Chapter 23
Meera
My heart still refuses to settle. Just thinking about the way his lips felt against mine sends a fresh, dizzying flutter through me. Damn… I should feel guilty, furious at myself for crossing that line.
But the tiny, foolish part of me doesn’t feel an ounce of regret.
God, I am supposed to be smarter than this. Stronger than this. I am supposed to keep my guard up, keep him at a distance. I should be keeping my heart locked behind iron walls. Instead, one weak moment has my body, my mind, and my heart, betraying me all at once.
“Meera.” Samarth’s concerned voice pulls me back to the present as he leans forward in the chair across from me, his elbows resting on my desk. “I know you’re still worried. I am too. Whoever attacked you… this isn’t something either of us can take lightly.”
I look away. I can’t tell him what’s actually looping through my mind. That it has nothing to do with the man who attacked me and everything to do with Dev, who is far more dangerous to my heart than that attacker ever was to my life.
I rub my temples, my head already starting to throb. “Samarth, I still feel that you staying with me in that house isn’t a good idea.”
He exhales a weary sigh. “Meera, you already know how I feel. I am not leaving you alone. Not when someone is trying to harm you. And not when every instinct I have tells me it’s connected to the people in that house.”
“Samarth, I really don’t think it’s anyone from that house.”
He leans back in the chair, his eyes never leaving mine. “Oh, so now you trust them enough to fight their battles for them?”
I shake my head lightly. “No… I mean, I am not saying that. It’s just that if anyone from that house wanted to harm me, they wouldn’t have waited for so long to make a move. They would have done it already.”
I just hope he believes me, because I can’t even explain to myself why I am defending them. No one in that house wants me. No one… except Dev. And somehow, that one exception is enough to make me feel safe.
My mind flashes back to this morning, when I told him I needed to leave for work, and the idea instantly unsettled him.
His face tightened with worry, and beneath it lay unmistakable jealousy, knowing Samarth would be accompanying me.
But he still didn’t fuss, because he knew how much it mattered to me.
His only condition was that a bodyguard would shadow me.
That’s how far his need to protect me goes. And that one thing alone is enough to give me the certainty that nothing can touch me as long as he’s around.
Samarth’s brows pull together. “Meera, you’re giving them too much benefit of the doubt. Just because they haven’t acted before doesn’t mean they never will.”
“I am not giving them anything, Samarth. I am just stating the obvious,” I reply quietly.
Right then, a knock interrupts us, and Sonia walks in, worry written all over her face.
I glance back at Samarth. “You told her?”
He shrugs. “I did.”
“I know who did this,” she whispers, her eyes never leaving mine as she eases into the chair beside Samarth.
“Who?” I ask, leaning forward and resting my hands on the desk.
“Veer,” she says.
“Veer?” I repeat, and Samarth shoots me a look that clearly says, I told you so.
She nods, her eyes glassy. “He did it to me when I told him I was pregnant and wanted to keep the baby. He didn’t like the idea… so he sent one of his men to silence me on my way home. It was only after I promised I would abort and keep the pregnancy a secret that he finally let it go.”
I feel the chair beneath me wobble. “You didn’t tell me that part?”
“I was too scared to tell anyone,” she admits, her hands trembling in her lap. “I didn’t even want to tell you about my pregnancy. You only found out about the abortion because of the doctor… who happened to be your friend.”
“So… he’s capable of doing this to Meera too. Just because she put him in jail.”
I don’t know if Samarth is stating the obvious or asking a question, but Sonia nods miserably.
Samarth turns to me then. “You can’t stay there, Meera.”
“Samarth, I am not leaving,” I state firmly. Even after hearing her, my trust in Dev refuses to break completely. Yes, Veer may be capable of this, I don’t deny it, but Dev is not Veer. And I can’t take such a drastic step just because of Veer.
“If you’re not leaving, then you need to file an FIR. Right now,” he insists.
“Samarth…” I begin, but he shakes his head. “It’s either you leave, or you file the FIR.”
“Shouldn’t I… shouldn’t I discuss it with Dev first?” I hesitate.
Samarth exhales sharply. “Meera, Dev didn’t believe us the last time we confronted him about the pregnancy. He brushed it aside and stood by his brother.”
“Samarth’s right,” Sonia adds gently. “When it comes to his brother, he won’t listen to a word we say.”
My heart twists painfully. I know they’re right. Dev would never go against his brother for me. Blood comes first, no matter how much his feelings for me are growing. And the worst part? Their words now shake the trust I had been holding tightly in my chest for Dev.
