𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑.18

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A a r u s h

It's been a while since these thoughts began to consume my mind, and I still can't find a concrete answer. Why do I feel this irritation surge within me when Arjun hugged Dhriti? Why can't I stand the sight of her with other men, even if it's just Ranveer casually talking about her? Am I falling for her? The notion seems absurd, yet the feelings persist, refusing to fade away.

"Aarush. Did you see the news?" Rehaan's voice cuts through my thoughts. 

"What happened?" I asked.

"Look," Rehaan replies, gesturing toward his phone and handing it to me.

My eyes widen in disbelief as I scan the article. These photos, which I assumed were private moments, had somehow found their way to the media.

"How did these photos get to the media? This incident happened a while ago," I ask rhetorically, already knowing the answer in my heart.

"A while ago... How do you know?" Rehaan asks me, his tone a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

"Because when I went there and entered her cabin, they were hugging, just like in these photos," I reveal to him, hesitant to let my feelings take the narrative.

"What! Did you go there today?" Rehaan presses on, his eyes narrowed in scrutiny.

"Yeah... I went there to give her a file," I explain, hoping that the simple reason would quell his suspicion.

"You went there to give her a file... Tell me the truth. Did you do this? You're behind this, aren't you?" Rehaan's tone becomes accusatory.

"No, I'm not the one behind this. Believe me; I can't do this because she saved my Aashu from a great danger," I plead, trying to make him understand that my intentions were pure, and I would never intentionally hurt Dhriti or put her in such a compromising position.

I held my breath, hoping that my words would reach the depths of his skepticism and absolve me of the accusations laid upon me.

Rehaan lowered his gaze in contemplation, his face a mask of unreadable emotions. "Okay I believe you..." I exhaled a sigh of relief, but his words trailed off uneasily, "but Dhriti. She will think that you are behind this." His words cut through the silence as a shrill ring pierced the air, my heart pounding in my chest as I saw Dhriti Krishna's name flash across the screen. She was calling to blame me, and the reality of it all gripped me like a vice.

"Hello," I managed to utter, my voice trembling with anxious anticipation.

"Yeah...hello Mr. Aarush Malhotra, how are you feeling now after spreading a fake news about me and Arjun?" she asked me over the phone, her words crackling with rage. I was at a loss for words, dismayed by her unfounded assumptions and the sheer disbelief that I was capable of such deceit. In my heart, I knew there was nothing I could say to convince her otherwise, not in her current state of fury.

"I don't know-" I began to explain, but she cut me off, her words tumbling out in a torrent of frustration, "Now also you are taking revenge on me, right? Now you are playing with my life Mr. Aarush Malhotra, not only my life Aju's life also. What do you want? Why are you doing this all?"

Dhriti's voice was thick with emotion, trembling with the weight of the accusations she was hurling at me. I could feel the tension in the air, her anger palpable as she struggled to make sense of the chaos that had consumed her life. I knew that continuing the conversation would only serve to inflame the situation further, and I couldn't bear to see Dhriti's health deteriorate any more than it already had. I made the decision to cut the call, praying that she would find some semblance of peace amidst the turmoil.