Bonus Chater-3 （THE REVEAL）
The prison visitation room was silent.
A metal table.
Two chairs.
One armed guard standing outside.
And Veer Rajput sitting opposite me.
Handcuffed.
For the first time in years, there were no expensive suits.
No power.
No royal aura.
No empire.
Just a criminal sitting in chains.
I stared at him.
"You lied."
Veer laughed.
A tired laugh.
"About what?"
I leaned forward.
"Everything."
Silence.
"You hated Riya long before the company."
Another silence.
"You hated her long before Advik."
Another.
"You hated her long before she turned eighteen and the reason you gave to her about it was not just that, there's more, speak."
Veer looked away.
I immediately knew I was right.
I slammed my hand on the table.
"WHY?"
The room echoed.
For a few moments neither of us spoke.
Then finally,
Veer smiled.
A bitter smile.
"The story started before either of us were born."
I frowned.
Veer leaned back.
"My father was never a Rajput."
The room fell silent.
"What?"
Veer laughed.
"That's the irony."
He looked directly at me.
"You know Abhijeet Rajput?"
I nodded.
Riya's father.
The former owner of the Rajput empire.
Veer continued.
"Abhijeet's mother..."
A pause.
"My grandmother."
"...was married once before."
I listened carefully.
"Her first husband died."
Another pause.
"From that first marriage she had a son."
"My father."
I frowned.
Veer continued.
"Years later she married into the Rajput family."
The pieces slowly began connecting.
"And then she had another son."
A pause.
"Abhijeet Rajput."
Riya's father.
I finally understood.
"So your father and Abhijeet had the same mother..."
Veer nodded.
"But different fathers."
Another nod.
"My father wasn't a Rajput."
The bitterness in his voice was impossible to miss.
"He was only the son of the woman who later became a Rajput."
Silence.
"He had no claim."
"No inheritance."
"No rights."
"No Rajput blood."
The room became quiet.
Veer laughed.
"You know what that meant?"
I didn't answer.
"My father spent his entire life watching."
His eyes darkened.
"Watching Abhijeet get everything."
"The money."
"The company."
"The respect."
"The surname."
"The legacy."
A pause.
"And my father got nothing."
The chains rattled softly.
"He hated them."
Another pause.
"He hated every Rajput."
I folded my arms.
Listening.
"My father always believed the empire should've been his."
Veer continued.
"He believed life cheated him."
"He believed fate cheated him."
"He believed Abhijeet stole what belonged to him."
The room fell silent.
"And eventually..."
Veer's voice lowered.
"That hatred became obsession."
I already knew where this was going.
Then Veer spoke again.
"When Riya was five years old..."
The room felt colder.
"She, her mother, and Abhijeet were travelling."
I clenched my jaw.
"My father's men intercepted their car."
Silence.
"There was a confrontation."
Another silence.
"Gunfire."
Another.
"Chaos."
Veer's eyes lowered.
"And everyone died."
The words landed heavily.
"Abhijeet."
"Riya's mother."
"My father."
All dead.
I sat frozen.
Thinking about Riya.
The little girl who'd survived all of it.
Veer continued.
"Before dying..."
A pause.
"Riya's mother told her to run."
My eyes narrowed.
Because suddenly,
That memory.
The memory Riya had once described.
A woman screaming.
Telling her to run.
To keep running.
To not look back.
It had been real.
Veer nodded slowly.
"That's the voice she remembers."
Silence.
"She escaped."
A pause.
"But she was injured."
Another.
"Her head was bleeding."
The room became quiet.
"She was found and taken to a hospital."
I stared at him.
"And that's where you came in."
Veer smiled.
A horrible smile.
"Yes."
Silence.
"I hated her."
The honesty surprised even me.
"I blamed her family for my father's death."
A pause.
"I blamed her for everything."
Another.
"But I couldn't kill her."
I frowned.
"Why?"
Veer laughed.
"Because the empire belonged to her."
Silence.
"The company."
"The inheritance."
"The trusts."
"The assets."
"Everything."
Another pause.
"Everything was already legally secured in Riya's name."
The room became silent.
"So if she died..."
I finished.
"You got nothing."
Veer nodded.
"Exactly."
The chains rattled as he shifted.
"So I waited."
Another pause.
"I met her in the hospital."
His voice became softer.
"The doctors told us something."
"What?"
"Her memory was damaged."
The room fell silent.
"The accident had affected her brain."
A pause.
"They said she had memory gaps."
Another.
"And they warned us."
His smile returned.
Cold.
Cruel.
"Even a future injury could trigger severe memory loss."
I clenched my fists.
Now everything made sense.
Everything.
Veer continued.
"So I became her brother."
The room fell silent.
"Not because I loved her."
A pause.
"Because I needed her alive."
Another.
"I needed her to trust me."
Another.
"I needed her to grow up."
