Chapter - 12
The mansion was unusually quiet.
Sky stood alone in his office.
Tee's words refused to leave his mind.
"Regret without action won't reach Nani."
For the first time in years...
Sky stopped trying to drown his thoughts with work.
He reached for the black coat hanging beside the door.
Tee, who happened to be passing the hallway, looked up in surprise.
"...Boss?"
Sky slipped on the coat.
"I'm leaving."
"Should I prepare the convoy?"
"No."
"The guards?"
"No."
"I'll drive."
Tee blinked.
Sky never drove himself unless it truly mattered.
Without another word, Sky picked up the car keys and walked out.
A few seconds later...
The engine of the black sedan echoed through the estate as it disappeared beyond the gates.
Tee watched it go.
He let out a slow sigh.
"I hope..."
"...whatever happens next..."
"...the misunderstanding between them can finally be cleared."
---
Meanwhile...
Back at Nani's family home...
The atmosphere felt unbearably heavy.
Nani sat quietly by the window in his bedroom.
He no longer argued.
He no longer shouted.
He simply watched the rain slide down the glass.
A gentle knock came at the door.
"Come in."
Niran stepped inside but remained near the doorway.
His voice was calm.
"The ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow."
A long silence followed.
"You won't run again..."
It sounded more like a question than a statement.
Nani didn't look at him.
After several seconds, he answered quietly,
"...I won't."
Not because he had changed his mind.
But because he sounded exhausted.
Niran noticed that exhaustion.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he left, closing the door behind him.
Nani remained by the window.
His reflection looked unfamiliar.
He whispered to himself,
"I just want my life back."
---
On the highway...
Sky drove faster than he ever had before.
Streetlights blurred past.
The steering wheel was gripped so tightly his knuckles had turned pale.
His thoughts were louder than the engine.
He replayed every conversation.
Every cold reply.
Every harsh word.
Most of all...
"I'm sorry for bothering you."
He closed his eyes for the briefest moment at a red light.
"...I was wrong."
The admission was quiet.
But it was real.
When the light turned green, he drove on.
---
Hours later...
The familiar gates of Nani's family home came into view.
Sky parked across the street.
The house was brightly lit.
He stared at it through the windshield.
For someone who had walked into rival territory without hesitation...
Who had negotiated with dangerous people without fear...
His hand remained on the door handle.
He didn't move.
For the first time in a very long time...
Sky felt uncertain.
Not of a fight.
Not of losing.
But of whether the person inside would even want to see him.
He looked toward the front gate.
Rain continued to fall softly.
Taking one slow breath...
He finally stepped out of the car.
And walked toward the house, not knowing whether he would be welcomed-
Or turned away.
---------------
The evening air was heavy.
The house remained unusually quiet.
When the front door opened, several family members looked up in surprise.
Sky stood at the entrance.
Tall.
Composed.
Dressed in a dark coat still damp from the rain.
For a brief moment...
No one spoke.
Nani, hearing the voices downstairs, slowly walked into the hallway.
His eyes met Sky's.
A silence stretched between them.
Then Nani spoke politely.
"...Welcome."
His tone was calm.
Distant.
The warmth that used to accompany "Manager Sky" was gone.
Instead, he addressed him like any other guest.
"Please come in."
Sky noticed it immediately.
The distance.
The careful politeness.
It hurt more than anger would have.
---
The evening passed with restrained conversation.
Tea was served.
No one mentioned the past.
No one mentioned the wedding.
Sky answered questions politely, but his attention kept drifting toward Nani.
Nani, however, never looked at him for long.
Whenever their eyes met...
He quietly looked away.
---
Later that night...
The hallway outside had become silent.
Nani stepped onto the veranda to get some fresh air.
He leaned lightly against the railing.
Behind him, careful footsteps approached.
He didn't turn around.
"I knew you'd come."
Sky stopped a few feet away.
"I wanted to talk."
Nani gave a small nod.
"You can."
Sky drew a slow breath.
For someone who never struggled to find words...
