Page 55 of Entangled Vows (Destined Diaries #2)

Mahika stood near the window of the study, her arms crossed, her posture stiff with suppressed rage.

She looked like the sweet girl next door, simple yet beautiful, wearing a light peach block-printed short kurti, paired with loose white cotton pants.

Her hair was half tied at the back while the rest tumbled down, frizzed by the monsoon air.

The mild daylight filtered in, but the room felt anything but warm.

She glared at Suraj, who sat slouched in the chair opposite Vikram’s massive desk, looking nothing like the easy-going man she once knew.

His shoulders were slumped, and his eyes looked tired, but Mahika didn’t care about it.

She wanted answers, and she was going to get them.

“Why didn’t you at least text me, Sunny?” she burst out, her voice sharp with hurt. “I tried reaching out so many times.”

Suraj let out a heavy sigh. “I wanted to, Mahi. I really did. But I couldn’t. I left because… there were reasons. And one of them was that I couldn’t marry you. You know I love you, but not like that.”

Her nostrils flared as she shot back, “Yes, I know. But the clause clearly said I was supposed to marry the heir, which was Vikram. You were never meant to marry me. And do you seriously think I wanted to marry you, you idiot?”

Suraj froze, speechless. “I… I wasn’t aware of the specifics. Mr. Rao just said the marriage was the key to saving the company. I freaked out. I didn’t think it through... I’m sorry.”

Arms crossed, she tried to compose herself.

“Fine. I’ll let that misunderstanding go.

But then why didn’t you step up and tell the world your truth?

Being gay isn’t something to hide or be ashamed of.

The world has changed, Sunny. You could have lived openly, without fear.

Instead, you ran away and left your brother to face everything alone.

The media storm, the endless questions, the business.

And on top of that, your father was sick. He was on his death bed.”

Her voice trembled as it rose. “Vikram was here, holding everything together alone, cleaning up the wreckage you left behind.”

Suraj’s lips twitched. “For someone who hated my brother, you sure are taking his side a lot.”

“He’s my husband now, not just your brother. And I never really hated him, dumbass,” she said, her voice calm but firm. “Stop acting like you know everything about what’s between us. Just… tell me, why did you leave?”

“I would rather tell the reasons to my brother first,” Suraj replied, pausing for a beat. Then, he added softly, “Mahi, it’s really good to know someone has Vicky’s back.”

Mahika didn’t respond. Her silence settled into the room like a warning, a quiet confession that spoke louder than words.

“I am fucking eager to know those reasons too, Suraj,” Vikram’s voice cut in. “Where the hell did you vanish?”

Neither of them had noticed Vikram standing at the doorway. He stepped into the study, the very picture of a sharp, composed man who had spent far too long holding himself together.

As he walked past her, Mahika’s fingers brushed against his. His pinky finger curled around hers for the briefest moment. It was subtle and instinctive, and it made her breath hitch. Then he moved ahead and leaned casually against the edge of the desk, his eyes pinned on his brother.

Across the room, Mohit and Ishika sat stiffly on the couch, too wary to speak.

Vikram was in front of Suraj now.

“Hey, big bro. How are you?” Suraj asked, stepping forward and pulling him into a hug.

Mahika noticed Vikram freeze for a second, his arms hanging by his sides. But then, slowly, he lifted them and returned the hug with a single, awkward pat on Suraj’s back before pulling away.

“I’m fucking fantastic,” Vikram said, his eyes scanning Suraj’s face. “But you look like shit.”

Suraj gave a weary smile.

“What happened?” Vikram asked quietly. “Why did you leave? We’d spoken just a week before, and you seemed fine then.”

Suraj let out a long breath and lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry… for everything. Vicky, there are things you still don’t know…”

“I know everything,” Vikram cut in, his tone leaving no room for doubt. He circled behind the desk, standing tall. “Mahika told me already.”

“I am sorry, Suraj,” Mahika said softly, her voice apologetic. “But I had to.”

Suraj nodded without hesitation. “It’s fine, Mahi. I don’t blame you.”

“Suraj, I don’t care whether you are gay or straight. That’s not the issue. You are my brother, and I’ll love you either way,” Vikram said, his voice edged with hurt. “The problem is, why the hell did you hide it from me, when everyone else in this room already knew?”

