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No one knew when the stone you hurled toward the sky would return, striking you harder than before. Nature’s own boomerang.
But my situation wasn’t simply about karma finding its way back. No — this was a past I thought I’d buried, clawing its way up to swallow me again. Those years of peace were nothing more than a cruel intermission — a pause before the next disaster.
How had I never known he was his brother?
In hindsight, it wasn’t that strange. The eldest son of the Rai Mehrotra family had gone to great lengths to avoid the media, and I’d spent most of my life outside India. Still, it didn’t make the revelation any less shocking.
Especially after the words he said that evening.
30 May
"Sign a contract with me for this baseless marriage."
His calm tone sent a ripple of unease down my spine.
For a moment, I didn’t even process the meaning. "What do you mean, Mr. Rai Mehrotra?" My brows furrowed in disbelief.
He sighed, glancing at the table before lifting his head again.
The grey in his eyes had vanished, replaced by an abyssal black — the kind of moonless night where tears tasted like salt and the dark swallowed you whole. They were beautiful, yes… but fearsome. The kind of eyes that could erase your existence without lifting a finger. He hid far too much behind those shadows.
"I mean," he said, voice deep and steady, "A contractual marriage."
The words floored me.
This wasn’t some childhood game we’d once played. This was a vow meant to last a lifetime. To me, marriage wasn’t a piece of paper — it was sacred. Holy. Untouchable. And here he was, dragging it into the dirt with legal jargon.
His expression didn’t even flicker, but my shock must have been obvious. I was not the kind of person to wear my heart on my sleeve, yet even I couldn’t mask this.
"What the hell do you mean by contractual marriage? This isn’t a business deal, it’s a sacred thing," I bit out, my fists clenching under the table.
He chuckled lowly. "Do you think I’m desperate to marry you?"
"Then what makes you think I’m desperate to marry you?" I shot back instantly.
A muscle in his jaw twitched. His silence said more than his words.
"I don’t like wasting time," he said at last. "So I’ll be direct — this marriage will end after one year. On our first anniversary, we divorce."
