“Samrat… I’m not sure we should go down that path,” I began.
“Did you or did you not tell Nilanjana that I was only yours?” he demanded.
“I did, but…”
“And did you mean it?”
“Of course, I did! But…what if something else happens and you don’t trust me again? I don’t know if I could survive losing you all over again,” I said softly.
“Meher, you risked your life to save my baby girl. There is nobody I trust more than you.”
“You jackass, I have never given you any reason not to trust me. But you destroyed my trust in love itself. Eight years ago, I was a twenty-two-year-old virgin who’d only had one casual boyfriend until you. And you knew that! And yet, you believedSanjay and Nilanjana so easily that you didn’t even pause for a minute to give me a chance to defend myself,” I said hoarsely.
“I believed what I saw,” he said, trying to keep his voice from rising as he set Navya down on his bed. “God, I was so wrong. I know that now. But what would you have done if you’d found me in bed with another woman, Meher?”
“I would have asked you what happened. I would have given you a chance to prove yourself innocent,” I yelled. “You did not fight for our love. So, how can I be sure you won’t react the same way if something similar happens ever again?”
“Meher, my love, my life, I promise you that I will never doubt you again until the day I die. I did my best to cut you out of my heart eight years ago, but I failed miserably. And now that I have you again, I can’t let you go because you’re the only shining star in my bleak world. I know I will have to earn your trust all over again. Can you at least give me one more chance to prove my love?”
Could I do it, I asked myself. Could I forgive him for what he had put me through? I didn’t blame Nilanjana and Sanjay as much as I blamed Samrat because if he had stood by me, we would have weathered all the accusations and gossip.
But even though I was still hurt about what had happened, I hadn’t stopped loving him. And I never would. Loving Samrat was like a madness in my blood. In my soul.
And even if I walked away from him today, I wouldn’t stop loving the man who risked his life for me, even though he had claimed to hate me at that point. The man who defended me in public, even when he didn’t need to. The man who gave up his dream career to care for his little niece. The man who gave me the freedom to walk away from him in the throes of very heated sex because he understood the essence of consent. The man who would give his life to avenge the death of his best friend. The man who was willing to defend his country at any cost. The manwho loved me despite everything we had been through.Thatman was asking for a second chance.
I nodded slowly because where was I going to go without him anyway? My world began and ended with Samrat. I couldn’t even think of leaving him and Navya.
“On one condition,” I said finally. “We have to go for therapy and work on our trust issues.”
“Babe, I’ve been in therapy ever since I lost Mani,” Samrat said gently, and my heart melted a little more.
This wasn’t a man who doubled down on his actions and waited for someone else to come along and fix him. This was a man who had the balls to accept his mistakes and put in the work to fix himself.
“Meher Rathore, I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything. Once upon a time, I thought you had destroyed my faith in love. But now I realise that you’re the one who taught me to love all those years ago, and now, you’ve only reinforced my ability to love harder. I’m incomplete without you. Help me be whole again?” he asked softly.
Happy tears streamed down my face as I nodded vigorously.
Samrat pulled me into his arms and claimed my lips in a deep, loving kiss that got steamy real fast. When he pulled away, we were both breathing hard. I cast a guilty glance at Navya, but she was still fast asleep.
“I’ll just drop her off in her room,” said Samrat. “Stay here and don’t move.”
“Actually, I need a shower.”
“Even better,” he growled. “Get in that shower and don’t move.”
Ten minutes later, I had just finished soaping myself, when the door to the shower cubicle opened and Samrat stepped in. He wrapped his arms around my wet, soapy body and kissed me hard. In what had to be the fastest shower on record, he soapedhimself, rinsed us both off, and wrapped me in a towel before he carried me out.
I gasped in wonder when I saw that his bed was covered in rose petals, and there was a bottle of champagne resting in an ice bucket on the coffee table.
“What is all this?” I yelped as he threw me onto the bed.
“I wanted your first time to be special,” he murmured, as he sprinkled some rose petals over my head.
“My first time is with you, Samrat. That makes it special enough,” I whispered.
“Do not cry,” he said sternly.
“Then stop being so nice to me,” I retorted, before I grabbed his face and kissed him hard.
