Chapter 23 #2
His eyes blaze. “I’ve had enough of you dragging my family’s name through the mud. This time, I’ll make sure you’re punished.”
A chill runs through me, but I refuse to let it show, just as Dev speaks up. “Dad, no.”
“You will not interfere today!” his dad thunders. “She will leave this house immediately. I will not have her under my roof.”
Samarth, who has been quiet until now, grips my wrist. “Let’s go, Meera. You don’t need to stay here.”
“Yeah, Bhabhi, listen to your friend and get the hell out of here,” Veer sneers, a smug curl lifting his mouth. “Unless you’re itching to drag yourself into even more trouble.”
“Enough!” Dev roars. In one swift, furious motion, he yanks Samarth’s hand off my wrist and steps between us.
“The only reason you’re still breathing is because of my wife.
But don’t mistake my patience for weakness.
If I can tolerate you for her sake, don’t think I won’t act the moment you even think of taking her away from me. ”
“Excuse me, Mr. Rathore.”
A voice interrupts us, and I turn to see a tall, dark, muscular man in his forties standing a few feet away.
“Raghav, come in,” Dev signals.
I shoot him a questioning look, and Dev explains, “He’s a private investigator. I hired him to find out about your attack.”
A heavy knot of shame settles in my stomach. He hired someone? He was trying to uncover the truth? And I doubted him, convinced he would side with his brother… while all along he was doing everything a husband should do.
Raghav steps up beside us and gives a nod to everyone in the room.
“Raghav, what news do you have?” Dev asks.
“It wasn’t a targeted attack, Mr. Rathore,” Raghav begins, his tone cool and professional. “The attacker was already on the run from the police. He was involved in a robbery, and when he saw Mrs. Rathore, he panicked and tried to harm her, thinking she might alert the cops.”
Dev glances at me, the sting of hurt in his eyes twisting my heart with pain.
Samarth clears his throat. “If you’re saying it was a random accident, then what about the note Meera received?”
“As for the note, it was actually from Mrs. Rathore’s father, not the attacker,” Raghav reveals.
“What?” I whisper.
“It was from your father, Mrs. Rathore,” Raghav repeats.
I shake my head. “No… that’s not possible. Why would my dad send me a note with Samarth’s name on it?”
“Well, that’s something only your dad can answer, Mrs. Rathore,” Raghav replies.
“Call your dad and put him on speaker,” Dev says.
I nod, my hands suddenly icy as I pull my phone from my bag. I dial my dad’s number and put it on speaker.
“Meera, beta,” Papa says the moment he answers.
I inhale shakily. “Papa… did you send me a note? The one with Samarth’s name on it?”
There’s a startled pause on the other side, then he exhales heavily.
“I… I did, beta. I was missing you. I wanted to see you so badly. You hadn’t been calling, and you didn’t come to meet us.
I was worried sick. I thought I’d come myself and give you a surprise.
That’s why I sent the note with Samarth’s name.
But before I could meet you, your mom pulled me away, saying not to do anything that might get you into trouble.
She said you would contact us when you were able to. ”
The room feels eerily silent as his words sink in.
My eyes slip shut. “Papa…”
“I am sorry, beta. I left without meeting you,” he says softly.
“It’s okay, Papa. I’ll meet you soon,” I reply, then end the call.
“It was just a coincidence, Mrs. Rathore. You were at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Raghav explains, before turning to Dev. “Mr. Rathore, the man hasn’t been handed over to the police yet.”
Dev nods sharply. “I’ll handle him myself. You can leave.”
Raghav gives a small nod and walks out.
The moment he steps out, Dev’s father scoffs. “This is exactly what I’ve been saying. Your wife just likes to accuse us for no reason. She only wants to create problems among us and break our family. She just can’t stand to see us happy.”
My throat burns with guilt so deep it digs into my bones. I don’t feel guilty for standing up to Veer. He may not have planned the attack on me, but he certainly did on Sonia. What hurts the most right now is knowing that because of me, Dev has to stand here and listen to this.