"And when she turned eighteen..."
His eyes darkened.
"I would've taken everything."
The room became silent.
For several moments neither of us spoke.
Then I asked quietly,
"Did you ever love her?"
For the first time,
Veer froze.
Actually froze.
The answer clearly hurt.
He looked away.
Laughing bitterly.
"You know what's funny?"
I stayed silent.
"There were times..."
His voice lowered.
"...when I forgot I was pretending."
The room became still.
"I taught her how to ride a bicycle."
Another pause.
"I helped her with homework."
Another.
"I stayed awake when she had nightmares."
His voice cracked slightly.
"I celebrated every birthday."
Another pause.
"I watched her grow up."
The silence felt suffocating.
Then Veer laughed again.
A broken laugh.
"But greed always wins."
I stared at him.
"No."
Veer looked up.
I continued.
"Greed didn't win."
A pause.
"You lost."
The room fell silent.
I stood up.
The chair scraping loudly against the floor.
Then I looked directly into his eyes.
"You know the most tragic part of all this?"
Veer remained silent.
I continued.
"Riya would've given you everything."
His face changed immediately.
Pain.
Real pain.
I took another step toward the door.
"If you had asked."
A pause.
"One signature."
Another.
"One conversation."
Another.
"She would've handed you every company."
Every share.
Every asset.
Everything.
Veer's eyes slowly lowered.
And for the first time since I entered that room,
He looked ashamed.
Not angry.
Not hateful.
Ashamed.
Because after spending his entire life pretending to be her brother,
He finally understood something.
The girl he destroyed would've given him everything willingly.
And that truth was far crueler than prison.
...
The prison gate closed behind me.
For a few seconds, I just stood there.
Veer's last words still echoed in my head.
The truth.
The hatred.
The lies.
The years Riya had spent loving someone who had never deserved it.
My jaw tightened.
No.
She could never know.
Not this.
Not now.
Not ever.
She had already lost enough.
Her parents.
Her childhood.
Her memories.
Her brother.
Her family.
I wasn't going to let her lose the last good memories she still had.
As I was leaving, Veer's voice stopped me.
"Dhruv."
I turned.
He was still sitting there in handcuffs.
Broken.
Defeated.
For the first time in his life, powerless.
His eyes met mine.
"What happens to her now?"
I stared at him.
A cold laugh escaped me.
"She'll be happy."
Silence.
"Something you never allowed her to be."
Veer lowered his eyes.
I turned to leave.
Then stopped.
One final warning.
My voice became deadly calm.
"She doesn't hear a word of this."
Veer looked up.
I continued.
"Not one word."
A pause.
"She already carries enough scars."
Another.
"You're not giving her another one."
The prison room fell silent.
Veer nodded slowly.
"I won't tell her."
I stared at him for a long moment.
Trying to see if he meant it.
Then finally,
I walked away.
Without looking back.
For good.
...
An hour later.
Malhotra Mansion.
The moment I entered,
I heard laughter.
Real laughter.
Warm laughter.
The kind that immediately makes a house feel alive.
I froze.
And then saw her.
Riya.
Sitting beside my Mom on the couch.
Her head thrown back slightly as she laughed.
Sunlight spilling through the huge windows.
Falling across her face.
For a second,
Everything else disappeared.
The prison.
Veer.
The lies.
The betrayal.
Everything.
Gone.
Only her remained.
Safe.
Alive.
Smiling.
My chest loosened.
Mom spotted me first.
"There he is."
Riya immediately turned.
The smile on her face widening.
And just like that,
My day improved.
"You're back."
I walked over.
Leaning down.
Pressing a kiss to her forehead naturally.
Without thinking.
"Missed me?"
She rolled her eyes.
"You were gone for two hours."
"Exactly."
Mom made a disgusted face.
"Both of you are unbearable."
Riya laughed.
I sat beside her.
My arm automatically finding its place around her shoulders.
She immediately leaned into me.
Like she'd done it her whole life.
The sight softened something inside me.
Then she looked up.
"How was the meeting?"
Business meeting.
Right.
The lie.
I forced my expression to remain normal.
"It was fine."
"Everything sorted?"
"Yeah."
She nodded.
Trusting me completely.
The guilt hit harder than expected.
Mom interrupted before I could think about it.
"Oh, speaking of meetings."
I immediately knew that tone.
Danger.
Pure danger.
"Mom."
She ignored me.
"Riya."
I groaned.
Mom smiled brightly.
"Did he ever tell you about the time he cried because a butterfly landed on him?"
Riya froze.
Then slowly turned toward me.
A dangerous grin appearing.
"No."
Mom nodded enthusiastically.
"Oh yes."
I stood up immediately.
"No."
Riya burst out laughing.
Mom continued.
"He was seven."
"Mom."
"He screamed."
"Mom."
"He ran."
"Mom."
"He hid behind me."
