I continue. “You wanted him so badly that you were ready to marry him by any means necessary. I know exactly what you were planning that night at the Shivtara Mata Temple.”
The colour slowly drains from her face.
“I overheard you telling your friends how you were going to put the garland around Raghav’s neck and claim him as yours. And even if he refused, you already had a backup plan.”
I take one step closer.
“You were going to use Kailash Uncle to force his hand because you knew Raghav would never refuse anything his Baba asked of him. You were ready to trap him into a marriage he never chose, just to get what you wanted.”
“Oh,” Kriti lets out a short laugh. “So that’s whyyoudecided to steal the spotlight that night? By doing exactly what I was planning to do? Wow.” She claps slowly. “Tell me then, what’s the difference between us? You did exactly what I wanted to do.”
My eyes narrow as anger burns through me. “Don’t you dare compare yourself to me. I would never stoop that low.”
She tilts her head, mocking me. “Then what are you doing here? In this place? In the role ofhiswife? Face it. I deserve to be Raghav’s wife more than you.”
That does it.
“F*ck off, Kriti.” The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. “You are living in a delusion. Even if I had never met Raghav in my entire life, he still wouldn’t have looked at you. You’re just another employee to him. You never stood a chance of having a permanent place in his life. The sooner you accept that and move on, the better it’ll be for you.”
The anger in her eyes deepens, but I’m not finished.
“Stop chasing my husband,” I warn quietly. “I’m Mrs. Siya Raghav Kundra now. And if we’re being completely honest, even when I was just Siya Vardhaan... you were never my competition.”
Her brows pull together, but I hold her gaze steadily. Whether she likes it or not, it’s the truth. Raghav ismyhusband, and any other woman trying to come between us will have to face me first.
With that, I turn on my heel and storm away angrily. She doesn’t deserve another second of my attention. But, just like every other time I walk too quickly in slip-on sandals, one of them slips off my foot.
“Not again,” I mutter, bending slightly to fix it myself when, once again out of nowhere, Raghav appears.
And before I can react, he bends down in front of me again and gently slips the sandal back onto my foot. My lips twitch into a smile.I think he likes doing that. Pampering his princess with such royal treatment.
Although the sight of Raghav helping me wear the sandal gives me goosebumps, I can’t help but notice Kriti’s reflection in one of the lobby mirrors. Her eyes are fixed on us, burning with anger as she watches him kneeling before me and helping me so tenderly. With a huff, she turns around and walks away.
Raghav slowly rises to his full height, his expression still serious as he looks at me. “I’m not going to fix your sandals every time, Princess,” he says flatly.
A small smile tugs at my lips. He’s warning me, yet ends that statement with my nickname. Who’s going to take him seriously that way?
“Really?” I ask, raising a brow. “A man who has kept my sandal safely tucked away in his wardrobe all this time is the one telling me this?”
He looks at me in surprise.
“Yes, I saw it,” I admit. “Actually, I was getting bored of seeing you in nothing but black. So much so that I almost developed a phobia of black clothes. So today, I decided to replace your entire wardrobe with colourful shirts.”
“You did what?” His jaw drops.
I laugh. “Relax, I’m just kidding,” I reply before he can protest any further. “I didn’t do any of that. It was just a thought. I was only making space for my clothes in your wardrobe when I found my missing sandal... neatly packed inside a box. Honestly, it was kept more carefully than most museum exhibits.”
He keeps looking at me before letting out a quiet scoff. “So now you’ve started invading my wardrobe?”
“I wasn’t invading—”
“You’ve been doing a lot more than that lately.” He shifts closer. “Making sure I don’t skip my meals. Calling up Haider to check if I’ve eaten at the resort. Making me coffee every morning exactly the way I like it. Charging my AirPods before the battery runs out. Rearranging my things in the bedroom without even asking me. And now... making space for your clothes in my wardrobe.”
His gaze never leaves mine. “Looks like you took Ayaan’s words to heart. You know… taking care of me.”
I blink at him.
“Of course. If I told him I would, then I intend to keep my word. Whether you like it or not, I’m going to look after you now, Mr. Kundra. Taking care of this family is no longer only your responsibility. It’s mine too.”
