The Billionaire's Embrace

The Aftermath

Inside the grand walls of Raichand Mansion, the tense atmosphere lingered like an unspoken storm. After the whirlwind of emotions at the press conference, the family returned home, hoping to find some peace, but the air was anything but calm.

Aradhya walked ahead of the family, her footsteps quick, her entire body radiating anger. Her hands clenched around Aarav, holding him protectively to her chest, as she ascended the staircase. Everyone else remained silent, watching her stiff movements, and they knew from her rigid posture that a storm was brewing.

Atharva stood still, his eyes following her as she moved toward her room. He could feel the tension mounting, could sense the rage she was trying to contain. This wasn't how he thought it would unfold. He had stepped in front of the world, defended her, declared her as his wife, thinking it would bring some kind of resolution. Instead, it had triggered a firestorm.

"Aradhya," Atharva called out, his voice low but firm.

She stopped abruptly, her body going still, and then slowly turned around. Her eyes were blazing with fury as she looked down at him from the stairs, her chest rising and falling with the weight of her emotions.

"How could you?!" she erupted, her voice breaking the tense silence in the mansion. "How could you call me your wife, Atharva? Without even any thought? Without even thinking the repercussion of what me and aarav would face, after this?!"

Atharva blinked, taken aback by the intensity of her anger. He opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off, her voice growing louder, each word laced with the sting of betrayal.

"You put me in front of the cameras, in front of the entire world, and you declared something that isn't true! Do you have any idea what you've done?" Her voice cracked, her hands trembling as she clutched Aarav tighter. "Now everyone believes we're something we're not. They believe I'm your wife, Atharva. Your wife."

Her words hit him like a blow, but before he could react, she continued, the anger in her voice mounting.

"What were you thinking?" she demanded, taking a step down, as if her physical proximity would force him to understand. "You never thought about what this means for me... for Aarav. How could you do this? Without even asking me how I felt?"

Atharva felt his chest tighten. His mind spun, trying to comprehend the depth of her anger. He had thought he was doing the right thing. He had thought he was protecting her, protecting Aarav. But now, standing before her, he realized how deeply it had hurt her.

"I was protecting you, Aradhya!" His voice raised, frustration bleeding into his tone as he stepped closer to the staircase. "I was protecting both of you. I couldn't just stand there and let them say those vile things about you—about Aarav!"

"You don't understand, Atharva," she snapped, her voice cracking with the weight of her emotions. "You've made things worse! Do you know what kind of chaos this will create? The media will keep digging—they'll make a spectacle of this. They won't stop until they've dragged us both through the mud."

Atharva's patience snapped. "Do you really think I care about the media, Aradhya?" His tone was sharper now, frustration and hurt mingling in his voice. "I declared you as my wife because that's what I believe would protect you from those vultures. I couldn't let them reduce you to something less than you are. I did it for you, and I did it for Aarav."

His words made her pause for a moment, the fierceness in his voice taking her by surprise. But she quickly shook her head, refusing to be swayed. "But it wasn't your decision to make! You had no right, Atharva!"

Atharva felt his blood boil at her response. His jaw tightened as he struggled to keep his temper in check. "No right?" he echoed, his voice trembling with suppressed anger. "What do you mean by that, Aradhya? I stood there, fighting for you, for Aarav. And now you're saying I had no right?"