Page 137 of Lawfully Yours

And when the door closed behind Rajveer, Kushal stood there for a moment alone. Rajveer was right. It’s all he could do now. Give Arundhati what she wanted—space, time… distance. But in his heart, he knew she was too stubborn. Hence, having any hope that she would change her mind was almost next to impossible now, and that hurt the most.

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

Three days later – Verma & Associates

Arundhati sat in the meeting room, surrounded by her juniors, her eyes scanning a case file in front of her, but not really reading. The room was alive with discussion, legal jargon tossed back and forth, strategy being debated, points being raised. She heard none of it.

Her mind had zoned out again, drifting somewhere far from the room, far from the case.

It had been three days since that confrontation in the library. Three days since Kushal had flung those signed divorce-related papers to the floor and walked away from her like she meant nothing.

And she hadn’t seen him since.

Kushal hadn’t set his foot into the office again either. It was Akash who got this information to her that Kushal was working from his penthouse. His assistant had shifted all his files there. Meetings were being held with his junior team at his residence. The rest of the time, he was at court. But not once had he returned to the firm.

And for reasons she didn’t want to admit, not even to herself, thatbotheredher.

She had told herself it didn’t matter. That it was exactly what she wanted. That he was finally giving her the divorce shehad fought so long and hard for. But now that it was actually happening, she felt hollow.

She wasn’t at peace. Not even close.

Her appetite had vanished. Her home didn’t feel like home anymore. She couldn’t even sleep in her own bed…thatbed where Kushal had slept beside her just nights ago. His presence still clung to the sheets, to the air. It was unbearable.

“Ma’am?”

Akash’s voice broke through the fog.

She looked up, startled, realising the entire team was staring at her, waiting for her response to something she hadn’t even heard. Across the table, her uncle, Raj Verma, studied her with a stern and concerned expression.

She couldn’t take it anymore.

“I need to go through the files again,” she said quickly, standing up. “I’ll get back to you all.”

Without waiting for a response, she walked out, and made her way down the corridor. She passed Kushal’s cabin instinctively, her eyes flicking toward the glass door. Still dark. Still empty. Just like it had been for the past three days.

Inside her cabin, she set her phone down and tried to compose herself, but Raj Verma followed her in.

“This is enough, Aru,” he said, closing the door behind him. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”

She stiffened, already expecting this. Ever since she’d broken down in his arms three days ago, her uncle had been persistently trying to get her to open up. But she hadn’t spoken a word about it.

“I told you, uncle,” she said, flipping through a file without looking at him. “I wasn’t well that day. I was just... emotional. That’s all.”

Raj strode forward and plucked the file from her hands, forcing her to meet his eyes.

“Stop lying,” he said firmly. “I’m not a fool, Aru. I know something happened between you and Kushal. Something serious. He hasn’t come to work since. And you—you’ve been somewhere else entirely. You think I can’t see that? It’s not just affecting you; it’s affectingme. I’ve tried calling him too. He’s not even picking up my calls now.”

Arundhati looked away. “He’syourgolden boy,” she muttered. “You gave him that freedom even to ignore you, his own boss. What can I say?”

“It’s not about ignoring me that’s hurting me so much, but the fact that you’re both hiding something, and I’m tired of being kept in the dark. This is no longer just about you two. It’s affecting the work, the energy in this entire place.”

Just then, a knock interrupted them, and Akash stepped in.

“Ma’am, Anant sir is here. He’s come to sign the preliminary paperwork for the first court session and to go over the procedure for the hearing day.”

Arundhati frowned. “I didn’t schedule that meeting for today.”

Akash hesitated. “ProbablyKushal sirhad done it.”