Tara sat on the edge of the bed, tears streaming down her face.
Vikram stood a few feet away, frustration lacing his voice.
> Vikram: "Tara, I've been explaining this to you for the past two hours. Why don't you understand? It was just a business deal meeting, nothing more."
Still crying, Tara shook her head.
> Tara: "Mr. Suryavanshi, I may not be as intelligent as you, but I'm not so foolish that I can't see what's going on."
Vikram walked over to her. She was lying on the far side of the bed, and he tried to comfort her by wrapping his arms around her from behind. But Tara immediately sat up, pulling away.
> Tara: "Please don't touch me. Don't talk to me, and don't come near me."
> Vikram: "Don't you think you should at least hear my side of the story?"
> Tara: "Fine, I'll listen. But who can guarantee that what you say will be the truth?"
Vikram stepped closer, his voice softening.
> Vikram: "Listen… I could never cheat on you. You know how much I love you. Just trust me a little."
> Tara: "Please, don't come closer."
Vikram sighed.
> Vikram: "The woman in that picture is Miss Yuni. She owns a major company in Japan and wanted to work with Suryavanshi Industries. She's a nature lover, so she requested that our meeting take place in the park. I wore a red tie that day, and she misunderstood."
> Tara: "Misunderstood? How?" She looked at him sharply.
> Vikram: "She assumed the red tie was for her. She even pulled it a little. I stepped back immediately."
> Tara: "So she was flirting with you?"
> Vikram: "Kind of."
> Tara: "Then I hope you canceled the deal with her."
Vikram hesitated.
> Vikram: "No. We agreed to keep things strictly professional—no personal talk, no relationship beyond business."
Tara shot up from the bed, anger flaring.
> Tara: "A woman flirts with you, and instead of canceling the deal, you finalize it? Tell me, Mr. Suryavanshi—if in the next meeting she tries to kiss you, will you accept it in the name of business too?"
> Vikram: "Tara! I've been explaining all this to you from the start. Don't you have even a little trust in me?"
> Tara: "Don't shout at me! How am I supposed to trust you when our relationship began with lies? First you told me this marriage was fake, then later you said the contract itself was fake."
> Vikram: "And I've already told you why I did that."
> Tara: "So you admit you lie and hide things."
> Vikram: "If I were really cheating, I would have denied everything the moment you showed me that photo. Why would I tell you the truth?"
> Tara: "Then why didn't you tell me that day what happened?"
> Vikram: "Because I didn't think it was important."
> Tara: "Not important? Someone flirts with you, and you don't think it's important to tell your wife?"
> Vikram: "Tara, these things happen—"
> Tara: "What? You mean it's common? Oh my God, Vikram. Then why did you even marry me?"
> Vikram: "I meant that in business, I meet a lot of people. Some try to be overly friendly."
> Tara: "Friendly? Pulling someone's tie in the first meeting is a new kind of 'friendly' I've never heard of. Is this some new business protocol?"
> Vikram: "I can't explain this to you now. Let's eat something and talk tomorrow morning."
> Tara: "No. I'm going to sleep in another room."
She started walking toward the door, but Vikram rushed to grab her hand.
> Vikram: "You're not going anywhere. You'll sleep here."
> Tara: "I can't live with a cheater. Who knows how many women you've been involved with? That's why you're always so busy."
Vikram's patience snapped. He gripped both her shoulders tightly.
> Vikram: "What did you just call me? A cheater?"
> Tara: "Vikram, you're hurting me."
He released her abruptly, then slammed his hand into the wall. Tara flinched. His temper had broken completely. He began throwing things across the room.
> Tara: "Vikram! What are you doing? You'll hurt yourself!"
> Vikram: "Just go, Tara. You wanted to leave, right? Go!"
> Tara: "Fine, let's sit down and talk—"
> Vikram: "How can you call me a cheater? When I was a child, the person I loved most my mother was taken away from me—because my father cheated on her.That destroyed my entire life. You think I'd ever do that to someone else?"
His voice cracked.
> Vikram: "You think I've had an easy life, Tara? My life was worse than hell because of what he did. If I wanted to do the same, why would I marry you at all?"
Tara was silent. Vikram's childhood trauma came rushing back, breaking him completely. He sank to the floor, sobbing.
Tara knelt beside him, pulling him into her arms.
> Tara: "I'm sorry, Vikram. Please… don't do this."
She was shaken, trying to calm him.
> Vikram: "I can't cheat. How could you think I would?"
Guilt consumed her.
> Tara: "Come on, let's get to bed. You've hurt your hands and feet. Let me put antiseptic on them. Please forgive me… and please stop crying."
She treated his cuts quietly.
Thirty minutes later, they lay in bed. Tara stroked his hair.
> Tara: "I'm really sorry, Vikram. I overreacted."
She moved closer, hugging him.
> Tara: "Won't you hug me back?"
Vikram stayed silent, his sadness heavy in the air.
Tara's thoughts: I never knew what happened with him and his mother that still haunts him. He's more broken than I realized.
She placed her hand on his forehead.
> Tara: "Don't think too much. It hurts me to see you like this. Please… say something."
