‘No!’ she cried, her voice cracking as tears streamed down her face. ‘That was real. I fell for you, Jai. How could I not? You’re … perfect.’
And yet, she betrayed me. My fury boiled over, scorching every good memory of us to ashes. ‘When did you stop?’ I ground out, every word splintering against my teeth.
‘The weekend of our fashion show,’ she whispered. ‘And I never gave her anything important. Not about the new line. Because you asked me not to.’
A laugh escaped me, bitter and jagged. ‘Well, how fucking noble of you. Let me get you a medal for your loyalty.’
‘She was threatening me, Jai,’ she cried. ‘She said she would blacklist me from the industry if I didn’t obey. And when she found out about us, she used that to blackmail me. She wanted details about Rivaayat. And I risked it all because I couldn’t betray you like that.’
The serrated edges of Ananya’s decisions sliced across my heart. ‘You already did, Ananya.’
‘I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner,’ she sobbed. ‘But I was scared. Of losing my future. And then I was terrified of losing you.’
Something in me grew heavy and still.
‘Why are you telling me now?’
‘She gave me until Sunday to deliver everything. And I think she is trying to sabotage the line. I … God, Jai, I couldn’t live with myself if I let that happen.’
Her words set my heart on fire. ‘So, you came clean to me because you were worried about Rivaayat. Not because you owed me the truth.’
Her head snapped up, eyes red and frantic. ‘No.No, Jai, that’s not—’
‘If you had just told me the truth sooner,’ I cut her off, my voice low, ‘I would have put a stop to it.
I would have protected you. I would have given you the job you wanted.’ My throat burned. ‘I would have given youthe world.’
Her cries grew harsher, spilling out into the silence between us.
My hands twitched. For one reckless, brutal moment, I wanted to forget everything. I wanted to gather her in my arms, kiss her and promise that it would be okay.Wewould be okay.
But it would be a lie.
And it wouldn’t mend this wound. Not when the truth had already poisoned it.
‘But it’s too late now.’ I dragged in a ragged breath, exhaled. ‘I can never trust you again.’
She lurched forward. ‘Jai …’
I stepped back, unadulterated pain filling every fracture in my heart. ‘You need to leave.’
‘Jai, I’m sorry. I swear—’
I ached to hold her close. But I couldn’t.
‘Leave ...Please,’ I said, my voice breaking on the word.
Her face crumpled in pain. Her frame quivered with every violent sob. Then she turned and slipped out the door.
The silence she left behind was deafening. My pain was a living, breathing thing inside me, ripping me into shreds. Without thinking, I yanked the bottle of wine and hurled it against the wall.
The glass exploded with a thunderous crash, a thousand shards scattering across the floor. Winerolled down the wall in rivulets of red, forming a dark, bleeding pool on the floor.
I drew short, strained breaths. My muscles trembled with tension, every nerve ending screaming.
Ananya was gone. Forever.
Pain flared anew. My heart cracked, revealing a hollow pit that no amount of rage could fill. My knees buckled. I collapsed. Silent, ugly sobs burst out of my throat, shaking my body.
