Chapter 20
Private Stay Villa – Dalhousie
Noyonika paced near the window with her phone pressed to her ear as she confirmed details with her travel agent. She was ready. Bags zipped. Lies buried. And freedom, just a flight away.
“Yes, please web check-in for my tomorrow’s Dubai flight,” she said crisply, glancing at the already packed suitcases lined neatly by the door.
That’s when the doorbell rang.
Assuming it was her lunch delivery, she walked over distractedly, still speaking to the agent. “Just send the boarding pass to my email. Thanks.” She ended the call and opened the door, only to freeze.
Standing before her were Kushal Nair and Arundhati Nair.
The two faces that had dominated headlines across the country as the top divorce lawyers embroiled in the Anant–Sadhna Mukherjee scandal.
Kushal offered a slow, almost mocking grin. “Judging by that expression, I guess we can skip the introductions. Saves us time. And trust me, we’ve wasted enough of that on you already.”
Without waiting for permission, he stepped forward, forcing her to instinctively move back as he entered the room.
“We need to talk,” he said flatly.
Noyonika’s thoughts snapped back into place. “Not without my lawyer,” she replied, planting her feet. “I’m not saying a word until I call them. Please leave now. Or I’ll call security.”
“You don’t have that luxury anymore, Miss Talwar,” Arundhati interjected, stepping inside. “With or without your lawyers, you will answer our questions.”
Noyonika felt her pulse spike. Arundhati continued being deliberately professional.
“And here’s a free legal advice: if you don’t start talking right now, forget flying to the UAE, your lawyers won’t be able to shield you from the criminal charges if we file defamation suits on our client, Anant Mukherjee’s behalf.”
The blood drained from Noyonika’s face. Kushal nodded slowly and took up the thread Arundhati left behind.
“The choice is yours,” he added coolly. “Either you cooperate, give us what we need, and walk out of this villa free… or you stay stubborn and get dragged through court battles and criminal proceedings for the next few years. Your call.”
Noyonika’s eyes flashed panic. A bead of sweat slid down her temple as she stared at them, unable to speak.
Kushal raised an eyebrow, glancing sideways at Arundhati with a smirk. “Look at her. She’s already sweating. If this is her reaction now, I wonder how she’d manage a jail cell.”
“Jail?” Noyonika burst out. “Why would I go to jail? I haven’t done anything!”
Arundhati stepped closer. “You publicly defamed our client. You planted false stories in the media, resurrected an old relationship to feed a scandal, and claimed emotional abuse that never happened. You provided ‘evidence’ of an affair with Anant Mukherjee that had ended long before his marriage to Sadhna. You painted him as an adulterer, manipulated public sentiment, and nearly destroyed his career.”
Noyonika’s face paled further. She tried to speak, but nothing came.
Arundhati took a breath and continued.
“That’s defamation and potentially perjury, fraud. If we choose to proceed, this ends in criminal court, not just divorce proceedings. And if this goes to trial, jail is a very real possibility. And we have no intention of protecting you from it.”
Noyonika looked between them, feeling cornered and pale. Confusion, fear, and regret darkened her eyes. She had never imagined her web of lies could unravel so thoroughly in front of Anant’s legal team.
Kushal took note of her expression and began to pressure her further deliberately.
“You thought coming to Dalhousie, hiding from the press, would protect you until your flight?” he asked.
“No, Miss Talwar. Check at home; your house help has likely accepted the court summons we sent. That summons is for your appearance at the first hearing in the Anant–Sadhna case, which happens next week before a magistrate.”
“You are lying,” Noyonika countered. “A summons can only be properly served to the person named on it,” she said cautiously. “If I haven’t received it, then legally, I haven’t been notified.”
Arundhati exchanged a knowing glance with Kushal, then folded her arms across her chest in quiet satisfaction, before speaking.
“Clever,” she said softly, “but only when it suits you.”
Kushal’s nodded in agreement. “Yes, she’s selectively smart; otherwise, she wouldn’t have committed such a huge blunder.”
Arundhati opened her leather purse and handed the sealed envelope to Noyonika.
“Here’s the court summons we are hand-delivering to you.
You cannot leave the country. And even if you try, you must appear in court next week.
Failure to do so will be treated as contempt—another criminal offense on top of everything else? ”
Fear bubbled over, and Noyonika’s composure broke. “What do you want from me?” she hissed.
