SAANVI'S POV

"Og!"

I burst through the front door.

He descended the staircase calmly, hands tucked into his pockets, a faint crease forming between his brows as he saw my expression.

I stormed toward him, flinging my bag onto the couch. "What the hell was that?" My voice rose, almost trembling with frustration.

He exhaled slowly. "Come, sit. Let’s talk calmly—"

"No!" I cut him off, my throat tightening. Tears stung the corners of my eyes, not from pain, but from sheer helplessness.

"Saanvi," he murmured, stepping closer. His palms cradled my face gently, grounding me. He guided me to the couch and made me sit.

"Why did he have to come back?" My voice dropped, cracking slightly.

He looked away, guilt heavy in his silence. "I tried... I really tried to stop it. But he was a step ahead. I’m sorry."

I sighed, rubbing my temples, trying to steady my breathing. I knew it wasn’t his fault. He never missed a chance to create distance between me and Rudra. "It’s fine. I just— I was angry."

"Did he hurt you?" he asked.

I met his eyes. "Do you really think I would let him?"

A rare smile tugged at his lips as he patted my head affectionately. "Just promise me, if he ever crosses a line, you'll come to me."

I nodded.

"Good. Now go get changed. Adrika will be back soon, we’ll have dinner together."

I stood, beginning to walk away, but paused. "Og."

He looked up again.

"Tomorrow’s the award ceremony at Serenity. It’s for those who’ve completed a year. I’ll need to be there early."

"I know. I’ve been invited as a guest, remember?" He gave a nonchalant shrug.

"So... skipping the morning workout?"

He sighed in surrender and nodded.

"Go on, now."

I disappeared into my room to change.

✦✦✦✦✦

Next Morning

I yawned as I stepped into my cabin, still fighting off the remnants of sleep. My gaze landed on the desk and the fresh bouquet of white roses placed right in the center.

Of course, it had to be him.

I picked up the bouquet with irritation just as a knock sounded at the door. I turned to see him Rudra leaning against the doorframe with a leather-bound diary in hand.

"Good morning, Mrs. Singhania."

His voice carried that infuriating calmness as he walked in and extended the diary toward me.

I didn’t respond. Instead, I dropped the bouquet straight into the bin without sparing it a second glance, then walked up and snatched the diary from him.

Flipping it open, I found the page he had written on, tore it out without hesitation, crumpled it, and tossed it into the bin.

He stared at the discarded paper.

"Well... at least you touched it," he said, half-sighing, half-smiling.

I rolled my eyes, folding my arms.

"Do you seriously think you can manipulate me with flowers and your poetic bullshit? You were sleeping around with random women while I was stuck in the hospital."

He closed his eyes for a second, bracing himself.

"Don’t," I snapped, raising a hand. "Don’t you dare say ‘Let me explain’ or pretend like you didn’t cheat. You confessed it yourself. So stop feeding me lies."

He pressed his lips together and inhaled deeply. "Then maybe it’s not the right time to explain. But I didn’t cheat—"

I stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face.

"Oh, cut the fucking act," I spat, "You think I’m that naive? Don’t stand there pretending like you didn’t do anything wrong. You cheated. Own it. Don't fucking insult me with that 'I didn't cheat' bullshit. While I was hooked to IVs, dragging myself through hell with maa and papa holding me up you were out there living your best fucking life. Sleeping with whoever opened their legs, laughing, drinking, probably not even remembering I existed half the time. So go ahead, tell me how many were there? Five? Ten? Lost count, did you?" I scoffed. I felt my blood boil looking at his fucking face.

"And now you show up here, hoping to crawl back into my life like nothing happened. Wow. Real classy. That’s not love, that's convenience. You don't know how to stay loyal, you don't know what love means, and frankly, you don’t even have the balls to admit what you did. All this ‘I didn’t cheat’ crap you’re a fucking coward who can't even own his mess. Let me make one thing very fucking clear I don't trust you. I don't pity you. And I sure as hell don’t love the man who stood there smiling with lipstick on his collar while I was crying."

His jaw tensed, but his voice remained low. "I accept I made mistakes. I do. But I didn’t cheat. And I don’t expect you to believe me now... because once, I didn’t believe you either. But I’ll prove it."

I stared at him, every nerve in my body screaming.

The audacity...

Even after everything, after all the lipstick stains and late-night disappearances, he had the gall to claim innocence.

Just then, a knock interrupted the tension. Rudra turned, and I looked over his shoulder to see Dr. Neil stepped in.

