ARE YOU LEAVING ME
I leaned back against the wall slowly, my body giving in to the weight of everything I was holding inside, until I slid down and ended up sitting on the cold floor, my knees pulled tightly to my chest.
The house felt unbearably quiet and empty.
Adithya hadn't called me. Not once. Not even in the afternoon like he always do to ask if I had eaten.
My throat tightened as I let out a slow breath, my vision blurring as tears gathered despite how hard I tried to hold them back, because the thought kept circling in my mind, refusing to leave-he must think I knew. About the money being transferred to him as compensation.
The sharp ring of the doorbell cut through my thoughts suddenly, making me flinch as my heart jumped, pulling me back to reality in an instant.
Of course it was him.
I wiped my face quickly with the back of my hand and stood up, my movements rushed, unsteady, my heartbeat picking up as I walked toward the door and pulled it open without a second thought.
He didn't look at me. Not even for a second. He walked past me, his shoulder brushing slightly against mine.
"Adithya-" I called softly, my voice unsure, fragile in a way I hated.
He didn't respond. He walked inside like a man carrying something heavy he refused to put down in front of me, his steps controlled, his expression still.
He dropped his bag down with a dull thud, placed his helmet beside it without care, and pulled off his ID card, throwing it somewhere without even looking.
I stood there, near the door, frozen, watching him. He grabbed a set of clothes and walked straight toward the bathroom, as he shut the door behind him, leaving now space for interruption.
I walked back into the room slowly, and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for him to come back, my fingers nervously twisting the edge of the bedsheet.
A soft meow pulled my attention down.
Little Sinclair padded toward me, her tiny steps light against the floor, her eyes bright and unaware of the tension filling the room, and I immediately crouched down, gathering her into my arms as she nuzzled against me, seeking comfort she didn't even know I needed more than her.
She tried to jump onto the bed.
I quickly stopped her.
"No... your dad will get allergies," I murmured softly, pulling her back against my chest, my hand gently stroking her head.
My chest tightened slightly at the thought.
Because we had just started sleeping on the same bed, just started sharing that small, quiet space between us, and I didn't want to ruin it, didn't want him waking up with itchy skin and discomfort.
And the most ironic part of it all was that he had brought Sinclair home himself.
Knowing fully well that he was allergic. Knowing it would make things difficult for him.
He still did it just because I had asked.
The door opened.
Adithya walked in, rubbing a towel over his damp hair, droplets of water still clinging to his skin, his expression blank, distant.
I gently set Sinclair down and shooed her away before standing up quickly, moving toward him without thinking.
He walked past me and sat on the edge of the bed, his posture stiff, his focus already on his phone as he unlocked it and began scrolling, like I wasn't even in the room.
My chest tightened painfully.
I walked over and sat beside him, tilting my head slightly, trying to catch his eyes, trying to find even the smallest crack in that wall he had suddenly built between us.
Before I could even say anything-he stood up. Just like that and walked out.
My lips parted in disbelief as I stared at his back, something inside me sinking rapidly, my throat tightening, my eyes burning as tears threatened to spill.
I stood up quickly and followed him, my steps faster now, desperate, my hand reaching out as I caught his wrist and turned him toward me.
"Adithya," I called.
He turned and the look in his eyes-it wasn't anger. It wasn't even hurt. It was distance.
"Don't ignore me," I said, my grip tightening slightly around his wrist, my heart pounding.
His jaw clenched.
"I am going to transfer this money back to your account," he said flatly, "or your brother's."
I swallowed.
"No... keep it," I said quietly.
His eyes narrowed instantly.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice sharpening. "I don't want your money."
"I know," I said quickly, shaking my head, stepping closer, trying to make him understand. "But just keep it. We are not giving this to bribe you or anything. It's just-"
I hesitated for a second, then forced the words out.
"To compensate all the things you lost because of us."
He let out a hollow chuckle.
"Wow," he said slowly, clapping his hands once, mockingly, his lips curling into something that wasn't a smile. "How generous, Viyana."
"Okay, fine," he continued. "Tell me... what exactly did I lose because of you and your brother?"
I couldn't answer.
"I lost my family," he said, each word hitting harder than the last. "I lost my peace. My mental health."
His eyes locked onto mine, sharp and unyielding.
"And now what?" he went on. "I keep this money on the table and stare at it every day and pretend that it makes up for everything?"
"But I don't think it compensates anything," he finished, his voice dropping.
"I will talk to your family," I said quickly, the words slipping out in panic.
His expression changed instantly.
"So you are going to divorce me, Viyana?" he asked, his voice quiet now, but far more threatening than before.
My heart dropped.
"No, Adithya-" I started immediately.
"Then what is this?" he cut in, stepping closer, his presence suddenly overwhelming, his gaze burning into mine.
"This..." he said, gesturing vaguely, his jaw tight, "...this looks like you people are settling me before abandoning me."
I shook my head quickly, panic rising.
"No," I said, my voice firm despite the tremble in it. "I am not going to divorce you, Adithya."
He stared at me.
Unmoving.
Unbelieving.
"Do I look like a fool to you?" he asked quietly.
For a second, I couldn't speak. Because it wasn't just anger in his voice.
It was hurt. Deep, raw, and unguarded in a way he rarely let himself be.
"No," I said finally, my voice low but steady, tightening my hold on his wrist as if that alone could stop him from slipping away again.
"Then why does it feel like I am one?" he shot back immediately, his eyes glistening, his jaw clenching as he pulled his hand out of my grip.
I flinched at the sudden loss of contact.
"Why does it feel like everything between us can just be calculated and settled like some business deal?" he continued, his voice rising now, the restraint finally cracking. "One crore for my time, my patience, my life-what next, Viyana? Do you have a price for every moment we spent together?"
"That's not what this is" I snapped, my own frustration finally spilling over as I stepped closer to him again. "Stop twisting it like that"
"Then what is it?" he demanded. "Explain it to me in a way that doesn't make me feel like I've been living under some contract this whole time!"
"It was a contract in the beginning!" I said, the words rushing out before I could soften them. "You know that!"
"And what about now?" he fired back instantly. "Is it still one for you?"
I froze.
"No,it's not." I said.
He let out a dry laugh, shaking his head like he didn't believe a word I was saying.
"Really?" he asked. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks exactly the same."
"It's not the same!" I insisted, my voice trembling now, anger mixing with something more desperate.
"I literally confessed my feelings to you, Adithya... then why are you still speaking like this?" I asked.
He dragged his hand through his hair, pacing a step away from me, turning his back like he needed distance even from my words.
"I-I am joining my company next week," I said, the sentence breaking in the middle as my fingers fidgeted nervously, betraying the confidence I was trying so hard to hold.
He froze and then slowly turned.
"So... you are leaving me?" he asked.
"No, Adithya," I said immediately, stepping toward him, my voice urgent now. "Why do you keep asking that? How many times should I repeat myself?"
My breath hitched slightly as I shook my head.
"I am not going to leave you. I am not going to divorce you."
But he didn't relax.
"I am just going back to my life... how it was before," I added.
He let out a short, hollow chuckle and looked away.
"You want me to believe, that you'll go back to your company... to that world... and then come back to this small house of mine?"
Is he feeling insecure?
"I will come back," I said, stepping closer again, reaching out and holding his sleeve.
"I don't think you would come back here and live this life with me... not when you have billions waiting for you." He stepped away as I noticed the tears surfacing his eyes.
"That doesn't make any sense, Viyana," he said quietly.