Chapter 8
KAVYA
He didn't know, he would never know how guilty, how embarrassed I was feeling while looking into his eyes. He was seeing me like I was a criminal, like I enjoyed ruining his life. I couldn't hold those eyes. I couldn't endure so much hatred from him.
“I …” I swallowed hard, trying to search for the right words. I was well aware of how he was feeling about me. “I never meant to…”
But the lie died on my tongue because I had meant to. Not the pain. Not the hatred. Not the way he looked at me now, like I was something rotten, something beneath him. But I had still walked into his life knowing I would destroy it.
He didn’t interrupt me, didn’t shout as he just stood there, staring as if daring me to defend myself. As if daring me to prove him wrong.
And I couldn’t.
My fingers trembled at my sides and my throat burned with everything I wanted to say but couldn’t. I wanted to tell him the truth. I wanted to tell him that none of this was for greed, that every step I took was forced, under threats I could never explain.
I wanted to tell him that I hated myself more than he ever could. But I had made a promise. And promises like mine didn’t come with mercy.
His jaw tightened when my silence stretched too long. Something inside his eyes shifted then no confusion, acceptance that I was exactly what he believed.
Exactly what everyone believed.
A selfish, manipulative woman who had trapped him. His lip curled slightly, disgust flickering across his face, and that was when he spoke.
“You’re fucking vile, Mrs. Chauhan,” he taunted, dragging out the last word in a way that made his jaw twist even harder. His eyes burned like molten coal, every muscle in his body locked with fury. He looked ready to tear me apart at any moment, ready to skin me, kill me,and destroy me.
God! Maybe I deserved it. I was using him. I was using my own husband for my benefit.
“I’m more than vile,” I said with a sad smile, though my chest felt tight. “You’ll find out soon. I’m more than everything, Saurav… ”
“Don’t you dare,” he warned, stepping closer, his voice low and lethal.
“Don’t you dare take my name with your filthy mouth.
” His eyes, those eyes I once adored, glowered into mine.
“You’re a sin. My sin. And also… ” He leaned in, every word slicing into me, “ …your family’s.
Your family should have killed you the day you were born, because they don’t know what price they still have to pay for having you as their daughter. I really pity your parents.”
I swallowed hard as my chin trembled, but I refused to look away.
He was saying this because he didn’t know. He didn’t know what my family truly was. He had no idea how much I was already paying just to be their daughter.
I had traded Saurav Chauhan, my husband, for them.
I had traded my love for them.
“You don’t have to pity them,” I said slowly, forcing the words past the ache in my throat. “They’re glad they have me.”
“God, you’re so fucking disgusting!” Saurav spat, turning away sharply.
He ran a hand through his hair, breathing hard, like he was trying to control a volcano on the verge of eruption.
“Your father was right. Whatever you touch becomes a curse. I wish I could replay history and erase you. I never should have invited you that day.”
My fingers curled into tight fists. My heart felt unbearably heavy, like it was sinking straight into my stomach. My chin wobbled, my vision burned but I wouldn’t break in front of him. I wouldn’t cry. I wouldn’t beg.
I was still doing what I had done since childhood. I had been tolerating my family’s shit, swallowing pain with a smile and surviving quietly.
I was startled when Saurav stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him as hard as he could. The sound echoed long after he was gone. I stood there, staring at the empty space where he’d just been, my body frozen.
Then my breath hitched.
A broken sound tore out of me as I collapsed into tears, clutching my red lehenga in my fists, squeezing the fabric like it was the only thing keeping me upright. Sometimes I wanted to kill myself. But even that would feel like giving my family a victory.
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I didn’t know how long I stayed there, crumpled on the floor, my sobs muffled by the heavy folds of my lehenga. The silence around me was suffocating, a cruel punishment, as if the universe itself had turned its back on me.
But eventually, the tears dried. My chest still ached, my throat still burned, but I forced myself to stand.
I had to.
I walked to the mirror, staring at myself. My eyes were swollen, my lips trembled, and my soul felt fractured beyond repair. Yet beneath the ruin, I saw something else: resolve.
Saurav hated me. My family had used me. And I had let it all happen.
But I wasn’t going to let it continue.
My fingers trembled as I reached for my purse, brushing past old bangles and faded lipstick tubes until I found the envelope.
The one that contained everything about my sister.
It was only proof. I would make Saurav believe I was not wrong, it was all my family who were playing dirty games.
Maybe he would believe me and help me to get my sister out of that shit hole.
I had never meant to use it. But I couldn’t bear the hatred in Saurav’s eyes.
If he wanted the truth, he would have it. Not to forgive me, no, forgiveness was too far gone but to understand that I wasn’t just a villain in his story. I was a prisoner of mine.
Clutching the envelope to my chest, I walked out of the room. Each step was heavy, dragging the weight of everything I had lost.
I searched for him everywhere, desperate, frantic. He seemed to have vanished, an invisible man slipping through the cracks of the house. And then, suddenly, I saw him as he was standing in the verandah, staring at some distant point, lost in thought.
My heart lurched. I moved toward him, hope flickering in my chest. But before I could reach him, a hand shot out and yanked me back.
I gasped as I was dragged into a room. The door slammed shut.
Nitin stood before me, his glare sharp enough to cut through my skin.
“Nitin!” I exclaimed, clutching the medical reports tighter against my chest. “You’re still here?”
“What do you think you’re doing with those papers?” I heard another voice.
My father.
I spun around, my eyes wide, my breath caught in my throat.
“What do you mean, Pa?” I whispered, squeezing the papers even tighter, as if they were the last shield I had left.
He stepped closer, his face twisted with fury.
“You thought you would show him these papers and collect his sympathy? You think he would give us money knowing your sister’s condition?
Do you think we’re fools, letting you take away Kirti’s medical reports?
” His hiss was venomous, each word striking me like a whip.
“Stop using that foolish brain of yours, Kav. One day, it will destroy you completely.”
My chest burned with rage. “This is wrong, Pa! First you made me complain against him falsely, and now you’re planning to take his money? How could you be this greedy?” My voice rose, trembling but defiant.
Before I could say more, Nitin’s hand clamped over my mouth, silencing me. His grip was merciless.
“One more word,” he growled, his eyes glinting with cruelty, “and you’ll hear news of your dead sister, Kav. Don’t forget how much Kirti matters to you. If you ever try to tell the truth to your dear husband, you know the consequences. And it will all be your fault.”
I froze, my heart pounding, my breath shallow. Their eyes bore into me, filled with pure menace, before they turned and walked out of the room, leaving me trembling in the shadows.
I sank against the wall, clutching the envelope to my chest. My mind screamed, my soul ached. They had chained me with fear, but somewhere deep inside, a spark of defiance refused to die.
I wasn’t going to let them win. Not forever.
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