CHAPTER 22
KW Capital Office
Without any warning, Karan pushed Abhimanyu’s cabin door open.
What stood before them made both of them stop mid-step.
Komal was sitting on the edge of Abhimanyu’s desk.
Abhimanyu stood far too close to her. Their faces were only a few inches apart, close enough to tell they were about to kiss.
The moment they heard the door open, they both reacted instantly.
Komal straightened, and Abhimanyu stepped back, the sudden distance too late to hide what had been happening.
Heat rushed to Mishti’s face as she realised, they had walked into something deeply personal. She had not expected this. She felt awkward, embarrassed, and unsure of where to look.
Karan, however, reacted very differently.
He stood still, his mind already putting the pieces together. One glance at them and he could read they were having an affair or something. That’s why he had suspected that sparks always flew between the two whenever they met.
Realising it all now, Karan fumed. It was not the intimacy in the workplace that bothered him. It was the secrecy.
While Abhimanyu was too blank to know what to say, Komal slid off the desk and quickly smoothed her clothes.
“What is all this?” Karan snapped.
Abhimanyu swallowed and spoke fast, hoping an explanation would help.
“Bro, uh… Komal had come to meet Mishti Bhabhi. Since she had been busy, Komal decided to wait in my cabin instead.”
Karan did not buy the explanation for a second. He took a step forward, eyes blazing.
“She was just waiting here?” he asked coldly. “Whom are you trying to fool, Abhi?”
The room went still.
Abhimanyu finally straightened, knowing there was no point hiding anymore. He met his brother’s gaze.
“Actually, Bhai…Komal and I are dating. We have been together for the past two years.”
Karan stared at him in shock. Two years. They had been going around for two years, and he had no idea.
Komal released a slow breath of relief, although she had not expected the truth to come out like this. But finally, Abhimanyu had taken the initiative to share it with his elder brother.
Karan’s gaze shifted, this time to Mishti. And when he saw there was no surprise there, he was annoyed even more.
“You knew this?” he asked her.
Mishti nodded, meeting his eyes.
That only flared his anger.
Before he could say anything else, Komal’s phone rang. She took the call, slowly moving away from the rest and instantly turned back.
“I’m sorry, but I have to leave. There’s an emergency at the hospital, and I am needed there.”
Abhimanyu nodded without question.
Komal picked her purse from Abhimanyu’s desk and then reached Mishti. She squeezed her hand gently. “We will meet again later.”
Mishti smiled at her, pressing her hand back in quiet reassurance. Then Komal walked out of the cabin, leaving the door closing softly behind her.
Abhimanyu spoke immediately. “Bhai… I was…”
Karan lifted his hand sharply, stopping him mid-sentence. “Don’t.”
Abhimanyu fell silent at once, lowering his gaze.
“I cannot believe this,” Karan said. “My brother is in a relationship. My wife knows about it. But I don’t.”
Mishti and Abhimanyu exchanged a quick, guilty glance. They had never meant for it to come out like this, never wanted Karan to feel cornered or betrayed.
Karan dragged a hand through his hair in frustration, shaking his head as if refusing to accept what he had just learned.
“No. This is not possible,” he said firmly. “I don’t like that doctor even a little.”
Abhimanyu stared at his brother, stunned. His mouth fell open slightly in disbelief. Even Mishti was shocked. She knew Karan didn’t like Komal, but saying Abhimanyu and Komal’s future together was not possible was a little too harsh.
“You don’t have to like her,” she said. “Abhimanyu wants to marry her, not you. He loves her. And as his elder brother, you don’t get to decide that for him. The only thing you can give him is your blessing.”
Karan turned angrily, pointing a finger at her.
“You stay out of this,” he snapped. “You don’t need to tell me what I should do.”
Abhimanyu stepped in before the argument could escalate further.
“Bro, Komal is a good person. I know you both don’t get along. But I really love her. She is the one I want to spend my life with.”
Karan looked at him coldly.
“Then go ahead,” he said. “But don’t expect me to be a part of this.”
With that, he turned around and walked out of the cabin without another word.
Mishti stood there, clearly stunned by Karan’s words. Even Abhimanyu was visibly hurt. His shoulders sagged at his brother’s rejection.
“Don’t worry.” Mishti turned to him and placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “This all came out suddenly. He is just shocked. But he will come around. I know he will. Let me speak to him.”
