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Rhea’s jaw tightened. She leaned back in her chair, processing the blow.

“Oh,” she said, a clipped exhale following the word. “We’re offering you a great deal, Nandini. You’ve been on the lookout for the right funding for months. We see real potential in your products and in your brand. Aura is the best strategic partner you’re going to find right now. If we walk away, you may not get an offer like this again anytime soon. It’s a win-win for both of us.”

“I’m aware,” Nandini replied calmly. “But my decision still stands. I came here in person because I didn’t think somethinglike this should be said over a phone call. That wouldn’t have been respectful or professional.”

Rhea’s expression darkened. She slammed her fist on the table and shot up from her chair. “And isthisprofessional? Walking away at the final stage? The contract is ready. My team is ready. You were ready… right up until a few days ago.”

Suddenly, she paused, her eyes flashing. “Until Shaurya got involved.”

The air turned thick with tension.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Rhea demanded, her voice edged with accusation. “This is about him. He got into your head, didn’t he? Told you not to work with me. Just because I’m his ex-wife.”

Nandini shook her head and cut in before Rhea could say more. “No. He didn’t tell me anything like that. In fact, he told me the exact opposite.”

Rhea’s brows rose in surprise as Nandini continued, calm and unwavering. “Shaurya told me that if you are investing in my startup, it means my business would be in capable hands. That, professionally speaking, I couldn’t ask for a better investor.”

Rhea stared at her, stunned. Of all the things she had braced for, praise from Shaurya wasn’t one of them. She blinked, visibly thrown off, before recovering with a shrug.

“Then why?” she asked, frustration lacing her voice. “Why are you backing out if even he supports it?”

Nandini looked at her squarely. “Because I don’t want to hurt him.”

Rhea frowned, unconvinced. “Hurt him? How would this hurt him?”

“Because this isn’t just a casual relationship. Shaurya and I are serious about each other. His happiness, his peace of mind, his emotional well-being… it’s all mine to protect now. And no matter how much he’s trying to be okay with this, I know the toll it is taking on him. I can see it in his eyes. A part of him is stillhaunted, whether he admits it or not. And I won’t be the one to drag his past into my present, not in a way that chips away at his healing.”

Rhea stared at her for a long moment, then slowly shook her head in disbelief. “You’re making a mistake, Nandini. Whatever you think you have with him… it’s not worth sacrificing your business for. Trust me.”

She stepped around the desk to reach Nandini. “I’ve known Shaurya far longer than you have. I’ve been where you are now. I’ve felt what you are feeling. And I’m telling you, he’s only capable of offering loneliness and emotional distance in a relationship. Work willalwaysbe his first love. You’ll never be his priority. Are you really willing to risk both your time and your career for a man like that?”

That did it.

Nandini’s posture straightened, and she said sharply, “Enough. I won’t hear another word against him, Mrs. Rhea Choudhary.”

The fierceness in her voice made Rhea pause.

“I’m just stating facts,” Rhea said, recovering quickly.

“No,” Nandini snapped. “You’re clinging to a version of him that fits your narrative. But since we’re talking about facts, let’s lay them bare, shall we?”

She stepped forward now. “I’m not here to dissect what went wrong in your marriage. But if you’re going to sit here and make it sound like Shaurya was the only one at fault… then you need to hear the truth.”

Rhea’s expression hardened, but she stayed silent. Nandini didn’t give her a chance to say anything.

“Yes, Shaurya’s obsession with work may have brought about the initial crack in your relationship. But that’s only half the truth. The other half is… when he realised what he was doing… how it was hurting you… hetriedto fix it. He tried to meet youhalfway. He made an effort to rebuild what was slipping. It was you who chose not to see it.”

Nandini’s eyes locked with hers.

“He didn’t walk away from that marriage, Rhea. You did.”

Rhea stiffened.

“You fell out of love with him. And that happens. But instead of being honest, instead of ending things amicably, you started a relationship with someone else while you were still married. You kept it a secret. You betrayed him for nearly a year while testing your new relationship with Anirudh, weighing whether he was worth leaving Shaurya for.”

Rhea stood frozen and silent for once.

“You didn’t say anything to Shaurya at first. It was only after you were certain you had something better that you told him and asked for a divorce.”