Page 44 of When Love Trespassed

“No, you weren’t wrong. What you saw… it was all real, Nandini.

Every bit of it. And that night was supposed to the next step for us in our relationship.

But then you suddenly talked about babies, and I panicked,” he admitted, clutching her shoulders.

“It scared me. It reminded me of the exact same promises I once made to her. My ex-wife. And the way that ended…” His voice trailed off, rough and vulnerable.

She turned to him now, her eyes flashing.

“So someone else hurt you, and you decided to punish me for it? You broke my heart, Shaurya. You didn’t just back off that night…

you ran. You didn’t trust me, or us, or the love we shared.

So why are you even here now? Just because Grandpa asked you to get a read on my future husband? And you still have the audacity—”

“I’m here because I couldn’t stay away any longer. Because I made a mistake,” Shaurya interrupted her. He drew in a deep breath and stepped closer, his eyes locked on hers. “And if I let you walk away without saying what I should’ve said a week ago, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”

“I don’t want your explanations, Shaurya. Or your regrets. I cried for days. And you know what’s worse? I blamed myself. I kept thinking it was my fault. That I pushed too hard, said too much. That I ruined something that could’ve been beautiful.”

He took another step closer, afraid she’d bolt. “I told you it wasn’t your fault. It was mine. Entirely mine. I let my past fears ruin what could’ve been my future. And I’ve regretted it every second since.”

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest.

“It was Grandpa I confided in about my fears,” he continued.

Nandini blinked, shocked. He spoke to Grandpa? When?

“He was the one I could talk to. One who made me realise I was letting grief hold me back. He helped me see that maybe… I deserved a second chance at love too.”

Nandini panicked.

“Although he didn’t know the woman I was talking about was you, he was the one who knocked sense into me.

And then, when he told me about Rohit,” he swallowed nervously, “it scared the hell out of me. Not because he might be perfect. But because it made me realise I couldn’t stand the thought of you with someone else.

I don’t want to just be your past, Nandini.

I want to be your future, the man you build your forever with. If you’ll still have me.”

She looked at him long and hard, searching for cracks in his sincerity, but all she saw was a man stripped of his ego and weighed down by remorse. And somewhere deep within her, beneath the pain, beneath the logic, everything Nandini had tried to bury slowly began to rise again.

“Don’t do this,” she whispered in anguish. “Not now. Not when I’m trying so damn hard to forget you.”

“You can hate me. You probably should. But I’m not here to ask for forgiveness,” he said. “I’m here because I’m in love with you.”

Silence crashed between them.

“I love you, Nandini,” he confessed, clutching her arms like he was barely holding himself together.

“After my bitter divorce, I’d sworn off relationships and love.

Sworn that I’d never marry again. But then, you came into my life and sparked those feelings in me again.

You made me crave love again. Made me want to believe in happily ever after again.

It’s you I want to see my present and future with.

It’s you I want to marry again, not to repeat the mistakes of my past, but to start afresh from scratch and create new, endless memories for us… ”

He cupped her face, stroking her tears away.

“I want to build a home with you. I want to have babies with you, and I want to pamper them and you so much that you forget there was ever a day when I hurt you and made you cry. I promise the only tears that will fall from your eyes hereon will be those born from joy. Please give me a chance. A last chance to set this right. I am sorry to hurt you so badly. I’ll do everything to earn back the love and trust I lost.”

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Rohit had arrived. There was a long pause. The kind that felt like the air itself was holding its breath.

“You think a sorry is enough?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“No,” he replied. “But it’s a start. And if you give me a second chance, I swear I’ll spend every single day proving to you that you made the right choice.”

The next moment, they heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. Nandini pulled away from Shaurya in an instant and quickly wiped her tears, forcing herself to appear composed. Shaurya cleared his throat and straightened up just as Grandpa stepped into the kitchen, his eyes landing on both of them.

“Nandu, Rohit is here—” he began, but then stopped short, clearly surprised to find Shaurya standing there.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Shaurya? When did you get here? And what are you doing in the kitchen?”

“I just arrived,” Shaurya answered calmly, though his gaze never left Nandini. “I came to check on Nandini... it’s a big day for her, a big decision. And I thought if there’s someone else she has feelings for, now’s the time to say it. Before she meets Rohit.”

