fuck did you just say?" Dhruv's voice roared, thunderous, shaking the whole room.
But I placed my hand on his chest and whispered, "Don't… just don't. He's not worth it."
I was already too broken to feel pain.
Shivansh stood there, proud. Like a goddamn king on the ruins of my heart.
"You know what the truth is, Isha?" he continued. "You were nothing but a force fiance to me. A poor, pitiful girl thrown in my way by my family's obsession with tradition and compatibility. I never wanted you. Not really. The romance, the moments, the kisses, the touches… all of it was just part of a bigger plan."
My legs gave in for a second, but Avi caught me from the side. I could hear Juhi stifling a fake gasp, but I knew she was enjoying every second of it.
"A plan?" I asked in a hoarse whisper. "To do what?"
"To break you." His voice was cold. "To remind you that fairy tales don't exist. Especially not for girls like you."
The tears came fast now, burning, endless.
I saw Dhruv's bhaiyu fist tighten again. "Say another word and I'll—"
"Let him," I interrupted. "Let him finish ruining me."
Shivansh didn't even blink. "You were just… a moment. Something convenient. I don't feel anything toward you. Not love. Not respect. Nothing."
His words tore every part of me I had carefully stitched over the years.
"You were once the man I trusted more than myself," I whispered. "The man I defended even when everyone walked away. The man I believed in when he said he chose me."
"I never chose you," he said flatly. "You were chosen for me."
Juhi stepped forward then, her arms crossed smugly, like a winner collecting her prize.
And then… silence.
The kind of silence that screams louder than any words ever could.
I looked at him one last time. Not the man I once loved, but a stranger standing over the grave of everything we ever were.
And I turned my face away, with Dhruv bhaiyu beside me, Avi behind me, and Shivansh—cold, unbothered—left standing in the wreckage.
I didn't know what pain truly felt like until I saw him smiling while I shattered. I didn't know a person could feel so broken, so stripped of dignity, that even breathing felt like betrayal—like my lungs didn't want to keep me alive anymore.
And then again I said voice again—trembling, yet clear—cutting through the suffocating silence.
I looked at dhruv bhaiyu first, like seeking permission, and then at him.
"You said you loved me," i whispered, my voice fragile as glass. "You said you would protect me…"
My eyes filled with tears, the kind that don't fall, the kind that burn.
"And now… now you're the one hurting me the most."
The room fell so quiet, I could hear my heartbeat crashing in my ears.
"You don't treat the person you love like this," i added, barely able to hold the words together. "This is not love."
My voice broke as I said, "You don't treat anyone like this. Not someone from your own world… your own blood…"
And Shivansh—my Shivansh—the man I had once thought was crafted from poetry and loyalty… he laughed.
He actually laughed. Not a soft one. A harsh, amused chuckle, like he was enjoying this. Like this was a twisted theatre performance and we were just tragic characters in it.
His arms were crossed, his eyes mocking, the curve of his lips nothing short of cruel. Like he was loving the ruin.
That's when I couldn't take it anymore. I took a small step forward, everything inside me trembling.
"You played with me…" I whispered. So softly… but the room was so suffocating, so tight, even the walls could hear me.
"You played with me…" I repeated, barely able to finish the sentence as my voice shattered mid-air.
He just stared, silent.
Then he said it.
"There's a reason," he began, eyes flickering with cold fire, "why a girl like you could never matter."
I blinked. Did I hear that right?
"You never belonged in this world, Isha," he said calmly, ruthlessly. "You were… convenient. Entertaining. But in the end? Nothing."
I felt my breath vanish—like someone had sucked the air right out of my lungs.
And then he added in that flat, heartless tone of his, "Besides… don't flatter yourself. You actually thought someone like me would fall for you?"
I couldn't speak. I couldn't even cry. My body was numb.
He tilted his head, almost mocking me, and said, "I'm not a statue, Isha. I'm a corpse. A living one. People like me don't feel. And girls like you? They're meant to be forgotten."
"Then why?" I asked. Somehow my voice found strength. "Why me?"
It was more than a question. It was a plea. An ache. I just needed a reason, even if it tore me apart.
He didn't blink. He didn't soften.
"At 6 o'clock one night," he said like reciting a fable, "the world collapsed. Mine. Hers. Everyone's."
I frowned, confused, and breathless. "What are you talking about?"
Then his words fell like bullets—sharp, cruel, deliberate.
"Just because you disrespected her, did you really think I'd ever love you?" he said.
Her?
I froze. He didn't mean Juhi, did he?
He stepped closer, inches from me, and added:
"Did you even look at yourself? You're not as beautiful as her. Not as smart. Not as… royal. Not like me."
The words ripped into me, one after the other.