Arundhati calmly walked over to the side table, poured a glass of water, and handed it to her. “Drink this. Then we can talk.”
“Why should I talk to the two of you? You’re not my lawyers. If I’m summoned, I’ll answer questions in court, only in court.”
Kushal nodded. “Fine. That’s your choice. We came here to find a middle path through the mess you created, both for yourself and for Anant. If you’d rather face every question and piece of evidence from us only in the court under oath, so be it.”
Noyonika’s brow furrowed. “What evidence?”
He smiled confidently. “Evidence that you lied. Media statements don’t stand in court without back-up, Noyonika. Courts don’t decide on gossip, they need proof. We have messages, dates, and witness statements that contradict your public claims.”
Arundhati took over. “Anant has all the proofs and witnesses who will stand in court to show that your ‘affair’ ended before his marriage to Sadhna. You have defamed him publicly. You have wasted the court’s time with lies, and once proven, you could face fines or even imprisonment for contempt of court. ”
Noyonika sank onto the couch, face pale. Panic drained from her posture, replaced by her surrender.
She exhaled in defeat and laid her hands in her lap. “...All right,” she whispered. “I’ll answer your questions. Just get me out of this.”
Kushal and Arundhati exchanged a victorious glance. When they worked as partners, nothing could beat them.
Finally, Noyonika’s confession came up.
“I was involved with Anant three years ago, before he married Sadhna. It wasn’t serious.
He was wealthy, well-connected, and I thought that if I stayed in his orbit, maybe I’d finally get a break in one of his upcoming projects.
I was essentially using him as a stepping stone.
But when that next film went to some star kid, we had a falling out, and that was it. We parted by mutual agreement.”
She paused, eyes downcast.
“After that, my career… it stalled. Anant’s production house soared; he found success and stability with Sadhna, while I drifted.
I was clinging to meaningless, fleeting, commitment-free relationships.
Then I saw a crack in their marriage. Their divorce news came out.
I thought it could be my chance to circle back to Anant, to see if something could still happen.
But I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t gamble everything on it. ”
Her eyes flicked between the two lawyers, desperation surfacing as regret.
“And then a friend…Someone I trusted…suggested a different plan. She asked… what if going back to Anant still wouldn’t solve anything?
What if he didn’t take me back or even support my career?
What if it didn’t work out? Why not spin this entire scandal in my favour?
She told me to use the scandal between Anant and Sadhna to position myself as the ‘other woman.’ Get media attention.
Dominate headlines. Suddenly, all eyes would be on me.
And finally, work opportunities might follow. ”
She inhaled shakily, voice catching in her throat. “I lied to the media. I said the affair happened after his marriage, and claimed emotional abuse. I played the victim card, hiding behind the scandal to boost my career. I waited for offers to come knocking.”
Arundhati’s eyes flashed with anger. “Not the offers, but we definitely came here knocking at your door, to remove the blindfold from your eyes and show you that your actions have landed you in serious legal trouble.”
Noyonika broke down in sobs. Arundhati glanced at Kushal, who watched her as he had a while ago when they drove here.
With desire. She realised what sparked his sudden tension—the word “blindfold”.
It was a silent reminder of what had transpired between them last night.
Now remembering it, did something to her too.
She even recalled the earlier conversation they had about last night and Kushal’s promise.
.. ‘I promise the next time I touch you… You won’t just see stars.
You’ll see the whole damn Milky Way all night. ’
She had been too breathless to respond then.
Caught between resisting the magnetic pull of their past and surrendering to what still burned between them.
And she might have answered him, had they not been interrupted.
Because just seconds after that wicked promise, Vivek had arrived, reminding them that Noyonika was in the villa.
And if they didn’t act fast, she might slip away.
So they had to push their personal moment aside. And walk here, side by side, like the powerful legal team they were, to knock on that door and corner a woman into the truth.
Kushal broke eye contact with Arundhati first and turned to face Noyonika again. “That friend of yours…your co-conspirator in this…she’s not immune to what you’ve done. She’s not going to walk away scot-free either. She’ll have to answer in court, along with you.”
Noyonika shook her head frantically. “You can’t touch her! She’s powerful. She’ll destroy you if you try to touch her.”