Shadowed Desires

Chapter 14

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Same morning...

Everyone was at the breakfast table. Kritika’s fever had subsided, but the weakness lingered. She spoke to Riddhima,
"Aap mera breakfast mat lagaiye mujhe bhook nahi hai aur aaj mujhe jaldi jaana hai."
"Please don’t serve me breakfast, I’m not hungry and I have to leave early today."

Atharv said, “You should not go today.”
Kritika replied, “And you should not order me.”
Atharv said, “I’m not ordering you, but if someone had a fever all night, they should at least rest for a day.”

Kritika began to argue, “But…”
Riddhima interrupted, "Kritika ko puri raat bhar bukhar tha aur tum hume ab bata rahe ho?"
"Kritika had a fever all night and you’re telling us now?"

Atharv stammered, “Mumma, woh main…”
Riddhima said, "Tum dono hi kuch mat bolo. Bahar walo ke liye hoge leaders, ghar mein dono bache hi ho."
"Both of you, don’t say a word. You might be leaders for the outside world, but at home, you’re still kids."

"Kritika tum kahin nahi ja rahi aaj pure din. Samjhi?"
"Kritika, you’re not going anywhere today. Understood?"

Kritika nodded like a child, glaring at Atharv, who just shrugged.

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Time skips...

Atharv had just entered their room when a pillow smacked him right in the face.
“What the hell?” he said, startled.
Kritika approached him with another pillow in hand.

“What are you doing?” he asked.
Kritika fumed, “Tumhe kisne kaha tha neeche sabko batane ka ki mujhe bukhar tha raat ko?”
"Who told you to announce to everyone downstairs that I had a fever last night?"

Atharv replied, “If you don’t listen to me, maybe you would’ve listened to them.”
Kritika shot back, “Tumhe pata hai main unki baat ke liye mana nahi karti. Tumne ye jaan bujh ke kiya hai. You are such a cheater.”
"You know I wouldn’t have refused if they told me. You did this deliberately!"

She was whining like a child.

Atharv said, “Now shut up and take rest.”
Kritika rolled her eyes and walked to the washroom. Her phone started ringing just after she left.

He ignored the first two rings but finally picked up, thinking it might be important since it was from an unknown number.
As soon as he picked up, Dev yelled from the other side,
“Agar tum responsibility utha nahi sakti to haan kyun karti ho?”
"If you can’t take responsibility, then why do you even say yes?"

Atharv clenched his fist but maintained a calm tone, “She’s not well.”
Dev scoffed, “Yeah, I forgot how can anyone live peacefully with the Shekhawat family.”

Atharv shot back, “She doesn’t need any more stress when you keep barging into her life.”
Dev taunted, “You’re just like your father—love to mess with my nerves.”
Atharv replied coldly, “That’s why you had to use your daughter to handle me.”

“In your dreams,” Dev growled.
“Stay happy with your assumptions. Just don’t disturb her for a day,” Atharv said and hung up.

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Two days later – 8:00 PM

Kritika was walking through a slum area with her team for the election campaign. Looking around, she thought even calling it “underdeveloped” would be an overstatement.