Kanika muttered something under her breath, glaring at the empty desk.
“What the hell is this?” he demanded.
She spun around to face him. “What do you think it is?” she shot back. “She took my project from me. Do you really think I would let that go quietly?”
His temper snapped. Karan crossed the room in two steps and caught her by the elbow. “She did not take anything from you,” he said, gripping her arm firmly. “The decision wasmine, Kanika. And I had my reasons.”
She yanked her arm free, laughing in disbelief. “Your reasons?” Her gaze narrowed. “Why do I feel those reasons have nothing to do with your so-called hatred for her?”
His other hand curled slowly into a fist at his side. “What do you mean?”
Kanika did not hesitate. “You are not seeing it, Karan,” she said bluntly. “Mishti Goel is pulling you away from the very purpose you married her for. When she is around, your attention follows her. Your eyes seek her out, whether you admit it or not.”
She stepped closer, her voice rising with conviction. “You say she does not matter to you, but she does. Ever since she entered your life, she has been on your mind. You would not let your own brother dance with her. You cannot stand your best friend making her smile. You are possessive, territorial, behaving like a caveman every time someone so much as looks at her.”
“That is because she is my wife,” Karan snapped, cutting her off.
Heavy silence filled the cabin as Kanika stared at him, visibly trying to absorb what he had just said.
“If I am possessive or territorial, it’s not just for her, it’s for everything that belongs to me. Mishti now belongs to me.Whether I want her or not, she is still mine. And I don’t care what you or others think, that’s turning me into.”
Karan did not regret what he just said. He glared at Kanika without hesitation.
“And you do not get to decide how I behave around her,” he continued. “What exists or doesn’t exist between Mishti and me is not your concern. It is between us.”
Kanika stared at him, visibly shaken.
“Karan, but—”
He did not let her finish.
“I heard you,” he interrupted. “I heard every word you said to her before the meeting today. Telling her to leave me. Telling her to walk away from this marriage.”
The colour drained from Kanika’s face. She swallowed hard, in complete shock. She had not imagined, not even in her worst fears, that he had been there, listening.
Karan took a step closer, commandingly.
“How dare you do that behind my back?” he snapped. “Mishti is my wife. She will remain my wife for as long as I decide. That decision belongs to me. Not to you.”
Fierce anger flared in Kanika again. But before she could respond, he continued to warn her.
“And do not feed her lies about us again. You and I both know the truth. We are friends. Nothing more. You are Rajat’s sister to me, and that is where it begins and ends. There has never been anything else between us, Kanika.”
Her disbelief hardened into defiance
“That is a lie,” she said sharply. “You know I like you.”
Karan did not flinch. “And I do not like youthatway,” he replied evenly. “I have told you this before. So, stop telling Mishti that we had or have something between us, or that there was any kind of physical intimacy between us. Because you and I both know it’s not true.”
Kanika let out a short, humourless laugh and clapped her hands once. “Wow, that’s the height of hypocrisy,” she said bitterly. “So when you twist things about us and say what you want to her, it is acceptable. But when I add to it, suddenly it is wrong?”
“Yes, it is wrong,” Karan answered without hesitation. “I will tell Mishti what I choose to. I don’t want you interfering in my personal matters.”
That was enough. Fury flashed across her features. She couldn’t tolerate hearing beyond this. Karan’s gaze briefly shifted to the state of the room she had wrecked in her jealousy.
“And one more thing,” he added. “Stay away from my wife. And stay out of this cabin.”
That was the breaking point. Kanika turned sharply for the door, and so did Karan, but the moment they did, they froze. Because standing at the doorway was Mishti. And the look on her face was enough to confirm she had heard everything.