“Okay,” I agree quietly. “But how do we even get to the police station? With the bodyguard following me, he’ll report everything straight to Dev,” I add, stating the obvious.
“I have an idea,” Samarth says.
I lift an eyebrow. “What?”
“We have two exits in our office that no one knows about. That’s how we’ll slip out. We’ll go, file the FIR, and be back before the bodyguard even realises you’re gone. And if he comes looking, we’ll ask our staff to say you’re in the conference room for an interview,” he explains.
“That works. Let’s do it.” I rise to my feet, and they follow suit.
As we slip out of the office through the back door, my head starts spinning with too many thoughts—Veer stooping low enough to attack, Dev trusting his brother over me, the kiss we shared.
I’m so lost in my own chaos that I don’t even notice Samarth’s hand yanking me back.
I stumble into his chest, blinking in shock just as a car speeds past the spot where I had just been standing.
If Samarth hadn’t pulled me back in time, I would have been hit.
“What the hell, Meera?” he snaps, even as Sonia rushes forward and gently rubs my back. “You could have been hit by that car.”
“I… I didn’t see it. I wasn’t… I am sorry,” I whisper, my voice trembling.
He exhales, then brushes my hair back from my face, his voice softening. “Just stay with us, okay? Don’t get so lost in your head that you end up hurting yourself.”
I nod shakily as we make our way to his car. He opens the passenger door for me. Soon, Sonia settles into the back seat. He slides into the driver’s seat, and we pull away and head towards the police station.
Looking out at the trees passing by, my chest tightens with every mile closer to our destination.
I know this is the right thing to do, yet a part of me wishes I could tell Dev.
I have no idea how he’ll react once he finds out I filed an FIR against his brother without discussing it with him, and the thought twists my stomach into knots.
???
My heartbeat pounds as Samarth pulls the car up outside Dev’s house. I clutch my bag, the FIR receipt tucked safely inside.
Samarth glances at me. “Let’s go in.”
I exhale slowly before stepping out of the car.
We make our way towards the house, only to halt at the entrance when an angry voice booms through the air. I look at Samarth. He gives me a reassuring nod, and we move further in.
We step in the living room to find Veer and Dev standing with their backs to us, while Dev’s father paces the floor, red-hot fury etched across his face.
“Your wife will not let us live in peace!” Dev’s dad snarls. Just then, his gaze lands on me. “Speak of her… and she appears.”
Dev jerks his head, and his eyes lock onto mine. In an instant, he’s by my side.
“You filed an FIR against my son,” Dev’s father glares at me.
Veer steps towards me, his rage barely contained. “How dare you fu—”
“Watch it, Veer,” Dev hisses, placing his hands on Veer’s chest and pushing him a step back. “Don’t you dare forget she is your Bhabhi.”
Veer scoffs, his eyes fixed on me. “My Bhabhi is at it again… trying to send me to jail. Am I right, Bhabhi?”
Dev steps in front of me, but I move around him before he can shield me, proving that I can fight my own battles and don’t need anyone to do it for me.
“Yes, I went to the police station. And yes, I filed the FIR,” I say, my voice steady, though my heart pounds like a drum in my chest.
Dev’s head jerks towards me in shock, while Veer and his dad glare at me with murderous rage. But I don’t let them intimidate me, focusing instead on the words I need to say.
“Because you deserve it.” Then I look straight at Dev, my breathing hard. “He did the same to my friend Sonia. You remember Sonia, don’t you? The one whose marriage you planned?” I point my finger at Veer. “Your brother tried to kill her, too, when she told him about her pregnancy.”
“Veer, what is she talking about?” Dev says sharply, his eyes darting to him.
“No… bro… I…” Veer stammers, panic creeping into his voice. “She’s lying. First, she blamed me for the pregnancy, and now this… she’s twisting it… Bro, don’t listen to her—”
“Yes, Dev, just like last time, don’t listen to me and cover for him,” I hiss bitterly, and Dev’s gaze lands on me. “Because that’s what you’re good at. You and your brother never feel ashamed of what you do. All you know is how to intimidate and hurt people.”
“Meera, listen—” Dev begins, but I cut him off sharply.
“No. I’ve listened enough. Even last time, you didn’t believe a word I said. Instead, you went after me, and eventually, you threatened me into marrying you, all because I sent your brother to jail… which he deserved.”
Dev’s dad steps forward. “How dare you decide what my son deserves? Talk about your own actions. You’re the one who filed an FIR.”
“Yes. And I am not guilty about it,” I shoot back, refusing to flinch.