> Vikram: "Just sleep, Tara. I never wanted you to see this side of me. You've seen my anger before, but this is all tied to my childhood trauma. Just promise me you'll never think I'd cheat on you."
> Tara: "I won't."
She kissed his forehead.
Vikram gave her a faint smile.
> Vikram: "It's just a minor cut. Don't feel guilty."
She kissed his hand gently.
> Vikram: "What are you doing?"
> Tara: "Trying to heal you."
He gave her a smile.
> Vikram: "Let's sleep."
She placed a soft kiss on his lips, turned off the light, and hugged him tightly.
---
6:00 AM
Tara woke up early, trying not to disturb Vikram as she slipped out of bed. But he pulled her back.
> Tara: "You're awake? I thought you were sleeping deeply."
> Vikram: "Where are you going? Sleep a little more."
> Tara: "I need to clean the room and drop Suhani off."
> Vikram: "Ask a staff member to clean it. They'll handle it."
I didn't want anyone to know that me and you had fought, and I especially didn't want Suhani walking into the room and seeing them like this.
"Let me go. After I drop Suhani at school, I'll stay with you the whole day," she said firmly.
Vikram gave her a pointed look. "Tara… remember what you just said."
She smiled faintly.
Tara began tidying up the room, but Vikram joined her. "I'll help. I made most of this mess anyway."
"Your hands are already cut. Please don't add to the number," she chided softly.
"When you care for me this much, it just makes me want to love you more," he murmured.
"Then go ahead and love me," she teased.
"Sure… now you're saying that because you know I'm not going to do anything right now," he smirked.
"The room's clean. I'll take a quick bath, head downstairs, get you some coffee, and then drop Suhani off," she said briskly.
"You've become so punctual lately," he remarked.
Tara took her bath, got ready, and went downstairs.
"Didi, why are you dressed up so early?" Suhani asked.
"Because I'm dropping you at school today," Tara replied.
"Why? Where's Jiju?"
"He's not feeling well, so I'll drop you instead."
"I'll just go see him—"
"No, Suhani. He's taking his medicine and resting," Tara interrupted.
After dropping Suhani off, Tara returned to the Suryavanshi Mansion. She told her mother and dada and dadi ji same thing that she told to suhani .She prepare breakfast and coffee for Vikram, then carried it to the room herself.
She fed him with her own hands, eating a little alongside him.
She was doing all this because, for the first time, she had truly felt that Vikram wasn't just sad—he was broken inside. She had always sensed his sadness, but last night, she realized it was deeper than she'd imagined.
"Are you okay?" she asked gently.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied.
"Are you going to the office?"
"No… not that fine. And besides, I want to spend the whole day with you after all this care you're giving me."
"Now I feel like I'm your first love, and the company is your second," she smiled.
"You're my only love," he said.
"Don't say things like that… they hit me too strongly," she murmured.
"You never show or say much love yourself, so I end up saying it," he teased.
"I do show it. And I say it too," she insisted.
"Really? What's the last romantic thing you said to me?" he challenged.
"That I'll get you coffee," she said.
He chuckled. "Wow… I didn't know that counted as romantic."
"I'm going downstairs. You rest," she said, standing.
"Then I'll just go to the office," he shrugged.
"Fine. I'll stay with you then."
Inwardly, Tara thought, I have to speak to Dadi and learn the truth about Vikram's past. What really happened?
"What are you thinking?" Vikram asked.
"Nothing… just like that," she said.
Vikram leaned in and whispered something in her ear. She blushed.
"I think I should go downstairs now… looks like you're feeling better," she said nervously.
"You can't go. Stay right here," he murmured.
"You kissed me last night," he reminded.
"It was a goodnight kiss," she protested.
"And I didn't kiss you back," he said, pulling her closer.
"I know you won't stop at just a kiss," she whispered.
"Only a kiss," he promised.
"I've told everyone downstairs you're resting, and this is what you're planning?" she scolded.
"Your kiss works like medicine for me," he said, before kissing her.
After the kiss, she looked at him with concern. "Are you okay now? I was scared last night."
"I'm fine. Sometimes I just can't control it… and even though it's been a long time, sometimes the pain comes back," he admitted quietly.
She changed the subject. "Alright, you got your kiss. Now can I go downstairs?"
"No. That wasn't a proper kiss. Let me do it again," he said.
Two minutes later…
"Vikram, we only agreed on a kiss," she said breathlessly.
"Well… my mood has changed," he grinned.
"I knew it," she muttered.
"Good," he smirked.
"The whole Suryavanshi company probably thinks you're resting right now," she laughed.
"I am resting," he replied innocently.
"Mr. Suryavanshi, your stock prices might drop," she teased.
"That's fine. You're worth more than my entire company. Slowly, I'll make you the queen of the Suryavanshi Group."
"Can you make me queen faster? Because I don't like slow, she said"
Vikram burst into laughter. "Do you even realize what you just said?"
"Yes. Why are you laughing so much?"
"Alright, noted— you don't like slow," he said, still chuckling.
Now Tara understood why he was laughing, but she stayed quiet. As long as Vikram was smiling, that's all she wanted.
Everything seemed settled on the surface, but in Tara's heart, there were still so many unanswered questions.