Nandini shot him a sharp, warning glare, but he ignored it. Grandpa frowned, sighing as he crossed his arms.

“You think I didn’t already ask her that?” he said. “The moment my idiot son sprung this meeting on us, I was the first to talk to her two days ago. She told me there was no one.”

Shaurya turned to Nandini, his expression hardening. “That was two days ago, Grandpa.”

Grandpa looked between them, clearly puzzled now. His tone softened. “Nandu… is there something I should know? It’s still not too late, dear. If there’s someone else in your heart, you can tell us.”

Nandini’s throat tightened. Her eyes locked with Shaurya’s. He didn’t say a word, but the message was clear in them. Say it now. Tell him. Tell your grandfather you love me.

She forced herself to look away and then turned back to her grandfather.

“No, Daadu. There’s no one else,” she said. “I’m ready to meet Rohit.”

Shaurya’s face darkened. He was clearly disappointed.

Grandpa let out another sigh, a weary one this time. “Alright then, come on out. He’s already waiting. Shaurya, you too. Don’t hover here like a ghost. Come outside.”

With that, he turned and walked off towards the living room. Nandini followed behind him. But just as she passed Shaurya, he reached out and grabbed her arm.

“You really want to do this?” His eyes were blazing now.

She yanked her arm free, and without a word, she turned and walked quickly after her grandfather.

Shaurya stayed behind for a second, exhaling sharply in frustration.

Of course. How could he forget? Stubbornness ran in their blood.

Both grandfather and granddaughter were stubborn to the bone when it came to making a point.

And clearly, Nandini wasn’t going to make this easy. Not after what he’d done.

His jaw tightly clenched, he followed them out and stepped into the living room, ready to see exactly who he’d have to compete with.

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

“Rohit!” Grandpa greeted warmly as he stepped into the living room.

Rohit Wadhwa had arrived with the polish and confidence of a man who knew exactly why he was here—as a potential suitor for the alliance.

Tall and sharp-featured, he was dressed in a tailored blue blazer with a crisp white shirt underneath, looking every bit the eligible bachelor determined to make an impression.

Just three years older than Nandini and already running his father’s import-export business in Delhi, he carried himself with a self-assurance that was hard to ignore.

He greeted Grandpa with a respectful hug and handed him a small box of sweets. “For you, Grandpa. Mom sent these.”

“Ah, thank you. I can never say no to sweets,” Grandpa chuckled, taking the box from him. “Come, meet my granddaughter first for whom you are here.”

As if on cue, Nandini stepped in from the living room with a soft smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“This is Nandini, my granddaughter, my pride, and the only reason this big house still feels alive with love and laughter,” Grandpa introduced.

Nandini gave a courteous smile. “Hi.”

Rohit’s eyes lit up. “Hi,” he said, far more enthusiastically than warranted. “It’s really nice to meet you. I don’t know if you remember, but we’ve actually met before.”

Her brows drew together slightly in confusion. “We have?”

Rohit let out a small laugh. “Almost twenty years ago. Our fathers had attended the same family event. You must’ve been five—clinging to your mom’s saree while the grown-ups talked.”

Nandini blinked, trying to recall, but the memory escaped her.

From the hallway, Shaurya stepped into the living room, just in time to hear every word. His jaw tightened at the unnecessary sense of nostalgia dripping from Rohit’s tone.

“I was hiding behind my mom, huh?” Nandini asked with a faint smile. “And what were you doing?”

“Trying to sneak glances at you,” Rohit replied, smirking. “Whenever I could.”

Grandpa burst out laughing, clearly charmed by the boyish honesty. Nandini looked down, half-embarrassed, her cheeks reddening.

And Shaurya? He was burning inside. Every word from Rohit felt like a direct challenge, and he didn’t like it one bit.

Before Rohit could ride that moment any further, his gaze shifted and landed on Shaurya, standing just a few feet away. A flicker of confusion crossed his face as if wondering who this unfamiliar man was.

“Oh,” Grandpa interjected quickly, picking up on it. “That’s Shaurya Ahuja. Our neighbour. But more than that, a dear part of this household now.”

Shaurya stepped forward, extending his hand with a tight, unreadable smile. “Rohit.”

Rohit took it, but before he could finish a friendly handshake, he felt it—the slight extra pressure, just enough to make a point. Shaurya’s grip was firm, almost too firm, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Rohit.