Chapter 35
Nisha
I sit cross-legged on the floor, the hem of my oversized T-shirt tucked under my knees as I toss Shadow his squeaky ball for what must be the twentieth time. And like every time, he brings it back, wags his tail and drops it onto my lap as he nudges my arm with his wet nose.
“Okay, okay. Last one,” I laugh, ruffling his ears, even though I’ve been saying that for the past ten throws.
I toss the ball again, and as Shadow runs to fetch it, my eyes drift to the clock. It’s ten at night. The smile on my lips falters.
Sidharth always shows up by seven or eight-thirty at the latest. And when he’s running late, he never forgets to send me a quick text saying he’ll be delayed. But tonight, all my calls went straight to voicemail, and even my messages were left unread.
I swallow the growing unease and focus back on Shadow, prying the ball from his mouth.
“He’s fine. He’s going to walk in any minute. He’s probably just buried in work,” I mumble.
Shadow tilts his head, as if sensing my unease. Because this time, when I throw the toy, he doesn’t chase it. Instead, he pads closer and rests his head on my lap, as though trying to comfort me. I run my fingers through his coat and sigh, looking down at him.
But the next minute, my heart thuds in my chest at the sound of the front door clicking open. I look up and see Sidharth walk in, barely meeting my eyes. His shoulders sag a little, and his eyes are dull. Also, the wide smile he always wears when he sees me is nowhere to be found.
He sinks down beside me on the floor and presses a kiss to my forehead, but doesn’t say a word. Instead, he wraps one arm around my shoulders and drops his head onto the back of the couch, his face tilted towards the ceiling, his eyes closed.
I blink, my worry twisting into fear. Something is definitely wrong.
Shadow seems to sense it too, because the next second, he quietly gets up and pads over to sit outside Sunita Aunty’s door, as if giving Sidharth and me the space to talk.
“Hey,” I whisper, placing my hand on his thigh. But he doesn’t move, nor does he reply.
“Sidharth…” My voice cracks. “You’re scaring me. Please talk to me.”
Slowly, he lifts his head, and his dark eyes meet mine. This time, I don’t push him to tell me what’s bothering him. Instead, I shift closer, straddle him, and wrap my arms around his neck, my fingers brushing the back of his hair.
We stay like that for a few moments before he finally speaks.
“Prakash and Deepak are in jail.”
I stare at him, feeling my heart jolt against my ribs.
“Isn’t that supposed to be good news?” I whisper, though my voice wavers with doubt. It should have brought him relief, not something that unsettles him even more.
He exhales shakily and locks eyes with me again. “It’s way too fucking easy and just doesn’t sit right.”
I don’t let go of him. My arms stay looped around his neck, and I can feel his pulse racing under my fingertips.
“Sidharth, I get it. You’re a detective; you’re wired to expect the worst. But don’t say it was easy.
” I pause, brushing my thumb along his jaw.
“Prakash put us through hell, and you know that better than anyone. So don’t dismiss it like it meant nothing.
Don’t go looking for something complicated when maybe, for once, it really is simple.
Just take a breath and smile that it’s over. ”
His fingers twitch against my waist as he speaks again.
“I’m not brushing it off. I want to believe it’s over. God, I do. But…” he swallows hard, “something feels off, Nisha. My gut’s screaming this isn’t the end.” His jaw tightens as his voice drops. “Yeah, maybe it’s the detective in me talking. But that instinct has never failed me before.”
“I get it. Maybe you’re right, maybe it’s not over,” I say softly. “But for now, can we just be glad that both of them are behind bars?” I try to point out the obvious, but he doesn’t say a word, and the tension in his body doesn’t ease.
I sigh quietly. “Okay, how about you walk me through how you caught them?”
He exhales harshly. “Viraj thought it would help if we questioned Maya, so we went to her boutique today.” He pauses, his fists clenching.
“It didn’t take long before she broke down and told us the truth about how Deepak had been abusing her for months…
and that he was the reason she lost the baby. ”
My stomach lurches, but I stay quiet, letting him talk.
