“How dare you think I would fall for this?” he shouted. “That I would fall foryou, Mishti?”
Mishti swallowed. He was right. He would never fall for her.
“Iss janam toh kya,” he went on, “agle saat janam mein bhi main tumse pyar nahi kar sakta. Because every time I look at you, I remember what your father did.”
He shoved her away roughly. Mishti stumbled back a step, barely managing to keep herself upright. There was no strength left in her body to respond, no fight left to offer. She only stood there, tears slipping down her face, staring at him in stunned silence. Everything inside her felt hollow. There was no anger left, no defence, only pain.
Karan turned away from her, pacing the room like a caged animal, his hands pressing into his temples as if trying to restrain the storm inside his head. He stopped abruptly and faced her again.
“You didn’t know it before,” he said harshly. “But now you do. This marriage started as revenge, and it will end with it. There cannot be anything more between us.”
He looked at her as though forcing the words into her very bones.
“I might have shown concern at times. We might have been pulled toward each other a few times. But that’s all it was. That’s all it will ever be. I will never let it become anything more, Mishti. Get that into your head.”
He stepped closer, his gaze locked onto hers again as he delivered the final blow.
“Karan Wadhwa nafrat karta hai tumhare baap se. Tumhare naam se. Tumse. Aur yeh nafrat main kabhi kam hone nahi dunga. Chahe tum kitni bhi koshish kar lo.”(Karan Wadhwa hates your father. His name. His children. You. And I’ll never let this hatred go away, no matter how much you try.)
His words echoed in the room, leaving her breathless and shattered. Suddenly, her eyes fluttered shut.
It happened so suddenly that even she did not understand what was happening to her body. The room seemed to tilt, the floor slipping away beneath her feet, and before she could steady herself, her strength gave up entirely. She swayed once and began to collapse.
Karan noticed it in that very heartbeat and moved instinctively, catching her before she could hit the floor. Her body fell into his arms, weightless and limp, her head resting against his chest, her limbs slack as if all life had drained out of her in a single breath. He tightened his hold around her, locking her against him, feeling how frighteningly still she was.
She had fainted.
Everything that had happened that day, the confrontation, the truths laid bare, the venom he had poured out on her, it had all finally broken her.
For a long moment, he only stood there, holding her, staring down at her face as if trying to understand how they had reached this point. How had things gone so wrong, so fast? How had she ever believed she could feel something for him, or worse, that she could confess it to him this way? How had he allowed the situation to reach a place where her heart had dared to hope?
His heart ached now as he looked at her, so fragile, so defenceless in his arms.
Maybe she did not deserve this. Yes, she truly had not known any of it. Yes, she had walked into this marriage blind, carrying her own innocence and ignorance like a curse.
But none of that changed what she was in his eyes.
She was Dilip Goel’s daughter.
And that was reason enough.
He hardened his resolve again, even as he held her close. She could remain his wife. She could live under his roof. Buthis heart would remain locked away from her forever. He would never allow it to soften, never allow it to reach for her.Never.
With careful steps, Karan lifted her properly into his arms and carried her to his bed. He lay her down gently, adjusting her position, making sure she was comfortable. For a second longer than necessary, his gaze lingered on her face, then he straightened and turned away.
As he stepped out of the room, Maria was already near the staircase, worrying. She had clearly heard enough to know something was wrong. She rushed toward him, questions trembling on her lips.
“Stay with her.” That’s all Karan said flatly without slowing down and walked out of the house. He could not stay there tonight. Not in that house. Not near her. Not with the past clawing at his mind and her silent confession echoing in his chest.
He needed distance from the memories, rage and from the woman who had fallen in love with him without ever saying the words. Staying away was the only way he knew to survive this night.
He stepped into his car, slammed the door shut, and drove away, leaving the Wadhwa mansion behind him, carrying his anger, his grief, and steeling his heart once again.
CHAPTER 28
KW Capital Ventures – Office – Next Day
Karan was in his cabin, with Rajat and Abhimanyu having these intense discussions about last night. He told them how he had shattered the world of Goels by breaking their foundation through Trinity & Co.
