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“I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. By deciding everything on my own and raising Veer by myself, I was almost giving him the same life I had lived—a life without the love of both parents together, a life without a proper family. I’ve spent my whole life longing for a family, Vishnu. Then, how could I give Veer the same life I had?” Her voice cracks completely. “I didn’t want this for Veer. When your father met him—when Veer reached out to him—something broke inside me. Everything became crystal clear. I realised what I had done. I’ve been so blind.”

I see a scared little girl who grew up making decisions alone because she had no choice, who carried that burden into adulthood, and now is breaking under the weight of realising her mistakes. My anger melts away, replaced by an overwhelming need to protect her and heal the wounds she’s been carrying. The walls I’ve built between us after learning of her deception crumble in the face of her raw, honest pain.

“Your dad was right,” she continues. “I didn’t just take Veer away from you—I took his entire family from him. I kept him away from everything he deserved—a father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. I realised it all when I saw him playing with your dad.”

My chest tightens as she pours her heart out.

“I was helpless as a child. I didn’t have my parents or a family to lean on, so I had to grow up on my own. But Veer had it all—both his parents, a big family that I know would love and pamper him so much, and yet, I took it all away from him—for what? My own independence? My career here? I kept him away from all these blessings.”

She looks utterly broken as she presses on, “I am not a good mother. I am sorry for what I have done... I understand now why you can’t forgive me, why you can’t forget. If I were in your place, I’d feel the same, Vishnu. You’re right to pull away from me, to keep your distance when we accidentally get close. I don’t deserve you... I don’t deserve anything except your rejection. I’ve never deserved anyone... This is my karma punishing me now.”

We’re still sitting on the cold marble floor of the kitchen, and looking at her now, my heart throbs painfully. Her eyes are red and swollen with tears still trickling down her face. She looks exhausted, pale, and sick.

I reach out, gently brushing away her tears.

“Shh! This is not the Simran I know. You can’t let yourself fall apart like this just because someone out there wants to hurt you, for whatever f*cking reasons.” My voice grows stronger with conviction. “And stop this bullshit nonsense about karma. It’s not your karma. If you’ve wronged me, then even karma has no right to punish you. Only I do.”

Her tear-filled eyes meet mine, her lips trembling as I continue.

“It’s between us. Only I get to decide what you deserve after what you did with me... no one else.”

Before she can respond, I rise to my feet and scoop her into my arms. Carrying her feels so natural now, as if she belongs in my arms—despite everything. Her body tenses for a brief moment, but then she relaxes against me. I look down at her and notice how her hands clutch weakly at my shirt. I carry her out of the kitchen and head straight to her bedroom. When her eyes dart around the room, searching, I know exactly what she’s looking for.

“Veer is sleeping tonight in the nursery with Claire,” I assure her. “She will wake you up if he needs you in the middle of the night. I have told her that.”

As I lay her on the bed, she clings firmly to my t-shirt. The need in her eyes is unmistakable—she wants me to stay. But just as quickly, she releases me, her hand dropping away as if realising I will again withdraw like all the other times.

I see the tears welling up in her eyes again, and something inside me snaps. Before she can pull away further, I surprise us both by climbing into the bed beside her. Without breaking eye contact, I turn off the lights and pull the duvet over us.

“What… what are you doing?” she stammers.

“I don’t trust you to sleep if I leave,” I reply simply, settling into the pillow beside her. “So I’m staying here tonight to make sure you take proper rest. To make sure you’re okay.”

Her lips part slightly in surprise, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, a faint, tired smile crosses her face as she closes her eyes. I watch her for what feels like hours, her breathing evening out as she finally drifts into a peaceful sleep. Her face is still pale, her cheeks damp from her tears, but she looks calmer now. She was exhausted and needed to rest, but how am I supposed to find my own peace with her so close?

Her confessions tonight—about her childhood, about the burden of making decisions alone—have opened my eyes. I now understand where her fierce need for independence comes from, why the freedom to make her own decisions means so much to her. I finally understand why she did what she did, why she ran, and why she kept Veer from me. It doesn’t erase the hurt, but it softens the edges.

I rub a hand over my face, exhaling slowly. This confrontation has changed everything. I can’t hold onto my anger anymore, not when I see what it’s doing to her, how deeply it’s affecting her. Somewhere in this mess of emotions, I realise that I’ve already forgiven her.

But she’ll have to wait a bit longer before I tell her that openly. For now, I’ll let her sleep, safe and protected, while I watch over her and think about how different our future could be now that I’ve finally let go of my anger.

Tonight feels like a turning point for us—not just because of her confessions, but because I’ve finally allowed myself to look beyond the pain and see the woman who’s always held my heart, even when I tried to fight it.

CHAPTER 21

SIMRAN

I wake up feeling oddly rested, a stark contrast to the chaos swirling in my life lately. My mind immediately flits back to last night—the flood of emotions, my tearful confession to Vishnu, and the surprising sense of peace I felt afterwards. A part of me feels lighter now, as though the weight of guilt I’ve been carrying for months has finally eased.

Instinctively, I turn sideways on the bed, reaching out for Vishnu. He’s not there, but the sheets are still warm and rumpled from where he slept. Traces of his cologne still lingers on the pillow, and something inside me flutters at the scent. Last night, we just slept side by side, but the fact that he didn’t pull away from me means more to me than I can express. I run my palm over the space he occupied, savouring its warmth.

I’ve already apologised, but knowing Vishnu, forgiveness won’t come easily. He’s always been stubborn that way. But I’ve realised that I can’t force him to forgive me—it has to come naturally from within, just like I need time to come to terms with the fact that we’re having a courthouse wedding in ten days. I sigh, running a hand through my hair as I sit up.Ten days.I’m not ready for this, neither mentally nor emotionally.

It’s not easy to expediate the process and get an earlier date without pulling strings, and I’m sure Vishnu must have used his influence to make it happen. Fighting it will only make things more bitter between us, and I’m tired of the conflict. If marriage is what it takes to move forward, then so be it.

I reach for my phone on the bedside table to check on Veer through the baby monitor, but I can’t seem to find it. Strange—that explains why I didn’t hear any alarms. Where could it be?

Making my way to the kitchen, I find Claire busy with her morning routine.