A Bargain Made with Frosting

Ch 50. The Burden of Deception: Shivay's Choice

Shivay's breath hitched in his throat. The air in the room seemed to thin, the world around him warping into a distorted image. Rohit's words echoed in his skull – "Annika's parents." Denial, a familiar companion, clawed its way up his throat.

"No," he rasped, his voice barely a whisper. "That can't be true."

Rohit leaned forward, his gaze filled with a cold intensity. "The investigator dug deep, Shivay. Dates, locations, everything lines up. You were young, reckless. It was an accident, I understand. But that doesn't change the fact that the people in that car... they were Annika's family."

Guilt, a venomous serpent, coiled around Shivay's heart. He wasn't a murderer, not directly. Yet, the seeds of the accident were sown by his own reckless actions. How could he face Annika with this truth hanging over them?

"What am I supposed to do?" Shivay choked out, his voice thick with despair.

"The only decent thing," Rohit said, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "You can't stay married to her knowing this. It would be a constant lie, a betrayal of her trust. The best thing for everyone involved would be a divorce."

Shivay slammed his fist on the desk, the sound echoing through the sterile office. "Divorce? How can you even say that? We love each other!"

Rohit stood in front of Shivay, his expression grave. "Love can't erase the past, Shivay," he said, his voice firm. "Think of the pain you'll inflict on her if she finds out from someone else that you caused her parents' death. If you had taken them to the hospital, they would still be alive. She deserves justice, Shivay. Justice for her parents, to keep their killer behind bars. But that would mean tarnishing your image and the entire Oberoi Empire. Our family would be ruined. You have to choose, Shivay. Either choose Anika and tell her the truth, risking everything we have built, or divorce her and keep her in the dark about her parents' death."

Shivay's heart pounded in his chest as he considered Rohit's words. He loved Anika more than anything in the world, but he couldn't bear the thought of losing everything he had worked so hard for. The guilt and shame of his actions weighed heavily on him, and he knew he couldn't keep the truth hidden forever.

Days bled into weeks, each one a torment for Shivay.  Annika, his sunshine, seemed to fade with every passing moment. Guilt gnawed at him, a constant reminder of the truth he couldn't bring himself to share. He knew a decision loomed, a choice with devastating consequences.

Honesty could shatter their love, leaving him adrift in a sea of regret. But keeping the truth buried felt like a betrayal, a ticking time bomb threatening to explode their happiness. He envisioned Annika's eyes, brimming with hurt and shattered trust, a vision that tore at his soul.

There had to be another way, Shivay desperately clung to that hope. But as he watched Annika's smile falter, replaced by a growing concern, the weight of his secret grew heavier. An honorable solution seemed an impossible dream.

Shivay embarked on a path paved with heartbreak. He couldn't break Annika's heart directly, not after the love they shared. But the truth, a festering wound, threatened to poison their future. So, with a heavy heart, he began to formulate a plan – a way to end their marriage without inflicting the pain of his secret.

He would orchestrate a separation, a carefully constructed illusion designed to protect Annika from his past. He would shoulder the burden alone, sacrificing his own happiness for a chance at hers. The weight of this decision settled on him like a suffocating fog, but the thought of seeing her unhappy was a fate he couldn't bear.

Shivay's plan unfolded with a heartbreaking precision. He started withdrawing, his affection replaced by a carefully cultivated indifference. He fabricated late nights at work, citing demanding projects. Playful banter turned into strained silences, his once vibrant smile replaced by a ghost of its former self.

Annika, bewildered by the shift, showered him with concern. Her worried questions were met with forced reassurances, his gaze flickering away from the hurt in her eyes. The more she pressed, the colder he became, pushing her further away with his emotional withdrawal.

Annika, bewildered by the shift, showered him with concern. Her worried questions were met with forced reassurances, his gaze flickering away from the hurt in her eyes. The more she pressed, the colder he became, pushing her further away with his emotional withdrawal.

He began nitpicking at her, criticizing her choices in a way that felt foreign to their relationship. He feigned annoyance at her habits, the things he once found endearing. The constant friction chipped away at the foundation of their love, leaving a trail of confusion and unspoken accusations.

One evening, after a particularly harsh exchange, a suffocating silence descended upon them. Annika, her eyes filled with unshed tears, finally broke the ice. "What's happening, Shivay?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

Shivay's voice was a mere rasp as he spoke, the guilt a physical weight on his chest. "Annika," he began, forcing himself to meet her gaze, "lately I've come to realize... maybe we haven't grown together as much as we've grown apart."

The words felt like a betrayal, twisting on his tongue. "Perhaps what we had was a temporary spark, an initial attraction that I mistook for love. Looking back, maybe a contract marriage wasn't the best decision after all."

He paused, the silence thick with unspoken truths. "Annika," he continued, his voice barely above a whisper, "I think it would be best if we… parted ways."

"Let's end this, Annika," he continued, his voice gaining a semblance of strength. "It'll be easier for both of us. I'll have the divorce papers drawn up. You can sign them whenever you're ready."

Annika stared at him, her eyes filled with a heartbreaking mixture of confusion and betrayal. The man she loved, the man she'd built a future with, was a stranger now. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them back fiercely.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Shivay?" she asked, a tremor in her voice.

Shivay steeled himself, pushing down the wave of guilt threatening to engulf him. "Yes, Annika. I'm sure." He knew the pain he was inflicting, but the alternative, the truth, seemed even more devastating.

"Then I won't fight it," she whispered, a tear tracing a path down her cheek. "I'll sign the papers."

Shivay felt a wave of relief wash over him, quickly replaced by a hollowness that settled in his gut. He had achieved his goal – a divorce that protected Annika from the truth. But the victory tasted like ash in his mouth. He had sacrificed the woman he loved, their shared dreams, all for a twisted sense of protecting her.

The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words and shattered promises. As Annika walked out of their home, a he was left alone with the wreckage of his own deception. The future stretched before him, an empty canvas devoid of the colors he had once shared with Annika. He had achieved his goal, but at a cost he knew he would forever bear.

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