Page 8 of Lawfully Yours

She unlocked her phone and opened the message only to see a photo.

A dimly lit image of Kushal.

In a pub.

Two other men were at his table. Drinks in hand, laughter on his lips, completely unbothered by the world.

Akash had also sent a follow-up text, mentioning the name of the club and that Kushal was there with his friends at the moment, enjoying his drinks.

Her fingers moved almost instantly, typing back.

“Is there any woman with him?”

The typing bubbles appeared for a moment. Then, instead of a reply, her phone rang. She swiped to answer Akash’s call.

“No, Ma’am,” Akash said, his voice cautious. “There’s no woman with him.”

Arundhati exhaled, not even realising why she was holding her breath.

For the past nine months, since she had moved out and filed for divorce, she had kept an eye on him. Not because she cared. But because she needed proof.

Proof that he had moved on. That another woman had entered his life, so she could use it in court to strengthen her case.

But Kushal was too damn careful.

Yes, he was seen with women—clients, colleagues, social acquaintances. But he never took anyone home. Never spent private time with anyone.

Either he was too smart, knowing that she would need evidence to build her case, or he genuinely wasn’t interested in any relationships. Not even flings.

And that... that irritated her more than it should.

“Ma’am, I hope Kushal Sir never finds out I’m following him,” Akash said hesitantly. “He’ll fire me on the spot.”

Arundhati’s brows knit together. “He can’t fire you. Such decisions are taken by Raj Uncle, not him. Not even me. So, relax.”

“Fine, but what if we just find another way?”

Her eyes narrowed. “What way?”

“What if we... plant someone?” Akash hesitated. “I mean, we plant a woman. Get some staged pictures, make it look like—”

“Akash!” she cut him off. “I am not going to support anything like that.”

He immediately went silent.

“Either it’s the truth,” she continued, firmly, “or it’s not. Got it?”

A defeated sigh came from the other end. “Got it, Ma’am.”

“Good.” She disconnected the call, tossing the phone onto the bed before rubbing her temples.

She spent all day fighting other people’s cases, but at night, her mind always circled back to one battle—the one she was stuck in with Kushal.

She sank onto the edge of her bed, staring at nothing as her mind replayed the events of the past months.

The court had given them a cooling-off period of six months, standard in contested divorces under Indian law, before the case could proceed to trial. That period had already ended.

And yet, they were still here.