"Good morning, darling—"

"It’s Dr. Saanvi," I said sharply.

"It’s Dr. Saanvi," Rudra echoed at the exact same moment.

I glanced at him. He was already glaring at Neil.

Neil chuckled. "Whoa, easy. Why are you so defensive, Mr. Rudra Singhania?"

"Because she’s my wife, fucker." The words left his mouth like venom. I stared at him, stunned by his choice of language.

Neil raised a brow at me. "Married, huh?"

"Yes, to me," Rudra snapped again.

"Not my fault. I’ve never seen her with any signs of being married, no vermilion, no nuptial chain, not even a wedding ring."

He wasn’t wrong.

Since the day I got married, I’ve never worn any of those symbols. Not because I was hiding it but because I didn’t need to prove anything to anyone. And frankly, I refused to reduce my identity to a mark of possession.

I glanced at Rudra. God help him if he even thinks of suggesting I start wearing them now. If he dares to turn this into some show of claim or control, I swear I’ll shove a scalpel right into his mouth. Just like last time.

“Alright, but now you know she’s my wife,” Rudra stepped closer to Dr. Neil, eyes darting to his name tag. “And she’s not someone who needs to prove that with symbols or marks.”

Alright, you dodged that one you arrogant fuck.

Neil ignored and turned to me. "Dr. Mishra asked for you. That’s why I came."

I nodded without a word, casting one last glance at both of them before walking past Rudra and out the door.

AUTHOR'S POV

“Looks like your relationship’s hanging by a thread, Mr. Singhania,” Neil said, eyes flicking toward the bin with a half-smile.

Rudra’s gaze followed. The white roses sat crumpled in the dustbin like they'd never mattered. He let out a soft exhale something between a sigh and a chuckle as he adjusted the cuffs of his shirt.

“Whether it’s hanging or holding,” he said, “is none of your concern, Doctor.” He turned his full attention to Neil. “Stick to your patients. Save a life. Go home. Try not to hover around mine.”

He stepped closer.

“And for future reference don’t call her darling. She's not any random woman, she's my wife.” His lips curved slightly, almost like a smile. “And frankly… your desperation is starting to reek.”

Neil scoffed. “She’s not your property,"

Rudra tilted his head slightly, dark eyes glittering with amusement. “And which enlightened academy taught you that calling the woman you love, 'my wife' translates to ownership? Because clearly, your degree came with a complimentary pack of idiocy.”

He reached out and patted Neil’s shoulder.

“That was a warning,” he said softly, like it was a promise wrapped in velvet.

And then he turned, walking out without so much as a glance back.

✦✦✦✦✦

"Vedant!"

He stopped mid-step, his fingers still scrolling on the iPad, and turned with a slow tilt of his head.

"Isha?" He frowned, lowering his glasses.

She walked toward him.

"Vedant." She stopped just in front of him, "We need to talk."

He exhaled through his nose, eyes falling shut for a beat. "I thought I already clarified everything."

"But—"

"It was a deal, Isha. You were paid. You agreed to act like we are going to marry. So let’s not romanticize a transaction. Stop painting yourself the victim." He slid his glasses back on and turned away, focusing back on the screen in his hand.

"But I started loving you, Vedant. Really." Her voice cracked a little as she stepped in front of him again.

He finally looked at her. “Falling in love right after wrapping yourself around another man in a club? Convenient."

She rolled her eyes. "Stop it. You were ignoring me what was I supposed to do? But I imagined you, really. That’s how much I love you." She smiled.

He tilted his head slightly, brows raised as if trying to understand the stupidity in front of him.

“I don’t give a fuck,” Vedant said simply.

"That’s rude."

"And I’m not here to babysit your emotions. I don’t feel anything for you. I don’t even feel anything about you. And your little club session? Keep it. Now, leave me the fuck alone."

"Stop thinking so highly of yourself, Vedant." She scoffed, arms crossed, voice dripping with disdain. "You really think just because you had a glow-up, you get to walk around like you’re better than everyone else? At the core, you’re still that invisible, awkward kid no one noticed. The one who used to get shoved around and didn’t even have the guts to speak up."

She took a step closer, her glare sharper than her words. "What exactly changed, huh? A sharper jawline and some muscle? Big deal. Tell me, what else are you even good at, besides burying your head in books? Honestly, you deserved the way people treated you back then. You never stood up for yourself. And now, the audacity, you actually talk back? You really think you're something now?"

She tilted her head with a mocking smile. "You should be grateful someone like me even noticed you. Gave you the attention. You're lucky."

