Chapter 16 The First Crack in Arjun Oberoi
Chapter 16
The First Crack in Arjun Oberoi
The mansion doors shut heavily behind Aadhira's car.
And for the first time in years—
Arjun Oberoi felt fear.
Real fear.
Not business failure.
Not media scandals.
Not financial loss.
The fear of losing someone who mattered more than his own pride.
Rainwater dripped from his black shirt as he walked back inside the mansion silently. The staff immediately moved aside, sensing the dangerous tension surrounding him.
Savita was already waiting near the staircase.
Naina stood beside her quietly, still composed as always.
"Aadhira is overreacting," Savita said the moment he entered. "You should've stopped her earlier instead of encouraging this emotional nonsense."
Arjun stopped walking.
Slowly, he looked toward his mother.
Then toward Naina.
And suddenly—
Everything looked different tonight.
The late-night meetings.
The constant presence.
The subtle comparisons.
His mother always praising Naina while criticizing Aadhira.
For years he ignored it all.
But now, after seeing Aadhira cry because of him—
The blindness finally started fading.
"This is a family matter," he said coldly.
Naina immediately understood the dismissal.
Still, she kept her soft professional smile intact. "Of course. I'll leave."
Savita frowned instantly. "Naina, stop behaving like an outsider. None of this is your fault."
Arjun's jaw tightened.
"She works for the company, Mom."
The sentence landed sharply.
Naina's smile almost faltered.
Almost.
Savita looked irritated. "She's more sensible than your wife right now."
Wrong thing to say.
For the first time in years, visible anger crossed Arjun's face while looking at his mother.
"My wife left this house crying."
Savita folded her arms defensively. "Because she's emotionally immature."
"No," Arjun replied quietly, "because I failed her."
The honesty stunned both women briefly.
Savita scoffed lightly. "You're blaming yourself too much over one emotional scene."
"One emotional scene?" Arjun laughed bitterly. "You think tonight happened because of one fight?"
The tension in the room thickened instantly.
Arjun stepped closer slowly, frustration finally surfacing after years of silence.
"You constantly made her feel unwelcome here."
Savita looked genuinely offended. "I treated her politely."
"You compared her to other women."
"I wanted someone who matched your world."
"And what exactly does that mean?" His voice sharpened. "Someone colder? More ambitious? Easier to display beside business partners?"
Savita's silence answered enough.
Arjun rubbed his forehead tiredly before looking toward Naina again.
"You should leave."
This time it wasn't polite.
It was final.
Naina picked up her purse quietly, but before leaving, she spoke softly.
"I never intended to create problems between you two."
Arjun looked at her for a long moment.
Then finally answered coldly—
"But you enjoyed being prioritized over my wife."
Silence crashed through the room.
Naina's composed expression stiffened slightly.
Very slightly.
Savita immediately reacted. "That's unfair."
"No," Arjun replied without looking away from Naina. "What was unfair was making Aadhira feel like a third person in her own marriage."
For the first time—
Neither woman had an answer.
Naina finally left silently.
The mansion doors closed behind her softly.
And suddenly the fight between mother and son truly began.
Savita turned toward him sharply. "You're acting irrationally over a girl threatening divorce."
Arjun laughed once quietly.
A dangerous sound.
"She didn't threaten me," he said lowly. "She gave up on me."
Something about that sentence unsettled even Savita.
"She'll calm down," she insisted. "Girls like Aadhira become emotional but eventually adjust."
Arjun's eyes darkened instantly.
"Do not talk about my wife like she's replaceable."
The room went silent.
Because Arjun Oberoi had never defended Aadhira this fiercely before.
Ever.
Savita stared at him in disbelief. "You're choosing her over your own mother?"
"She is my wife."
"And I'm your mother."
"You're the reason she spent three years feeling unwanted here."
The accusation hit hard.
Savita looked furious now. "I was protecting your future."
"No." His voice lowered dangerously. "You were protecting your image."
The silence afterward felt suffocating.
Arjun suddenly looked exhausted.
Completely exhausted.
Without another word, he walked upstairs.
"Arjun!" Savita called angrily.
But he ignored her.
The bedroom door slammed shut loudly behind him.
And for the first time in years—
Arjun Oberoi locked himself inside his own room.
—
The silence inside felt unbearable.
Her perfume still lingered faintly in the air.
Her books sat near the couch.
Her shawl remained carelessly folded on the chair.
Her hair clip still rested beside the mirror.
Tiny traces of Aadhira everywhere.
Arjun sat heavily on the edge of the bed, breathing slowly as memories crashed into him one after another.
Aadhira waiting awake for him.
Aadhira smiling despite disappointment.
Aadhira quietly moving aside whenever work became more important again.
God.
How had he not seen it earlier?
His phone vibrated suddenly.
Kabir.
Ignored.
Then another call.
Rhea.
Ignored again.
A third one came immediately after.
This time from his father.
Arjun stared at the screen for several seconds before finally answering.
"Dad."
A calm sigh came from the other side. "You finally picked up."
Arjun leaned back tiredly against the headboard. "If you called to defend Mom, don't."
"I didn't."
That answer surprised him.
For a moment, silence settled between father and son.
Then his father spoke quietly.
"You love her."
Arjun closed his eyes briefly.
"Yes."
The confession came easier now.
Painfully easier.
His father sighed softly. "Then why did you spend years acting like work mattered more?"
The question hurt because Arjun had no good answer.
"I thought she understood," he admitted quietly.
"And did you understand her?"
Silence.
No.
He didn't.
Not enough.
His father's voice softened slightly. "Your mother believes strong marriages survive silence. She grew up that way."
Arjun laughed bitterly. "Aadhira almost left because of mine."
"Then stop repeating old mistakes."
Arjun rubbed his face tiredly. "I don't know how to fix this."
"You start by earning her trust instead of demanding her forgiveness."
The words settled heavily in his chest.
Before Arjun could respond, another voice suddenly interrupted from the background.
Kabir.
Loud as usual.
"Tell bhai he's an idiot."
Arjun almost smiled despite himself.
His younger brother grabbed the phone instantly.
"You know bhabhi used to defend you like crazy, right?" Kabir said bluntly. "Even when you didn't deserve it."
Arjun stayed silent.
"She loves you stupidly," Kabir continued. "But if you hurt her again, even Dadi will beat you herself."
A faint exhausted laugh finally escaped Arjun's lips.
First real laugh tonight.
Kabir's tone softened afterward.
"Go bring her back properly this time, bhai."
The call ended quietly after that.
And Arjun sat alone in the dim bedroom staring at the empty side of the bed beside him.
For the first time in years—
He finally understood what loneliness felt like.