Karan had felt something inside him crack that day. It was a shame because he understood exactly why she had done that.
He had never given her a family. Never given her the right to claim one. Although he had married her, taken her into his house, into his life, he had left her alone. He had ignored her, used her for his revenge, even erased her when it suited him.
And now she had erased him in return. From his life. From her identity. That had started to hurt and haunt him. Even the Wadhwa mansion felt hollow without her presence and routine, making Karan wonder how he had lived there before her, burning with revenge, surviving on rage alone. Now, even stepping there, without her living in it, felt unbearable.
Even after the revenge was done, he had no peace in his life. Almost every night, he had stared at the ceiling, wondering if she was safe. Every night, he had cursed himself for driving her away.
And now she lay here unconscious. Back within his reach. Although there was deep satisfaction, and his sense of control was returning, knowing she was here. But there was anger, too. Anger at her for leaving, disappearing and putting him through months of helplessness.
He reached out slowly and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. His fingers lingered for a fraction of a secondbefore he pulled back sharply, as if reminding himself that touching her like this was not yet allowed.
But this time, he knew one thing with absolute certainty. He was not letting her disappear from his life again. Ever. He straightened and then quickly reached for the glass of water on the bedside table. It was time to wake up his sleeping princess.
CHAPTER 32
Karan’s Hotel Suite - Jaipur
Karan brought Mishti back to consciousness by sprinkling water over her face. She stirred almost instantly. The moment her eyes fluttered open, and she saw him, they widened fully with shock.
Her body reacted before her mind could. She recoiled, curling into the bed as if she could hide herself in the mattress. Karan saw that but said nothing. He only watched her before calmly placing the glass of water on the bedside table.
Mishti looked around the room. This was not the hotel room she had checked into. Where was she? The furniture was different. The space was larger and looked royal. Was thishisroom?
Anger flashed across her face as she slid off the bed at once. Without saying a single word, she marched straight toward the door.
Nowthatinfuriated him.
Her refusal to acknowledge him, her complete disregard after eleven months of disappearance, and now her ignoring him as if he did not exist, angered him.
She reached for the door handle, but before she could pull it open, the door was shoved shut again. Karan grabbed her arms, spun her around, and pinned her back against the same door, his body blocking any escape.
“Stop running from me,” he snapped.
That did it. Her restraint cracked, too.
“Why shouldn’t I?” she shot back, finally letting the anger pour out. “Why shouldn’t I run away from someone I don’t even think I know anymore?”
Rage surged through him as his gaze dropped to her neckline instinctively. The place where her mangalsutra had once rested was now bare. That Mangalsutra, the one she had cried over when it broke. The one he had personally gotten repaired for her. The one she had always clung to, even when he had given her nothing else. She had left it with him when she had flown to London.
Mishti noticed the shift immediately. She saw his eyes harden as they lifted back to meet hers.
“Taking off your marital chain doesn’t make me a stranger to you, Mishti,” he said coldly. “I am still your husband.”
That word lit the fire in her completely.
She shoved him hard, both palms slamming into his chest, breaking his grip on her arms.
“Husband?” she scoffed bitterly. “Do you even know what that word means?”
Her chest heaved as she continued, “No, Mr Karan Wadhwa. You are galaxies away from being what a husband should be to his wife.”
He was furious. Every muscle in his body coiled and was ready to snap. But then he saw her tears. They rolled silently down her cheeks, one after the other, cutting through his anger and forcing it to quiet down, if only for a moment.
Her voice broke as she spoke again. “So, Avni is your sister?”
She stepped forward suddenly and grabbed his shirt over his chest, fisting the fabric tightly. “You had a sister. And you never told me.”
Her grip tightened. “How many more secrets have you kept from me?”
