She then shrugged off his hold. “Do it,” she said fiercely. “I dare you.”
Karan stared at her for a long time. Was she challenging him? Rage stormed behind his eyes. But so did his possessiveness for her, something he had never learned to tame.
He took a step closer, crowding her space again.
“Yes, I will, Mishti. Because I cannot enjoy watching you rebuild a life whereIdon’t exist,” he said, his voice roughening. “And it killed me knowing you chose to call yourself an orphan rather than my wife.”
Her heart thudded painfully. She shook her head, tears spilling again. “Again…wife?” she whispered. “Don’t call me that, Karan. Yes, I am your wife because I married you. But marriage doesn’t cage. Marriage doesn’t make a woman feel like she has to disappear to breathe. I didn’t leave to bruise your ego. I left to survive.”
For the first time since she woke up in that suite, he had no counterreply.
Because this wasn’t revenge anymore.
This was two people bleeding from the same wound, standing on opposite sides of it, unsure whether to reach out or let it destroy them completely.
That was when the door suddenly opened, and Avni walked in with Rajat right behind her.
The moment Mishti saw Avni, her reflex was immediate. She wiped her tears away, hurriedly composing herself, schooling her face into calm. But Karan froze, wondering how much Avni had heard.
But one glance at Rajat’s expression assured him that she hadn’t. Otherwise Rajat wouldn’t be so cool.
Avni didn’t even spare Karan a look. She rushed straight to Mishti with concern and touched her arm. “Mishti, are you okay now?” she asked anxiously. “What happened? You just fainted like that. I’ve called the in-house doctor for you.”
Mishti forced a smile onto her lips. “No, please don’t,” she said quickly. “I’m okay now. I guess…” she paused, searching for a believable excuse, then swallowed. “I guess skipping breakfast today made me faint. Don’t worry. I’ll order something and eat right away.”
Avni nodded, reassured, but then her gaze shifted to Karan, and the warmth vanished.
Mishti noticed it too. That undisguised dislike, almost hatred in her eyes for her own brother, and it bothered her.
Avni wasn’t like this with anyone. She was gentle, kind, and affectionate. So why was she like this only with Karan? What kind of history did they share? Why was VK the one who had raised her and not Karan, her elder brother, like he should have? So many questions swirled inside Mishti’s mind. But she chose silence for now.
Avni turned to Karan fully. “How dare you bring her toyoursuite?”
“Watch your tone, Avni,” he warned. “You’re talking to your elder brother.”
Avni let out a short, mocking laugh. “Funny, isn’t it?” she shot back. “You always have to remind me who you are to me. Because honestly, I hardly remember it myself.”
The bitterness in her voice only rose. Thankfully, Rajat stepped in, sensing the tension spiral.
“Avni, come on,” he said calmly. “Karan didn’t know which room Mishti had checked into. She fainted in his arms. Where else was he supposed to take her if not his own suite?”
He then glanced at Mishti gently. “What matters is that she’s fine now.”
Mishti avoided his eyes. Her anger at all of them burned quietly. At Karan. At Rajat. At the fact that they had known where she was all this time and were watching her life unfold from a distance.
Avni shrugged, clearly unconvinced, but she softened as she turned back to Mishti and took her hand in hers. “Come. I’ll drop you off to your room. And then we’ll order something to eat.”
She gave a faint smile to Avni, who continued, “You know, whenever I’m angry, I get hungry. And right now, I’m starving.”
Mishti managed a small, tired smile in return.
Without once turning back to look at Karan or Rajat standing behind her, she walked out of the suite with Avni.
****************
Night – Jaipur
The entire day had been mentally exhausting for Mishti. It was not the physical fatigue of travel, ceremonies or jet lag. It was because of seeing Karan again. Then the realisation that he had always known where she was, that even after all this time, he still found ways to assert control over her life. And then came the bitter truth that almost every man she had trusted deeply had failed her. Betrayed her. Including VK.