Vedant ran a hand over his temple, exhaling slowly like her voice gave him a headache. "Then take your ‘luck’ and get out of my sight and I don’t want your attention,” he muttered and moved past her.

"Of course because you want Naina’s attention now, don’t you?" Isha’s voice hit like a grenade.

Vedant stopped.

His eyes moved ahead to where Naina had frozen mid step. She looked at him for a moment, then calmly looked away and began walking again. But Isha moved and blocked her path.

"Move."

"I don’t want to." Isha shrugged.

Naina gave a slow, unimpressed smile. “Isha, yeh tumhare baap ka hospital nahi hai, hato mere raaste se.

(This isn’t your father’s hospital, Isha. Get the fuck out of my way)"

“Aye, Naina!”

Naina turned just as Shazia her friend came rushing in. A file was clutched in her hand.

“You forgot this in my car,” Shazia said between breaths, handing it over. Naina took it with a nod.

Then Shazia’s gaze drifted landing on Vedant.

“Vedant?” Her brows furrowed, voice laced with disbelief.

Naina’s shoulders stiffened. She already knew what was coming.

“You should go,” she said quietly, trying to keep her voice low. “You’ll be late for college.”

But Shazia wasn’t listening. She folded her arms, took a single step forward, and scoffed her eyes fixed on Vedant.

“You humiliated my best friend.”

Naina stepped between them, “Shazia, stop. Please.” Her eyes flicked around, noticing the gathering crowd.

Shazia’s lips pressed into a thin line. She drew in a long breath and then turned her attention back to Vedant.

“Allah apko lambi zindagi se bachaye. (May God save you from a long life.)” Shazia smiled sarcastically.

Vedant didn’t blink. His gaze hadn’t shifted from Naina since she stepped in. Naina shook her head lightly, almost tired of the theatrics.

Shazia’s eyes snapped to Isha.

“And this bitch why the hell is she even here?”

Naina exhaled slowly, stepped to the side, and faced Shazia again.

“Leave it. I’m going. You should go too your students are probably waiting.”

Shazia narrowed her eyes, reluctantly, reading the room. With one last glance she nodded.

“Okay, fine. Call me when you're free,” she said before turning away. She gave Vedant a look laced with contempt, then tossed one final glance at Isha and disappeared down the hall.

Naina turned and walked away too.

✦✦✦✦✦

Saanvi walked into the auditorium with Naina. Her eyes immediately caught Abhiraj sitting on the stage alongside two other men one of them was Pranay Malhotra. Abhiraj was focused on his phone. He looked up lazily, and the moment his eyes found Saanvi, they paused.

Saanvi wiggled her eyebrows as she took her seat.

Abhiraj scrunched his nose and returned to his phone.

Settling into her seat, She turned to Naina, who unusually hadn’t said a word since they'd arrived. “You okay?”

Naina gave a stiff nod, her lips pulling into a forced smile.

“No cat memes today?” Saanvi tried again, nudging gently.

Naina shook her head. “Didn’t find any good videos.”

Saanvi nodded, her eyes scanning the gradually filling auditorium. She could sense something was off with Naina but didn’t want to push. Still, the silence felt unfamiliar. After a beat of thought, she said, “You know, I thought the new MD might be that Mr. Reddy.”

Naina turned to her, brows furrowed. “Mr. Reddy?”

Saanvi shrugged. “I mean, sure, he’s corrupt, but he’s influential. Wouldn’t have been surprised.”

“You don’t know?” Naina leaned in slightly, lowering her voice as she shifted her chair closer. Her expression had shifted from blank to wary.

Saanvi blinked, frowning. “Know what?”

Naina hesitated, her eyes flickering around before she finally whispered, “The day you slapped Mr. Reddy... and when Mr. Singhania filed the case... the very next day, he disappeared from jail.”

“Maybe he got bail or something. Like I said, he’s an influential man."

Naina bit her inner cheek and shook her head. “No, ma’am. Four days later, he was found dead in his house.

Saanvi froze. Her eyes snapped to Naina. “Dead?”

Naina nodded. "With a Broken wrist. Looked like a suicide, but the condition of the body… it didn’t seem right. The police investigated, but then the case was suddenly closed.”

Saanvi’s lips parted, processing. “That’s... odd. Who would’ve—”

“Need anything, Mrs. Singhania?”

The interruption came from her right. She turned. Rudra stood beside her chair, leaning down slightly, his gaze fixed on her.

“Tell me,” he said smoothly, “Do you need anything?”

