That was the final blow.
Mishti turned away, her vision blurring as tears finally slipped free. She walked to the door, wiping her tears, refusing to let the man behind her see her crumble.
Behind her, something inside Dilip finally broke. The guilt he had buried. The regret he had never allowed himself to feel. The reality he had denied for decades. It all surfaced at once. His shoulders sagged. His breath shuddered. For the first time since his imprisonment, his face reflected the regret of his crimes.
But there was no one left to see it.
Mishti was already gone. And with her, his only chance to ever see his daughter again vanished forever.
The moment Mishti crossed the threshold of the meeting room and came out, she froze. Because just outside, at the glass wall separating the meeting room where she had been, stood her husband, Karan.
For a second, her mind refused to accept it. What was he doing here? When had he come here? And the way he looked at her, she realised he had heard it all. Her eyes darted to Rajat, who was a few steps away, and the answer was already there. Rajat’s silence said everything. He called him here. He couldn’t hide it from his best friend.
Mishti almost choked as she tried reading Karan’s expressions. There was no explosion in his eyes. No visible fury. No questions. That terrified her more than his anger ever could.His face was carved into stillness, the kind that came only when something inside had already hardened.
She knew he was angry. Not just angry, he was hurt. That she had lied to him and come here to meet her father. Sheshouldhave told him, but she chose not to.
She took a step forward, instinctively reaching for him, but before she could speak, before she could explain, Karan’s hand came out and closed around her arm firmly.
He did not look at Rajat as he turned her toward the exit. He did not say a word to anyone. He simply walked her out. Mishti stumbled slightly, not because of the grip, but because her legs felt weak. But she did not resist.
Behind them, Rajat followed quietly until they were out. Karan’s driver was already waiting. Karan opened the backseat door for her, and without a word, she got inside, and he followed suit. Once the door shut, the vehicle pulled out of the prison grounds.
Silence wrapped around them instantly.
No words.
No accusations.
No explanations.
Mishti sat stiffly, her hands clenched in her lap, her gaze fixed on the window. The city passed by in blurred fragments, but she saw none of it. Every second stretched, heavy with everything unsaid. Karan too did not look at her throughout the ride.
Mishti wanted to reach for him. To tell him why she had done it. To tell him she had needed to say those words. That she wanted to face that man and end everything between them. But his hard silence warned her not to.
CHAPTER 48
Wadhwa Mansion
The car rolled through the gates of Wadhwa Mansion. Karan was out of the car before Mishti could gather herself. He walked into the house without waiting. The staff sensed it immediately and stayed out of his way.
But Mishti followed him upstairs, into their bedroom. As soon as the door shut behind them, Karan moved away from her, crossing the room, heading straight to the dresser where he kept his phone.
“Karan,” she finally said, breaking the silence.
He did not turn.
“Karan, please,” she said again, softer now, but in desperation. “Say something.”
He finally turned to her. Their eyes met, but for a long moment, he said nothing.
“You lied to me.”
Mishti did not pretend or deflect. She stepped closer. “I didn’t want to,” she said immediately. “I swear I did not. But I had to meet him.”
“And you decided that on your own?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Because you would never have let me do this.”