"And most importantly—your status doesn't match mine. You are not as rich as me, That's what matters. That's what always mattered."
He paused. His final blow came like a dagger pressed into my chest.
"I will never love someone like you."
Just like that, the floor beneath me disappeared.
"And you have disturbed my peace now can't you just stay away from me or better just die I don't care."
The weight of his words knocked every last ounce of air out of my soul. My heart was screaming, my mind was begging, please say this isn't real, please just say you're angry, say something else—anything but this.
But he said nothing more.
And I knew then, it was over.
Everything.
The love I once thought we shared. The trust I held was like a sacred prayer. The promises he whispered under the stars.
Gone.
All that remained was this cold, unfamiliar man wearing the face of the one I once called Shiva.
I wished… I wished the man I loved still existed somewhere inside him. But he didn't. That Shiva—my Shiva—was gone. Maybe he was never real to begin with.
He didn't just break my heart.
He erased it.
And in that moment, I didn't feel human anymore.
"I can't… I can't look at him again, Dhruv bhaiyu," I whispered, my throat so dry it barely formed words. "Please. Just let me rest. Please. I can't look at his face anymore."
Dhruv bhaiyu didn't say a word. He just nodded.
And somehow, I was grateful for that. For the silence. For the way he didn't ask anything—just placed a hand gently on my shoulder and began walking me away.
I didn't look back.
I didn't want to.
I couldn't.
Every step I took felt like I was dragging a dead part of myself behind. My legs were numb, and my heart was drowning in this unbearable, invisible weight. A kind of heaviness that made even the next breath feel impossible.
But just when I thought it was over...
His voice came again.
His.
The same voice that once sounded like comfort and warmth and endless night skies. Now it sounded like poison in my veins.
And it wasn't meant for me this time.
It was for my everything.
"Aaj ke baad kabhi apni shakal mat dikhana."
(Don't ever show your face again.)
That's what he said.
That's when something inside me broke.
Like a string that had been holding me together just… snapped.
And finally-finally-my legs moved.
I didn't look at Shivansh again.
I didn't want to see his face.
I didn't want to see if he looked guilty or proud or empty.
Because I knew, no matter what I saw in his eyes-
It would never be enough.
Nothing would justify what he did.
Nothing would unsee what I saw.
Nothing would unsay what he allowed to be said.
So I walked away.
I turned around.
I don't know why. God, I wish I hadn't. But I did.
And I looked him straight in the eyes. My vision was blurry, my chest was on fire, but I managed to smile.
A cruel, broken smile that hurt more than it comforted.
"Done," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Never. I will never show you my face again. Not in this life."
He didn't move.
He didn't blink.
He didn't even react.
And still… I stood there.
I should've walked away.
I should've followed Dhruv's steady, kind steps and left everything behind. But something kept me frozen in that spot. Like I was waiting for him to stop me. To say anything. To deny what he said.
But he didn't.
Instead, he turned away.
He turned his back on me.
And that's when I saw it-- his hand on juhi waist, gently guiding her, protecting her. And Shivansh just walking past like I never existed.
That was it.
That was the moment I realized…
I never mattered to him.
Not the way he mattered to me. Not the way I had carved out every breath around him. Not the way I had loved him with every shattered, trembling part of my soul.
To him, I was nothing.
And that broke something deeper inside me than I even knew existed.
Tears slipped from my eyes like they had minds of their own—hot and relentless, like they were punishing me for believing in something so foolish.
And without thinking, without waiting, without caring who was watching…
I ran.
I didn't look behind.
I didn't care what anyone was saying, not even Dhruv bhaiyuwho was calling my name again and again with panic in his voice.
"Isha bachhe! Isha! Ruko!"
But I couldn't stop.
I couldn't breathe.
Everything blurred around me—the hallway, the staircase, the railing, even my own heartbeat.
I turned left, ran down the stairs, stumbling on my own feet, clutching my chest like I could rip the pain out with my bare hands.
Dhruv bhaiyu's footsteps were behind me. His voice was breaking, calling me again, but I didn't stop.
I didn't want to be comforted. I didn't want to be touched. I didn't want to exist.
I reached outside.
The world was spinning. The sky was mocking me with how calm it looked. How perfectly normal the world still was, when everything inside me was in ruins.
And there—across the driveway—stood a car.
The black security vehicle. Parked. Waiting.
And inside, I saw one person.
Aarya.
Silent. Stern. Loyal—to him.
Of course he'd be there. He was always with Shivansh.
I didn't care.
I opened the door and got in.
His eyes widened slightly, unsure, but he said nothing.
"Drive," I said, wiping my tears with the back of my hand, even though they were already replaced with new ones.