Tonight they felt impossibly difficult.
"I owe you an apology."
Nani remained silent.
Sky continued.
"I was jealous."
The admission sounded foreign on his tongue.
"I didn't understand what I was feeling."
"So I buried it."
"I became rude."
"I became a coward."
"And I took that out on you."
He lowered his gaze.
"There isn't an excuse for what I said."
The night breeze carried away the silence between them.
Finally...
Sky looked back at Nani.
"I'm sorry."
"I hurt you."
"And I regret it."
Nani listened without interrupting.
When Sky finished...
Nani smiled faintly.
It wasn't a happy smile.
It was tired.
"...No."
Sky frowned.
"No?"
"Don't apologize."
Sky's expression tightened.
Nani looked out into the darkness.
"What you said..."
"It helped me remember my place, Mr. Sky."
The formal title felt like a wall.
Sky's chest tightened.
"You were never just a guest."
Nani gave a quiet laugh.
"Wasn't I?"
"You reminded me your mansion wasn't my place."
"You reminded me we weren't friends."
"I believed you."
His voice stayed calm.
"But believing you..."
"Hurt."
Sky took a careful step closer, stopping well within respectful distance.
"Nani..."
"Please don't call me 'Mr. Sky.'"
The words came out almost pleading.
"It sounds like you're talking to a stranger."
Nani finally looked at him.
"Aren't we?"
The question lingered between them.
Sky had no easy answer.
For the first time...
The man who had always expected others to fear him realized something far more difficult.
Earning forgiveness was harder than asking for it.
And rebuilding trust...
Would take far more than a single apology.
-------------
The night had grown colder.
The conversation on the veranda had ended.
Neither of them had found the words they were searching for.
Nani took a slow breath.
"I should go."
He turned toward the hallway.
One step.
Then another.
Behind him...
Sky instinctively reached out.
His fingers brushed against Nani's wrist.
"Nani..."
"Please..."
"Don't go like this."
Nani stopped.
He slowly looked down at the hand around his wrist.
The silence stretched between them.
Sky realized what he had done.
He immediately loosened his grip.
"I'm sorry."
"I shouldn't have stopped you."
He let go completely.
Nani gently rubbed his wrist before looking back at him.
His expression wasn't angry.
It was simply tired.
"We're strangers, Mr. Sky."
The words were calm.
But they landed harder than any shout.
Sky felt his chest tighten.
"We're not."
Nani gave a small, sad smile.
"That's not what you told me."
"You said we weren't friends."
"You said your home wasn't mine."
"You said I'd stayed long enough."
"I listened."
He folded his arms.
"So now..."
"I'm treating you the way you asked to be treated."
"As a stranger."
Sky took a careful step forward but stopped several feet away, making sure to leave space between them.
"I was wrong."
"I know."
"I was jealous."
"I was angry with myself."
"And I took it out on you."
He shook his head.
"You didn't deserve that."
Nani looked toward the garden.
"I spent days wondering what I did wrong."
"I kept replaying every conversation."
"I thought maybe I talked too much."
"Maybe I annoyed you."
"Maybe I wasn't welcome from the beginning."
His voice remained steady, but his eyes glistened.
"Then I realized..."
"I didn't need to blame myself."
Sky lowered his gaze.
There was nothing he could say to erase that pain.
After a long silence, he spoke quietly.
"I don't expect you to forgive me tonight."
"Or tomorrow."
"I just wanted you to know..."
"I regret hurting you."
Nani nodded once.
"I believe you."
Sky looked up hopefully.
"But believing you're sorry..."
"...isn't the same as trusting you again."
The hope in Sky's eyes dimmed.
Nani turned toward the hallway once more.
"I need time."
"And right now..."
"I can't pretend nothing happened."
He paused at the doorway.
Without looking back, he added softly,
"Good night, Mr. Sky."
The door closed behind him.
Sky remained alone on the veranda.
The night was silent.
For the first time in his life...
He understood that apologies could open a door.
But only the other person could decide whether to walk back through it.