Abhimanyu nodded slowly, though his eyes still reflected disappointment and pain.
Mishti did not wait any longer. She just followed Karan out.
Karan had already reached his cabin when she entered, and saw him unbuttoning his cuffs with irritated movements. He rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows and then planted both his palms on the work desk, glaring at Mishti as she began to speak.
“How could you do that to your brother?” she asked. “How could you hurt him like this?”
“He hurt me by hiding his so-called affair from me,” he said harshly. “Two years, Mishti. My own brother never once thought of telling me. That has never happened before.”
“He was waiting for the right time,” Mishti replied. “He wanted to talk to you when he felt ready. That does not mean you get to dismiss his love.”
“Love?” Karan scoffed. “Don’t talk about that bullshit now.”
“Love is not bullshit,” she argued. “It is the most beautiful feeling two hearts can share. You and I have no right to decide what Abhimanyu and Komal feel for each other.”
Karan laughed, but there was no humour in it. His jaw tightened as he spoke again.
“Now I know where that doctor got the guts to stand against me. She always argued with me. Always stood up to me. Especially for you. Because she knew she had Abhimanyu backing her up. Otherwise, no one dared to stand against me ever.”
Mishti sighed.
“She stood up against you because she’s a woman who can’t ignore anything wrong happening before her.
And just imagine, despite knowing you are Abhimanyu’s brother, she still stood up to you.
She could have easily flattered you if she wanted your approval.
She could have behaved sweetly. But she didn’t.
She chose what was right over what was convenient.
Isn’t that the quality of a good woman? You should be happy that Abhimanyu is loved by someone like that. ”
Karan turned away, his anger refusing to settle.
“He is my brother,” he said coldly. “I will decide what is right for him.”
Mishti stepped closer.
“Did you ask his permission before marrying me?” she demanded. “Then why, suddenly, one day, would he need your approval before marrying the woman he loves?”
For a moment, Karan said nothing. But his anger was still there. Mishti knew he did not like being cornered by truth. Still, she went on.
“I know Abhimanyu should have told you earlier. I am not denying that. But you cannot reject his choice only because of that.”
Karan’s gaze stayed fixed somewhere beyond the glass walls of the cabin now.
“Even I did not know about them initially,” she continued. “He did not come and announce it to me either. I only suspected that something was different between them. The way they looked at each other, the way he softened around her. So, I asked them openly and they told me.”
She paused for a second.
“They met on a dating app. It was meant to be casual. Just two people looking for a distraction from their lives. But attraction slowly gave way to real feelings. And those feelings stayed, grew and reached this point.”
Her eyes searched his face, hoping he would look at her, but he still refused.
“I know Abhimanyu has always shared everything with you,” she said.
“But this was not like everything else he shared with his brother. This was about his heart. There might be a reason why he delayed telling you. You have every right to ask him that. But shutting this down without listening to him is not fair.”
Still, Karan said nothing.
Encouraged by his silence, Mishti stepped closer.
“It is rare, Karan,” she said softly. “Rare for people to find real partners. To find true love. Not everyone is that lucky. Not everyone gets that happiness. What I see between Abhimanyu and Komal is pure love. I am very confident they will be good life partners to each other.”
Karan clenched his fists.
She noticed, but continued.
“If you refuse to give them your blessings, Abhimanyu might distance himself from Komal. Not because he stopped loving her. But because he respects you. Because he does not want to hurt you.”
She let that sink in before adding, “Are you prepared to see your brother live like that? Only because of your ego and stubbornness?”
That was when Karan turned toward her with a warning in his glare. But Mishti did not flinch.
“Do not look at me like that,” she said calmly. “I am not accusing you. I am showing you the mirror.”
She drew in a breath.
“Love is not something fleeting that passes with time,” she said. “It is more than that. People in love cannot breathe without each other. The first thought they wake up with every morning is their partner. The last thought before they fall asleep is the same person.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“They crave time together. They pray for each other. They cannot bear to see tears in the eyes of the person they love. They find ways to bring smiles to their face, even on the worst days. And no matter what the world says, no matter who tries to pull them apart, their hearts still beat for each other.”
She looked straight at him now.
“Because at that point, unloving is not an option.”
She finished softly, but with conviction.