Suraj winced at that. “Because it never felt like the right time to bring it up. We are brothers, yes, but there has always been this strange, cold distance between us. And that kept me from telling you the truth.”

Vikram let out a laugh, but it was bitter and hollow. “That’s on me. The distance was my fault. I blamed you for things that weren’t yours to carry. I was angry when Mom took you with her and left me with Dad. She drove a wedge between us, and I only made it worse with my resentment.”

“What?” Suraj’s voice cracked. “That was the reason for all your passive-aggressive bullshit over the years? You thought Mom loved me more?”

“Yes,” Vikram said, his jaw clenched. “Maybe I was an idiot, but at the time, it felt real. That was my truth, even if it sounds like complete crap now. But none of that matters anymore. What matters is why you disappeared when Dad needed both of us.”

Suraj hesitated, his shoulders slumping further, as though the load of the next words was too much to carry.

“I flew to Dubai,” he said quietly. “To be with Mom.”

The room went dead silent, and even the air seemed to pause.

Mahika saw Vikram freeze. His entire posture shifted, his spine stiffening like steel. His face lost all trace of emotion, and he went terrifyingly still. It was as if someone had turned him to stone.

“Why?” he growled.

“She had a heart attack,” Suraj added. “And she was all alone.”

Vikram blinked, shocked.

“Her husband was there,” he said, regaining his calm. “He could have taken care of her.”

“No,” Suraj replied quietly. “Her husband passed away four years ago. COVID took him. After that, she changed. She shut herself off from everyone. The doctors diagnosed her with a heart condition. And then... the cardiac arrest happened a few months ago. It was the same time we spoke on the phone. She was in the hospital, Vikram. Completely alone. There was no one beside her. No one. I couldn’t let her go through that alone. ”

Vikram’s jaw tightened, the tendons in his neck jutting out. A storm of fury simmered beneath his composed exterior.

“You went to her,” he said, slowly and deliberately.

“Yes. She needed someone with her.”

“So did dad. So did I,” Vikram whispered, his voice barely more than a breath. “And you still chose her.”

“I wasn’t choosing sides,” Suraj replied, his voice breaking with emotion. “I did what I thought was right… what any son would have done. You see her as the woman who left you, but I see her as someone who is broken. A woman who fell in love again, just at the wrong time and again lost it.”

“You don’t get to justify cheating. I won’t stand for it,” Vikram ground out, disbelief tightening his jaw. He couldn’t believe his own brother was defending their mother’s betrayal.

“I’m not justifying cheating, Vikram,” Suraj said softly.

“I’m saying it’s all in the past. And she’s our mom.

She’s just human. Yes, she left Dad. Yes, she made mistakes.

But she also fell in love with someone else.

And you... you’ve been punishing her ever since.

Why are you still holding on to old wounds?

You need to accept that we can’t choose our parents. ”

Vikram stayed silent, but Mahika noticed the faint tremble in his fingers. She tightened her hold on his hand.

Suraj’s voice cracked with quiet desperation. “She tried to reach out. She wanted to make things right, but you never let her. You shut her out so completely, Vikram. You built a wall around yourself. There wasn’t even a door left for her to knock on. What does that say about you?”

Vikram’s head turned, his voice sharp. “It says that I am not desperate.”

Suraj’s jaw clenched, but he stayed calm. “That’s not desperation. That is love. That is the kind of love you keep denying because it hurts too much to admit you ever needed it. And you know what… I brought her here.”

Vikram stood shocked as he processed those words. “She’s here? In Dehradun?”

“Yes. She’s staying at Ishika’s place. Mom needs us now, and I will not abandon her… not the way you believe she abandoned us. She is still our mother. Let the past go. It has been years.”

Vikram stood frozen, his face unreadable. Then he looked at Suraj, and when he spoke, his voice was almost too quiet to catch.

“Letting go is easy when you are loved. You got everything from her. The warmth, the affection, the loyalty. You were always her favourite, Suraj… even back then. And now you have done it again. You ran off to save her while I stayed here... holding everything together. I needed my brother. But you chose her. Again.”

Every word struck like a blow. Mahika moved closer, curling her fingers around Vikram’s forearm.

She held on tightly, trying to be with him, before he drifted into that place where he thought he was all alone.

But Vikram slowly pulled his arm free and turned towards the door, his shoulders squared, his expression set in stone.

And without another word, he walked out.

∞∞∞