"Where to, ma'am?" he asked, his voice respectful but careful.
I hesitated.
And then the answer came on its own.
"Airport," I whispered. "Just drive me to the airport."
He looked at me through the mirror—questioning, worried.
But I didn't give him a chance to argue.
"Please," I said again, more firmly this time. "Just go."
He started the car.
And we moved.
I didn't look back.
I didn't even want to know if someone was following me, or if anyone cared I was gone.
I just sank into the seat, knees to my chest, arms wrapped tightly around them, as if I could hold myself together that way.
And the tears didn't stop.
Not for a second.
I cried like a child who had lost everything.
Because I had.
I had lost myself.
The car picked up speed.
Dhruv bhaiyu's voice echoed somewhere far behind us—"Isha! Stop! Isha please!"—but it faded, like a memory I didn't want to hold anymore.
Aryan didn't say a word. Just kept driving.
And I kept crying.
Each tear was a goodbye to every dream I had built with him. Each sob was a death knell for every moment we'd shared. And each breath… was heavier than the last.
I sat curled up in the backseat, the cold leather beneath me pressing against my skin like the silence pressing into my heart.
The car had been moving for a while now.
I didn't know how long.
I didn't care.
I didn't even know if Aarya had glanced at me again in the rearview mirror, or if he was silently questioning where he was supposed to take a girl who had shattered right in front of him.
Because I wasn't here.
I wasn't anywhere.
My body was here—my hands trembled, my breath hitching, my cheeks soaked in endless, endless tears—but my soul… it was lost. Somewhere behind. Somewhere in a room where his voice still echoed like thunder in my ears.
"Aaj ke baad kabhi apni shakal mat dikhana."
( Don't show me your face again.)
Those words had dug into me like claws. Sharp. Unforgiving. Brutal.
I held my knees close to my chest and rested my forehead against them, the only position that felt like I could still hold myself together, even as my whole being unraveled thread by thread.
And I cried.
God, I just kept crying.
It wasn't soft. It wasn't quiet. It was the kind of crying that hurt my ribs. That burned my throat. That left behind a hollow ache in my chest I knew I'd never recover from.
I cried like I had no dignity left. I cried like love had betrayed me. I cried because I didn't know what else to do.
What else could I do?
Everything was a blur.
Everything was a lie.
I had been living in some stupid illusion, thinking he… thinking we meant something.
But now?
Now I didn't even know what I meant to myself.
I didn't hate him.
That was the worst part.
I wish I did.
I wish I could clutch my hands into fists and scream into the universe that I hated him with every breath I had.
But I didn't.
All I felt was pain.
Unmeasurable. Crippling. Devastating.
The kind of pain that comes when your heart is still stupid enough to love someone who just walked away like you were nothing more than air.
The car turned a corner. The trees outside flickered past like ghosts. My ears were ringing. My eyes were swollen. And still—I kept crying.
I didn't even know where we were going anymore.
I had said "airport," but now even that word sounded strange to me. Airport. Like I actually had a destination. Like I knew what the hell I was doing.
I didn't.
I had no plan. No clarity. No map.
Just this ache that wouldn't leave my chest. Just this deep, bone-crushing feeling that I had just lost something I could never, ever get back.
I couldn't even think about tomorrow.
Forget tomorrow—I couldn't even think about the next ten minutes.
Where was I going to go?
Where would I stay?
What was I running toward?
What was I running from?
I couldn't answer anything.
All I knew was that I couldn't stay there.
Not another second.
Not under the same roof as him.
Not in the same air.
Because every time I looked at him now, I would remember that I was nothing to him. That he chose silence when he could've chosen me. That he let me walk away without a fight. That he turned away when I was falling apart.
He turned away.
That's what kept playing in my mind like a haunting lullaby.
He didn't stop you, Isha. He didn't stop you.
Why didn't he?
Why couldn't he?
Why didn't he just say something? Anything?
I would've given him my whole soul if he had asked. I would've stayed. I would've fought every single thing, every single person, just for him.
But he didn't ask me to.
He let me go.
And now I was gone.
The windows fogged with my breath. The tears made everything blurry. And my body felt weightless, like I could just vanish into thin air if I closed my eyes long enough.
I hugged myself tighter.
There was no one else to do it now.
And for a brief moment, I wished I could just disappear.
From everything.
From the city. From the past. From the future.
From him.
And yet, deep down, in that stupid, fragile corner of my heart—I still hoped he would come.
That somehow, this car would stop.
That I'd hear his voice call out my name like it used to.
That he'd tell me I was wrong. That he did care. That he was just angry. That it was all a mistake.
But the car kept moving.
And he wasn't coming.
And I kept crying.
Because maybe I was the only one who ever really loved in this story.
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