Riya was practically choking now.
Tears gathering in her eyes.
"DHRUV!"
I pointed at Mom.
"You're eighty percent of my childhood trauma."
Mom gasped.
"Excuse me?"
Riya laughed harder.
I stared at both women.
Betrayed.
Completely betrayed.
And somehow,
For the first time in weeks,
Everything felt normal.
Like home.
Half an hour later.
The doorbell rang.
I wasn't expecting anyone.
Neither was Mom.
One servant opened the door.
Then froze.
A familiar voice echoed through the hall.
"Hello."
I turned.
And immediately stood up.
Surprised.
"Armaan?"
For a second,
The mansion became silent.
Armaan smiled.
The same calm smile I'd always known.
Though somehow...
it looked sadder now.
"Hi."
I hadn't seen him in so long.
Not since everything happened.
Not since the kidnappings.
The truth.
The chaos.
I walked forward.
"How are you?"
He laughed softly.
"I should be asking you that."
My smile faded slightly.
"I'm okay."
"You sure?"
I nodded.
"I'm okay."
Something emotional flashed across his eyes.
Relief.
Maybe.
Then,
I felt movement beside me.
Dhruv.
Of course.
He stepped closer.
Close enough that our shoulders touched.
His hand casually slid into the pocket of his trousers.
The expression on his face completely unreadable.
Which was exactly how I knew he was annoyed.
Very annoyed.
His voice came out cool.
"What are you doing here, Armaan?"
Straight to the point.
No greetings.
No welcome.
Just,
What are you doing here?
Armaan noticed too.
A smile tugged at his lips.
"I came to say goodbye."
That surprised everyone.
"What?"
Armaan looked at me.
For a moment he didn't speak.
Then finally,
"I owe her that."
The room became quiet.
Mom exchanged a look with Dhruv.
Neither interrupted.
Armaan took a deep breath.
Then looked directly at me.
"Do you remember the day we met?"
I nodded slowly.
"The accident."
A soft smile appeared on his face.
"Yeah."
His eyes grew distant.
"I was about to get hit."
His gaze returned to me.
"And then some crazy girl risked her life to save me."
I laughed softly.
He shook his head.
"No."
His smile turned genuine.
"You don't understand."
A pause.
"People protect themselves first."
Another.
"You protected a stranger."
Silence.
"And that mattered."
The room stayed quiet.
Armaan looked down briefly.
Then laughed at himself.
"Honestly?"
Another pause.
"I fell for you."
I froze.
Mom froze.
Dhruv's jaw visibly tightened.
Armaan noticed.
Ignored it.
"And then I found out you were married."
His smile turned bitter.
"To Dhruv Malhotra."
I looked at Dhruv.
He looked ready to throw Armaan out a window.
Armaan continued.
"I was disappointed."
A pause.
"But I respected it."
Then he laughed.
"Until one day."
Dhruv narrowed his eyes.
Armaan pointed at him.
"Your lawyer is my childhood best friend."
I blinked.
"What?"
Armaan nodded.
"I went to meet him."
Another pause.
"And on his table..."
A grin appeared.
"I saw a divorce contract."
I gasped.
Dhruv groaned.
"Oh my God."
Armaan laughed.
"You should've seen my excitement."
I couldn't stop smiling.
"You were excited?"
"Very."
Dhruv looked offended.
"Rude."
Armaan ignored him.
"I thought maybe fate was giving me a chance."
Silence.
"So I tried."
A pause.
"I really tried."
His eyes softened.
"But somewhere along the way..."
He looked between us.
At me.
At Dhruv.
Then smiled.
A real smile.
Peaceful.
Accepting.
"I realized something."
The room became quiet.
"What?"
Armaan's gaze settled on Dhruv.
Then me.
Then both of us together.
And finally he said softly,
"You were always going to choose him."
My heart tightened.
Armaan laughed lightly.
"Actually..."
He pointed toward Dhruv.
"I don't think you ever had a choice."
Dhruv smirked.
Armaan shook his head.
"Fate had already signed the paperwork."
For the first time,
Dhruv laughed.
A real laugh.
And somehow that made Armaan smile wider.
Then he stepped forward.
Looking at me one last time.
"If there is another life."
A pause.
"I'm meeting you first."
I burst out laughing.
Dhruv immediately wrapped an arm around my waist.
Pulling me against him.
Possessively.
"Not happening."
Armaan pointed at him.
"See?"
Then he looked at me.
Still smiling.
Still gentle.
"Be happy, Riya."
My eyes softened.
"I hope you find someone who'll love you the way you deserve Armaan."
Armaan nodded.
Then turned toward the door.
Without regret.
Without bitterness.
Just acceptance.
And before leaving,
He looked back one final time.
At both of us.
Standing together.
And smiled.
Because sometimes,
The greatest love story isn't the one you win.
It's the one you're strong enough to let go.