Page 130

His eyes softened as he went on. “Then came Nandini. From the very first day, there was something about her. The way she stood by you. The way she fought for you but never lost her own voice. The strength she carried wasn’t loud, but it was unshakable, undeniable. That quiet courage… it captivated me.”

He swallowed hard, the memory resurfacing. “Do you remember Christmas night? When you and your Serene Meadows friends came over to distribute gifts and saw a woman slipping out the backdoor of my villa?”

He paused, meeting Grandpa’s eyes. “Yes, that was Nandini. And no… she didn’t come over to sneak around. She came because she thought someone had broken into my villa. She thought I wasn’t home and didn’t want the thief to get away with the robbery. So, she grabbed a cricket bat and walked straight in, not caring for her own safety.”

A faint smile touched his lips for the briefest second. “Despite the tension between us, despite the feud you and I had over the mango tree… she came. She didn’t think twice. That’s who she is. Brave, loyal, and fiercely protective of those she cares about.”

Shaurya looked away for a moment, his voice growing softer. “I never told her this… but that night, something in me shifted. That was the moment I gave her a piece of my heart. Because she wasn’t just different, she felt like home. She felt like she was mine.”

Grandpa’s face hardened. “I don’t want to hear your love story,” he snapped, his voice rising again. “Stop trying to soften me with your emotional monologue and get out!”

But Shaurya didn’t move.

“No,” he said simply. “Because this isn’t some love story I’m telling you, Grandpa. It’s our truth. And whether you accept it or not, I’ll keep saying it. Because Nandini deserves someone whowill fight for her, and I’m not going to stop until you understand that I am that man. The man who loves her fiercely.”

Grandpa’s scowl faltered for a moment.

Shaurya took a breath and continued. “Your accident… it brought us closer. I saw how she cared for you every minute, every moment of the day. And honestly? I was envious. But more than that, I was worried for her. You refused a male nurse, and I could see the toll it was taking on her. She wouldn’t admit it, but she was exhausted, emotionally and physically. I couldn’t just stand back and watch and do nothing.”

He stepped closer.

“So, to protect her from burning out, and to make sure she wasn’t doing everything alone... I stepped in. I accepted your challenge, remember? To show up at Raichand Villa every single day without fail. You thought you were testing me. And you were. But I didn’t do it for the challenge. I did it for her. I did it for you.”

His gaze lowered slightly as if remembering those moments. “Those were some of the best days of my life. Not just because I was falling for her… but because being here with both of you, I felt myself changing. Something inside me softened. Not just towards her, but towards you too.”

He looked up again. “Spending time with you… watching your disciplined routine, your quiet wisdom, your protectiveness for Nandini… it all reminded me of something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Somewhere along the way, you became more than just her grandfather in my eyes. You began to feel like the father figure I never had.”

He met Grandpa’s gaze as the truth slipped out. “I had ample love from my parents during my childhood, but when I lost them, work became my only mode of survival. I buried myself in it to avoid the grief, to fill the silence. I forgot what it felt like to come home to someone. To be part of something more. I forgotwhat it meant to belong. To sit across from someone older, someone wiser, and feel that guidance again. Until I got to know you.”

Shaurya exhaled slowly. “The more time I spent with you and Nandini, the more I longed for that feeling of belonging again. And suddenly, all those petty fights, the mango tree, the property lines… they stopped meaning anything. They felt childish because you and Nandini mattered more to me than anything and anyone.”

Grandpa stood still, staring ahead at the wall. His hands trembled slightly at his sides. His eyes welled up, but he quickly turned away, refusing to let it show.

Shaurya’s voice broke. “And somewhere along the way, my feelings for her grew. Slowly. Genuinely. And everything felt… right. Being with her. Watching you soften towards me, bit by bit. It felt like maybe, just maybe, life was giving me another shot. A new kind of family. A second chance… with all of you.”

He paused, his breath hitching as emotion clogged his throat.

“But then… Nandini’s words jolted me back to reality. She spoke about the future. Her dreams. Her expectations. And that’s when it hit me. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t capable of giving her everything she deserved. I panicked, Grandpa. I ran. And in doing so... I broke the heart of the one person who meant the world to me.”

Shaurya stood tall but looked haunted, torn between confession and hope.

“You remember that day? When you caught me talking to the mango tree? Pouring my heart out like a fool?”

“I had already hurt Nandini by then,” Shaurya said quietly. “I let her in… and then I pushed her away. Because I was scared. Terrified that I’d ruin her life the same way I ruined my last marriage. I thought walking away was the noble thing to do. That by doing so, I was protecting her. But then you showed up.You heard me. You told me not to run from love. That second chances are rare. That they’re God’s way of saying you are worth it.”

Grandpa swallowed hard, recalling that very day.

“It was your words that changed everything for me. You opened my eyes. You told me not to let fear dictate my life and make my decisions for me. So I listened. I fought through every voice of doubt in my head, and I chose her.”

He looked at Grandpa straight in the eyes with conviction. “I chose Nandini because I love her. And now, the very man who pushed me to follow that love… is the one trying to tear it apart. How am I supposed to stand by and watch that happen?”

For a beat, neither of them said anything. The room was silent except for the muffled sounds of Nandini outside the door, still pleading to be let in.

Shaurya’s voice cut through the calm. “You told me not to live in fear of the past. So why are you letting my past define her future?”

Something flickered in Grandpa’s eyes, if only slightly.

“I didn’t know it was my granddaughter back then,” he snapped. “I have no problem with you getting your second chance. Just not with my Nandu.”