Chapter 6
Shaurya
The whiskey burns all the way down, but it does nothing to dull the ache lodged beneath my ribs. I set the empty glass on the desk, sink back into the leather chair in my home office, and drag a weary hand over my face.
God, my eyes burn from lack of sleep, yet I refuse to close them. Every time I drift off, I see Reeva—her face pale, her eyes red and swollen. And the worst part? Her words haven’t stopped echoing through my mind.
‘With every piece of my broken heart… I hate you.’
Nothing has ever undone me the way those words have. They haunt every waking moment, a relentless reminder that the woman who once made me her entire world now despises me enough to walk away.
Days have passed without a single call or message from her. The silence is unbearable, slowly suffocating me. Yet I haven’t dared to break it because, after everything I’ve done, I no longer know whether hearing my voice would comfort her or cause her even more pain.
But with each passing day, my resolve weakens, making it harder to remain silent. Harder to stay away from her.
I straighten in my chair and curl my fingers around the half-empty whiskey bottle on my desk.
I should have been prepared for her anger.
I knew the truth would destroy her. I had always known that.
But anticipating the devastation did nothing to prepare me for standing amid the ruins of the life I destroyed with my own hands.
I pour another measure and raise the glass to my lips. Just before the whiskey touches my tongue, I pause.
My gaze falls to the coaster beneath the glass, and a memory of her pulls me back in time.
“I know your work is important,” she said softly, placing a steaming mug of coffee on my desk.
“And I knew I was marrying a workaholic. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you forget to take care of yourself.
” Her fingers combed gently through my hair.
“If you won’t look after yourself, then I will.
” Before I could respond, she leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to my temple.
I swallow the whiskey in one harsh gulp. What haunts me now is no longer whether she will sign those papers. It is the terrifying possibility that my wife may never return to me.
Damn it. I have spent years planning every move with ruthless precision, always remaining ten steps ahead of everyone else. Yet, for the first time in my life, I cannot think of a single strategy capable of bringing my wife back home.
Before I can pour myself another drink, the door to my office opens, and Dadiji walks in without knocking.
Her gaze shifts from the half-empty whiskey bottle to the glass in my hand before settling on my face. The moment our eyes meet, her expression softens, as though she doesn’t need to ask a single question to understand how completely I have fallen apart.
She quietly crosses the room and settles onto the sofa near my desk. For several moments, she says nothing. Then she looks at me, her eyes filled with gentle concern.
“Does it help you forget her, beta?” she asks quietly.
My fingers tighten around the empty glass as I lower my gaze.
“No,” I admit, my voice rough. “Nothing ever could.”
“When your grandfather passed away, I didn’t know how I would survive without him.
” The old grief woven through her voice makes me turn in my chair and meet her gaze.
“But do you know the difference, beta?” she continues.
“God took your grandfather away from me. I had no choice. But you didn’t lose Reeva to fate, Shaurya. You lost her because you hurt her.”
My throat tightens as I struggle to swallow the guilt threatening to choke me.
“Dadiji… you know why I did it.” My voice emerges hoarse. “I did it to bring Rajmahal back. I owed it to Dadaji and Dad. After everything our family lost, how could I simply walk away?”
She studies me for a long moment before asking, “And did either of them ever ask you to sacrifice your integrity for it?”
I fall silent.
“Did your father ask you to make an innocent woman fall in love with you? Did your grandfather teach you that reclaiming your legacy was worth destroying her heart?” She slowly shakes her head, sadness clouding her eyes.
“She trusted you, Shaurya. She loved you without asking for anything in return. She entered this family believing she had found a husband who would love her, protect her, and never give her a reason to doubt him. But you didn’t merely betray her trust. You destroyed the one place she believed she would always be safe.
Her marriage. Every smile she shared with you, every promise you made, every memory she treasured…
you have forced her to question whether any of it was ever real. ”
Her words settle heavily in my chest. I try to respond, but every justification I once clung to suddenly feels hollow. So I remain silent because there is nothing left to defend.
“And the worst part is that you made her pay for a mistake she never made. Rajmahal was never Reeva’s sin, beta, yet she is the one carrying the punishment.
” Her gaze drops to the whiskey bottle before returning to me.
“You can keep drowning your guilt in whiskey, but guilt will never heal the wounds you inflicted on her.”
She rises from the sofa and walks towards me, resting a weathered hand on my shoulder.
“When you married Reeva, I was happy. Not because I believed she would bring Rajmahal back to us, but because I could see what a rare soul she was. And I saw the way you looked at her, beta. There was something in your eyes for her, something you were too stubborn to acknowledge, but a grandmother could never fail to recognise.” Her fingers tighten gently against my shoulder.
“It isn’t too late. Don’t let the only happiness you have ever truly found slip away.