“But the worst part was when she said she went through his things and found photos of you. Each one crossed out in red.”
My chest tightens, bile rising in my throat. Sidharth must see the shift in my face, because he reaches for my hand and brings it to his lips.
“God, he’s such an asshole,” I whisper.
“Yeah,” Sidharth says, his voice going sharp. “After Maya’s confession, Viraj had his team bring Deepak in. He still hasn’t confessed, just keeps blaming everything on Maya.”
I nod slowly, my mind still reeling. “How did you manage to catch Prakash?”
“We sent one of the officers to check Maya’s house, just in case they could find more evidence on Deepak. But turns out, Prakash was hiding there.” His jaw tightens. “Probably because she was next on his list. After what she confessed about Deepak today, he’d have every reason to silence her.”
A chill runs through me, my body going cold, but Sidharth squeezes my hand and presses a soft kiss to my knuckles.
“We still have to interrogate them together,” he says quietly.
“Maybe once they’re face-to-face, they’ll finally crack and admit the truth.
But for that, I have to wait until tomorrow.
” He shakes his head in frustration. “God, I want to get to the bottom of this so bad, but I couldn’t do that shit tonight. I’m too damn drained.”
I gently pull my hand from his and cup his face in both of mine, making him look at me.
“You need to take it easy. You need to believe that it’s over and stop beating yourself up about it.
” A soft smile curves my lips. “In fact, I’m already starting to relax, just knowing I can finally breathe freely and live a normal life without Karan hovering every second—”
He cuts me off, shaking his head firmly. “No. Karan stays. I don’t care if they’re locked up. I’m not taking any damn chances. I’m not letting you go anywhere without protection.”
I exhale slowly, my thumbs brushing his jaw. “Sidharth, I know your job has conditioned you to stay five steps ahead of every threat. But this hyper-vigilance scares me. It makes me feel like I’m still in danger, even when I’m not.”
“It’s me being cautious,” he says defensively.
“I know,” I reply quickly, my voice softening. “But it’s suffocating me.”
He shuts his eyes, and I press my forehead to his.
“I need a normal life, Sidharth,” I whisper.
His grip on my waist tightens. “I don’t know how to do that.”
I lift my head, searching his face. “Then, how about we start this my way? Like removing the CCTV cameras,” I suggest gently. “And maybe asking Karan to stop hovering.”
His brows pull together. “There’s no harm in keeping them.”
I sigh. “Sidharth, this isn’t about harm. It’s about the fact that I don’t want to live like I’m some porcelain doll, always needing to be protected.”
“You’d rather risk your life again?” he snaps.
“No,” I say firmly, standing my ground. “I’d rather risk learning to live again. There’s a difference.”
He drags a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. “You don’t understand—”
“No, you don’t understand!” I cut in, my voice rising, surprising even myself. “I’ve already lived through hell, Sidharth. I’ve faced the worst. I’m not saying I want to pretend nothing ever happened. But I refuse to let fear be the thing that shapes every second of my life.”
His eyes soften, even as his body remains rigid.
“You’re asking me to turn off a part of myself,” he says, quieter now. Almost defeated.
“No,” I whisper, placing my hand over his heart.
“I’m not asking you to stop caring. I’m asking you to choose me over that part of yourself.
I don’t need a detective shadowing my every step.
I need you, Sidharth. The man who makes me feel safe and respects my choices…
the man who’s holding me like this right now. ”
He exhales, the sound shaky as his forehead drops to mine again. “God, Nisha…”
There’s a long pause before he pulls back, his eyes searching my face. “You really think it’s smart to let Karan go?”
I nod. “And the cameras too.”
He studies me for a beat, then sighs. “Fine. On one condition.”
I arch a brow. “Which is?”
He leans in, his lips brushing mine, soft and warm. “We keep Shadow.”
A laugh bubbles out of me against his mouth. “Deal.”
He pulls me tighter into his arms and rests his chin on my shoulder as his body finally begins to relax beneath mine. I let myself melt into him too. Not because the monsters are gone, but because we’ve decided to stop letting them define the life we deserve to live.