She'd said she loved him. Had been loving him for months while he hid behind his walls and his fears. Had given him everything while he parceled out scraps of affection like they were precious commodities.
And she'd finally had enough.
He couldn't blame her. But he could fight to get her back.
"I need to fix this," he said, his voice stronger now. "I need to make this right."
"Yes, you do."
"But first—" His expression hardened. "I need to deal with my sister."
He found Nisha in her room, already in her nightgown, looking entirely too satisfied with herself.
"Bhai! I heard Advika left. I'm so sorry—"
"Don't." His voice cut through her false sympathy like a blade. "Don't pretend you didn't orchestrate this whole thing."
Her eyes widened. "I don't know what—"
"You let Mihika into my office. Gave her the code. Set up a scene designed to look intimate right when Advika would walk by." He moved closer, and she actually stepped back. "You deliberately sabotaged my marriage."
"I was trying to protect you—"
"From what? Being happy? Being loved?" His voice rose. "She's my wife, Nisha. The woman I love. And you've spent nine months trying to destroy that because you're selfish and scared."
"I'm not—"
"Yes, you are. You're scared that if I love her, I'll love you less. That you'll lose your place as the most important woman in my life. But here's the thing—" He leaned in close, his voice deadly quiet. "You were right. You have lost that place. Because she's my wife. My partner. The woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. And you need to accept that."
Tears welled in Nisha's eyes. "Bhai, please—"
"I love you. You're my sister, and nothing will change that. But Advika is my wife. And if you can't respect that, if you can't accept her, then maybe you need to find somewhere else to live."
"You can't mean that—"
"I mean every word." He straightened. "Mihika is banned from this house. Permanently. And you're going to apologize to Advika. A real apology, not one of your fake ones. Are we clear?"
Nisha nodded, tears streaming down her face.
"Good." He turned to leave, then paused. "For what it's worth, Advika is good for me. She makes me better. And if you can't see that, if you can't be happy for me, then that's your problem, not mine."
He left her crying and didn't look back.
There would be time to repair his relationship with his sister later. Right now, he had more important things to do.
Like winning back his wife.
Sidharth stood in the bedroom one more time, looking at the evidence of her departure. Tomorrow, he'd go to her. Tomorrow, he'd say all the words he should have said months ago.
Tomorrow, he'd fight for her.
But tonight, alone in their bed, surrounded by her scent, Sidharth Singhania finally admitted to himself what he'd been denying for months:
He was completely, irrevocably, terrifyingly in love with his wife.
And he'd do whatever it took to prove it to her.
Even if it meant tearing down every wall he'd spent five years building.