If you love her as deeply as I know you do, stop punishing yourself and start fighting for her.
Become the man she can trust enough to come home to. ”
“I can’t, Dadiji.” I close my eyes briefly before forcing myself to meet her gaze.
“How do I fight for someone who can’t even bear to look at me anymore?
How do I ask her to trust me again when I am the one who destroyed that trust in the first place?
” I draw in a deep breath. “And even if she somehow finds it in her heart to forgive me…” I shake my head.
“How can we ever find peace when I still want Rajmahal back and Reeva has made it painfully clear that she will never sign those papers?”
“Then stop making Rajmahal the condition for your happiness, Shaurya. You cannot bring your wife home while demanding that she surrender her inheritance as the price of your love. Reeva and Rajmahal are two separate battles. If the palace is meant to return to this family, it will find its way back in its own time. But don’t build your entire life around reclaiming it.
” Her gaze holds mine. “You already know what that obsession has cost you. Don’t make the same mistake again. ”
I stare at her, no longer knowing what to do or which part of myself I am supposed to betray.
“Your grandfather taught you that a Rajvansh always keeps his word. Your father taught you to protect your family.” Her hand rises to cup my cheek. “Reeva is your family, Shaurya. Earn back her trust and bring your wife home.”
A lump forms in my throat, stealing every word I might have spoken.
Dadiji takes both my hands in hers, her weathered fingers warm against my cold ones.
“You made a terrible mistake, beta, but don’t allow it to define the man you become.
A man’s character isn’t measured by his worst decision.
It is measured by what he chooses to do afterwards.
” Her eyes hold mine. “Please… fight for the right thing this time.”
Dadiji presses a gentle kiss to my forehead before turning towards the door. Just as her fingers curl around the handle, she pauses and looks back at me over her shoulder.
“The day Reeva entered this house, I thanked God for giving me the granddaughter I had always longed for.” Her voice trembles.
“And the day she walked out…” She draws in a shaky breath, her eyes glistening.
“It felt as though she took the warmth of this home with her. Since then, these rooms have been nothing more than empty walls.” A sad smile touches her lips.
“I don’t lie awake longing for Rajmahal, Shaurya.
I long for Reeva. For her laughter, her kindness, and the happiness she brought into our lives.
” She holds my gaze for one final moment.
“I don’t want another palace. I only want my family to be whole again. ”
The moment Dadiji opens the door, I find Mom standing on the other side.
Their gazes meet, and something unspoken passes between them before Dadiji gives her a faint nod and walks away.
Mom watches her leave, then enters the room and quietly closes the door behind her.
The soft click echoes through the silence as her gaze settles on me.
“Did you need something, Mom?”
“You already know why I am here.” She walks farther into the room and lowers herself into the chair opposite me, her eyes never leaving mine.
“If you’re here to discuss Rajmahal, then you already know Reeva has refused to sign the transfer papers.”
Mom folds her arms across her chest. “What else could I expect from Arvind Singhania’s daughter? She had the audacity to walk out of this house while still clinging to what rightfully belongs to our family.”
I should agree with Mom. Instead, irritation coils tightly in my chest.
I release a slow, weary breath. “Did you honestly expect her to sign those papers after discovering that I had deceived her?”
Mom studies me in silence, disbelief flickering across her face. “You’re defending her?”
“I am not defending her. I am accepting responsibility for what I did.” I hold her stare.
“I lied to her, Mom. I entered our marriage with an agenda, spent months earning her trust, and then expected her to give me exactly what I wanted. She didn’t refuse because she is Arvind Singhania’s daughter.
She refused because I am the husband who betrayed her.
” The admission burns in my throat. “If she had married me under false pretences just to take something from me, would you have expected me to surrender it without a fight?”
“Don’t give me hypothetical situations,” Mom snaps, rising to her feet.
“You know our family would never stoop so low as to take something that rightfully belonged to Reeva. Her father wronged us first.” Her expression hardens.
“And don’t forget, you weren’t stealing her legacy. You were reclaiming what was ours.”
She draws in a deep breath. “You have a choice to make, Shaurya. Fulfil the promise you made to your father, or spend the rest of your life chasing the woman whose father is the reason yours is no longer alive.” Her voice drops, quieter but no less unforgiving.
“And if you choose her, then have the courage to admit that you love Arvind Singhania’s daughter more than you value your father’s dying wish. ”
Without waiting for a response, she turns and walks out, leaving me alone beneath the crushing weight of two opposing voices.
Dadiji’s words pull me towards Reeva, urging me to fight for the love I cannot bear to lose, while Mom’s drag me back towards the promise I made to the father I already lost. One asks me to fight for my future.
The other demands that I remain loyal to my past.
And caught between them, I no longer know which choice will save me and which one will destroy whatever remains of me.