“Dad, I am not hearing a word against my wife. She did what she felt was right. End of discussion,” Dev states firmly. Then, without another word, without even looking at me, he turns and strides towards the bedroom.
Veer and his dad give me disgusted looks before leaving the room.
Samarth steps forward, concern etched on his face. “Meera…”
I shake my head. “I need to go… to Dev.”
With that, I turn and climb the stairs, my heart still pounding in my chest.
“Dev…” I whisper as I enter the room. He’s standing by the dresser, adjusting his tie.
“I don’t have time for another argument,” he says without looking at me.
“Dev, listen to me, please,” I say, taking a step closer, stopping just behind him.
“Listen? To what? Another accusation?” he snaps, spinning around and pinning me in place with his hurt, stormy eyes.
“That’s not fair, Dev,” I say, desperate for him to listen, to let me explain why I did what I did and why his brother can’t be trusted.
“What’s not fair is how quickly you assume the worst of me, Meera.
” He steps closer, his hands gripping my arms, frustration vibrating through his fingers.
“I thought that even if you weren’t ready to confess how you feel, you’d at least understand how much you mean to me.
But no. To you, this marriage is a lie. And the kiss we shared… even that is a mistake in your eyes.”
My breath stutters as I struggle to meet his gaze. “Dev—”
“It tears me apart, Meera, every time you accuse me, every time you push me away,” he rasps.
“All I want is to be the one who makes your world better, not the one who breaks it. I want to be the only man you ever feel safe with.” His jaw tightens, pain flickering across his eyes.
“But you’re determined to see me as a monster, someone you need to stay away from. ”
My heart thuds. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?” he fires back. “Because today you proved it again.”
My eyes burn. “Dev… I am sorry. I—I thought—”
“You thought I wouldn’t fight for you,” he cuts in. “That I wouldn’t care about the bastard who hurt you.”
Tears slip down my cheeks before I can stop them.
“I was wrong,” I choke out. “Please… just give me a chance to fix it.”
“I can’t do this right now,” he grinds out. “If I stay here, my anger will make me say something I’ll regret. It’s better I take it out on the bastard who attacked you.”
He drops his hands and starts to move past me towards the door, but I step in front of him, blocking his path.
“Dev, you’re not going there to handle him,” I say firmly.
“Move, Meera.” He tries to step around me, but I don’t budge.
“No. Let the police handle him.”
“He tried to hurt you,” he snarls, “and worse, he tried to make you doubt me.”
“And that still doesn’t give you the right to dirty your hands!” I yell, and for a moment, neither of us moves. His chest rises and falls heavily. My pulse thunders in my ears.
Then, needing him to hear me out, I lift my hand and place it over his heart.
“Dev…” My voice falters. “I feel something for you. More than I should.” My thumb brushes the centre of his chest, and I feel his heart pounding rapidly beneath my palm.
His breath catches, his eyes fixed on mine. “You… do?”
“I do… and I hate it,” I whisper, my hand sliding up to cup his face.
“I hate how much power you have over my emotions. I hate how much you affect me. But what I hate even more is how terrified I am of losing… whatever this is becoming.” Pulling in a shaky breath, I continue.
“Please don’t do something that’ll break whatever I am beginning to feel for you…
before I even get a chance to admit it.”
He closes his eyes, exhaling a long breath. When he opens them, something in him has calmed.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear that, Meera,” He swallows, his voice softening. “I know it’s not a full confession, but it gives me hope. Hope that you’re feeling even a fraction of what I feel, and that one day… you’ll finally confess your love to me.”
My chest caves in. I don’t realise I am shaking until he gently takes my wrist, lowers my hand from his face and then brings it to his lips. His eyes remain locked on mine as his mouth brushes against my skin.
A swarm of butterflies erupts in my stomach, my whole body responding to a truth I’ve tried so hard to ignore. That my husband owns every fragment of my heart, even if I can’t say it out loud just yet.