Page 100

“No,” she said firmly, her voice breaking. “I don’t need an explanation. Not anymore. If this is how it ends, fine. But don’t touch me and pretend you’re doing this for my sake.”

Her voice cracked on the last word, and without waiting for his response, she turned away and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. She didn’t want to see him again. She didn’t want to break in front of him. If he was done, then she would be done too.

Shaurya stood frozen, still staring at the closed door.

And just like that, the love that had blossomed between them with slow trust and quiet hope, cracked wide open in a single devastating night.

CHAPTER 18

Shaurya’s Villa – Next Day Afternoon

The late afternoon sun filtered through the blinds of Shaurya’s villa, casting long shadows across the floor. Varun paced the living room, the tension in his steps rising with every unanswered question in his mind. Shaurya stood silently by the window, looking like a man who’d suddenly lost his entire world in one night.

“I don’t get it,” Varun finally burst out, exasperated. “You and Nandini were doing great. And suddenly, out of nowhere, I hear you’re… what? Ending things?” He turned to face him. “Shaurya, what the hell happened?”

Shaurya didn’t flinch. He didn’t speak either. His jaw was tight, his eyes fixed on something outside that Varun couldn’t see.

“Were you even one percent serious about her?” Varun pressed, more softly now. “Or was all of that just a passing phase for you?”

“I love her, Varun,” he snapped, not liking what Varun said. “She was not just a passing phase of my life. I love her so much that I know what I did was for her own good. I’d rather break my own heart than ever hurt her.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Varun’s voice rose again. “If you love her, what is this nonsense about stepping back?”

Shaurya exhaled slowly. “Because I can’t do this. I can’t promise her a future that I’m scared I’ll ruin. She deserves better. Someone who isn’t carrying as much baggage as I am.”

Varun stared at him, stunned. “You think pushing her away is better than at least trying?”

Shaurya’s lips pressed into a grim line. “Last night… when she said she couldn’t wait to build a life with me, to have my babies—” he paused, a flicker of pain ghosting across his face. “I remembered Rhea. The night I told her those exact same words. The night I found out that… that everything I believed in, everything I thought we were, was a lie.”

Varun’s eyes narrowed, knowing exactly what Shaurya was referring to, but he shook his head in disagreement. “So now you’re punishing Nandini for something your ex-wife did?”

“No,” Shaurya snapped. “I’m protecting her from going through what Rhea and I went through. From being with a man who doesn’t know if he’s capable of doing it right the second time.”

“Bullshit,” Varun said bluntly. “You’re not protecting her, Shaurya. You’re protecting yourself. From trying. From hoping. From the possibility of failing at it again.”

Shaurya didn’t respond.

“You’re making the biggest mistake of your life,” Varun continued. “You have someone who truly loves you. Who accepts every part of you. Your past, your scars, your age… everything. Life is offering you a second chance, man, and you’re too scared to reach out and take it.”

Shaurya’s throat tightened as he tried to swallow back the misery threatening to rip him apart.

“Nandini is not Rhea,” Varun said firmly. “And you’re not that man anymore either. But if you keep shutting people out, if you keep living like the past has already written off your wholestory, then yeah, you’ll lose her. And you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

He grabbed his car keys from the table. “Be a man, Shaurya. Own your life. Stop running from it.”

With that, Varun turned and walked out, the door clicking shut behind him. And for the first time in a long time, Shaurya felt something splinter inside him, something dangerously close to fear… andregret.

******************

The next five days were a blur of silence and suffocating stillness for Shaurya. He buried himself in work, pretending to be too busy for anything else. Whether it was checking emails or attending virtual meetings, his laptop barely left his side. But even that wasn’t enough to silence the chaos inside his head. He tried to hold it together. Tried to focus on work, on his fitness routine, and even fixed the broken lock on the garden gate. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, his traitorous and relentless thoughts kept circling back to her.

He was slipping.

Even Meera had noticed.

“You’ve been grumpier than usual,” she muttered that morning, after he snapped at her for bringing him tea instead of coffee, when clearly, he was the one who had asked for tea that day.

He sighed, immediately feeling guilty. “I’m sorry, Meera. I... I’m just not in the right mindset.”