Saurav paused, breathing sharply. He sat up, grabbed a bottle, and poured water over his hair and face like he was blowing out the fire within him. Tanya waited, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he stood.
“Saurav… !” Tanya said, annoyed.
“Yes…” he finally replied, glancing at her. “Kavya will look after this villa and Dad perfectly well.”
“I could have done that too,” she muttered.
Saurav stepped closer, locking eyes with her. He was looking at her differently. “A housekeeper’s job wouldn’t suit you.”
"You mean your wife is a housekeeper?" Tanya broke into a laugh. "You know..."
I didn't listen further as I turned around, stepping back. Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I rushed toward the kitchen, only to bump into someone.
“Hey, are you okay?” Mr. Chauhan steadied me by the shoulders. “You’re running like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply before forcing a nervous smile. “I just … got confused about where the kitchen was.”
“You sure?” he asked, his gaze steady.
I nodded quickly.
He smiled, brushing my hair with a fatherly touch. My heart melted. He had never once questioned me about filing a complaint against his son. He was supposed to be angry, but instead, he had always been supportive to me.
“Aren’t you angry that I filed a complaint against your son?” I asked suddenly.
Damn!
Mr. Chauhan froze for a few moments as he watched with different eyes then he broke into a hollow laugh. “No. Why would I be?” His voice was calm, almost weary. “I know my son. What sort of person he is and I’m glad he finally took responsibility for his mistake.”
He looked embarrassed even calling Saurav his son. He believed Saurav had truly forced me. Oh God. I should have corrected him but if I did, he would ask more questions. And if he asked more questions, he might suspect my family. If he suspected my family, Kirti’s life could be at risk. So I chose to give him the answer he wanted.
“Sometimes people aren’t wrong; circumstances just push them into doing things they never intended.” My words weren’t about Saurav. They were about someone who was truly evil.
“That’s true, Dad.”
My heart skipped when I heard Saurav’s voice behind me. His footsteps approached slowly. He wiped his face with a towel, smiling at me strangely.
“Sometimes people aren’t wrong,” he repeated, his tone sharp. “Circumstances push them into things they never intended. And we’re doing the same thing right now. We're living a lie because the truth would destroy everything.”
I flinched at the way he said those last words. In just a few days, he had broken my heart countless times. I looked at the man I had loved for over a year, the man who never knew how deeply I cared. I would have done anything to be with Saurav Chauhan but this wasn’t part of my plan. Living with him while enduring his hatred. He hated me. It was written all over his face, in every word he spoke.
“And we’re doing the same thing right now,” he said quietly. “You act innocent… and I’m forced to live with the biggest mistake of my life.”
Each word crushed my heart further. I never imagined Saurav Chauhan capable of such hostility.
“Saurav…” Mr. Chauhan’s voice cut in, cold now, his fatherly warmth replaced by the tone of a stern businessman. “Take a bath. We’re having breakfast together.”
I noticed Saurav’s hand clench, his jaw tighten. He narrowed his eyes at his father before storming away.
“I’m sorry on his behalf, beta,” Mr. Chauhan said softly before walking away.
I wasn’t hurt by Saurav’s words alone, but by the fractured bond between father and son. They were both wonderful men just not for each other. Pride, harsh words, and silence had built a wall between them. They cared, yes, but they hid that care so deeply itseemed almost lost. And I wanted to know what had made them this way.
I wanted to know the truth. The fracture between father and son, the shadow of Saurav’s mother, the wound her absence had carved so deep it turned love into silence, pride, and resentment.
“I know what’s running through that thick head of yours,” Tanya’s voice sliced through my thoughts. Arms crossed, lips curved in a smirk, she looked like she’d already won. “Don’t start imagining things that aren’t real.”
I turned slowly, meeting her gaze. Up close, her smile was less friendly, more warning.