My Cheating Husband

☆ Chapter 21 (Part 1) ☆

Hey everyone! I am glad this story reached 10k+ reads. I never thought you guys would love this story. Anyways, I am thankful for your support. This story is near to its end and I do feel bad but don't worry, I have uploaded a new story named 'His Therapist'. It will be a short story.
This might be a much awaited chapter. Don't forget to comment your thoughts at the end. Your comments encourage me and maybe I'll upload 2nd part of this chapter soon ;)

AUTHOR'S POV

Back at the cafe, Karthik and Prisha are enjoying their coffee, engaged in small talk. Karthik tries to keep the mood light, but he can't help but occasionally glance at Prisha, his heart still yearning to express his feelings. He clears his throat and says softly.
"Prisha, there's something I need to tell you. Something I've been wanting to say for a while now."
He pauses for a second, his heart pounding in his chest. He doesn't know how she will react, but he knows he can't keep his feelings bottled up any longer. He takes a deep breath and continues, his voice slightly shaky.
"Prisha, I... I have feelings for you. I've had feelings for you for a while now, and I just couldn't keep it to myself any longer."

Karthik watches as Prisha's eyes widen in surprise, clearly caught off guard by his confession. Her gasp tells him that she wasn't expecting his feelings to be so strong and direct. He waits anxiously for her response, unsure if she feels the same way or not. Prisha takes a moment to collect herself, her heart fluttering with a mix of emotions. She had no idea that Karthik had such deep feelings for her, and the confession has completely caught her off guard. Prisha hesitates for a moment before finally speaking, her voice soft and a bit uncertain.
"Karthik, I'm... I'm flattered that you feel that way about me. I never imagined you saw me that way."
Karthik feels a mix of relief and anxiety at her words. Her response wasn't exactly what he hoped for, but it wasn't a outright rejection either. He looks at her, searching her face for any sign of her true feelings. Prisha continues, her eyes locked with his. "I'd be lying if I said I haven't felt a certain attraction to you too. You're intelligent, charming, and kind. But-" She hesitates for a moment, then looks down as if gathering her thoughts. Prisha takes a shaky breath and looks back up at him, her expression filled with a mixture of sorrow and guilt. She can't bring herself to tell him that she's married, and the pain of hiding the truth is evident in her eyes.

He looks directly into her eyes, his voice steady and earnest.
"Prisha, you have to believe me. I'm not a player, and I don't just go around expressing my feelings to every woman I'm attracted to. You're different. I care about you deeply, not just physically, but emotionally too." Prisha tries to dismiss the situation. Karthik's heart sinks a little as Prisha dismisses his words. He can feel her pulling away, a wall going up between them. Frustration and desperation build up inside him, and suddenly he snaps, his voice rising slightly.
"Damn it, Prisha. I'm being honest here. I care about you more than you know. But you just shut me out like this? Why won't you believe me?"
Prisha's voice is firmer now, a flicker of irritation evident in her tone.
"Listen, Karthik. I appreciate you expressing your feelings, but you need to understand that things are more complicated than you think."
He snaps back, his eyes locked with hers.
"Why? Why is it so complicated? I'm offering you my heart here, and all I'm getting is a bunch of excuses. What is it that you're hiding from me?"

"I AM MARRIED!" Prisha speaks in frustration.

Karthik feels as if the ground has dropped beneath his feet. Married? How could Prisha be married? The news hits him like a ton of bricks, leaving him speechless for a moment. He gazes at her in disbelief, his eyes searching her face for any hint of deception, any sign that she's lying.
Prisha can see the anger, hurt, and confusion etched on his face, and she tries to divert the conversation. She speaks quickly, avoiding his gaze.

"Look, it's not a big deal. It's a marriage of convenience, nothing emotional or romantic about it."
Karthik's anger deepens. How can she dismiss her marriage so casually? He grips the table, trying to control his frustration.
"Not a big deal? Are you kidding me? You're married! You led me to believe that we had something special, that our connection was real, and all this time you were hiding the fact that you're married!"

Karthik sees the tears forming in Prisha's eyes, but he doesn't feel any sympathy at the moment. His hurt and anger are overriding any empathy he may have had before.
His voice is still sharp as he continues. "You're crying now? Really? After lying to me all this time, you expect me to feel sorry for you?"
Karthik can sense that there's more to this than she's letting on, and his anger makes him push further.
"Is that why you never let me get too close? Because you were hiding this secret the whole time? And yet you still led me on, made me believe there was something between us."
He runs a frustrated hand through his hair, his voice growing louder with each word.
"How could you do that? How could you play with my feelings like that when you knew you had a husband waiting for you at home?"
Prisha gets irritated. Nikhil never cared, at least in the intial days and on top of that she never gave Karthik signals showing she wants a relationship with him. She speaks in a firm voice.
"Look Karthik. I saw you as my friend. I never gave you any signals!"

Karthik laughs humorlessly, a bitter edge to his voice.
"Never gave me any signals? Then what do you call all the times we spent together, talking, laughing, sharing moments? Were those just meaningless interactions to you?"
Prisha looks at him with a steady gaze, her voice firm and resolute.
"Those moments meant something to me, but they were never meant to imply anything romantic. We were friends, and I enjoyed our time together. I never intentionally led you on."

Karthik's frustration bristles at her words. Did she really believe that their connection was purely platonic? He can't understand how she can deny the undeniable chemistry between them.
"How could you say that? You can't seriously think our connection was just friendly. We had something special, something unique between us. I felt it, and I know you did too."

Karthik can see that Prisha is getting defensive, and he decides to press her further.
"Enough with the lies and deflection. If you're really married, then tell me who your husband is."

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