The shattered vows

The Professional Encounter

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The Shattered Vow - Chapter 3: The Professional Encounter

Morning came as it always did, cold and indifferent, much like Sahil. He woke up in his usual manner—early, determined, and entirely detached from the woman sleeping in a separate room.

Tanya, his wife in name only, had made breakfast again, but Sahil barely spared her a glance as he strode past the table.

“I'm leaving for the office,” he said, not even waiting for her reply.

Tanya nodded, her heart sinking further, though she had come to expect nothing from him. She watched him leave, her own day waiting to begin—another routine day of pretending.

It had been months since the wedding, and nothing had changed between them.

If anything, their relationship had grown colder, the walls between them thicker.

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At the Office:

Sahil’s day was packed with meetings, and as the CEO of one of the top corporations in the city, every second of his time was accounted for.

His assistant had scheduled a meeting with a leading architect for an upcoming project—someone highly recommended and internationally renowned.

As the meeting began, Sahil’s eyes scanned the room until they landed on someone familiar. Tanya.

His cold, indifferent wife was now standing before him, poised, confident, and utterly professional. The top architect his company had hired for their new project was none other than her.

For a moment, Sahil was taken aback, though he kept his expression neutral.

Tanya, too, acted as though nothing had changed. She greeted him with a nod, her tone composed and businesslike.

If anyone in the room knew they were married, they wouldn’t have been able to tell.

There were no stolen glances, no signs of intimacy—just two professionals conducting a business meeting.

Sahil couldn’t help but notice how different she seemed here. She was in her element, articulate, sharp, and focused.

It was a side of her he had never taken the time to see, and though he wouldn’t admit it, it caught him off guard.

After the meeting ended, Sahil’s icy exterior returned. As everyone filtered out of the room, Tanya turned to leave, but his voice stopped her.

“Tanya,” he called, his tone laced with the same coldness he always reserved for her. “Stay back for a moment.”

She complied, her face impassive as she stayed behind, standing a few feet from his desk. The air between them was thick with tension.

“Well done,” Sahil said, leaning back in his chair. “Your acting skills are improving. You almost convinced me we were strangers.”

Tanya swallowed the lump in her throat. His words cut, but she refused to let him see how much they hurt.

“Thank you,” she replied simply, her voice steady.

Sahil glanced toward the window, where the press had gathered outside the building.

“We’ll have to pretend a little longer. The reporters are still waiting for their perfect couple story.”

Tanya said nothing, only nodding in agreement. She was used to this by now—pretending to be the loving wife when all they shared was a hollow arrangement.

After a few minutes, Sahil finally gestured for her to leave.

“You can go now.”

Tanya walked out of his office without another word, her heart heavy. She had long since stopped expecting kindness from him, but it didn’t make his coldness any easier to bear.

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At Tanya’s Office:

Back at her own office, Tanya tried to focus on work, burying herself in blueprints and designs. But her mind kept drifting back to the cold exchange with Sahil.

No matter how professional she tried to be, it always stung to be reminded of just how far apart they truly were.

Hours passed, and the heaviness in her chest only grew. She felt nauseous, her stomach churning in a way that had become uncomfortably familiar.

She excused herself and hurried to the bathroom, where she barely made it to the sink before retching.

As she rinsed her mouth, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was pale, and there was a tiredness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.

Tanya sighed, brushing it off as stress or maybe the change in her diet since she’d moved into the mansion.

“It’s probably nothing,” she told herself, pushing the thought away. “Just the food.”

But deep down, she knew something was off.

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Five Months Later:

Five months had passed, and their marriage had remained frozen in place. The press still saw them as the perfect couple, but behind closed doors, they barely spoke.

Their interactions were limited to business meetings and social events where they pretended to be the loving husband and wife everyone expected.

Sahil, for his part, kept his distance. He was cold and detached as ever, but Tanya had learned to live with it.

She continued working on the project, her reputation as an architect growing, while Sahil continued to ignore her at home.

The nausea, however, didn’t go away. It came in waves, some days worse than others, but Tanya convinced herself it was just stress.

After all, what else could it be? The constant pressure of pretending, the coldness of her marriage, and the demands of her job—it was all too much.

But through it all, she held on, hoping that one day, things might change.

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To be continued.....