He exhaled, sadly.
“When she planned to confess her love once, I brutally rejected her, telling her I would never love her, never allow her to love me...reducing my wife to nothing butthe blood of a man I hated. Only a monster could do that.I’mthat monster.”
He took a pause, shaking his head in dismay.
“And yet, despite all this, the day she left me was the day I got the biggest reality check of my life. Because our separation wasn’t just physical, it was an emotional exile for me. For Karan Wadhwa, who never cared about anyone else except himself. Now he missed his wife. Terribly.”
Avni’s eyes filled instantly. Rajat stared at Karan as if seeing him for the first time. Mishti only looked down, wiping her tears as he continued.
“But I am happy. Happy that Mishti walked away, rebuilt herself, reclaimed control over her emotions and turned out to be a stronger woman. I am truly happy for her.”
She raised her head, and their eyes met again.
“She’s still affectionate, but not for me anymore,” he paused to swallow. “Still warm and human, but not for me anymore. Because I don’t deserve it.”
He rubbed his palms over his face, and she instantly knew that he was wiping off his falling tears. He didn’t want the family to see him crying. But she knew he was.
A sob literally tore her as he exhaled hard and looked back at her and said, “You have every right to walk away from our loveless marriage, Mishti. From my cruelty and hypocrisy.”
He took another pause, and now his eyes darkened.
“I cannot justify my past, but I want you to know something. You know my earlier motive was revenge. Now my only motive for the rest of my life is your happiness, even if I don’t get back the same.”
Her chest heaved as he said that.
“I regret hurting you. And I know I don’t deserve forgiveness, so I am not asking for it either. I know I haven’t earned it yet.”
She stared at him, speechless. He turned to her fully now, and for the first time, his voice faltered.
“Your happiness doesn’t depend on me anymore. So, I accept your anger, your need for distance, your hesitation in givingus another chance. Because I’ve realised that loving you means lettingyouchoose, even if you choose a life without me in it. And I will not stand in the way of that anymore.”
The words sent a ripple through the table.
“I am sorry, Mishti.” He bowed his head slightly. “For everything.”
No one spoke. No one moved. Everyone’s faces were streaked with tears and shock.
Mishti remained seated, watching the man before her, bowing his head in submission, before his family, who knew he had never bent to anyone until now. Only her!
Karan did not wait for her response to his apology. He knew it would never come. He placed his glass down carefully, then turned and walked away from the table, leaving behind the family in stunned silence, and laying bare his heart before his wife.
CHAPTER 42
Same Night
It had been two hours since Karan’s apology at the dinner table, spoken in front of the entire family. Mishti was not someone who reacted publicly. Her silence had always been her language. She processed her feelings privately.
Hence, after he left, Mishti didn’t sit there for long either. She returned to the room they were sharing, knowing very well that Karan would not be coming back tonight. Abhimanyu had arranged Rajat’s bachelor party, and even if Karan was drowning in his own thoughts, he would still be there for his best friend.
Ever since she stepped into the room, her mind had refused to quiet down. Karan’s words kept replaying again and again. That man had truly laid his heart bare in front of everyone. For someone who had always guarded his thoughts, who never let anyone know what went on inside his head, doing that must have taken more courage than she could imagine. He had not cared if his family judged him.
He did not justify himself, nor did he ask her to forgive him. He knew he had not earned it yet. He even gaveherthe power to leave for London if she wanted to. For a man who once controlled silence, distance, and narrative, this was him surrendering all three. So, Karan said what he had to say, and he walked away.
She had not seen him since then, and somehow that absence hurt even more. Now alone in the room, she spent those two hours replaying everything he had said. She remembered every word, every emotion, every tear that slipped from his eyes tonight. How Karan confessed he only wanted her happiness now, nothing else. Her heart felt heavy and full. There had been a time when she had longed to see even a fraction of that feeling for her in his eyes. Tonight, it had spilt out more than she ever expected.
Tonight, she finally knew what he felt for her.
Tonight, she knew she was his only priority now. No revenge. Nothing else.
