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She turned and ran to help Lakshmi, who was now half-carrying Grandpa into the house.

Shaurya remained behind, fists clenched, heart pounding, fury and helplessness warring inside him. The night had unravelled within seconds. Everything that could go wrong had.And now, the only woman he loved was walking into a storm, just to protect them both and what they had.

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

Raichand Villa

As soon as the heavy doors of Raichand Villa closed behind them, Grandpa jerked his arm free from Lakshmi and Nandini’s hold.

“I didn’t expect this from you, Nandini,” he said, hurt masking his voice. “How long has this been going on?”

Nandini opened her mouth, but the words got caught in her throat.

“Answer me!” he barked, and without warning, his trembling hands clutched her arms, not violently, but with a desperate need for answers. His body shook with rage and heartbreak. “Was it back then? When he came here pretending to look after me when I had fractured my leg? Has it been since then?”

“Daadu, it’s not like that—” Nandini began, but he cut her off before she could explain.

“Then what is it like?” he demanded. “You barely know this man. Is it just because he lives next door? Because he wears a sharp suit and flashes a charming smile? Is that all it takes to fall for someone these days?”

Nandini’s face changed. The pain in her eyes was quickly replaced by fire. She yanked her arms free and took a step back, standing her ground.

“Is that really what you think of me?” she asked, her voice cracking with restrained anger. “That I’d fall for a man just because he looks good in a suit?”

He hesitated. The fire in her eyes made him falter. For a brief second, his fury wavered as realisation crept in. That maybe he had crossed a line.

But Nandini didn’t back down. “I don’t know when it started. I don’t know how or why. But it did. And that’s what love is,Daadu. You and Daadi always used to say… that love doesn’t follow logic. It just…happens. It finds you when the time is right.”

Grandpa’s face darkened again. “But Shaurya isn’t the right man for you.”

“Why?” she asked, her eyes wide and pleading. “Just because he’s a few years older than me?”

“Notjusta few years older, Nandini. He’s nearly a decade older than you. That’s a whole generation between you. You may not see it now, but eventually you will. And not to mention, he’s been married before.”

“So what?” Nandini argued, raising her voice. “You are talking as if second marriage is a crime. Even you had a second marriage with Daadi.”

Grandpa’s expression hardened instantly. His eyes narrowed, and for the first time, his voice had an edge. “Don’t you dare compare the two.”

Nandini flinched at his tone, but stood firm.

“I was awidower, Nandini. Not adivorcee,” he snapped sharply. “There’s a difference. A big one. My first marriage didn’t end in failure. I didn’t walk away from it. I was happy with my wife. She passed away. That’s not the same as Shaurya’s case. His wife left him, walked away unhappy. That alone is a red flag. It should be enough of a reason to make you think twice about dreaming of a future with him.”

But Nandini didn’t back down.

“What was his fault in that?” she asked, her eyes brimming with tears, but her voice remained steady. “You don’t know anything about their marriage. I do. Shaurya told me everything.”

“And you believed him?” Grandpa scoffed. “Of course he made himself look good! How can you be so naïve, Nandu? Doyou really think he’d tell you the truth about his flaws just like that?”

“Hedid, Daadu,” she insisted. “He told me everything. Every mistake he made. Every painful detail. He didn’t sugarcoat it or play the blame game. But he wasn’t the only one at fault. His ex-wife gave up too.”

She took a deep breath and continued, “And it wasn’t just his workaholic nature that put a strain on their marriage. His wife had an affair, Daadu. For almost a year, behind his back. That’s what really broke them. It wasn’t just his shortcomings. He was still trying to make it work while she was already somewhere else emotionally. So no, it’s not fair to blame him entirely for the divorce.”

Grandpa was shocked to hear that. He had heard many rumours around the community, quiet judgments tossed over fences and teacups about Shaurya and his failed marriage. But never once had that little detail surfaced. Not even in the ugliest retellings.

And now, he understood why Shaurya had stayed silent all this time. He hadn’t wanted to destroy his ex-wife’s image, so he never revealed the truth, not even to clear his own name. He was protecting a woman who had betrayed him, just to preserve her dignity.

A flicker of pity touched Grandpa’s heart but he masked it quickly. He wasn’t ready to show that yet.

“That marriage didn’t fall apart because of one person. You always taught me to value honesty, Daadu. And he’s never lied to me…not once.He took responsibility for what went wrong. He didn’t hide behind excuses,” Nandini said, her voice firm with belief.