CHAPTER 67! TRUTH #3
?"Wait a minute. You said she offered. You said she approached you months ago." She leaned forward, her eyes locking onto his with lethal precision.
"Why is she texting you today? Why is she talking to you on the phone as if you've been encouraging her?"
?Aryav shifted uncomfortably on the bed, adjusting his posture. "Aadhira..."
?"Did you reply to her messages?"
?"I didn't at first," Aryav said quickly.
?"At first?" Aadhira caught the slip instantly, her voice rising. "So you are talking to her now?"
?Aryav let out a heavy, frustrated sigh. "No but I am letting her massage me, It was a tactical decision."
?"A tactical decision?" Aadhira stood up from the bed, her hands trembling with a mixture of rising anger and disbelief.
"Aryav, are you telling me you've been actively involved with a model who is openly trying to sleep with you?!"
?"It was Shourya and Vivaan's plan!" Aryav blurted out, throwing his two friends under the bus without a single second of hesitation.
?Aadhira stopped dead in her tracks, blinking in pure astonishment. "Shourya and Vivaan?"
?"Yes!" Aryav sat up straight, his defensive posture returning as he spoke rapidly. "They argued that Sameera was our only solid lead to finding Abhi's location abroad. So I allowed her to believe I was open to her advances."
?"Open enough to let her think you'd leave your wife?!"
?"I never once mentioned divorcing you or leaving you!"
?"You didn't correct her either when she assumed it!"
?Aryav went completely quiet, his mouth snapping shut.
?Aadhira put her hands on her hips, standing over him with a look of absolute fury. "You, Shourya, and Vivaan are, without a doubt, the three most dangerous idiots I have ever met in my life."
?"It is an intelligence decision," Aryav said, attempting to reclaim a tone of logical authority.
?"It is a toxic, embarrassing mess!" Aadhira snapped, pointing a sharp finger directly at his chest. "You allowed another woman to send suggestive, disgusting messages to your personal phone?!"
?Aryav opened his mouth to offer another logical defense, but looking up at his wife's blazing eyes, he closed it again. For a man who ran a multi-billion-dollar empire and struck fear into his enemies, he looked remarkably small sitting on the edge of the bed.
?Aadhira took a deep, shaky breath, trying to steady her racing heart. Her finger remained pointed at him. "Did you touch her? Answer me honestly."
?"No." The answer came instantly, hard and absolute. "I have never touched another woman. I never will."
?Aadhira watched his eyes closely, searching for the slightest flicker of hesitation, deceit, or guilt. There was none.
?"I have never met her in private," Aryav added softly, his tone turning quiet and earnest. "Not once. She sent those messages on her own accord. I never replied to anything inappropriate."
?"I didn't touch her, Aadhira," he repeated, his voice losing every bit of its former defensiveness. "I would never even think about touching another woman."
?Aadhira slowly lowered her hand, looking down at the deep exhaustion and stress etched into his sharp features.
"Then why did she send that specific text? 'I just remembered that night, Aryav... God, you looked so damn sexy. And now I can't sleep. Can I see you tonight? Your wife will not know.' Which night was she talking about?"
?"The night she first saw me," Aryav answered truthfully. "At the Chief Minister's birthday party. That was the only time we were ever in the same room. That is all."
?"You're not lying to me, Aryav? On our son's name?"
?Aryav remained silent for a long moment, staring down at his hands resting on his knees. "If I wanted to lie to you... I am smart enough to manipulate the situation."
?Aadhira's face fell slightly, a wave of emotional tiredness washing over her.
"Are you still hiding things from me. You still keep me in the dark."
?Aryav didn't argue or offer a clever excuse. "About my work yes but not about any woman, there is none."
?The word was quiet, heavy with genuine admission. He raised his head, his eyes looking at her with deep regret. "I am sorry."
?Aadhira didn't answer him. The agonizing, suffocating terror of unfaithfulness had completely vanished, replaced by a deep, bone-weary exhaustion.
She didn't have the energy to fight, yell, or dissect his operational choices any further tonight.
?She turned around, climbed back onto the bed, pulled the soft blanket over her shoulders, and turned her back to him, facing the dark window.
?"I'm tired," she said softly into the quiet room. "I want to sleep."
?Aryav sat on the edge of the mattress, looking at her turned back for a long, quiet moment.
He didn't push her to talk further, nor did he offer hollow promises to fix everything overnight.
?"Okay," he said gently. "But I want you to know there is no women before you and never will."
?He remained right where he was, sitting quietly in the dark bedroom, keeping watch over her as the night settled around them, leaving the heavy silence to slowly heal between them.