Chapter 40
KAVYA
“Where have you been?” he asked. His voice was low, laced with a quiet, dangerous edge that made the hair on my arms stand up.
“I told you, I was at Noor’s...” I licked my dry lips, my heart hammering against my ribs. I tried to move past him toward the stairs, desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere, but his voice stopped me cold.
“Are you going to lie to me again, Kavya?”
I froze. My fingers trembled against the leather strap of my handbag. I didn't hear him move, but I felt the heat of his presence as he approached. He stopped just inches behind me. I could feel his warm breath on my shoulder, and my heart raced so fast I feared I might actually faint.
“I recognize his cologne,” he whispered. Suddenly, he grabbed the back of my neck and spun me around. His face was inches from mine, his eyes dark and clouded with rage. “Tell me the truth right now. Don’t make me lose my temper.”
“What is wrong with you?” I gasped, bracing my hands against his chest to push him away. It was useless; he was triple my strength, an immovable wall of muscle and resentment.
“Were you with Abhiraj?” he demanded. His eyes burned like molten lava, searing into mine.
“Let go of me!” I fought against his grip, my voice rising in a mix of fear and defiance.
He released my neck only to seize my forearm in a crushing grip. “Answer me!” he bellowed. The sheer volume of his shout made me go still. It was the same feral roar he used to aim at his father, the sound of a man who had reached his breaking point.
“Yes!” I snapped, the adrenaline finally overriding my fear.
I wrenched my arm free and glared at him.
“Yes, I was with him, Saurav. I’ve been with him for two fucking hours.
Are you happy now? Are you going to ask if we slept together?
Go ahead, assume whatever you want. I’m done trying to convince a man who refuses to believe me. ”
His jaw clenched so hard I thought his teeth might crack. He lunged forward, pulling me flush against him. I could feel his heartbeat thundering through his t-shirt, even more frantic than my own.
“You will stay away from him,” he hissed.
“And if I don’t?” I challenged him, my voice trembling but defiant.
“Then you are going to get hurt.”
“You’re going to hit me now?” I pushed against his shoulders, a bitter laugh escaping my throat. “Go on, do it. Because I won’t...I can’t stay away from him.”
Saurav’s expression shifted into something chilling.
A slow, sinister smile spread across his lips.
“I’m not talking about hurting you, Kavya.
I’m talking about your secret lover. My father invested thirty percent into Abhiraj’s new project.
Tomorrow, I’m pulling it all out. I’m going to watch his dream crumble into ash. ”
“You can’t be serious,” I whispered, my voice failing me. He finally let go of my hand, and the sudden loss of contact made me stumble. Tears stung my eyes, hot and blurred my vision. “You... you’re a monster. You’re a player, a cheater, and a cruel, selfish asshole!”
“Trust me, I’ve been anything but kind to you,” he said, his eyes bloodshot and weary.
“You betrayed me from the very first day. I tried to be decent, and what did you do? You trapped me in this pathetic excuse for a marriage. You manipulated my father and bled him dry for every cent you could get.”
He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a venomous growl. “You played the 'good girl' for Abhiraj Sisodiya just so you could use him, didn't you? Partnering with him, dancing with him... you were off enjoying your holidays while my father was dying in a hospital bed!”
He grabbed my shoulders again, shaking me slightly. “You were so consumed by your own needs that you didn't care what he went through. I tried to tell myself you were a good person, but I was a fool.”
He turned, snatched a stack of papers from the coffee table, and shoved them toward my face. “Look at this! Look at the withdrawals over the last eighteen months. Look at the transactions!”
I stared at the statements, my mind reeling. The numbers blurred together until one figure stood out: Fifty-five lakh.
“This... this wasn’t me,” I shook my head, my voice small.
“Kavya, these are the charges from the gold card I gave you,” Saurav said, his voice dripping with contempt. “I wondered where all that money went, and yet here you are, begging me for three lakh for a sister’s surgery? A sister you never even mentioned?”
“Because... because my father...” The words died in my throat. The shock was a physical weight, crushing the air out of my lungs. I looked at the papers, then at the man who looked at me with such pure loathing.
I couldn't breathe. I couldn't explain. I turned and bolted for the stairs, my vision swimming. I slammed the bedroom door shut. I collapsed against the wood, sliding down until I was curled in a heap on the floor, shaking with shock and grief.
I stayed on the floor for hours. The cold marble bit into my skin, but I didn't care.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw those figures: fifty-five lakh.
My head throbbed with a single question: who had used my card?
Then, the realization hit me. My father and stepbrother.
They were the only ones who would pull a stunt like this.
The next morning, I confirmed it all. It was them.
That was why they hadn't bothered me for a year.
They had even bought a new house on the outskirts after selling the old one.
My father hadn't even come to my sister’s funeral; he wanted nothing to do with us.
I was a fool. I believed Paa when he told me Nitin was working day and night in Saudi Arabia to provide for his family. It was all a lie.
I headed downstairs, determined to tell my husband the truth about my family and my sister.
I would give him every detail. Maybe he would understand; maybe he would even forgive me.
I also planned to confront him about Tanya, the officer in the photo, and that lipstick mark.
Today was the day everything would become clear.
I couldn't give him back the full fifty-five lakh yet, but I had already transferred twenty-five lakh to his account. It would show up in a couple of days.
The television was on, the news hummed in the background, and then I heard it.
"Breaking news in the business sector," the reporter announced. "The Chauhan Group has officially withdrawn its thirty percent stake in the Sisodiya Rural Project. Shares of the Sisodiya Group are plummeting as investors panic..."
My phone buzzed. A message from Abhiraj.
‘Have you seen the news? It’s the first thing I saw this morning. It’s over, Kavya. Everything I’ve worked for is gone.’
Rage, hot and blinding, surged through me. I didn't care about the money anymore. I didn't care about the lies. Saurav had targeted Abhiraj, the only man who had been nothing but kind to me.
The front door opened. Saurav walked in, looking perfectly composed in a grey shirt and dark slacks, as if he hadn't just destroyed his best friend's dream. He didn't even look at me as he tossed his keys on the table.
"You actually did it," I said, my voice shaking with fury.
"I told you what would happen, Kavya," he replied calmly, heading toward the kitchen. "I don't make empty threats."
I stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "Abhiraj had nothing to do with our marriage! That project was his dream, his mother’s dream! How can you be so heartless?"
"Heartless?" He finally looked at me, a bitter smirk on his face. "You’re the one who’s been a selfish bitch this entire time."
"You’re a coward, Saurav! You couldn't face me, so you attacked a man who actually treats me with respect. You think this means you win? It just makes me hate you more."
He grabbed my wrists, his eyes turning stone cold. "Hate me all you want. But as long as you wear my ring, you'll learn that every action has a price. Abhiraj is just the first person to pay it."
Pure jealousy burned in his eyes. I wrenched my hands away. "You’re not a husband. You’re a monster."
I walked away, my fists clenched so tight it hurt. How could he? Angry tears blurred my vision. He called me selfish, yet he was the one who had been a total prick to me from the start.
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