She looked around, realizing that a few people nearby had started to glance their way. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Get away from me. You’re embarrassing,” she muttered, eyes fixed on her lap.

He chuckled under his breath. “Then I’ll just admire you from the stage,” he said, gesturing toward the front.

She followed his gaze just as Abhiraj looked up again only this time, his eyes narrowed at Rudra. Without another word, Rudra moved past the chairs and joined the others onstage, seating himself beside Abhiraj with a cool, unaffected demeanor.

Naina shifted in her seat and gently reached for Saanvi’s hand. Saanvi glanced down, then gave her a small, reassuring squeeze.

The award program soon began. As speeches were delivered and names called, Abhiraj stepped away from the stage to take a call.

Eventually, the anchor’s voice picked up with renewed energy. “And now, the final award of the evening Aravika's Brilliance Young Achiever. Nominations for this were submitted five months ago. Their track records and overall performance were monitored from their joining date and now, the result is here.”

Saanvi was barely keeping her eyes open. She clapped absently and lazily .

“And the Aravika Brilliance Young Achiever award goes to… Dr. Saanvi!”

She nearly fell from her chair, she had been slumped to one side. Her eyes shot open as the auditorium erupted in applause. She looked around in disbelief.

“Ma’am, that’s you,” Naina said, nudging her excitedly. “Go!”

Saanvi stood slowly, still processing, and walked toward the stage. The anchor smiled and said, “I’d like to request our new MD to present the award.”

Rudra rose promptly, nodding as he stepped forward with the trophy in hand. Saanvi did her best to keep her expression neutral, though a flicker of frustration passed through her eyes.

He handed her the trophy with a slight smile. “Congratulations, Mrs. Singhania,” he murmured. “You’re truly brilliant. Proud of you.”

She took the trophy with an impassive face. “I don’t need your compliments,” she replied under her breath, turning to leave.

“Dr. Saanvi, one moment,” the anchor called.

She turned halfway.

“A few words, please. You’ve earned it.”

Bitch, did you ask me before giving me this award?

She smiled awkwardly.

“Actually, I’m not—” she began, then stopped. Her eyes caught someone in the crowd. Abhiraj, just returning, looking up at her with a proud smile.

She swallowed and turned back to the microphone. “Okay,” she said quietly and stepped forward.

Rudra had already taken his seat, and the auditorium had quieted in anticipation. Her eyes flicked across the audience and landed, briefly, on Anubhav Malhotra. She quickly looked away.

“I didn’t know I was nominated,” she began. “And I definitely didn’t expect to win. But thank you for the recognition.”

She paused, taking a steady breath. “I’ve seen many award winners dedicate their trophies to people who supported them, So, I’ll follow the culture.”

The crowd chuckled, and Abhiraj smiled, shaking his head.

"Papa.”

At that, Anubhav looked up sharply. Even Abhiraj, standing a few rows behind him, stilled.

“Maa and Papa are the reason I’ve made it this far,” she said. “Maa has always treated me like her own, loved me like a mother would and at some point, I stopped distinguishing. She is my mother. And Papa—” she hesitated, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips—“well, he always calls me a ‘stupid nurse’.”

The audience chuckled gently, Abhiraj among them.

“But I hope… now that I’ve received this award, he’ll stop. Either way… he’s the best supporter I’ve had. He doesn’t show it, but beneath that gruffness, he’s always been there. Quietly. And even though I’ve never really said it out loud, I love them. I’m grateful. He’s the best father. And Maa is the best mother.”

Her throat tightened. "So this award belongs to them, my maa and papa.”

Her voice cracked on the last word, and she quickly stepped back, offering a short bow before walking offstage. The applause was warm and lingering.

As she made her way down, Anubhav stood instinctively. For a second, it felt like she was walking straight toward him, and memories flashed before his eyes her tiny arms once clinging to his neck, her laugh, her scent of talcum powder and crayons, how he used to lift her and twirl her. His hands lifted slightly, almost involuntarily.

But Saanvi walked past him.

Without pausing, she wrapped her arms around Abhiraj, a broad, beaming smile on her face. Abhiraj immediately pulled her close, one hand patting the back of her head with quiet pride.

Anubhav remained still, hands frozen mid-air before dropping to his sides. He closed his eyes briefly, a single tear slipping down as he pressed a hand to his chest. Then, slowly, he turned, watching them.

The applause continued. He wiped his face quickly and joined in, clapping as he looked at Saanvi with a faint, bittersweet smile.

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Thankyou for reading💗